Kitchen remodel time frame

Jimmy Cabinet · Jan 12, 2011

rselectric1 said:
I've never met a designer that could run a project with any efficiency whatsoever.

As far as the 1-1/2 week kitchen remodel, I guess we'll just have to take your word for it. How quickly do your inspectors move?

Well RS there are those out there who may call themselves a Designer. But until they show you their professional credentials then ignore their claims. Many HO's and contractors believe the big orange who only wants your little green employ Kitchen Designers. NO THEY DO NOT, none of them do. They are cabinet sales people who were promoted from floor sales person and given a 3 day class on how to sell for profit, not for maximum design and they certainly know zero about coordinating the trades. Basically they are clowns.

I'm picking on the big orange because they have done such a wonderful job brainwashing the public into thinking ORANGE whenever they need a home improvement product. It's called branding. Only now they take advantage of the consumer by raping them.

Mike Finley · Jan 12, 2011

jhcontracting said:
I would like some info from all of you out there. I'm trying to get an idea of length of time most of take to remodel a kitchen. My son keeps beating himself up on how long we take to finish. I know it all depends on a lot of factors, so I'll present a sample kitchen. 13x15. Install new cabinets, crown molding, and light rail remove existing soffet and patch. Install new tile floor.
Remove three foot wall (non bearing), that separates the kitchen from the breakfast room. Not much plumbing change. Same with electric just add 6 can lights. New granite countertop and tile backsplash. I know each one is different. I'm just trying to get a rough estimate of average time if the customer would want a time frame from you.
Thanks
Jerry

Last one we did for a repeat customer was about what you are describing, plus included renovation and enlarging of an adjacent powder room with a shower in it. Took 16 working days, or just over 3 weeks start to finish. Oh, did include a small island in the middle of the kitchen, but not a terribly intricate one. In my opinion that's way faster then the norm, but it can be done easily if you have your ducks in a row, really good trade partners and can trouble shoot on the fly well.

I think it's good your son wants to be more productive. Not everyone can be more productive and not drop quality or customer service experience along the way. I've always found in kitchens you pick up productivity with good planning and trade partners lineup who can execute well. Kitchens have so much overlap that one trade or aspec can hold up the next one from executing.

Jimmy Cabinet · Jan 12, 2011

cabinet runner said:
I agree with alot of what you are saying except the part about the installer waiting for the delivery truck to arrive . I stopped doing that awhile back and refuse to do it anymore .
Why should I have to show up and wait ? And god forbid they are delayed at another delivery site or get stuck , break down , take a long lunch/morning break , caught in traffic,pulled over ect , ect. . No thanks. I'll be there the next morning after they have been delivered . Working 1/2 days on kitchens that take 1 day to install is just foolish IMO .Costs me money .

One of the best changes I've made in awhile was ending that practice . I'd get mad when they were late an then try and rush to make up for lost time that was no fault of mine .

One of the showrooms I install for used to love to try and do it this way until I made it clear I would start charging for wait time . 9:00 delivery time turned into 11:30 one to many times. They ended that practice.

Good points on the rest of it though . We also don't start a tear out until the new cabinets are in the local warehouse .

Whataya mean your wait time? Shouldn't you be there already? Whether you are a GC or the Kitchen Designer or any other contractor role, you should always be there. I don't have a problem with allowing your Cabinet Installer showing up the next day other then wasting the customers time. To me, I had complete control over everyone's timing. I was fortunate that I was rarely let down.

Strangely I was let down by Cabinet Installers way way way more then Electricians, Plumbers, Flooring or any other trade.

cabinet runner · Jan 12, 2011

Jimmy Cabinet said:
Hey cabinet runner may I comment on your observations about granite lead times?
Oh the good ol days. 30 days from the first shovel in the ground to the day the home buyers moved in. Just 30 days. Amazing!!!!! I miss that excitement so much. Miss the money too.

