The comparison, item by item
| Criterion | Factory modular | Site carpentry |
|---|---|---|
| Where it is made | Machine cut and edge banded in a factory | Cut and assembled in your kitchen |
| Edge sealing | All four edges of every panel, machine applied | Visible edges only; hidden edges commonly raw |
| Dimensional accuracy | ±1 mm, consistent | Depends entirely on the carpenter |
| Installation time | 3 – 5 days | 3 – 5 weeks |
| Dust in the flat | Minimal — assembly only | Continuous through the period |
| Odd dimensions and curves | Limited without bespoke tooling | Excellent — its real strength |
| Hardware fitting | Jig drilled, repeatable | Marked by hand |
| Changes mid-build | Difficult once panels are cut | Easy — the carpenter adjusts on site |
| Warranty | Manufacturer plus installer | Usually the contractor only |
What each costs on a real 10-foot Mumbai kitchen
This is an L-shaped kitchen with 10 running feet of base units, 8 running feet of wall units and one tall unit, in 19 mm BWP plywood with laminate shutters and mid-tier soft-close hardware.
| Element | Factory modular | Site carpentry, same spec | Site carpentry, low spec |
|---|---|---|---|
| Base units, 10 rft | ₹1,32,000 | ₹1,24,000 | ₹78,000 |
| Wall units, 8 rft | ₹68,000 | ₹62,000 | ₹38,000 |
| Tall unit, 1 no | ₹54,000 | ₹50,000 | ₹31,000 |
| Hardware and accessories | ₹72,000 | ₹72,000 | ₹28,000 |
| Countertop, quartz, 14 rft | ₹88,000 | ₹88,000 | ₹52,000 (granite) |
| Installation and finishing | ₹22,000 | included | included |
| Total, ex-GST | ₹4,36,000 | ₹3,96,000 | ₹2,27,000 |
At equal specification the gap is about 10%. The large saving in column three comes from lower board grade, cheaper hardware and granite instead of quartz — not from the method.
Design and build under one accountable roof
The trade-offs nobody mentions at quotation stage
- Modular locks the design early. Once panels are cut, a change of mind about a drawer bank is a new panel. Carpentry lets you decide on site, which is a real advantage if you are indecisive and a real risk if the carpenter is.
- Carpentry hides its weakness inside the cabinet. The raw, unsealed edge at the back of a base unit under a Mumbai sink is invisible at handover and swollen by the third monsoon.
- Modular struggles at the walls. Mumbai walls are rarely plumb, and a factory carcass meets a wall with a scribed filler. A good installer makes that invisible; a poor one leaves a wedge of silicone.
- Carpentry needs supervision. Three weeks of unsupervised site work in your own kitchen produces exactly the quality you inspect for.
- Society constraints favour modular. In a building with 10am–6pm working hours and a booked service lift, three days of assembly is a completely different negotiation from five weeks of cutting.
When site carpentry is genuinely the right answer
- Irregular plan. A kitchen with a splayed wall, a structural column in the middle or a sloping soffit. Factory modules assume right angles.
- Heritage and old buildings. A 1940s Colaba flat with 11 ft ceilings and out-of-square walls is a carpenter’s job.
- One awkward bespoke piece. A curved breakfast counter, a corner seat, a unit built around a pipe.
- Very small budgets, honestly assessed. If the total available is under ₹2 lakh for a kitchen, carpentry at a modest specification will produce something usable where modular will not.
- A carpenter you know and have seen work. This is worth more than any specification. Good carpentry is excellent; the problem is that quality varies by a factor you cannot predict from a quotation.
Judging a carpenter before you commit three weeks to him
If you go the carpentry route, the quality of one individual decides the outcome. There is no brand, no warranty department and no factory tolerance to fall back on, so the assessment has to be done before work starts.
- See finished work, not photographs. Ask to visit a kitchen he built two years ago, and open the cabinets. Two-year-old work tells you what a photograph of new work cannot.
- Look at the hidden edges. This is the single test that separates a good carpenter from an average one. Run a hand along the underside of a shutter and the back edge of a base unit.
- Ask how he seals cut edges. If the answer is vague, the edges are raw.
- Check whether his carcasses sit on legs. A carcass resting on the floor slab in a Mumbai kitchen is a swollen bottom rail waiting for a wet mop.
- Agree the board delivery in your presence. The board is the largest single material cost and the easiest to substitute after approval.
Our recommendation by budget
| Budget for a 10 ft kitchen | What we would build | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Under ₹2 lakh | Site carpentry, BWP carcass, laminate shutters, value hardware | Modular at this budget means cutting the carcass grade, which is the wrong saving |
| ₹2 – 3.5 lakh | Modular carcasses, laminate shutters, mid-tier hardware, granite top | Machine-sealed edges within reach; spend on board and hardware |
| ₹3.5 – 5 lakh | Modular, BWP carcass, acrylic or PU shutters, premium base drawers, quartz top | Our standard Mumbai specification |
| Above ₹5 lakh | Modular carcasses with site-built bespoke elements, premium hardware throughout | Combine both methods and use each where it is better |
What we would specify, in one sentence: factory modular carcasses in 19 mm BWP ply with machine-banded edges, premium drawer systems in the base run, and any awkward corner, filler or bespoke element built on site by a carpenter working to the same board specification.
Selected work by Greenbox Design Studio. Tap any image to enlarge.
Frequently asked questions
Is a modular kitchen more expensive than a carpenter one?+
At the same board grade, hardware tier and countertop, about 10% more, which buys machine-sealed edges and a three-day installation. The much larger price gaps you see quoted come from specification differences — MR ply instead of BWP, value hardware instead of mid-tier — not from the method.
Which lasts longer in Mumbai?+
Modular, other things being equal, and the reason is edge sealing. Every panel edge is banded in a factory, including the hidden bottom rail of the sink base unit, which is where carpentry usually fails first in this climate.
Can I mix the two approaches?+
Yes, and it is what we usually do. Factory carcasses for the repeated units and a carpenter for the fillers, the awkward corner and any bespoke element. Insist that both use the same board grade so the weak link is not hidden in the site-built part.
How long does each take from order to a usable kitchen?+
Modular: two to three weeks of manufacture off site, then three to five days of installation. Carpentry: three to five weeks in your flat, with dust throughout. If you are living in the flat, that difference is usually the deciding factor.
What should I inspect in a carpenter-built kitchen?+
Open every cabinet and run a hand along the hidden edges, especially the bottom rail under the sink. Check that the carcass sits on legs and not on the floor. Look at the back panels. Those three checks tell you more about how long it will last than the shutter finish does.