Estate Cabinetry — Local services in Town of Cortlandt

Rocco just ripped us off. We did not receive the quality cabinets that Rocco quoted and sold us on. The cabinets we received are terrible - see pictures. It has been over 2-1/2 months with no resolution in sight from Rocco and a completely gutted kitchen.

When I first met Rocco and throughout the whole process, I stressed that I wanted quality cabinets with ½” plywood cabinet construction on the sides, back, top, and bottom. He even stated in our quotes and invoice, “½” plywood construction.” The backing on the cabinets we received is only 1/8” thick with strips of plywood on the top and bottom for fastening to the wall. The backing board is so thin that the drawer slide rails are attached with plastic pegs and cheap plastic hardware, it is too thin for metal screws.

On the delivery day, Thursday, I was at work so my wife was at the house. Rocco was texting me about wanting to get paid the remaining balance of the cabinets at the time of delivery. My wife promptly paid him the remaining balance because we trusted him. Rocco was pleasant to work with up until when he received full payment.

That Sunday I opened a cabinet box and was surprised to see a thin 1/8” backing board on the cabinet. I emailed Rocco on Monday, informing him of the thin 1/8” backing board and questioning whether we received the correct cabinets. Later, I opened a few more boxes to find poorly constructed cabinets with numerous quality issues. I emailed him again that Wednesday. With no response, I called him on Thursday. This is when he became very rude and started to lie to convince me that what I received are quality cabinets.

I questioned the thin 1/8” backing board on the cabinets. Rocco said "ALL cabinets are constructed this way with 1/8” backing and nailing strips on the top and bottom. Rocco said, “No one makes a full ½” plywood backing.” This is a lie. Cabinets with full ½” plywood backing are available.

I was surprised to find that the drawers’ slide rails are attached to the thin backing board with plastic hardware. Rocco said, “all cabinets are like this.” Another lie, the use of plastic hardware is necessary because of the thin 1/8” backing board.

I questioned the thickness of the drawer bottoms because they seemed to be as thin as the backing board. He assured me that our cabinets’ drawer bottoms are ¼” plywood. Rocco said, “ ¼” plywood drawer bottoms are standard drawer construction.” Our cabinets’ drawer bottoms are NOT EVEN plywood, as you can see in the pictures. Further, the drawers are poorly constructed. The drawer bottoms are stapled to the top side of the inside rabbet with about a 1/8” gap at the bottom. When the drawers are filled, the staples will loosen. Over time, the drawer bottoms will sag and the gap will be all around the inside of the drawers. The dovetail joins are not even properly assembled with defects in the wood.

I was disappointed with the cheap Formica looking veneer that is on the plywood. Rocco said “all cabinets are like this.” Another lie: there is cabinet-grade plywood where formica looking veneers are not needed.

Rocco said that he would contact the manufacturer and get back to us. He never got back to us and left us no choice but to file a dispute with our credit card company. He has never asked or made any effort to see the actual physical cabinets that he signed for and sold to us. It is clear that Rocco does not stand behind his product. Do yourself a favor and get cabinets elsewhere.

-Unfortunately, I can’t fully respond to Rocco due to character limits. Unless I create another account and post.

Rocco J. Matra, Your characterization of my being demanding is not true. You are diverting attention from the facts about the cabinets. We have been very patient with you. I am not the one tarnishing your family’s long-standing business reputation. As I mentioned, after receiving a complaint, a reputable salesperson who stands behind his product would have come to see the delivered product in person. You have never seen the delivered...

I recently completed a kitchen remodeling project with Matra Construction Co. and Estate Cabinetry, a father-son affiliation. This was my third kitchen remodeling (two at my current house, thirty-odd years apart), along with many other remodeling projects. The Matras was among the very best of the numerous home improvement contractors I have worked with over the years.

The planning stage was with Rocco (son). At my home and at the Estate Cabinetry showroom in Croton, he made great suggestions for materials, designs and colors and was obliging when once-or-twice I changed my mind on a selection or found something I liked online.

During the three-week construction period, Anthony (father) was on the job almost every day and Rocco was there often. Both take an old-school pride in their craftsmanship. heir crew was meticulous and the job site was always left neat and clean at the end of the day.

The Matras did the entire project: planning, demo, installation, electrical, plumbing, taping, and painting. The only sub-contracting was for the granite countertop, which they handled as well. It was convenient one-stop shopping. Another plus was that Anthony and Rocco were very easy to communicate with throughout the process, promptly responding to texts, calls, and e-mails.

Estate Cabinetry and Matra Construction are first-rate home-improvement outfits and I give them the highest...

We had the pleasure to work with Estate Cabinetry and Rocco Matra this past October 2019 with our kitchen remodel. From the beginning of the process through to the end, Estate Cabinetry and Rocco Matra were consummate professionals. Rocco listened to all of our ideas, created the design plan with amazing design recommendations, ordered the cabinets, countertops, hardware etc., organized all the details of the project, and answered all questions with professionalism and patience. Rocco’s father’s company Matra Building Corp. handled the construction of the kitchen remodel, and they were amazing as well!! The workmanship was incredibly impressive along with the professional attitude of all involved. Our kitchen came out beautiful! The remodel included gutting the kitchen, taking down walls, and raising the ceiling, and the project was completed in 6 weeks without delays AND on budget! We are pleased to highly recommend both Estate Cabinetry and Matra Building for your any...