Stooping, crouching, or reaching deep shouldn’t be the way you interact with your kitchen, which is why swapping out your bottom cupboards for drawers could be the answer to some of your storage problems. If you like the idea of using drawers to supplement lower cabinets, it’s important to consider all the variables. Cost is, of course, at the forefront, but so is space.
Price-wise, you can expect to pay between $70 and $200 an hour for labor, according to , but up to a few thousand to cover the full replacement. New cabinets with drawers don’t cost the same as a cabinet with doors for a fully assembled piece: The most basic designs retail for about $320 for a model with drawers at versus around $410 for a similarly sized model with doors from . A larger, three-drawer piece from costs about $840, while a similarly sized model with doors from is cheaper, costing about $560.
Materials, color, texture, and the number of drawers alter the overall cost. Standard installations usually include a shallow top drawer and two deeper bottom units. The top is great for cutlery or cooking utensils, while the larger ones can hold anything from plates and dishware to pots and pans. Drawers also complement your top units, especially if you have open shelving. They look cleaner and provide a uniform sense of symmetry, since their lines and those of the shelves all run horizontally.