LOL Yeah I've been involved with some 30 day contructed houses . They didn't get granite though . I think you and I are from the same school. I loved production/semi custom kitchens . I loved being on the same jobsite for months at a time just going from one house to the next .Didn't even need a layout just the house model after ahwile.
I know remodels pay more but you will never convince me I can make more money doing remodels vs a rolling neighborhood of production houses . Condos and apartments even better . And I have a better time doing it.

I've never hung cabinets before sheetrock though . Thats a new one for me . Did you have alot of cosmetic damage by the end ? I am currently working on a townhouse job where I hang the cabinets before the units are painted . In fact cabinets/countertops are in , Oak handrails installed, sheet goods and tile are down .
He said he is knocking 18 days of the time to build vs the way the old super did it . I thought he was crazy but I've only had to replace a few doors outta about 26 units do to damage. I will say it sucks for the painter though and I wouldn't do it for that reason if I ran the job .

Back in the day I trimmed a few for Ryan Homes and I would install everything from cabinets and mirrors , door knobs ect before paint . They came out OK in the end EXCEPT for the ones that were trimmed prior to drywall sanding . Those Supers would simply not change schedules if someone was behind . Many a time I'd be installing trim with a a painter caulking right behind me . When I was finished upstairs they would start spraying while I trimmed downstairs .
I'll say this , they made you make money . you had to keep up and bust ass or they would roll right over you and you would be miserable trying to catch up . As I've gotten older though I really want the house to myself or at least the area I have to work in . But honestly if I had a chance to get back on another project like that I would take it . Just can't beat the money . to bad there aren't any being done in my area at this time .

BTW Jimmy do you pay your installers by the box ? Or is it priced per job ? I am doing production jobs by the box and custom install by the job as I give the showroom a qoute for the custom kitchens . They count boxes to price the production jobs . Been working out pretty well for me and them . Are you staying pretty busy ? We've been OK . An average week is 2 to 3 production installs or 1 production and 1 remodel install . They can't keep me busy 5 days a week though even with me doing all of their service work . I also service the kitchens I didn't personally install . I get 2 to 3 service tickets a week ranging from a rcountertop recaulk to replacing a defective cabinet.

They say this spring they will be able to . We'll see .

rselectric1 · Jan 12, 2011

Jimmy Cabinet said:
Well RS there are those out there who may call themselves a Designer. But until they show you their professional credentials then ignore their claims. Many HO's and contractors believe the big orange who only wants your little green employ Kitchen Designers. NO THEY DO NOT, none of them do. They are cabinet sales people who were promoted from floor sales person and given a 3 day class on how to sell for profit, not for maximum design and they certainly know zero about coordinating the trades. Basically they are clowns.

I'm picking on the big orange because they have done such a wonderful job brainwashing the public into thinking ORANGE whenever they need a home improvement product. It's called branding. Only now they take advantage of the consumer by raping them.

Agreed on Big Orange. In Illinois, of all things Interior Designers are licensed. I've worked with mostly the type provided by custom cabinet shops and though they lay out a nice floorplan and pick great colors, features, etc, I have yet to work with one who can foresee the problems in the walls like those of us who actually have to do the work.

As you know, most of us with a "few" kitchens under our belt can pretty much predict with accuracy what is behind each and every wall. The "designers" I have worked with seem to have no concept of this. They usually just want it "taken care of".:laughing:

Example: The last one I did used a designer. She moved the microwave a couple feet over. The old one was direct vented out the back. (No soffits) Our only options were to move the vent and repair the wall and siding, which would add expense, or channel out the back of the cabinets to accommodate the vent, or switch the microwave to recirculate, or change the design. She didn't seem to see what the big deal was. (Until later) After ignoring my observation, they ended up having to recirculate much to the dismay of the HO.

