It’s an old saying, and one that still holds true. In today’s faster and cheaper world, a lot of
the most important decisions are based solely on price and how fast we can get
it. Sometimes faster and cheaper is just
that. When you’re comparing remote
controls, you might stand there for 20 minutes looking at all of the options
before you decide. You pride yourself on
finding the most bang for your buck, and move on. Maybe later you realize that you should have
taken a little more time, and bought that one that was $5 more. We all do it, and usually end up buying
twice. Value and lowest price aren’t the
same thing.
Whether you’re building a new home or remodeling your
existing, if you’re like most people, you have done your homework. You’ve looked at all the latest websites, schemed
and dreamed, and come armed with a big book of ideas and plans. Taking all of those pictures and convenience
hardware options and integrating them into your exact space isn’t easy.
Factors to consider when
choosing a custom cabinet maker:
Customer Service: Customer service is probably one of the
most important. If you’re waiting two
weeks for a bid from one company, and another has already met you, provided
samples and designs, and accurate pricing, then you shouldn’t keep
waiting. The same way you’re waiting for
a bid is how you’ll be waiting 6 weeks late on your cabinets, and then waiting
again for them to come and do their punchwork if you go with waiting. There is a serve in customer service. Find someone that wants your business, takes
care of your needs and questions quickly and efficiently. How you are treated is something to never
overlook for the potential “savings”.
Quality: What
your cabinets are made out of and how they’re put together is important. Do you save $1,000 bucks and live with
puttied nail holes that don’t match scattered across the face of your $15,000 dream
kitchen? Did you consider asking how
they attached their face frames? Most
people don’t. Are you painting your
cabinets? Are you being quoted “Paint
Grade” by one company and “Paint Grade Maple” by another? Most people don’t know that what’s specified
as “Paint Grade” is usually a combination of wood species and man-made pressed
board that could never take paint evenly.
“Paint Grade Maple” is just that, solid white maple. The nebulous combination of “Paint Grade”
might save you a little money up front, but what are you going to have to live
with? You’ve put so much time and
thought in your dream kitchen, would you want to pinch pennies in quality?
Finish:
The most beautiful cabinets in the world can still be ruined by a poor
finish, and the ugliest can be made beautiful by a good finish. The finish is really what you see when you
look at cabinets to be honest. Are you
really comparing the same things when you look at pre-finished and
job-finished? The guys that painted your
walls might be cheap to throw some stain or paint on your cabinets, but what’s
that going to look like in your home that you’ve worked so hard for? Wouldn’t you rather your project be finished
in a dust-free controlled environment by experience professionals using state
of the art processes? You might save
$500 having those painters “stain and finish” your cabinets, but who’s going to
pay them to put them all back together when they’re through? How many options and samples do you think the
wall painters will have for your unique finish?
What is the finished product going to look like when you’re through, and
isn’t it worth $500 to be happy with the finish?
Installation: Getting your new dream kitchen installed
properly is probably the most crucial step.
You’ve approved your designs and finishes and can’t wait to see what it
all is going to REALLY look like. Are
the same people that designed and built your cabinets installing them? Some cabinet companies “sub out” their
installs to other individuals that you’ve never met and have never seen your
cabinets before the morning they arrive at your home. Are you comparing a sub-out install to an
employee install? Will your project
manager be there to oversee the crew?
Will the installers even speak your language? It might be a wash price wise, but you can
bet that if your cabinet price has installation as a separate line item, your
cabinet install is being subbed-out to the lowest bidder. Having the people that know your cabinets
inside and out install them not only saves you time, it produces a better end
result. Isn’t that what you’re looking
for?
