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KraftMaid Home Additions & ADU: The Torrance Owner’s Guide
If you’re planning a home addition or ADU in Torrance and want KraftMaid cabinetry built into the design, you’re looking at $45,000 – $130,000 for the full project, with KraftMaid cabinet installation typically running $4,000 – $13,000 of that total depending on kitchen or wet bar scope. We install KraftMaid cabinetry in additions and ADUs throughout Torrance, and we can usually have a written, line-item price in your hands within a few days of measuring the space. Most Torrance homeowners discover they need help when the ADU plans get approved, the framing goes up, and suddenly the cabinet layout from six months ago doesn’t fit the actual wall dimensions.
The reality with any addition or ADU project is that cabinetry is one of the last things installed but one of the first things homeowners pick out. By the time those KraftMaid boxes arrive on site, you want a crew that measures three times and installs once. That’s where we come in.
Which KraftMaid Models This Applies To
KraftMaid builds cabinetry across several lines that flow naturally into Torrance ADUs and additions. The Vantage line is the most common choice we install for full kitchens in ADUs, offering plywood drawer boxes and soft-close hardware as standard. The Sedona line works well for wet bars and laundry nooks in larger additions, and the New Haven line fits homeowners who want a more transitional look. All three use the same core construction, but the door profiles and finish options differ enough that you’ll want to confirm what you ordered before the install crew shows up.
One compatibility gotcha specific to KraftMaid: their cabinet boxes come in 3-inch width increments, not the 1-inch increments you will see from some other brands. If your addition’s wall measures 8 feet 2 inches, you are not getting four 24-inch cabinets evenly spaced. You are getting a combination that includes filler pieces, and KraftMaid’s matching fillers are sold separately. We account for this in our written price before work starts, so the filler doesn’t become a surprise charge. For ADU kitchens in Torrance, we have seen homeowners order cabinets directly from a big-box store and end up with 6 inches of unplanned filler on each side of the run. It works, but it looks like a mistake. We measure and specify so it doesn’t.
When it comes to OEM versus aftermarket parts for KraftMaid installation, the honest answer is that hinges, drawer slides, and shelf pins are all available from KraftMaid directly, and we use them. For a Torrance ADU that will be occupied year-round, factory soft-close hinges paired with KraftMaid’s plywood drawers will hold up longer than aftermarket equivalents. In California’s coastal humidity, the last thing you want is a cheap hinge corroding six months after the tenant moves in.
Styles & brands we work with
Signs Your KraftMaid Home Additions & ADU Is Failing
- Doors that won’t stay closed or sit crooked. This usually means the hinge plates have loosened from the cabinet face frame, or the frame itself was installed out of square. In an ADU with moist air from a compact kitchen, minor wood expansion makes this worse over time.
- Drawers that grind or catch when you pull them. KraftMaid drawer slides are generally solid, but if sawdust from the surrounding addition work got into the track, or if the slide wasn’t mounted perfectly level, you will feel it within weeks, not years.
- Gaps between cabinet boxes and the wall or ceiling. This is an installation-precision issue, not a KraftMaid defect. Torrance additions built on existing slabs sometimes have walls that drift half an inch over the run. A good installer scribes the filler to the wall so the gap disappears.
- Finish peeling or bubbling near the dishwasher or under the sink. Steam and heat rise from dishwashers directly into the cabinet above the opening. If the finish is lifting near the bottom rail, that cabinet was likely installed too tight to the appliance opening without the proper heat shielding.
- Soft-close mechanisms that slam or stick in the open position. KraftMaid’s soft-close hardware is a specific piston mechanism inside the hinge. When a door is yanked open repeatedly or installed with the hinge slightly misaligned, the piston wears out and the door starts closing hard again.
See the difference
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AfterReplacement Cost & What’s Included
For a Torrance ADU kitchen using KraftMaid cabinetry, cabinet installation alone runs $4,000 – $13,000 depending on the number of boxes, whether you have a full cabinet run or just a lower bank with open shelving above, and how much adjustment the existing framing requires. A full home addition with a kitchen and a wet bar can push the cabinet portion to the upper end of that range, while a compact ADU galley kitchen often lands in the middle.
Every Mason Remodeling Co Torrance quote is a written price delivered before any work starts. That price includes the full cabinet installation, any filler pieces and trim, hardware mounting and adjustment, haul-away of packing material, and a 365-Day Done Right Promise. If something isn’t right within a year of completion, we come back and make it right at no cost to you. And because we are spec-grade partners with KraftMaid, we can also source the cabinets directly, so you get one crew handling the whole scope instead of coordinating between a cabinet retailer and a separate installer.
DIY or Call Us?
Hanging KraftMaid cabinets is not dangerous in the way that working on a garage door spring or an electrical panel is, but it can go wrong in a way that costs real money. A cabinet run that is half an inch out of level over 10 feet will show a visible reveal gap against the countertop, and you won’t notice it until the stone is already set. Plus, KraftMaid boxes are heavy, and a dropped upper cabinet can break a quartz countertop below it faster than you can react. If you are a seasoned DIYer with laser levels and a helper, a single vanity cabinet is reasonable. A full ADU kitchen is not where you want to learn.
For most Torrance homeowners, the smarter move is to call us, get a written price, and let a crew that installs KraftMaid cabinets weekly handle the layout, leveling, and finish alignment. You can reach us at (424) 337-6939 any day of the week. A live person answers, not a call tree.
FAQs
KraftMaid plywood-box cabinets installed correctly in a Torrance ADU should last 20 – 30 years, assuming the ADU has ventilation and isn’t subject to sustained moisture. The doors and drawers will likely need hinge adjustments every few years, which is normal wear, not failure. Call (424) 337-6939 if you want us to evaluate the condition of your existing cabinets during a larger renovation.
Yes, in most cases the fix is hardware, not boxes. Hinges, drawer slides, and soft-close pistons are all replaceable, and we commonly repair a single cabinet door or drawer rather than swapping out the run. If the box itself is water-damaged or delaminating, replacement is generally the only option.
A full ADU kitchen cabinet installation takes 2 – 3 working days for a standard galley or L-shaped layout, not counting countertop templating. Large additions with multiple cabinet runs can take 3 – 5 working days. We give you a specific timeline in the written price before we start, so you know what to expect.
We don’t keep cabinet boxes on a shelf, but we order KraftMaid cabinetry directly through our supplier and can typically have the order in production within a week. For small parts, hinges, slides, and fillers, we source through KraftMaid’s parts channel, and we also carry compatible hardware for Cambria, Silestone, and Kohler products we install alongside. If you need one drawer slide or hinge replaced, call (424) 337-6939 and we’ll verify the exact part before you spend a penny.
Written by Isaac Pruett, Owner, Mason Remodeling Co Torrance at Mason Remodeling Co Torrance, serving Torrance and nearby areas.