I was just a sub on that job BTW. (Not one of my jobs):thumbsup:

cabinet runner · Jan 12, 2011

Jimmy Cabinet said:
Whataya mean your wait time? Shouldn't you be there already? Whether you are a GC or the Kitchen Designer or any other contractor role, you should always be there. I don't have a problem with allowing your Cabinet Installer showing up the next day other then wasting the customers time. To me, I had complete control over everyone's timing. I was fortunate that I was rarely let down.
Strangely I was let down by Cabinet Installers way way way more then Electricians, Plumbers, Flooring or any other trade.

I am just a cabinet installer . I sub from someone like you . I used to wait for the delivery truck on some jobs but I don't anymore .

Thats interesting that cabinet installers have let you down more than anyone else .Around my way it's the flooring guys . I try and be Mr Reliable and I am .

Seems like flooring guys work bankers hours here .Always saying they have to go to the shop 1st to pick up material . If I was those guys, I'd pick up my material the night before but thats just me . They almost never start before 9:30 .

Jimmy Cabinet · Jan 13, 2011

cabinet runner said:
LOL Yeah I've been involved with some 30 day contructed houses . They didn't get granite though . I think you and I are from the same school. I loved production/semi custom kitchens . I loved being on the same jobsite for months at a time just going from one house to the next .Didn't even need a layout just the house model after ahwile.
I know remodels pay more but you will never convince me I can make more money doing remodels vs a rolling neighborhood of production houses . Condos and apartments even better . And I have a better time doing it.

I've never hung cabinets before sheetrock though . Thats a new one for me . Did you have alot of cosmetic damage by the end ? I am currently working on a townhouse job where I hang the cabinets before the units are painted . In fact cabinets/countertops are in , Oak handrails installed, sheet goods and tile are down .
He said he is knocking 18 days of the time to build vs the way the old super did it . I thought he was crazy but I've only had to replace a few doors outta about 26 units do to damage. I will say it sucks for the painter though and I wouldn't do it for that reason if I ran the job .

Back in the day I trimmed a few for Ryan Homes and I would install everything from cabinets and mirrors , door knobs ect before paint . They came out OK in the end EXCEPT for the ones that were trimmed prior to drywall sanding . Those Supers would simply not change schedules if someone was behind . Many a time I'd be installing trim with a a painter caulking right behind me . When I was finished upstairs they would start spraying while I trimmed downstairs .
I'll say this , they made you make money . you had to keep up and bust ass or they would roll right over you and you would be miserable trying to catch up . As I've gotten older though I really want the house to myself or at least the area I have to work in . But honestly if I had a chance to get back on another project like that I would take it . Just can't beat the money . to bad there aren't any being done in my area at this time .

BTW Jimmy do you pay your installers by the box ? Or is it priced per job ? I am doing production jobs by the box and custom install by the job as I give the showroom a qoute for the custom kitchens . They count boxes to price the production jobs . Been working out pretty well for me and them . Are you staying pretty busy ? We've been OK . An average week is 2 to 3 production installs or 1 production and 1 remodel install . They can't keep me busy 5 days a week though even with me doing all of their service work . I also service the kitchens I didn't personally install . I get 2 to 3 service tickets a week ranging from a rcountertop recaulk to replacing a defective cabinet.

They say this spring they will be able to . We'll see .

Oh I got to love the production houses too. Mostly Pulte whom our brand cabinets has a 26 year contract with. Yes we flew though those homes. And they were routine and robotic so we could blow them up quick. That's how I put up the numbers I claim.

On those installations that went in way too early, hell yea there was lots of construction damage. Plumbers would take the drawers out and bring them to their truck to load up parts into then toss the drawers onto the floor when they were finished. The trim guys would take the drawers, put them face down into the concrete floor and use them as saw horses. Painters would grab onto the crown as a pull up bar to cut in the ceiling. Granite guys would cut out the sink and let the 200# slab fall into the sink base cabinet busting it all up. That is if the big fat Plumbers didn't step inside the SB and crush it first. Best of all you had all the trades who would drag compressor hoses around scratching up the cabinet edges. No.....best of all was the Mexicans who bought that puke from the roach coach then left the scraps inside the cabinets.

