Today’s trend is to tear out the soffits and install taller cabinets that run up to the ceiling.
New cabinets installed after removing the soffit
A lot of homes were built with soffits above the kitchen cabinets. This is usually done to hide electric, plumbing and/or ductwork. It can be expensive or impossible if plumbing or electric have to be moved. Since we are a custom cabinet shop, we can easily modify the cabinets so the upper 12″ or so, are boxed out allowing room for ductwork etc.
The top of this cabinet was modified to hide plumbing that couldn’t be moved.
Corner cabinets modified to hide what was in the soffit.
From the outside the cabinet looks like a normal tall cabinet that runs up to the ceiling.
However if you open the door you’ll notice that the top of the cabinet is boxed out leaving space for pipes, electric, or ductwork.
The lost storage space usually isn’t a problem because the things stored on top shelfs aren’t used and can probably be tossed away anyway.
Removing a soffit is a great way to change the look of your kitchen, and by modifying the cabinets, most surprises found inside can be hidden.