Cabinet Hardware and Lighting Upgrades

The Smallest Kitchen Job That Changes the Most

Ask owners of a newer Irvine home what bothers them about the kitchen and the answers are rarely about color. They are about use. The drawers do not come all the way out. The doors bang. The pulls are too small for the doors, or there are none and the fronts are covered in fingerprints. The counter is dim right where the knife is. This work fixes those complaints without touching the stone, the layout or the boxes, and most kitchens are finished in two to four working days.

Drawer Glides

Builder drawers commonly ride on side mounted three quarter extension glides. The back quarter of every drawer never clears the face frame, so spices, lids and utensils collect in a place you cannot see. We replace them with full extension soft close glides, usually undermount where the drawer box allows, so the whole drawer comes out and closes quietly.

Before ordering, we measure each drawer box. Some builder boxes are too thin or stapled together to take an undermount glide properly. In those cases we either use a good side mount full extension glide or rebuild the drawer box in plywood. Either way we tell you which drawers get which and why.

Hinges

Most builder hinges are concealed cup hinges, which is good news, because a soft close version usually fits the same boring. We check overlay, meaning how far the door covers the cabinet opening, and adjust every door for even gaps once the new hinges are in. Doors that have sagged on a heavy pantry or tall upper are shimmed or given an extra hinge.

Pulls and Knobs

Hardware is where a builder kitchen saves the most visible money. We size pulls to the door and drawer, typically longer pulls on wide drawers and a consistent center to center across the room, then drill with a jig so every pull sits at the same height. If existing holes will not be covered by the new hardware, we plan for that before drilling rather than after.

Under Cabinet Lighting

Recessed cans or wafer lights over the aisle light the floor and your back. The counter, which is where the work happens, sits in your shadow. Under cabinet LED strips or pucks mounted near the front edge of the uppers put light straight on the surface.

We run low voltage wiring inside the cabinets or through the wall where it can be fished, place the drivers where they can be reached for service, and put the under cabinet lights on their own switch or dimmer. California Title 24 expects new permanent kitchen lighting to be high efficacy, and it generally wants under cabinet lighting controlled separately from the ceiling lights, so the products and the switching are chosen with that in mind. Where a new line voltage circuit or new switch location is needed, the work is permitted and inspected through the City of Irvine.

Island and Pendant Lighting

Many builders roughed in junction boxes over the island and installed the most basic fixture on the options sheet. Swapping those for pendants at the right height, usually around thirty to thirty six inches above the counter, is quick. We also look at whether the island has outlets where people actually stand, and whether adding one is a simple extension or a new circuit.

Things We Check While We Are Inside

Opening every cabinet gives us a good look at the kitchen. We note leaks under the sink, loose uppers, missing anti tip brackets on the range, GFCI protection on counter outlets, and whether the panel has space for a future induction circuit. You get that list whether or not you ask us to fix any of it.

Cost

A full hardware and lighting refresh in a typical Irvine builder kitchen runs about $3,500 to $9,000, depending on drawer count, the pulls you choose, and whether the lighting needs new wiring paths or a permit.

Call (949) 292-1402 to book a walkthrough, and we will open every drawer with you.