Very often we had all the trades tripping over each other but we all got along. Money was really good and money keeps tempers from flaring.

Maybe my tight successful scheduling came from doing so very many tract homes. Like you said, if some trade slipped and was late, they would get bowled over. If they got bowled over more then once they were thrown off the job site. And again as you said, those Supers would not tolerate any change in schedules. Even back in 2001 when I did Celine Dion's home, it was in a subdivision and we still followed very strict schedules so my experience is not just little crap homes. By the way, it took me 3 months to installer her house. Very highly customized using a major cabinet manufacturers product.

Back in those boom times we were paid $10/box. Every single piece counted as one box count. Today I rarely do an install unless a customer specifically requests they want me and no one else in their home. Down in Texas the going rate is $20/box and only crown counts as a box count. Not much work at all here either. I kept busy working for a large conglomerate of near a dozen construction companies under one roof and they owned several thousand apartment buildings. I asked for a buyout and now retired. Yea right.

At this time you are in a pretty good area for the cabinet trades, actually the strongest in the USA right now. I'm heading up your way next week for an opportunity I was just offered. I'll never retire, I love this shid too much. So I ask of you to turn off the switch that makes all that white puke fall from the sky...........

Jimmy Cabinet · Jan 13, 2011

rselectric1 said:
Agreed on Big Orange. In Illinois, of all things Interior Designers are licensed. I've worked with mostly the type provided by custom cabinet shops and though they lay out a nice floorplan and pick great colors, features, etc, I have yet to work with one who can foresee the problems in the walls like those of us who actually have to do the work.

As you know, most of us with a "few" kitchens under our belt can pretty much predict with accuracy what is behind each and every wall. The "designers" I have worked with seem to have no concept of this. They usually just want it "taken care of".:laughing:

Example: The last one I did used a designer. She moved the microwave a couple feet over. The old one was direct vented out the back. (No soffits) Our only options were to move the vent and repair the wall and siding, which would add expense, or channel out the back of the cabinets to accommodate the vent, or switch the microwave to recirculate, or change the design. She didn't seem to see what the big deal was. (Until later) After ignoring my observation, they ended up having to recirculate much to the dismay of the HO.

I was just a sub on that job BTW. (Not one of my jobs):thumbsup:

Rs for what you said about designers: To that I have always said that the very best Kitchen Designers are ex Cabinet Installers. I have never said a more accurate truth to that statement.

I have showed up at homes with layouts in hand written by some of the very best Kitchen Designers. CKD and even CKBMD and what was on the drawing done on 20/20 was not possible to do. I would call the Designer and the reply was always the same. "BUT THE COMPUTER SAYS IT WORKS".

knucklehead · Jan 13, 2011

2years!

jhcontracting · Jan 13, 2011

My son felt eight weeks was starting to get a little long

Jaws · Jan 13, 2011

Jimmy Cabinet said:
I will just respond to your post here as I disagree with all the other answers and wanted to answer your Q about the moving walls scenario.

What you described is less then a week. Stop laughing, it's all I have done for 30 years and I have it down to a science. Yes there are variables and no one here including me can give you the most accurate answer without seeing your kitchen job.

Who's complaining about the granite people? I don't know of a single granite dealer who takes longer then 3-4 days. And there are currently more granite dealers then pizza parlors and nail salons on each street corner. Competition is fierce and only the fastest granite dealers survive.

Who's complaining about lead time for cabinets? Whether you buy some cheap RTAs, or order long lead time custom made, or buy from a major cabinet manufacturer, you don't start tearing out till you have your delivery day set in stone. Then you time your tearout IE: your new walls, mechanical, flooring etc to be ready for cabinet delivery and then same day cabinet install.

It's all about coordinating your contractors.

