How To Best Price Costom Cabinet Work?

mikeswoods

I do interior remodeling and trim. I'm also a good cabinet maker. My problem seems to be pricing of cabinet work. ANY ONE KNOW A GOOD PRICING GUIDE? I'm close to giving up on the cabinet work,tired of not making a buck on my bad bids. mike

MALCO.New.York

Is this NOT Oxymoronic?

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joasis

You sound genuine, since you did not ask "how much" should they cost...and I actually do know guys who trim homes that would not be able to quote the cost of cabinets....hang them? Sure, but build and sell them? Nope.

You don't need a pricing guide, you already have it. Take a look at your last job you did. List out the cabinets....divide by type, and and then how much they cost you to build, time, materials, electricity, door hardware, glides, the entire cost. Now, you say you didn't make any money, right? So if you could go back and re-sell the job, how much would you have charged to make a fair profit? Take that number, break it down into style of cabinets, like kitchen, vanities, etc, and then determine a price per lineal foot as a rough guide for the future. You should KNOW what it cost to build them, now you will KNOW what you have to sell them for and quote, based on an average of pricing per lineal feet of cabinets. This pricing works, and when I estimate a new home, I don't call the cabinet shop to price them off of the prints, I take the price they have given me (currently $115 to $225, depending on grade) and use that number on the estimate. Hope this helps, and others may have different ideas.

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Leo G

Using a linear foot calculation for determining the pricing on a custom cabinet is likely to send you to the poor house. The way I have my operation set up is a formula for figuring out the price of the box, and then you price the components into that box. So if you have a 24" box and it has a single door on it, this would be the lowest price of a cabinet that you could really com up with {actually, no door would be cheaper]. Add a drawer, it cost more, three drawers and no door, even more. The formula I use calculates price of materials, components and installation. I don't have a formula to build cabinets without me installing them, but it is rare for me to build without installing. All of this was learned by trial and error. You do a job and you make no money, adjust the formula, you do another and still not enough money, adjust the formula, you can't sell the jobs because people think you charge to much, adjust the formula. After a while you have tune it in and it will get you good jobs working for good people.

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Custom Cabinets in Hartford County Connecticut

MALCO.New.York

How I see it as an Oxymoron is the fact that you are a Craftsman and therefore have an idea of the cost of the raw materials, components and the value of your labor, experience and "design eye". So to be "good" one MUST cover ALL bases of the Business Model.

The only factor beyond building the cabinets is the installation, overhead, and PROFIT.

It is NOT, as they say, "Rocket Science". Simple cost/profit ratio.

As James Ladwig, AKA JOASIS has said, compare your last gig to the next and adjust accordingly.

HELL!!!! DOUBLE your pricing and see if you can get away with it!

__________________
Something to One may be Nothing to another!

Ultimate Wisdom---------
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OW-cnizLDEE

joasis

My post is not intended as a one size fits all Leo, but that is how we do it here, and some cabinet shots will not give out a price unless they see the plans and get to actually do a take off and bid.

The larger point is in "averages".....A 2 door base cab doesn't cost as much as a 5 drawer cab, but the quote of "per foot" also includes the dishwasher opening, it is not subtracted, nor adjusted in cost...see how this works from a builders point of view?

If I am doing a spec home, I want the best price possible, and I may actually ask a shop to price cabinets as I specify....but in the process of preliminary pricing for a prospective customer, I can use a ruler and what I know they typically charge, and all I need to know is the grade of cabinets....paint grade, oak, high or low uppers, etc., and I have a rough price to estimate from.

If I ask you for a set of paint grade cabs, 10 feet of wall by 12 feet, dishwasher, standard height, standard top cabs, one drawer unit, and a DW opening, sink and DW not in the corner, and no island or bar, can you give me a rough price?

I am not a cabinet builder, and some of you see this as barbaric, I am sure, but some methods do work for somethings, and this works for me....however, the more detailed the plans, then we actually get estimates, and with all of them I have done, it still fits as so many dollars a foot.

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Leo G

With this amount of info, no, I couldn't price it out. Paint, what kind - is there a glaze? Drawers, melamine, solid wood, dovetails? What are the cabs made of, particle board, plywood? Hardware? What is the condition of the house, new with square, plumb and level or Old with curve no level/plumb. To many factors to consider before I could give a price.

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http://lrgwood.com
Custom Cabinets in Hartford County Connecticut

joasis

And here is would be around $90 a lineal foot, or $2100 total. This would be 3/4 AC plywood or Birch, flat doors (not raised panel) and basic.....no particle board anywhere. If they are raised panel, up $20 a foot.....etc.

I know the craftsmen will roll their eyes, but some homes do not get "custom" cabinets...they get generic. I have a customer right now, the ICF we are building, that will probably go to Builders Warehouse and buy cabinets....and those are crap. Not my call...I contracted to build the home to about 75% completion.

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Leo G

My cabinets start at about $325/lf (uppers and lowers included) and go up from there. If that was their price range I would thank them for considering me and wish them a nice day.

__________________
Sawdust Follows Me Everywhere

http://lrgwood.com
Custom Cabinets in Hartford County Connecticut

MALCO.New.York

Yeah! But you are the Notorious Psycho-Talent Woodsmith.

You command Big Bucks for "Custom", down-to-the-finite detail Creations.

__________________
Something to One may be Nothing to another!

Ultimate Wisdom---------
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OW-cnizLDEE

Leo G

Ya, I know [and thank you]. But it still works the same, figure out how much it costs you to build and charge appropriately. You cannot compete with the prices of the "boxed" cabinets. At least I can't. For the price of a finished cabinet I can by the materials to build a cabinet. That is here ya go - plop - there are your materials. I have already spent more than it costs to by one of these box cabinets.

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Sawdust Follows Me Everywhere

http://lrgwood.com
Custom Cabinets in Hartford County Connecticut

Cdat

A lot also depends on your shop equipment. If you have larger items that can mass produce, you can lower your prices if you have enough business to pay for the machines.

If however you're new to the area or trying to establish your credentials, I'd like to suggest you lower your initial price a bit to get your name 'out there'. Once word of mouth spreads, you can raise your price and ask whatever you want. If people want your quality work, they'll pay for it.

Meetre

not to say that you are wrong, just another way to look at it: he is doing trim and cabinets, why not charge more for the cabinets and make a name as the spendy guy with great quality. that way, the cheapo's don't bother you for prices, they know you are out of there range.

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Leo G

Dats the fact Jack

__________________
Sawdust Follows Me Everywhere

http://lrgwood.com
Custom Cabinets in Hartford County Connecticut

Cdat

Well, whatever works for you. I'm gonna' be retiring shortly 'cause my way worked pretty darn good but if another way works better, who am I to judge?