"I used to dig all the stuff out onto the floor"
Deep base cabinets, a bad back, and the pot you need is always behind three you do not.
Shelves converted to drawers put everything in reach. Ask Cori which of your base cabinets can take them.
Custom cabinets · Dallas and the northern suburbs
Custom cabinets and built-ins in Dallas, installed by the owner
Drawers where the deep shelves are, built-ins that fit the wall, no gaps.
"The contractor told us the separation and gaps are normal." If you have heard that, you know the worry: custom money, and it looks like a rush job. Most custom work in a Dallas kitchen is smaller than people expect. Deep lower shelves become drawers. A dead wall becomes a built-in hutch or desk. A section gets rebuilt to fit the space it is in. Cabinet Transformer, a family-owned Dallas company, does this every week. Cori comes out free, measures the actual cabinets and quotes you before she leaves, and Charles, who owns the company, installs it himself. Phone (469) 281-7313.
If this sounds familiar
"The separation and gaps are normal"
Months after install the crown is opening up, two doors will not close all the way, and the installer blames the walls.
Walls in Dallas houses are rarely square. That is why it matters who measures and who installs. Here, that is Cori and Charles."Cabinet guy messed up"
You asked for a floor-to-ceiling pull-out pantry and got five roll-out shelves.
Cori measures in your kitchen before anything is quoted, so what gets built is what you described.
What people worry about with custom work
Will it look like a rush job?
Gaps between boxes, doors that rub, a crooked panel touched up with a marker. Most of it comes from walls and floors that are not square, met by an installer who was in a hurry. Charles, who founded Cabinet Transformer and has more than 25 years of cabinet work, does the installation himself. The built-ins in the photos on this page are his crew's work.
ProofReal Cabinet Transformer built-ins: a white hutch with glass doors and a built-in desk wall, shown on this page.
Is custom worth the money?
A whole new custom kitchen often is not, and plenty of people say so: "no better than my 15-year-old KraftMaid cabinets." The work here is smaller and more useful. You keep the cabinets and change the part that bugs you every day, like drawers where the shelves were, or a built-in for a wall that standard sizes will not fit. That is where custom earns its money.
What you can hold them toCori measures at your house and quotes you before she leaves.
Will they take the deposit and go quiet?
The worst stories in this trade start with a big deposit and a phone that stops ringing. The fix is knowing who you are dealing with. Cabinet Transformer is a family business in DFW for 25 years, and the people are named: Cori for the consultation and quote, Charles for the work. Your details go to them and nobody else, and (469) 281-7313 stays on every page of this site.
Proof"Cabinet Transformer has been an awesome company to work with." Traci Armstrong, Google review.
What moves the price
Custom work gets priced after it is measured, never over the phone. These are what move the number:
| What is being built or changed | Converting two base cabinets to drawers is a different job from a wall of built-ins. |
|---|---|
| Size and number of pieces | Linear feet, height to the ceiling, and how many doors and drawers. |
| Matching what is there | A new section finished to match existing cabinets takes more work than a stand-alone piece. |
| Hardware and inserts | Drawer slides, pull-outs, knobs and pulls, supplied and installed. |
| Finish | Painted, stained or glazed, and whether nearby cabinets are refinished to match. |
The consultation is free, and the quote comes after Cori has measured, not over the phone.
Dallas houses and custom work
The custom jobs that come up most in Dallas houses are small and specific: deep lower cabinets in 1980s and 90s kitchens that need drawers, the desk nook every 2000s Plano kitchen seems to have, a built-in for the wall beside the fireplace, or a section that has to match cabinets that are staying. Older houses in Lakewood and the M Streets have original built-ins worth keeping and matching rather than replacing.
None of these houses has perfectly square walls or level floors. That is normal. Gaps and rubbing doors are not; they are what happens when nobody accounts for it.
What happens after you call
1
You call or send the form
Say what the kitchen looks like and what bothers you about it. (469) 281-7313, or the form on this site.
2
Cori comes to the house
Free in-home consultation. She opens the doors, checks the boxes, measures, and shows you real color and door samples.
3
You get a quote before she leaves
Nobody asks you to sign that day. If paint would do the job, or the boxes are too far gone for either, she tells you.
4
Three to five days
Doors and hardware come off, everything is degreased, sanded, primed and topcoated, then reassembled and inspected.
Recent work by Cabinet Transformer
A few more things people ask
Closets
Cabinet Transformer's custom work is cabinetry: built-in drawers, shelves and doors. Closet organizer systems are not something they list. If you want built-in cabinets in a closet or a laundry room, describe it at the consultation.
Cabinets you already bought
Installing cabinets bought somewhere else is not on Cabinet Transformer's service list. Their work is refinishing, refacing and custom changes to cabinets. Call and ask if your situation is close.
"It is now 15 weeks later"
Lead-time horror stories mostly come from factory orders. Your timing gets set at the consultation. Ask for it, write it down, and hold them to it.
"A crack in any new cabinet is not normal"
Agreed. Look over every piece when it goes in, with the person who installed it still there.
From the blog
Custom Cabinet Finishes That Stand Out in Dallas Kitchens
The Best Cabinet Styles for Small Kitchens in Dallas
Before and After: Real Cabinet Refacing Transformations
From Builder-Grade to Beautiful: Cabinet Upgrades That Transform Dallas Kitchens
Kitchen Cabinet Trends in Dallas: Modern to Rustic Styles
Custom Dallas Kitchen Cabinets: Styles and Storage IdeasRelated work
Last updated October 12, 2026
Questions Dallas homeowners ask before they call
Is there anything better than pull-out shelves in a kitchen?
For deep base cabinets, full drawers are usually easier than pull-out shelves behind doors: one motion instead of two, and nothing gets dragged against the door. Which of your cabinets can take drawers depends on their size and construction, which is what the consultation checks.
Are custom kitchen cabinets worth it?
A whole new custom kitchen often is not, compared with good semi-custom. Custom work on the cabinets you are keeping usually is, when standard sizes do not fit or something in the kitchen simply does not work.
How can I close this gap between my already installed cabinets?
It depends on why it is there: boxes not fastened together, a wall that is out of square, or crown that was never scribed. Some gaps close with adjustment and filler strips; some need a piece rebuilt. Show it at the consultation.
Pull-out drawers or shelves for the pantry?
Drawers or pull-outs at the bottom where you bend, fixed shelves up high where you can see. A floor-to-ceiling pull-out pantry works where there is a tall narrow space for it.
Is this a reasonable timeframe for job completion?
Ask for the timing in writing at the consultation, measured from the day work starts. Cabinet Transformer's painting and refacing jobs usually take three to five days; custom pieces are scheduled job by job.
Tell us what does not work in your cabinets
Cori measures, Charles builds and installs. The consultation is free and the quote comes on the spot.