Call Golden I Construction
Here at Golden I Construction, we custom-make kitchen cabinets at your request. If you would like to see our work before you order, come and look at our kitchen showroom in Manhattan. It is open by appointment only: call us, and we will set a time and tell you where to come.
When we design cabinets we pay attention to the things that matter in them: color, material, and overall style in relation to the rest of the setting. A good job takes innovation and vision, as well as proper attention to detail. A kitchen says a great deal about the people who live in the home, so making each kitchen special and unique is our goal.
Call for an appointment at our kitchen cabinet showroom in New York City.
Our kitchen showroom in NYC
Our cabinet work can be seen in our showroom, where we display our luxury kitchen cabinet designs and models, including our selection of Wood Harbor kitchen cabinets. All of the designs and patterns can be made to your preferences, so that the result fits your style. A picture shows a color. A sample in your hand shows the grain, the depth of the finish and the way a door is put together, and we believe you will see and feel the difference when you visit.
Visits are by appointment only, on weekdays, and on Saturdays and Sundays as well when arranged ahead. Call us to book one. Our contact page has the request form, our office and our hours.
What to bring to your first cabinet meeting
Cabinetry is a major element in a home, so give your imagination room. Collect pictures of cabinets, noticing the particular features you like. Cabinet makers appreciate visual examples, because it is easier to interpret your wishes from pictures than from words. Pictures crystallize what you want. When we first meet, bring:
- Your idea notebook, with the pictures you have collected
- Your blueprints or a floor plan
- Your builder, architect or designer, if possible
- Samples of any flooring or countertop the cabinets must match
Questions we will ask you
- What is the exterior style of your home, and do you want to continue that style inside?
- How will you use the cabinets? Cutlery trays and pullout bins? Shelves for books, music or collections?
- What styles and embellishments do you like? Shaker, Prairie, Country English or Contemporary? Fancy moldings, wainscoting, inlaid banding?
- Do you prefer particular woods? Cherry, oak or sycamore, or the more exotic ebony or bubinga? The species must be selected on the basis of the finish you want.
- Will the cabinetry be visible from other rooms?
- Must it match flooring or countertops that are already installed or selected?
Woods, materials and door styles
Our kitchen cabinet materials include oak, cherry, maple, alder, mahogany, walnut, birch, hickory, sapele, wenge, zebrawood, birdseye and other exotic woods. They are used as solid wood, veneer and plywood, quarter sawn or rift sawn, and we also work in thermofoil and acrylic. Cabinets are made framed or frameless, with inset, beaded inset, overlay or full overlay doors in flat, slab, shaker and mullion styles. If those words are new to you, this is what they mean.
| Term | What it means |
|---|---|
| Framed and frameless | A framed cabinet has a face frame on the front of the box, and the doors hang on it. A frameless cabinet has no face frame, so the doors cover the edges of the box. |
| Inset and beaded inset | The door sits inside the face frame, flush with it. In a beaded inset, a small bead runs around the opening. |
| Overlay and full overlay | The door lies on top of the frame. A full overlay door covers nearly all of it. |
| Shaker, slab and mullion | A shaker door is a flat panel set in a plain square frame. A slab door, also called a flat door, is one flat surface. A mullion door has bars that divide panes of glass. |
| Quarter sawn and rift sawn | Two ways of cutting a log that give the boards a straight, even grain. |
| Veneer | A thin layer of real wood applied over a stable core. |
| Thermofoil and acrylic | Thermofoil is a vinyl film formed with heat over a fiberboard door. Acrylic is a smooth plastic face, most often high-gloss. |
Many cabinet parts are made from engineered wood panels. Under a federal rule, hardwood plywood, medium-density fiberboard and particleboard, and finished goods that contain them, must be labeled as TSCA Title VI compliant, which is the Environmental Protection Agency’s standard for the formaldehyde such panels give off. It is a fair question to ask of any cabinet you are shown.
