Cabinet Store · 3227 NY-22 · Patterson, New York
Who Installs Your Cabinets?
We sell cabinets. We don’t install them — which is exactly why we can tell you, straight, how to check the person who is about to take your deposit.
Why we are the ones telling you this.
Most kitchen companies sell you the cabinets and install them, then hand you one number at the end. That number tells you nothing. You never find out what the boxes cost, and you never find out what the labor cost — they are melted together on purpose, because a bundled price is hard to shop against.
We do not install. We sell cabinets and we deliver them, and that is the whole business. Because we have no installer on payroll to keep busy, we have nothing riding on who you hire. A seller who neither performs nor arranges installation is not a home improvement contractor under the county code. That is us. So this page is written with nothing in it for us either way — the only thing we get out of you hiring a good installer is one fewer unhappy call, which is enough.
A company that sells and installs has an installer whose wages have to be covered whether or not the work is good. The cleanest way to cover those wages is to bundle them into the sale. Ours are separate because they have to be: we do not have a labor side. So we can tell you how to check the person about to take your deposit — and we are not competing with them for the work.
New York does not license this trade.
Here is the fact most homeowners in New York do not know: there is no such thing as a New York State license for a home improvement contractor. None. The state does not issue one. Anyone who tells you they are “New York State licensed” to install cabinets is describing something that does not exist.
Regulation here happens at the county level, and it is different in every county. Putnam requires one thing, Westchester another, the Connecticut counties yet others. There is no single card a contractor carries that covers all of them. So the right question is never “are you licensed” — it is “are you registered in the county where my house is.” That distinction is worth more to you than anything else on this page.
Putnam County — the detail, all verified.
Putnam County Code Chapter 135 requires a home improvement contractor to register with the Putnam County Office of Consumer Affairs. The code defines a home improvement contractor as anyone who “undertakes or advertises” a home improvement service. Note the word advertises — a website or a truck sign is advertising, and it can pull someone under the rule.
- Registration costs $300 and runs for a two-year term.
- A $25,000 bond is required for the full two-year term.
- A certificate of liability insurance is required, with Putnam County Consumer Affairs named as certificate holder and the County named as additionally insured.
- Civil penalties run up to $5,000 per violation. A criminal violation is a Class A misdemeanor.
Putnam County Office of Consumer Affairs
110 Old Route 6, Building 3, Carmel, NY 10512
Phone (845) 808-1617, extension 46024
Here is the useful part: call that number and ask whether the person about to take your deposit is registered. It takes two minutes, and almost nobody does it. If they are not on file, that is the answer you need before any money moves.
Westchester County.
Westchester requires a county home improvement license under its Consumer Protection Code, Chapter 863, Article XVI. The Westchester County Department of Consumer Protection can be reached at (914) 995-2155, and they maintain a list of licensed contractors and can tell you about outstanding judgments or liens against one.
Call that number with the installer’s name. Ask whether they hold the license, and ask whether there are judgments or liens on file. A clean answer in two minutes is worth more than a glossy proposal.
Connecticut.
Connecticut registers home improvement contractors through the State Department of Consumer Protection, and registration can be verified through the state’s online license lookup. Search “Connecticut DCP license lookup” and check the name yourself — it takes less time than reading this paragraph.
Requirements vary county by county — check with your own county’s consumer affairs office before you sign.
What a registration proves, and what it does not.
A county registration means somebody paid a fee, posted a bond, and carried insurance on the day they registered. It does not mean anyone inspected their work, tested their skill, or vouched for them. It is a floor, not a recommendation.
A bond is a pool a wronged customer can claim against if the job goes wrong — it is not a guarantee the job goes well. A registration gets you a phone number to call when something goes sideways. It does not stop it from going sideways. Treat it as a minimum to clear, then ask the seven questions below.
Seven questions to ask before you pay a deposit.
- 1
Are you registered in the county where my house is? What is the number?
A bad answer is “we’re licensed” — which is not a thing here — or a long pause before a number appears.
- 2
Can I see your certificate of insurance, with my name on it as certificate holder?
A bad answer is “I’ll bring it later,” or “it’s in the truck.” You want it before a deposit, not after.
- 3
Have you installed this brand of cabinet before?
A bad answer is “a cabinet is a cabinet.” That usually means they have not set this line.
- 4
Who is actually doing the work — you, or a sub?
A bad answer is silence, or “my guy,” with no name you can check.
- 5
What happens if a cabinet arrives damaged or a wall isn’t square?
A bad answer is “that never happens.” It does, and how it gets handled is the whole test.
- 6
What is your deposit, and what does it cover?
A bad answer is most of the job, up front, before any material is ordered.
- 7
Can I have two addresses of kitchens you did in the last year?
A bad answer is they cannot, or they offer ones from five years ago.
The deposit rule.
A deposit that is most of the job is the single loudest warning sign in this trade. An installer who wants the bulk of the money before any material is in your driveway has no reason to come back quickly. A reasonable deposit covers committed costs — ordering, scheduling — and the balance follows the work. If someone wants nearly all of it up front, that is not confidence in their work. It is a cash problem dressed up as confidence.
How this works with us.
You buy your cabinets here. We measure, we order, and we deliver them to your house in about two weeks. You hire your installer separately, and your contract is with them. Two decisions, two prices, both visible. If something is wrong with a cabinet, call us. If it is about the setting, it is between you and your installer.
Questions people ask.
This is a guide, not legal advice. Rules and fees change — confirm the current requirements with the county office directly before you sign anything.
Walk in to the Route 22 showroom during business hours. No appointment needed.