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MODULAR vs CARPENTER MADE KITCHENS

There are times when you visit one of your colleague for a house warming party and see that he has got a sleek, modern and trendy looking Modular Kitchen and you love the way it looks, but you are not sure that whether it is a development from conventional, carpenter made kitchen. While, you are not alone in this dilemma, almost 90% of home owners struggle choosing between Modular and Carpenter made Kitchen. If you are in that phase of deciding and are not able to take the final call, don't worry, MillarQ Design here to help.

Carpenters have been our go-to people when it comes to any wood work at our house for all of our lives and Factory made modular kitchens tend to have a better and smooth finish. Lets start with the explanation of both the types of kitchens


Modular Kitchens

A Modular kitchen is a modern, sleek looking kitchen made up of pre-manufactured modules and accessories that are a perfect fit for your kitchen size and shape. It is made up in variety of materials and finishes, in pre determined styles. While it is made in a manufacturing unit, it gets assembled at your place and the best part, it can be completely dismantled whenever required.


Carpenter-Made Kitchens

A Carpenter-made kitchen, is build by local carpenters. Traditionally, carpenters have been approached for woodworks, and they cut, finish, and make the kitchen at site and is not module based, They follow their age old traditional working method. While we know that all the work id done by human hands, that increases the chances of error and timelines.


ADVANTAGES AND DISADVANTAGES OF MODULAR KITCHEN


ADVANTAGES:

  • A sleek finish and space planning gives your home a clean and spacious look.

  • It is easy to dismantle pack and reassemble modular kitchen in case you shift homes.

  • You will get perfect finish, neat edges and accurate dimensions in modules.

  • It is very easy to calculate the overall budget for your kitchen before hand as the pricing is also module based and minimal chances of any change in the pricing later on if we keep the initial design

  • Functionality of a modular kitchen is completely non comparable, as the module dimension are based on the accessories available in market, so in future, if someone wants to add in that drawer partition, you need not worry about the size of it at all.

  • Quality is assured by Modular units manufacturing Plants as the units and modules are all machine made.

  • Once you install a Modular Kitchen, there will be no issues in term of space management, as there are designated spaces for specific items in kitchen.

  • You can renovate your kitchen to Modular kitchen even while living in the home(with kids also), as the units are only assembled at site and not made at site which creates a lot of mess for residents to get it done while living there only.

  • Timeline can be easily maintained, as the modular items take set time only and is not dependent on any other aspect.

DISADVANTAGES:

  • Lets understand that a modular kitchen will be a a little expensive than carpenter made kitchen, as quality comes at a price

  • Space planing a Modular Kitchen requires a certain set of expertise and only a designer possesses those set of skills.

  • The core material for Modular Kitchens have always been controversial, MDF and engineered wood were initially used because of their sustainability, but now Plywood, BWR and HDHMR are also readily available.

  • You cannot see the manufacturing of Modular Kitchen, so you just need to make sure that you always discuss on actual designs with your designer and on the basis of 3D images and finishes selected only. Do not discuss and finalise on the basis of reference images only.



ADVANTAGES AND DISADVANTAGES OF CARPENTER MADE KITCHEN


ADVANTAGES:

  • Being a method that is in practice for more than one can imagine, they are easy to approach and locally readily available.

  • Since everything is being made at site, we can play around with the final pricing part, but customising different material choices.

  • You can make the storages as per your requirements like you can increase the width of some units and alter the height from standard sizes as per your usage.

  • The cost can be less than that of a modular kitchen, especially if you can get carpenters who are reasonable with their rates. (However, there are hidden costs on extra accessories that may not have been discussed initially due to your discussion!)

  • You can get vintage cabinet shutter designs with panelling, mouldings and cornices.

DISADVANTAGES:

  • Quality control can a bit of an issue as everything is done by hand and there is a level of human error involved in the whole process.

  • Since, Carpenter made kitchens are fixed at site, and cannot be dismantled whenever needed, so in case you are shifting houses, you need to leave everything behind.

  • Keeping a tab on cost becomes a task, as it is all in carpenter's control

  • When it comes to designing something that is new, it is a tedious task t make them understand that how will that be done, and honestly at times, it is frustrating.

  • Visualising something will be an issue as they are not using any kind of technology, so the only visual you will see will be the final result and you may or may not be happy with it, but nay changes at that stage will leave a hole in your pocket.

  • Even if your carpenter is using edge banding, he will only be pasting the same with hand and the chances of core material getting affecting by changing temperatures and moisture are high, ending in wobbled shutters and improper finishing.


Having read the whole comparison and understanding the way of working and quality for both Carpenter made kitchen and Modular Kitchen, we hope that you now understand the difference and will make an informed decision, while there are a lot of carpenters that we personally know from years and trust their work, Modular kitchens are a completely new setup and concept for you but assures the quality, optimal utilization of space at your home, it also provides a warranty for quality work. For more details, kindly Visit MillarQ Design


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