Cabinet Installation Crew for Builders — Kitchens and Baths
The cabinets are stacked in the garage and the countertop template is booked for next week. We set them level, plumb and to the drawing so the template goes on a finished kitchen.
JMB Builders runs a cabinet installation crew for builders across the Twin Cities metro. The builder or the cabinet supplier delivers the boxes; we set them from the supplier's layout: uppers hung level into studs, bases leveled to the high point of the floor and screwed together, islands anchored to blocking, fillers scribed, toe kicks, end panels, crown and light rail, doors and drawers adjusted and hardware installed. Priced per kitchen or per bath, with photos in the job folder.
- Priced per kitchen, per bath or per project
- Builder or supplier delivers the cabinets
- Fillers, toe kicks, panels, crown and hardware
- Counters, plumbing and electrical by others
- Licensed MN contractor BC809005
A cabinet supplier sells boxes and a drawing. Some offer installation, most at a price and a lead time that does not fit a builder's schedule. The builder's trim carpenter may or may not want to set cabinets. The countertop company will not template until the bases are in, level and screwed together. That is the week we fill.
We set cabinets from the supplier's layout the way a countertop fabricator wants to find them: a level line struck at the high point of the floor, bases shimmed to it and screwed to each other through the face frames, uppers hung on a ledger into studs with the reveals even, islands screwed to blocking fastened to the subfloor, fillers scribed to the wall, and every door and drawer adjusted so the gaps match. Then the finish pieces: toe kicks, end panels, refrigerator and dishwasher panels, crown or light rail, and the pulls and knobs if the builder has them on site.
We are carpenters. The countertop, the plumbing hook-up and the electrical are their own trades. We leave the sink base and the range wall ready for them, with the cutouts for supply and drain lines made where the plumber marked them, and we bring in nothing that needs a license we do not hold.
What you supply
- The cabinets, delivered to the site and checked in against the order, and the supplier's layout drawing
- Fillers, toe kick stock, end panels, crown, light rail and hardware that came with the order
- Blocking in the walls where the layout calls for it, or tell us and we add it before drywall
- Appliance specs for the range, fridge, dishwasher and hood so the openings are held to size
What JMB supplies
- A check of the delivered boxes against the drawing before anything is hung, with a text to the super if a box is missing or damaged
- Level line at the high point of the floor and a ledger for the uppers, so bases and uppers meet the drawing
- Cabinet screws into studs, face-frame screws between boxes, shims and blocking for islands and peninsulas
- Fillers scribed to the wall, toe kicks cut and set, end and appliance panels fitted
- Crown, light rail and any stacked molding cut and installed to the cabinet run
- Doors and drawers adjusted for even gaps, hardware drilled with a jig and installed
- Cutouts in the sink base and range wall for lines the plumber and electrician have marked
- Photos of the finished kitchen and each bath in the job folder, one invoice per house
How it is priced: per project
Quoted in writing from your photos within one business day. What moves the number:
- Kitchen size: linear feet of base and upper cabinets, and whether there is an island or peninsula
- Frameless vs. face-frame boxes, since frameless runs need tighter leveling and more care at the reveals
- Stacked uppers to the ceiling, glass doors, and crown or light rail on the run
- Number of baths, laundry and mudroom cabinets in the same house
- Panels: refrigerator, dishwasher and end panels that have to be scribed and fastened
- Hardware installation when the pulls and knobs are on site
- Floors that are far out of level, which take more shimming and a taller toe kick scribe
Send the supplier's layout drawing and the count of baths. A per-house price comes back within one business day.
How long it takes
A typical builder kitchen: one to two days with two people. Each bath vanity and a laundry run: a few hours. Crown, panels and hardware are done the same trip when the parts are on site.
How your project works
- 1
Send photos, get a written quote
Send three photos of the space and a sentence about what you want. You get a clear, itemized quote within one business day. We only come out to measure first when the job needs a tape measure — no pressure, no games.
- 2
Pick materials, or bring your own
We help you choose profiles and materials that fit the house and the budget, or match your existing millwork exactly — or you buy the door or trim yourself and we install it. Everything is confirmed before the crew is scheduled.
