The best way to choose a kitchen cabinet maker in the GTA is to ask who actually builds the cabinets, where they are built, and what the price includes. A manufacturer builds to order in its own shop. A retailer sells cabinets made elsewhere. An importer ships them in. Ask ten plain questions, get the answers in writing, and compare quotes line by line, not just by the bottom number.
Search for a GTA cabinet maker and you will find factories, showrooms, big-box stores and online sellers, and almost all of them say “custom.” This guide gives you ten questions to put to any of them, Tevola included, and explains what a good answer sounds like. Whether you are a homeowner or a contractor comparing Toronto kitchen cabinet makers, print it and bring it to every visit.
Manufacturer, retailer or importer: what is the difference?
These three words describe very different businesses. The difference shows up in your price, your lead time, and who you call when something is off.
| Type | What they do | What to ask |
|---|---|---|
| Manufacturer | Designs and builds cabinets in its own shop, usually to order | Can I see where they are built? |
| Retailer | Sells cabinets made by someone else, often from a set catalogue | Who makes them, and who fixes problems? |
| Importer | Brings in ready-made boxes and doors from overseas | What happens if a door arrives damaged or a size is wrong? |
None of these is automatically wrong. A retailer can suit a standard layout on a tight schedule. But a manufacturer building to order can often adjust sizes to fit your wall, and you can speak to the people who cut the panels. Tevola is a manufacturer: cabinets are designed and built to order at its own facility in Scarborough, then installed across Toronto and the GTA.
The 10 questions to ask any cabinet maker
1. Do you build the cabinets yourselves, or buy them in?
A good answer is short: “We build them in our own shop.” Be wary of phrases like “we work with trusted partners” or “our factory network.” They usually mean the cabinets are made by someone else. Ask the question directly and note whether the answer is direct.
2. Where is the shop, and can I visit?
A real workshop has an address you can walk into. Visit before you pay a deposit, and look at finished cabinets up close. Tevola’s factory showroom is at 50 Thornmount Dr Unit 24, Scarborough, open Monday to Friday, 8am to 5pm, with Saturday visits by appointment. If you want to plan the trip, read our guide to visiting a kitchen cabinet showroom in Scarborough.
3. What are the cabinet boxes made of?
The box is the frame behind the doors, and it holds everything up for years. Ask for the material by name, such as plywood or another engineered board, and ask what is standard and what is an upgrade. A good maker explains the trade-off without hype. At Tevola, birch plywood boxes are an upgrade that adds $50 per linear foot (as of October 2026).
4. What finishes and colours do you offer?
Ask to hold a door sample in your hand. Screens change colour. The two common finishes are thermofoil, a vinyl film pressed onto the door, and painted, a sprayed paint finish. Each has different looks and costs, which we cover in thermofoil vs painted cabinets. Tevola offers both, in many colours.
5. What exactly is included in the price?
This is where quotes diverge. One maker’s price covers the countertop, handles and sink. Another’s covers cabinets only. Ask for the price per linear foot, which is the length of your cabinet run measured along the wall, and ask what it includes.
Tevola’s current published pricing, as of October 2026, starts at $350 per linear foot installed for thermofoil kitchens and $500 per linear foot installed for painted kitchens. Both include a quartz countertop, handles and a sink. Every homeowner project is quoted after a free measurement, so treat these rates as a starting benchmark, not a final price.
Example only: a 20 linear foot thermofoil kitchen at $350 per linear foot comes to $7,000, before the trades listed in question 9. The same run painted at $500 would be $10,000. For a deeper look, see custom kitchen cabinet costs in Toronto.
6. What is the lead time?
Ask how many weeks it takes, and when the clock starts: at deposit, at final measurement, or at order confirmation. Custom kitchen cabinets at Tevola typically take 4 to 8 weeks from order confirmation, depending on the project. A maker who promises a date well below their normal range deserves a follow-up question. Our kitchen renovation timeline shows where cabinets fit in the bigger schedule.
7. Who measures my space?
Measurement errors are expensive, because cabinets are built to those numbers. Ask who comes to the site, whether it is free, and whether the same team designs and builds from it. Tevola offers a free measurement and quote for homeowners, booked on WhatsApp.
8. Who installs, and who is responsible if something needs adjusting?
Ask whether installation is part of the price or separate, and who to call after the install if a door needs aligning. A good answer names who is responsible. Tevola’s published pricing is installed pricing. One customer, Murugaths K., put it this way in a Google review: “From the initial design stage through to installation, everything was handled professionally and efficiently.” (Murugaths K., Google review)
9. What is not included?
Every quote has exclusions. Ask for them in writing. Tevola’s published pricing does not include electrical, plumbing, demolition or construction work. If your project needs those trades, ask who coordinates them and budget for them separately. A kitchen that moves a sink or removes a wall costs more than a straight swap.
10. How do changes work after I sign?
You may change a door style, a handle or a size after you approve the design. Ask until what point changes are allowed, what they cost, and whether they affect lead time. Get the answer in writing before you pay a deposit. A good answer is specific: a stage, a deadline and a cost, not “we’ll sort it out.”
How to use the answers
Line up two or three quotes and score each one on the same ten points. A cheaper quote that excludes the countertop and installation may cost more in the end than one that includes them. A maker who answers clearly, lets you visit and writes things down is usually the one who will be easy to work with once the project starts.
Local proof helps too. Tevola holds 4.8 stars from 17 Google reviews (October 2026), and you can read what customers say before you visit. To see how a project moves from measurement to install, read our process, or browse the custom kitchen cabinets in Toronto page for the finishes and layouts we build.
Ready to compare?
Book a free measurement and quote on WhatsApp or call (416) 814-6035, or visit the factory showroom in Scarborough. Bring this list, and ask us all ten questions.