Custom cabinets in a New York City apartment
The Department of Buildings lists installing new cabinets among its examples of work that needs no work permit, and adds that contractors performing that home improvement must be licensed by the Department of Consumer and Worker Protection. Golden I Construction Inc holds that license, number 2019617-DCA. When the layout stays as it is, what remains to check is your building’s own rules. When the new layout moves the sink or the range, or adds outlets and lighting, the city’s plumbing, gas and electrical rules come in. Those are explained on our kitchen renovation page.
Your building comes first either way. Under the New York City Bar Association’s model alteration agreements for co-ops and condos, an owner needs the building’s consent to install equipment or make alterations, and the contractor’s insurance is delivered before work starts. All water, steam and gas valves must remain accessible during and after the work, which matters wherever a cabinet is built around a riser or a shutoff. Rubbish and discarded materials leave only by the service elevator, at the times the superintendent directs, and nothing is stored in the halls. Each building adapts the form, so ask your managing agent how yours treats new cabinetry.
For custom cabinets this means two sets of measurements: the room, where walls and floors are not always straight or level, and the way in, because every section has to fit in the elevator and through the apartment door.
From the first drawing to installation
- A first meeting, with your pictures, plans and samples.
- Design. Handcrafted, high-quality woodwork cannot be rushed, and for a custom millwork package two to three weeks of design time is recommended. Ask us about design fees, timelines and the cost of each revision.
- Drawings, as detailed as you require, and wood samples to look at with and without stain or paint.
- In a kitchen, the cabinet layout is established first, to guide the plumber and the electrician, and the cabinets are ordered.
- Installation, after the finish flooring and before the appliances.
- The template for the countertops is made once the cabinets are installed.
Where cabinets sit in the whole schedule of a remodel is shown on our kitchen remodel timeline page.
Custom cabinets beyond the kitchen
Handcrafted custom cabinets are a recognizable standard of quality, and they lend refinement and beauty to a home. Built into a kitchen, library, bathroom or closet, or made as a freestanding entertainment system or armoire, custom cabinets are a signature statement. See our pages on storage, closets and millwork, entertainment units and bathroom renovation.
Custom cabinets serving all of NYC’s neighborhoods
We provide custom cabinets in New York, NY for people who are renovating or remodeling their kitchens. The places we work are on our service areas page, finished kitchens are in the kitchen gallery, and what our clients have written about our cabinetry is on our testimonials page.
Call us to book a showroom appointment, or to have us come and measure.
Questions people ask
Where is your kitchen showroom in NYC?
In Manhattan. It is seen by appointment only, so call us first. We will arrange a time and give you the address.
Do I need an appointment to visit the showroom?
Yes. The showroom is open by appointment only, including Saturdays and Sundays.
Which cabinets can I see at the showroom?
Our luxury kitchen cabinet designs and models, including our selection of Wood Harbor kitchen cabinets, with sample doors, woods and finishes.
Do I need a permit to replace kitchen cabinets in New York City?
The Department of Buildings gives installing new cabinets as an example of work that does not need a work permit. Contractors doing that work must be licensed by the Department of Consumer and Worker Protection. Moving plumbing or gas lines or adding electrical work is a different matter.
Does my co-op or condo have to approve new cabinets?
Ask your managing agent before you order. The New York City Bar Association’s model alteration agreements start from the owner needing the building’s consent to install equipment or make alterations, and each building decides how it treats new cabinets, including cabinets in an unchanged layout.
Which woods do you build cabinets in?
Oak, cherry, maple, alder, mahogany, walnut, birch, hickory, sapele, wenge, zebrawood, birdseye and other exotic woods, as solid wood, veneer or plywood, as well as thermofoil and acrylic.
What is the difference between framed and frameless cabinets?
A framed cabinet has a face frame on the front of the box that the doors hang on. A frameless cabinet has none, so the doors cover the edges of the box.
Do you build cabinets for rooms other than the kitchen?
Yes: libraries, bathrooms and closets, and freestanding pieces such as an entertainment system or an armoire.
How much time should I allow for custom cabinets?
Handcrafted woodwork cannot be rushed, so contact us as early as you can. For a custom millwork package, two to three weeks of design time is recommended before anything is made. In a kitchen remodel the cabinets are ordered during preparation, before demolition.