Cabinetry & Millwork
Built ins fitted to the house, not dropped into it.
Custom cabinetry, interior doors, vanities, desks, paneling, and architectural millwork built in solid Central Coast hardwood and fitted to the building as it actually stands. Santa Cruz, the Monterey Bay, and the greater Bay Area.
Furniture that happens to be attached to the wall
Most built in cabinetry is treated as construction: sized from the plan, ordered from a catalog of door styles, scribed in with filler strips where the house does not cooperate. It works, and it looks like what it is.
We approach millwork the way we approach a table. The species is chosen for the room and the light. The joinery is designed to be seen rather than hidden behind applied trim. And the case is built to the opening as we measure it, not as the drawing claims it to be, because in a hundred year old Santa Cruz house those are two different numbers.
What we build
- Built in cabinetry and casework. Libraries, window seats, media walls, mudrooms, closets, and storage designed into the architecture.
- Islands and freestanding casework. Solid wood and veneered panel construction, built for the specific room. Full kitchens are the one thing this shop does not take on.
- Bathroom vanities. Often where a single remarkable slab does the most work in the smallest space.
- Interior doors. Including glazed and sliding doors, hung and fitted by us.
- Desks and office casework. Freestanding or built in, with cable management designed in rather than added later.
- Paneling, trim, and stair parts. Matched to existing profiles where a house already has a language.
How millwork differs from a furniture commission
The six step commission process is the same, with two additions. First, we field measure ourselves once framing and drywall are complete, and the shop drawings are revised against those measurements before anything is cut. Second, we coordinate directly with your contractor on sequencing, because millwork that arrives before the floors are in, or after the appliances are set, creates problems for everyone.
The practical consequence is that millwork needs to enter the conversation earlier than furniture does. If your remodel starts in the spring, we want to be talking in the winter, particularly if you want anything in figured or salvaged stock that has to be found before it can be built.
Working with your team
We work from architectural drawings, from a designer’s specification, or from shop drawings we develop with you. Interior designers and architects get finish samples on the actual wood, firm lead times, and a single point of contact for the whole build. There is more on how that works on the page for designers and architects.
What it costs
Millwork is quoted per project. The real variables are species, door and drawer construction, hardware, and how much of the labor goes into fitting to a building that is out of square. Most residential millwork projects here start around $8,000 and rise from there. You get an itemized written estimate once the specification is final, and photo updates at every milestone once the build starts.
Questions we get
Cabinetry and millwork, answered plainly.
What is the difference between cabinetry and architectural millwork?
Cabinetry is the boxes: vanities, built in storage, casework. Architectural millwork is everything else made from wood and fitted to the building itself, including interior doors, paneling, trim, stair parts, and wall units. Trumanmade builds both, and most projects involve some of each.
Do you work with contractors and architects?
Yes, routinely. We can work from architectural drawings, from a designer's specification, or from our own shop drawings developed with you. We field measure ourselves rather than relying on plan dimensions, because the plan and the framed opening are rarely the same thing.
How far in advance should millwork be ordered on a remodel?
Earlier than most people think. Field measuring cannot happen until framing and drywall are in, but slab and material selection should happen months before that, especially for anything in figured or salvaged stock. On a typical remodel we want to be in the conversation at design development, not two weeks before cabinet install.
Can you match existing woodwork in an older home?
Usually. Send photographs and, if you can, a small offcut or a removable piece of trim. We match species, profile, and finish, and we are candid when an exact match is not achievable, which happens most often with old growth stock that is no longer commercially available in the dimensions the original builder used.
Do you build cabinetry and vanities?
Yes: built in storage, casework, bathroom vanities, and architectural millwork. Solid wood and veneered panel casework with visible joinery, built for the specific opening rather than assembled from stock sizes. Full kitchens are the one thing this shop does not take on, and a kitchen specialist will serve you better on those.
What does custom cabinetry cost?
Millwork is quoted per project rather than per linear foot, because the variables are the species, the door and drawer construction, the hardware, and how much of the work is fitting to an out of square existing building. Most residential millwork projects here start around $8,000 and go up considerably from there. Every project gets an itemized written estimate.
One next step
Bring us the room, the drawings, or just the problem.
Millwork projects are quoted per project after a real look at the space. Reply within one business day, or call (917) 415-4946.