You have cabinets, or you are about to. The question is who puts them in, and the right answer depends on how much else has to happen at the same time.
The four options
A dedicated cabinet installer
Fastest and cheapest for a straight swap. Commonly $50 to $120 per linear foot, or $150 to $500 per cabinet. Two to four days for a normal kitchen.
Right when: the layout is unchanged, the plumbing stays put, and you have counters and trades arranged separately. Wrong when: anything else in the room has to move, because you become the general contractor by default.
A general contractor
Installs the cabinets and carries the plumbing, electrical, counters, demolition and disposal under one contract.
Right when: anything moves, anything needs a permit, or you do not want to coordinate four vendors. Wrong when: it genuinely is a straight swap with nothing else happening — then you are paying for coordination you do not need.
A finish carpenter
Excellent hands, usually the best result on trim, scribes and out-of-square walls — which matters more than people expect in Long Island houses built before 1970.
Right when: the install is fussy, the walls are bad, or there is significant custom trim. Wrong when: you need plumbing and electrical, which most carpenters do not carry.
The store's installer
Whoever supplied the cabinets arranges it. One number to call if something goes wrong, which has real value.
Right when: you want a single point of accountability on the cabinets specifically. Wrong when: the job needs trades, because the store's scope usually stops at the cabinets.
What to verify, whoever you pick
- License and insurance, in writing. Home improvement contractors on Long Island are licensed at county level and Suffolk and Nassau licenses are separate. Ask for the certificate.
- Experience with your specific cabinet system. IKEA's rail system in particular is not like conventional cabinet installation. More on IKEA installs.
- Who checks the parts list before day one. A kitchen missing three brackets stops dead.
- Who handles out-of-level walls. In a 1955 ranch this is not hypothetical, and the answer determines whether your door gaps are even.
- Who is doing the plumbing and electrical, and is it in this price.
- Who is responsible if a cabinet is damaged during installation.
The coordination problem nobody prices
A kitchen with separate vendors has a sequencing requirement that somebody has to own: demolition, then rough plumbing and electrical, then cabinets, then the counter template, then one to three weeks of fabrication, then counters, then final plumbing, then backsplash.
Get that order wrong and you pay for return visits. The counter template in particular cannot happen until the cabinets are in and level, and the fabricator will not come twice for free. If you are coordinating this yourself, build the schedule before anyone starts. The full sequence is here.
What we do
We install cabinets we supplied and cabinets you supplied, including IKEA. On a supply-and-install job everything is one contract and one schedule.
Our installed kitchens run $20,000 to $30,000 — cabinets, quartz counters, an island, a new sink and the plumbing, demo and haul-away, and labor. Not included: backsplash, appliances, flooring, and handles on most sets. The price works for a specific and finite reason: the cabinet sets came from projects that were cancelled after the cabinets had already been ordered, so they are paid for and sitting in our warehouse. When they are gone the price goes back to market.
Want a real number on your kitchen?
We measure on site and price it in writing. Free, no obligation, no showroom.
Towns we do kitchens in
We are based in East Patchogue and most of our kitchen work is in Brookhaven and Islip, but we go where the job is. If you are inside an incorporated village, the village building department governs rather than the town.
- Brookhaven — Patchogue, East Patchogue, Medford, Holbrook, Farmingville, Coram, Selden, Bellport, Shirley, Mastic, Centereach
- Islip — Islip, Bay Shore, West Islip, East Islip, Sayville, Bohemia, Oakdale, Brentwood
- Smithtown — Smithtown, Nesconset, Commack, Kings Park, St James, Hauppauge
- Huntington — Huntington, Northport, Dix Hills, Melville, Greenlawn, Huntington Station
- Babylon — Babylon, West Babylon, North Babylon, Lindenhurst, Copiague, Deer Park
- Brookhaven villages — Port Jefferson, Patchogue village, Bellport and Lake Grove run their own building departments
If your town is not on the list, call anyway — the list is where we work most, not a boundary. Anything from Nassau through the Twin Forks is fair game; we tell you honestly if travel makes a small job uneconomical.
Frequently Asked Questions
Who installs kitchen cabinets?
A dedicated cabinet installer for a straight swap, a general contractor when plumbing, electrical or permits are involved, a finish carpenter when the install is fussy or the walls are out of square, or the supplier's own installer if you want one point of accountability on the cabinets.
How much does cabinet installation cost on Long Island?
Commonly $50 to $120 per linear foot, or $150 to $500 per cabinet, with a typical kitchen running $1,000 to $2,500 in labor. That covers the cabinets only, not plumbing, electrical or countertops.
Do I need a general contractor to install kitchen cabinets?
Not for a straight swap in the same layout with no plumbing or electrical changes. You do once anything moves, anything needs a permit, or you would rather not coordinate several vendors and their sequence yourself.
Will a contractor install cabinets I bought myself?
Many will, including us. Some will not, because they inherit responsibility for a product they did not supply. Confirm before you buy the cabinets rather than after.
What is the right order for a kitchen installation?
Demolition, rough plumbing and electrical, cabinets, countertop template, one to three weeks of fabrication, countertop installation, final plumbing, then backsplash. The template cannot happen until the cabinets are installed and level.
Related Reading
- IKEA kitchen installers — the system-specific version
- Discount kitchen cabinets — before you need an installer
- Kitchen remodel timeline — the sequence that must not slip
- What belongs in a quote — who is doing what
- Kitchen permits by town — when you need a licensed contractor filing
Ready to Get Started?
Bought cabinets and need them in? Call Alec's Construction at (631) 312-7441. We install our sets and yours, and we will price the trades in the same quote.