- 3
Clean, precise installation
The crew shows up on time, protects floors and furniture, and installs with tight joints and consistent reveals. Photos of the finished work go in your job folder.
- 4
Walkthrough and invoice
We walk the finished work with you. If anything is not right, we fix it before we call the job done. Then one invoice, paid by check or direct deposit — no card fees, no payment links.
Situations and options
Kitchen set from the supplier drawing
Bases, uppers, tall cabinets and island set to the layout, level and plumb, screwed together and into studs, fillers scribed, toe kicks, doors and drawers adjusted. Ready for the countertop template.
Bath vanities and laundry cabinets
Vanity bases and linen towers set level and anchored to studs, wall cabinets over the washer and dryer hung on a ledger, tops left for the counter fabricator or set when a prefab top comes with the vanity.
Finish package: panels, crown, hardware
End panels, refrigerator and dishwasher panels scribed and fastened, crown or light rail cut to the run, pulls and knobs drilled on a jig and installed. Can be done on a second visit after counters if the builder prefers.
Islands and peninsulas
Blocking screwed to the subfloor inside the island footprint, the boxes set over it and fastened, end panels and a back panel or paneled end fitted, and the overhang supports set where the countertop needs them.
Cabinet Installation Crew for Builders — Kitchens and Baths: questions, answered
Do you install cabinets for builders when the supplier only delivers?
Yes. JMB Builders runs a cabinet installation crew for builders across the Twin Cities metro. The builder or the cabinet supplier delivers the boxes and the layout drawing; we set the kitchen, baths and laundry level and plumb, screwed together and into studs, with fillers, toe kicks, panels, crown and hardware. It is priced per kitchen, per bath or per house, and the kitchen is left ready for the countertop template.
How do you level base cabinets on a floor that is not flat?
We find the high point of the floor along the cabinet run and strike a level line from there at the cabinet height. Every base is shimmed up to that line so the tops are dead level for the countertop, then the boxes are screwed to each other through the face frames or the sides so they act as one run. The toe kick covers the shims and is scribed to the floor. On a floor that is far out, the toe kick is taller at the low end, and we tell the builder before we start.
Do you do the countertops, plumbing or electrical?
No. Countertops are templated and set by the fabricator after the bases are in. Plumbing hook-ups and the electrical for the range, dishwasher, disposal and under-cabinet lights are licensed trades and the builder's plumber and electrician do them. We cut the openings in the sink base and back panels where they have marked the lines, and leave the cabinets ready for them.
Can you install frameless cabinets?
Yes. Frameless boxes are less forgiving than face-frame cabinets because the doors and drawer fronts cover the whole box and any twist shows as an uneven gap. They get the same level line but more care at the shims and at the screws between boxes, and the door hinges are adjusted in three directions at the end. Fillers and panels are scribed the same way.
Do you install the crown molding and end panels too?
Yes, when the parts came with the order. Crown or light rail is cut to the cabinet run with mitered outside corners and fastened to a nailer on the cabinet top; end panels and appliance panels are scribed to the wall and floor and fastened from inside the box. If the builder wants those on a second visit after the counters and backsplash, we schedule it that way.
How long does it take to set a kitchen?
A typical builder kitchen takes two people one to two days, including fillers, toe kicks and door adjustment. Baths and a laundry run add a few hours each. Crown, panels and hardware go in the same trip when everything is on site. Send the layout drawing and we give you the days your house needs.
Recent JMB work, from our job log
59 installs recorded across 30 Twin Cities communities since Dec 2025. Window and door installs for homeowners and for the builders and dealers we sub for. Counts come straight from our job log; no customer names.
Get a written quote for this job
Three photos and a sentence is enough. You hear back within one business day. Or text the photos to 763-204-2099.
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Read morePage reviewed September 26, 2026 · JMB Builders LLC, MN license BC809005 · All builders pages
Where we work
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Based in Zimmerman, scheduling across the Twin Cities metro. Closest first: