What does a custom cabinetry contract look like?
kharten
3 years ago
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kharten
3 years agoRelated Discussions
What do/did you look for in a custom cabinet shop?
Comments (14)My requirements are that: 1. PEOPLE HAVE INTEGRITY, ARE TRUTHFUL, AND USE QUALITY MATERIALS 2. PRICE & PRICING FORMULA IS FAIR FOR ALL CUSTOMERS: pricing cabinets should be fair and not be reduced to a subjective formula, i.e., "10% the value of your home" or such nonsense. This is criminal in my book. It's not "what the market can bear" pricing that is fair. I TRULY BELIEVE THAT IS CABINET MAKERS PRICED CABINETS MORE FAIRLY THAN THEY DO NOW SO THAT THE AVERAGE HOME OWNER COULD "DO THE MATH" AND KNOW WHAT "X" CABINET WOULD COST TO BUY OR HAVE INSTALLED, THEN MORE KITCHENS WOULD BE REDONE. There would be so much business that you could not keep up. But no, NOT ONE CUSTOM CABINET/ OR SMALLER SHOP I WENT TO PRICED FAIRLY. ALL PRICING WAS SUBJECTIVE AND CONVOLUTED. THEY WERE SIZING UP MY BANK ACCOUNT BASED ON HOW LARGE OF A HOME I HAVE. 3. TALENT & PRIDE = QUALITY PRODUCT 4. SERVICE In a nutshell, I, too, went with the guy that had been in business for a long time and had a HUGE portfolio. He was not organized with that portfolio and I even offered to organize his thousands of photos and put them online! THIS is how impressed I was about his work. Furthermore, my bro is a builder and cousin is a builder here in Jax and used this guy's shop before. MY SISTER's kitchen was done by this guy two years earlier. I was very confident with his talent. I'll bet I went to his shop over half a dozen times just to see his work because they made FURNITURE, these HUGE phenomenal stained glass windows for a church in D.C., pulpits, GORGEOUS entertainment systems, etc. This guy's bread and butter works were affordable, custom cabinets with beautiful paint techniques. His work was like buying Tommy Bahamas cabinets by Lexington for half price. THAT being said, when I hired him, I had my ducks in a row and contract very detailed. I'm not a kid, nor am inexperienced in business. I KNOW WHAT I'M DOING. MY KITCHEN WAS DESIGNED AND NOT COMPLICATED. My problems stemmed because he just flat out lost his talent; over 80% of his workers had QUIT and he did not tell me. He later told me he had spent my $10K he had for work so far and he was left to do my kitchen himself. And it was a crap shoot! He didn't do ONE, SINGLE CABINET CORRECTLY. NOT ONE. AND HE LIED CONSTANTLY. He mis-measured, no appliances fit, installed shoddy and unleveled, mis-ordered the door profile, and made me madder than I have EVER been in my 49 years of living. I HAVE NEVER, EVER DEALT WITH SUCH A NICE, BELIEVABLE LIAR. I trusted him and he $crewed us. We have had to have 30+ doors reordered because of all of the mis-measurements, etc. I am almost three years into this fiasco and got motivated to get back to it. I went to install two drawer fronts last month and they were 1" too short. I'm going to have to reorder two drawers more. It's like a case of never-ending-BS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! The end of this story is CabFiascoGuy changed his inc.'s name before our court case came up. He sued, we countered, I won but got nothing because of how crappy our laws are. The State of Florida allowed a thief to steal $10,000 of our money. We've put over $38,000 into them trying to FIX them. I just wish I had gutted everything and started over. It would have been CHEAPER. But no, I thought we could work this out and I had our granite installed so I'm now stuck for many years. I have a horrible ordeal detailed here on garden web. What a can of worms you opened this morning. I think Ill work on these cabinets today. IÂd like to be done before I hit the three year anniversary of when they were installed. I need to re-order two drawer fronts tomorrowÂ....See MorePainted oak cabinets - does this look like Edgecomb Gray?
Comments (18)Thanks, loribee and CLBlakey! It turns out we'll need to modify some cabinets and also the apron on my granite counters (who knows what that's hiding) in order to switch out the appliances. The PO remodeled and actually blocked in the appliances when installing the floor and counters after. Crazy. I'm considering whether I want to spend the extra money to make these changes and just refurbish my existing cabinets or save up for a complete remodel next summer. If we remodel we can get an updated look and also address some issues with the current layout. Obviously, a big cost difference but I'm not sure about spending money now to modify what I have if I'm still going to want a full remodel within a few years. If I do paint my existing cabinets, though, I'm definitely leaning towards the Edgecomb Gray! Donna - I don't think I'll stain the cabinets because my kitchen is already so dark and I truly lust over lighter kitchens but thanks so much for the link!...See MoreWhat am I looking for in custom cabinets
Comments (9)Wait for the father/son team. You always get better product, service and price from a team like that with low overhead. I bought my cabinets from a local shop, no fancy showroom. The 'showroom' is a room off the workshop where they make the cabinets. The guy who sold me the cabinets makes them. His partner who also makes them installed them (by himself). Many of these local cabinet makers actually make their own carcasses (the boxes), of course use BLUM hardware, and many order their doors and drawer fronts from companies who specialize in just doing that. They come unfinished and the cabinet maker then finishes them to your specification. Here in the Toronto area most of the doors come from Cutrite Woodworking in Waterloo ON, and most of the cabinet makers use Benjamin Moore paints. Anyone can order doors/drawers from Cutrite, and they're totally custom down to the 1/8th of an inch. So the big differentiators are construction style of the boxes, quality of finish and of course price. My cabinet maker swears by the full gabel ends that go to the floor and are shimmed with cedar shims. Many cabinet makers use adjustable plastic feet under the cabinets which put all the weight on the bottom panel of the box, which may or may not be good. They're made to speed up installation - speed is not your friend. You want the installers to take their time and get it perfect. A busy cabinet maker is a good cabinet maker. Oh, and get plywood cabinets. Don't let anyone tell you melamine looks the same - it doesn't. Furniture grade plywood looks awesome, feels great, is way lighter than particle board, is more resistant to moisture, is way stronger... For my 10 x 14 kitchen with 9 foot ceilings and cabinets all the way up the incremental cost was $800 or so for the material. 'Semi Custom' lines like KitchenCraft or whatever the big box stores will try to take 25% from you for a plywood upcharge - total BS. Anyhow - good luck, and wait for the father and son team....See MoreContract with Custom Builder
Comments (26)Custom builders do use allowances. Unless you specify EVERY detail up front then they have to. Ours is a custom build (https://bamasotan.us if you'd like to check it out) and we had allowances. Other things in the contract do indicate that this a production/tract builder, not custom such as specifying the plumbing fixtures, toilets, flooring, etc. A good builder will have preferred suppliers and contractors - that is one of the things you're paying for. A good custom builder will give you options and recommendations for who to use. E.G., they may get bids from three HVAC contractors, tell you the pluses and minuses, and let you choose which one. A good custom builder will not have any problems using others unless they have concerns about their quality or integrity. There is no concept of 'upgrade' with a custom builder. Cost Plus may generally result in a better quality custom house. However, the builder should provide an estimated cost prior to signing a contract and their fees should be based on this. E.G, if insulation comes in 10% higher than estimated then you are responsible for the 10% as well as the builders 14% (or whatever) on the estimated amount but the builder should not collect their 14% on the overage. If you request a change that results in a higher cost then the builder is right to collect their fee on the full amount. Expect to finish the project 20% or more over budget. Some things will simply come in more expensive than estimated and some things will cost more than estimated by your own changes. Hopefully nothing over budget because your builder told a supplier to charge an extra 20% on your project to save money on another project they are doing for them....See Moreherbflavor
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3 years agoSusan Murin
3 years agoCreative Design Cabinetry
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3 years agolast modified: 3 years agoherbflavor
3 years agoDesigned by Jonathan
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