No homeowner wants to be without a kitchen for weeks and weeks. To promise just 7 days without a kitchen has won me more jobs then I can shake a stick at.

Worrying about moving walls extending cabinet lead time? Then order from a major cabinet manufacturer who has a short lead time. The vast majority of them out there are from 3 weeks to 14 weeks. To me, excuse mua but that is unexcepable and unprofessional and they can all go to hell or out of business, which ever comes first. Try Merillat or any Masco product. Top quality with lead times of 5 business days anywhere in the USA. Amazing.

Now why can they do it and no other manufacturer can? Who cares, this is business and you should go with the best. 5 days delivered to the customer's door and your installer should be sitting there waiting for the truck so he can install after the truck is unloaded. Your installer will arrive with all new walls prepped, mechanical, electrical, floors all in place with appliances sitting already unboxed ready to install.

A good Kitchen Designer is invaluable to run kitchen remodels. They are not contractors but do guide the homeowner and/or the contractor from start to finish coordinating every event every step of the way including holding everyone's hand if need be.

The majority of my almost 7000 kitchens which are only average in size, I was able to tear out on Friday and by the next weekend the homeowners were cooking and eating in their new kitchen......many times inviting me and my guys.

The most amazing feeling on earth is to stand in a beautiful brand new kitchen that just one week ago was only a dream !!!!!!!!!!

Who are you, Re- Kitchen. What if the selections were prickly cyprus ceilings, custom mahogany cabinets, distressed, stained to match a antique hutch? Still 7 days? JAW

Jimmy Cabinet · Jan 13, 2011

Mr.Handy said:
The problem with CAD systems in 2d or 3d or even a drafting board is that bad information in = bad design out. Plus those little tolerances build up.

That is also very true. But my point was only those who have installed all the various stock standard cabinet components from any catalog will know what fits where and how they fit if it were being drawn. No CAD on earth is better then 20/20 but even it can't show what experience can.

Jimmy Cabinet · Jan 13, 2011

jawtrs said:
Who are you RE- Kitchen? We are talking about custom kitchens. Not some pre selection KB homes quality production bs. Custom craftsmanship. I would like to see you pull a beautiful custom kitchen with quality craftsmanship, inspectors in a rural area, not houston, out of your as# is 7 days pal. The last kitchen we did was a complete gut. Custom mahogany cabinets, distressed, stained to perfecty match an existing antique hutch. Mahogany crown mold, prickly cypress ceiling, marble tile, granite counter tops, copper counter top on the bar, copper vent hood. Move plumbing, electric, ect... 6 weeks was a push. JAW

Name the place and time. Anything you can have made in a shop in 10 weeks I can do in less then 10 days. Want extreme custom? Gimme 3 weeks. And my extreme custom will not only come with a lifetime unlimited manufacturers warranty but I offer over 1000 colors, door styles and wood species. And my quality control is exactly the same from box 1 to box 1 million. That ain't bragging by any stretch. That's a fact.

I was just using the cheap KB homes as an example. My point was there we were building entire homes from first shovel to HO moving in in just 30 days. New construction is always faster then remodel so it was not meant to put anyone or any trade down.

With the right trades working with you as a team, anything is possible. Your team who possess skill is key, not what's in it for me attitude.

thom · Jan 13, 2011

Jimmy Cabinet got it right, about a week. It's about coordination and planning. The cabinets need to be ready. If you can't order cabinets off your plans, something is wrong with your designer and/or plans.

Tear-out, electrical, mechanical and framing repairs are on day one, drywall on day 2. I've done it numerous times. It shouldn't take your electrician more than a couple hours to run in new circuits, it shouldn't take your plumber more than as couple hours to re-pipe gas, it shouldn't take more than a half hour to install the new vent pipe for the hood.

On occasion there will be an issue with tops, then I'd install temporary 3/4" plywood tops, reinstall the sink, and give the HO a kitchen.

A standard kitchen should take no more than a week. I've done simple ones in a few days, did one real simple one in a day.

