Extend the upper cabinets in the kitchen

[Per Wennerberg]

In our apartment, during construction, they chose not to install kitchen cabinets all the way up to the ceiling. There's a 50 cm gap on one side and 40-60 cm on the other side. Since we're lacking storage space, we're thinking about adding cabinets. What should we consider?
Unfortunately, I'm all thumbs so I gladly welcome all tips. Is there a risk that something is hidden above, or is it just a matter of trying to save money?
Should we hire a construction company for such work or can someone with no experience handle this?

Grateful for all responses!

 

[Jonatan79]

There are probably fan ducts above the stove, otherwise it might be free. Don't collect so much, clear out instead so you don't have to expand

 

[Dranten]

In our apartment, during construction, they chose not to install kitchen cabinets all the way up to the ceiling. There is 50 cm missing on one side and 40-60 cm on the other side. As we lack storage space, we are now thinking of adding cabinets. What should we consider? Unfortunately, I'm all thumbs, so I gladly accept all tips. Is there a risk something is hidden above, or is it just about saving money? Should we hire a construction company for this kind of work, or can someone with zero experience handle this?

Grateful for all answers!

Do you want cabinets that require a stepladder to reach, and where can you find cabinets that fit?

Without seeing more than what the pictures show, it feels like quite a big project. It might be quicker to remove the existing cabinets and start over from a flat wall. You can handle the latter yourself if you have someone with experience who can give you some advice along the way.

 

[Music Man]

Probably goes the pipe, there are surely electrical outlets, transformers for the lighting, etc.

Not easy to access without the step ladder mentioned earlier.

 

[Macke i Växjö]

I did exactly what you want to do in my previous apartment. As mentioned earlier, there is likely ventilation in the concealed space. In my apartment, it was just about a meter, so I solved it by sawing and custom-fitting a frame and building an extra hatch. I remember it was an inspection or cleaning hatch that I didn't want to cover. I replaced all the kitchen frames and bought taller frames. By doing this, I gained an extra shelf in all the cabinets. The cabinets were mounted all the way up to the ceiling with a horizontal baseboard on top to avoid any door hitting the ceiling.

 

[kesue]

Have also done the equivalent.

Ventilation and drainage from the neighbor above were behind the plaster but lay quite nicely along the ceiling.

A recommendation is to cut a hole and check what's behind. Before our renovation, we cut a hole to investigate the conditions and then put a white Inspektionslucka until we started building.