It seems like everyone is obsessed with the idea of a flipped kitchen nowadays. All you have to do is turn on the TV and scroll through a few channels to find shows featuring 100-day renovations and seemingly miraculous kitchen overhauls.
And while the results may look good, most are nothing more than cheap remodels that present a serious lack of attention to detail.
Unfortunately, there’s nothing worse than a flipped kitchen done on the cheap. Because the kitchen is often regarded as the heart of the home, a low-budget kitchen flip can damage your home’s value and cause serious problems in usability and functionality. What’s more, a cheap kitchen flip just won’t hold up over time, and homeowners find themselves replacing materials and appliances in just a few years.
In this blog, we’ll look at a few warning signs of cheap kitchen flips and discuss how you can make sure your Pensacola remodel avoids them.
Let’s dive in.
5 Signs a Kitchen was Cheaply Flipped
Wondering about the quality of a kitchen remodel? Want to know what to avoid in your Pensacola home? Here are five cheap kitchen warning signs to look out for:
1. Awkward cabinets
If the kitchen is the heart of the home, cabinets are the heartbeat. Cabinets provide storage, organization, and aesthetic appeal to a kitchen, and it’s impossible to overstate their importance. 
Unfortunately, most cheaply flipped kitchens are lacking in the cabinet department.
Because custom cabinets are an investment, most cheap kitchen flips feature inexpensive stock cabinets. While these cabinets may look modern at first glance, there’s often a serious lack of attention to detail in how they function.
Stock cabinets might not fit a space well, for example, or may feature “blind or dead corners” that make it difficult to see what’s in the back of the cabinet or access the entire cabinet space.
Other cabinet configurations may provide awkward or inadequate storage or impede the flow of the kitchen – by opening into appliances, for example, or obstructing walkways.
Finally, stock cabinets are often made of cheap materials that will break down and fail quickly, requiring expensive repairs or replacements.
Kitchens that are professionally remodeled with quality and longevity in mind, on the other hand, usually feature custom cabinets meant to suit the space and the needs of the people who live there.
2. Low-quality drawers
Cabinets and drawers work hand-in-hand.
Unfortunately, a kitchen with cheap cabinets will often have cheap drawers. While this may not seem like a big deal, cheap drawers aren’t durable, and will fail, break, or get stuck with minimal use. This is the most common fail you’ll most likely see in a low-budget flipped kitchen.
Are you wondering how to judge the quality of kitchen drawers? Open one up and look for dovetail construction at the corners, which indicates quality and durability.
You can also test the smoothness of the drawer’s opening and closing action. Cheap drawers often have plastic wheels set on aluminum rails, which will warp, bind, or wobble with age. You should also look for doors that don’t shut properly, hang crooked, or slam when you close them.
3. Lack of attention to detail
One of the biggest signs of a cheap kitchen flip is a general lack of attention to detail. Here are a few examples:
- Gaps between crown molding and baseboard corners.
- Mismatched cut lines.
- Sloppy paint, especially in the room’s corners and near the ceiling line.
- Sloppy caulk or seal work.
- Apparent nail or screw holes.
- Crooked cabinet doors.
- And more.
While these details may seem small, a lack of attention in these areas tells you a lot about the workmanship of a flipped kitchen.
4. Cheap, imitation, or knock-off products
Most cheap kitchen flips try to save a few bucks by opting for off-brand materials. One place this is really evident is countertops. Here’s an example:
Today, lots of kitchen flippers are opting to install quartz countertops. This makes sense because quartz is durable, stain-resistant, and perfect for fast-paced family households.
Not all quartz is created equal, though.
While quartz from reputable brands will be durable and backed by a residential warranty, knock-off brands that specialize in fake quartz don’t offer the same quality or protection. The result? Kitchens outfitted with these discount products don’t function or hold their value as well as kitchens flipped with higher-quality materials.
Or what we see as even worse, great quality countertops on subpar cabinets. What happens down the road when the countertops still look great and the cabinets begin to fail? Most times, removing the tops to replace the cabinets will result in the tops breaking apart, requiring them to be replaced. Might as well do it right from the start!
5. Incorrectly installed (or selected) appliances
Take a quick walk around the kitchen and pay attention to the appliances.
Do they all open properly? Do the doors of said appliances clear the handles and knobs on nearby cabinets? Are the appliances installed in the correct locations, and are they secure when you open and close them?
A few major signs of a cheap kitchen flip are appliances that don’t fit the space, aren’t installed correctly (dishwashers just slid into a gap between cabinets, for example), or are installed with appliances that have hinges on the incorrect side, based on the room’s layout.
If the appliance installation wasn’t done correctly, there’s a very good sign the flipper skipped over lots of other details, as well.
Quality Kitchen Remodels Don’t Cut Corners
In today’s “flip or flop” environment, it’s tempting (and easy) for people to create a kitchen that looks fresh and modern
without actually investing in its functionality or quality. Over time, though, those kitchens will quickly become more trouble than they’re worth.
Cheap materials break, wear down, or malfunction, problems with flow become apparent and frustrating, and nonfunctional cabinets and drawers make it difficult to store necessities or keep the kitchen organized.
If you’re remodeling your Gulf Breeze or Pensacola home, it’s critical not to cut corners in any of these areas. While a good kitchen remodel is an investment, quality additions like custom cabinets and drawers, top-tier appliances ordered for your space, and functional details will add to the value of your home and create a functional, intelligent space you actually enjoy using.
Ready to get started on your Pensacola remodel? Contact the team at Cabinet Depot today to learn about our custom cabinet options and how we can help you complete a quality kitchen remodel.