A key to speed is having the correct crew. Get a crew with a plumber and an electrician along with the carpenter(s). If you look you will find qualified tradesmen who enjoy working the whole project. The plumber/electrician will be the carpenter's helpers as needed and vice versa. It's just a matter of finding guys who want to work that way. Most tradesmen want to stick to their own trade but some get bored and would rather learn other trades while doing their own. These are the guys who make great remodelers.

Jimmy Cabinet · Jan 13, 2011

thom said:
Jimmy Cabinet got it right, about a week. It's about coordination and planning. The cabinets need to be ready. If you can't order cabinets off your plans, something is wrong with your designer and/or plans.

Tear-out, electrical, mechanical and framing repairs are on day one, drywall on day 2. I've done it numerous times. It shouldn't take your electrician more than a couple hours to run in new circuits, it shouldn't take your plumber more than as couple hours to re-pipe gas, it shouldn't take more than a half hour to install the new vent pipe for the hood.

On occasion there will be an issue with tops, then I'd install temporary 3/4" plywood tops, reinstall the sink, and give the HO a kitchen.

A standard kitchen should take no more than a week. I've done simple ones in a few days, did one real simple one in a day.

A key to speed is having the correct crew. Get a crew with a plumber and an electrician along with the carpenter(s). If you look you will find qualified tradesmen who enjoy working the whole project. The plumber/electrician will be the carpenter's helpers as needed and vice versa. It's just a matter of finding guys who want to work that way. Most tradesmen want to stick to their own trade but some get bored and would rather learn other trades while doing their own. These are the guys who make great remodelers.

Thanks Thom. I am with you all the way. You spoke more specific on each trade which I was shying away from for fear of insulting anyone. But you told it like it is.

As you just said and as I previously said, the key is the right crew. And they have to show up when requested to do so. No excuses.

Good day and good luck to you my friend !!!!!!

Mike Finley · Jan 13, 2011

jhcontracting said:
My son felt eight weeks was starting to get a little long

I think your son is right.

Lots of guys work in lots of different ways. It depends alot about your resources and work load. If you're a couple of guys and just want to have work to do every day then it's easy to not get into being more cost effective. If you have a lot of work and you are profit motivated then obviously the more billing you do per month the more you are going to make. There are only so many work days in a month. I think it's easy to see if you can complete one kitchen every two months, if you were completing two kitchen every two months, you should double your profits.

Mike Finley · Jan 13, 2011

thom said:
Jimmy Cabinet got it right, about a week. It's about coordination and planning. The cabinets need to be ready. If you can't order cabinets off your plans, something is wrong with your designer and/or plans.

Tear-out, electrical, mechanical and framing repairs are on day one, drywall on day 2. I've done it numerous times. It shouldn't take your electrician more than a couple hours to run in new circuits, it shouldn't take your plumber more than as couple hours to re-pipe gas, it shouldn't take more than a half hour to install the new vent pipe for the hood.

On occasion there will be an issue with tops, then I'd install temporary 3/4" plywood tops, reinstall the sink, and give the HO a kitchen.

A standard kitchen should take no more than a week. I've done simple ones in a few days, did one real simple one in a day.

A key to speed is having the correct crew. Get a crew with a plumber and an electrician along with the carpenter(s). If you look you will find qualified tradesmen who enjoy working the whole project. The plumber/electrician will be the carpenter's helpers as needed and vice versa. It's just a matter of finding guys who want to work that way. Most tradesmen want to stick to their own trade but some get bored and would rather learn other trades while doing their own. These are the guys who make great remodelers.

We must be doing way different projects or way different ways of working.

With these inspections alone in the process -

framing
rough plumbing
rough electrical
rough hvac
drywall
insulation

throw in nice tile floors and back splashes 2 days minimum

besides all the drying times between mud, texture, paint etc... etc..

theres more than a 5 days right there

If you have a crew of your own that's doing every trade so that there is flow from one trades work to the next with no down time from demo>frame>rough plumbing>rough electrical>Hvac>drywall>texture>paint>cabinets>granite>tile>trim out and no inspections in there, then I see it being possible, if it's coupled with a simple project.

