Welcome to my new series Upgrade Builder-Grade.  There are some simple changes you can make to your builder-grade home that will make a big impact.  Every month, I will share an upgrade builder-grade tip to make you home look more custom and less like your next door neighbor’s house.  Today I am sharing how changing out your builder-grade cabinet hardware can make your home look more like a custom build.

We just moved into our house a few months ago.  Our house is a semi-custom home which means we had a lot of flexibility to customize our house, but we were charged for every change.  Want to know more about the basics of building?  Check out this post to read more about the different types of homes you can build.

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Upgrade Builder-Grade: Cabinet Hardware

One of the areas we upgraded, was the kitchen.  We upgraded the cabinets, counter tops, sink and faucet.  Basically, all the things we didn’t want to DIY after we moved in.  We did not upgrade the cabinet hardware.  The builder offered knob or rods for the cabinets in four different finishes.  I knew we did not want the rods since we had those in our previous house (I used to hook my pockets on them constantly and even ripped a pair of pants!).  Knobs it was!  Oil rubbed bronze knobs to be exact.

Changing out cabinet hardware is not a difficult task.  If you are looking to make a change in your kitchen (or bathroom), look at replacing builder-grade cabinet hardware with something that fits your style.

This is what our kitchen looked like with the builder-grade cabinet hardware.

Here’s what we did.

First, we removed the drawer knobs.   I actually like the knobs on the cabinets, but I really wanted something more unique for the drawers.

Next, we replaced the knobs with the new drawer pulls.  It took a little measuring and a drill.  Make sure you check the length of your screws.  The screws that came with the drawer pulls were too short, therefore I had to buy new screws.  Even with the additional purchase of the longer screws, this was a simple upgrade to our builder-grade kitchen hardware that made a big impact.

Final Tip

One more tip for you today- we also added a pull to the BOTTOM of the roll out trashcan drawer.  This allows me to pull open the trash with my foot which is LIFE CHANGING!  Have you ever cracked an egg and gotten egg whites all over your hands, but you need to throw away the egg shell?  Instead of touching the cabinet knob with a dirty raw-egg covered hand, I can simply pull open the trash with my foot!  Brilliant, right?!