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KraftMaid Home Additions & ADU: The Fort Lauderdale Owner’s Guide
Home additions and ADU projects tied to KraftMaid cabinetry in Fort Lauderdale typically run $45,000 – $130,000 installed, but the scope drives everything: a 300-square-foot bedroom bump-out with a KraftMaid cabinet wall sits at one end of that range, while a full detached ADU with a complete KraftMaid kitchen lands at the other. We install and service KraftMaid cabinetry within these projects, and we can typically schedule a Fort Lauderdale site visit within a few business days. Most owners don’t discover a problem until something visible changes: a cabinet box separates from the wall after a humidity spike, a door binds against the frame, or a floor plan revision leaves a KraftMaid run cut short with no matching pieces. By then, the addition or ADU has been lived in, and the fix needs to match what’s already there.
Which KraftMaid Models This Applies To
KraftMaid sells cabinet lines in three broad tiers: Venicia (frameless, full-access), standard framed cabinetry, and the newer Vantage frameless series. Additions and ADUs in Fort Lauderdale often use Venicia or Vantage because they’re popular in kitchenettes and full kitchens alike, but the compatibility gotcha is this: a Venicia box is 5/8-inch thick, while standard framed KraftMaid boxes run 1/2-inch. If you’re pricing out an ADU kitchen and comparing notes with a neighbor, their number may not apply to your cabinet line. The practical way to identify what you have is to pull a drawer, find the KraftMaid stamp on the drawer box interior, and note whether the cabinet front sits inside a frame or overlays it fully. The OEM-vs-aftermarket decision for KraftMaid matters here: KraftMaid doors, drawer fronts, and boxes are built to a specific finish code, and aftermarket replacements rarely match the factory finish after a few years of Florida sun. We order OEM where finish continuity matters and use quality aftermarket only for hidden components like drawer glides and hinges.
Styles & brands we work with
Signs Your KraftMaid Home Additions & ADU Is Failing
- Cabinet doors that no longer close flush. Humidity in Fort Lauderdale swells wood fibers; if the original installer didn’t leave a consistent 1/8-inch reveal at installation, the doors bind within the first year and the fix is often realignment plus hinge replacement, not just adjustment.
- Drawer boxes that sag or scrape when opened. The fasteners pulling free from the box sides usually mean the original installer used the wrong length screw for the material. We see this in ADU kitchens where the cabinetry was installed quickly, and the repair is a refastening job done with the correct pilot holes.
- Wall cabinets separating from the wall. This is the one that makes us stop what we’re doing and schedule immediately. In Florida construction, wall cabinets need to hit studs or blocking, not drywall anchors. A visible gap at the top is a sign the cabinets are working loose.
- Finish peeling at edges or seams. Thermofoil and painted MDF doors fail at the seam when moisture gets behind the edge band. In a humid climate like Fort Lauderdale, a bathroom or laundry ADU cabinet without proper ventilation will show this within three to five years.
- Soft-close dampers that thud instead of easing shut. The damper is a small cartridge inside the hinge or glide, and it’s the first thing to wear on any KraftMaid door that gets daily use. The symptom is a dull thud where there used to be a gentle close, and the fix is a hinge swap, which takes minutes per door.
See the difference
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AfterReplacement Cost & What’s Included
For the cabinetry portion of a KraftMaid home addition or ADU in Fort Lauderdale, plan on these installed ranges:
- Cabinet installation (replacement or new): $4,000 – $13,000 depending on linear footage, cabinetry tier, and whether we’re working with a full kitchen or a kitchenette.
- Cabinet refastening or realignment (repair scope): $250 – $1,200 per job depending on the number of units, the extent of the separation or binding, and whether the boxes need to come down and be reset.
- Full home addition with KraftMaid cabinetry: $45,000 – $130,000, including the shell, HVAC, electrical, drywall, flooring prep, and the cabinet run itself.
- ADU construction with a KraftMaid kitchen: $90,000 – $220,000, with the cabinet package typically representing 8% to 15% of that total.
Every quote from Penhallow Remodeling Fort Lauderdale includes the parts, the labor, the fasteners, the trim, the caulk, and the disposal. You get a written price before we start any work, and the 365-Day Done Right Promise covers the workmanship: if the cabinet pulls loose again inside a year, we come back and fix it at no charge, no re-inspection fee, no argument.
DIY or Call Us?
Here’s the honest split. If a hinge is loose or a soft-close damper has failed, a homeowner with a screwdriver can handle that swap in ten minutes, and we’d never tell you to pay for a service call you don’t need. What we do tell you to leave alone is a wall cabinet separating from the wall, a drawer box with stripped fasteners, or any cabinet that’s moved enough to crack the drywall around it. Those need a repair that matches the original install method, hits the studs, and won’t quietly worsen while you watch TV in the next room. The tools are not exotic, but the consequences of getting it wrong in a humid climate are a cabinet on the floor and a torn-open wall. If you’re in Fort Lauderdale and wondering whether to reach for the drill or the phone, call us at (754) 551-2922 and describe what you’re seeing. It costs nothing to have that conversation, and we’ll tell you straight whether it’s a DIY fix or a call-out.
FAQs
KraftMaid cabinetry in a properly built and ventilated Fort Lauderdale space should last 20 to 30 years before the boxes themselves need attention, but the moving parts – hinges, dampers, drawer glides – realistically wear out and get replaced every 7 to 12 years with daily use. Call (754) 551-2922 for an exact assessment of your cabinetry, and we’ll tell you what needs replacing versus what’s got life left in it.
Yes, most failing KraftMaid cabinets in Fort Lauderdale can be repaired rather than replaced: binding doors get realigned, sagging drawers get refastened with correct screws, and separated wall cabinets get reset onto studs. Replacement only makes sense when the box itself is swollen past its dimensions or the finish has failed across most of the door surface, and we’ll show you the difference before you spend a dollar.
A hinge or damper swap takes under an hour on site; a wall-cabinet reset or drawer refastening job takes half a day; and a full cabinet run replacement inside a home addition or ADU typically runs three to five working days once the KraftMaid order arrives. Call (754) 551-2922 and we’ll give you a written schedule alongside the written price.
We carry common KraftMaid-compatible hinges, soft-close dampers, drawer glides, and fasteners on our trucks in Fort Lauderdale, and we order OEM doors, drawer fronts, and finish-matched panels through KraftMaid’s supply channel when the repair needs exact finish continuity. If your job needs a specific drawer slide or hinge, tell us the KraftMaid stamp number when you call, and we’ll confirm it’s on the truck before we roll.
Written by Trevor Nash, Owner, Penhallow Remodeling Fort Lauderdale at Penhallow Remodeling Fort Lauderdale, serving Fort Lauderdale and nearby areas.