However none of that is possible here unless you're doing it all illegally.

I've also never met an electrician (unless he had a 3 man crew with him) that was going to bring in 4-5 new circuits, rough in all new appliance outlets and power to everything, rough pendants and cans and all the rest in a 2-3 hours. Not around here anyways.

This threads getting to be a bit :

Bergstrom · Jan 13, 2011

Mike Finley said:
We must be doing way different projects or way different ways of working.

With these inspections alone in the process -

framing
rough plumbing
rough electrical
rough hvac
drywall
insulation

throw in nice tile floors and back splashes 2 days minimum

besides all the drying times between mud, texture, paint etc... etc..

theres more than a 5 days right there

If you have a crew of your own that's doing every trade so that there is flow from one trades work to the next with no down time from demo>frame>rough plumbing>rough electrical>Hvac>drywall>texture>paint>cabinets>granite>tile>trim out and no inspections in there, then I see it being possible, if it's coupled with a simple project.

However none of that is possible here unless you're doing it all illegally.

I've also never met an electrician (unless he had a 3 man crew with him) that was going to bring in 4-5 new circuits, rough in all new appliance outlets and power to everything, rough pendants and cans and all the rest in a 2-3 hours. Not around here anyways.

This threads getting to be a bit :

Thanks for the return to sanity.

Would you guys want your surgeon to brag about how fast he can yank out an appendix? Or your accountant ripping through your tax return in half an hour?

Things take as long as they take. As long as continual forward progress is being made on a project and you are doing your best work then any sane homeowner will be happy. As someone who has worked on two separate Extreme Makeover projects I can tell you that the quality leaves a lot to be desired......but hey, the house is done in a week. :clap:

Read on....... http://senaainternational.blogspot.com/2009/01/yazzie-house-problems-plague-extreme.html

Bergstrom · Jan 13, 2011

Jimmy Cabinet said:
We were nailing scab pieces of drywall up to hang cabinets on a framed home. Yes only a framed home. We were driving away and looking in the rear view mirror would revel a stick framed home with cabinets hanging on the walls. The damnedest thing you ever seen. This way the granite people could come in an measure well in advance.

Oh the good ol days. 30 days from the first shovel in the ground to the day the home buyers moved in. Just 30 days. Amazing!!!!! I miss that excitement so much. Miss the money too.

Just the fact that you would agree to do that speaks volumes to me.

Jimmy Cabinet · Jan 13, 2011

Bergstrom said:
Just the fact that you would agree to do that speaks volumes to me.

That don't make me bad Berg. Everyone was doing it. It was the only way. You have to understand back from 99 to 2003 Las Vegas was closing over 500 sales each and every day. For every house built there were 100 buyers begging to sell it to them. Homes were increasing in value 10% per month. People were putting a $1000 deposit on a $20,000 lot on phase 2 and in 4 months when the builder released phase 2 the lot value doubled. The buyer would sell his lot back to the builder for near $40K for his $1000 investment in just 4 months.

This Las Vegas building boom was unprecedented in America and will never happen again. Builders were blowing these homes up faster then you can count. What I described was the norm for crap builders like KB homes and Beazer but most quality builders we worked with such as Pulte and Toll Bros was more like 6 to 8 weeks. The whole boom was a money grab and we all made a whole lot of money. If I told you what I and the rest of us made installing cabinets during this period you'd say I was lying and exaggerating so I won't. It is staggering though.

You don't have to worry about my quality. My past clients reads like a who's who in America. All that was tract housing and apartment units which we blew out like a robot. If any of us slowed down to think about quality we would get thrown out the door. That's not to say that all the installations were crap but they were far from custom homes.

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