What differentiates NOSIVA from your standard cabinet maker, and why do joinery quotations vary so much from business to business? Education is key when it comes to making your joinery decision, and more often than not, we have found the majority of our clients are not educated on the very important differences that can affect your quotation price and the quality finish of your project.
Quotations are a huge part of what we do as a business and also for our customers who are trying to find the best fit for their project. Everyone is focusing on different values, some customers need a high level of skill and quality to achieve their goal, others are focused purely on pricing, and some just do not know where to start or what is involved.
More often than not one of our customers has requested a quotation from us alongside at least 2 others from alternative companies so they can see apples for apples and to help aid in their decision on which cabinet maker to hire. We have also heard many times that a customer has accepted the cheaper option, not knowing that once contracts were signed that certain details were missed or not included, and they are now stuck either paying extra, doing work themselves, or not happy with the overall outcome.
Custom joinery is one of the major big-ticket items included in your renovation, and being a finishing trade this can often make or break your project and budget. Below is a list of important factors to consider when engaging with a cabinet maker for a quotation.
Preparation prior to asking for a quotation
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Registered building Practitioner - If you are a homeowner engaging a cabinet maker directly, for all projects over $20,000 inc GST the cabinet maker will need to be a registered builder with the Building and Plumbing Commission. You can check this in the BPC website. If your own licensed builder has his own cabinet maker they can operate under the licence of the builder, but most decent cabinet makers are registered themselves too. Serach for your builder here Practitioner Search
- Reputation, responsiveness and recommendations - Check genuine customer reviews and past projects online, and it nearly always worth trying a company who has been recommended by someone you trust. After you reach out to a company note their reply and responsiveness; this is usually a good indicator of what is to come should you engage in their services for your project. They should be asking the questions that align with your needs and that feel right to you.
- Quality of working drawings Prior to asking for a quotation ask for an example of the company's working drawings, as this document will be the interpretation and visual of your completed joinery. Most working drawings are in 2D form and black and white, if this is not enough you need to check if 3D views and renders are a service that is offered as standard or at additional cost. If you have trouble visualising a space or details, the working drawings are vitally important and will end up being the document that you sign and are liable for. With NOSIVA, we offer all of the above drawing service as standard, and import joinery materials and colours into the drawings for a more accurate aesthetic of the final product
NOSIVA - Malvern Kitchen render
Things to look out for once you receive your quotation:
- The quality of the quotation If you are just receiving one total price and not a room-by-room breakdown, this can show lack of care in the inclusions and exclusions of each room. Ensure product and hardware descriptions are clearly visible, and that what has been specified in designer documentation is included. Also check for items such as lighting or other trade work such as stone benchtops that may or may not be included. Lack of information or detail is usually a red flag.
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Hardware Check the hardware specified and the warranties for these. Where prices can change a lot are the drawer hardware, as premium hardware such as Blum offers lifetime guarantee with 70kg weight capacity, they look great and have an array of customisable accessory features. NOSIVA specify Blum as standard, whilst other drawers systems may not be as functional. Also check drawer depths and whether your quotation has standard 500mm depth drawers or whether the depth has been maximised for more storage, adding extra costs. If you are trying to fit in that extra stack of plates this is a must! Other hardware may be pull out bin systems, corner units, and lift up door systems. Check with your cabinet maker which is the best option available, or do some more research via Chat GPT.
- Pocket Doors Hugely important and variable in price is your choice of pocket door systems, if these are specified by yourself or a designer. The vast majority of these systems are faulty within 12 months of installation or there are ongoing complications due to inferior products and parts, which is not ideal for a system that is used everyday. We refuse to negotiate on supplying a product that does not work and only use Blum Revego pocket doors (not endorsed, just from an experience and from practical/warranty perspective) as these can be easily removed and adjusted for maintenance. All others system usually require surrounding cabinetry to be removed, which is sometimes impossible when you have stone benchtops or due to the design. Look out for and question the pocket doors in your quotation, and ask the right questions to safeguard your liabilities.
- Factory and machinery A lot is unknown about factory process, and why should you know or care, isn't all board the same and cut in the same way? The answer is no, there are shortcuts that can be made at every stage of manufacture in order to cut costs and quality. All joinery may initially look the same from the outside, but when you look a bit closer you will begin to see differences in quality that can affect the aesthetic, longevity and function of your product. We advise taking a look at the factory you are buying from and check the overall vibe, cleanliness and professionalism. Without going into too much detail, you have to note and compare the cutting of the board (using a CNC machine and not a panel saw), check the edging machine (some machines are cheap or finish with chipping) and the finished product on the factory floor to make sure you are happy.
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Installation If possible, ask to see a past project that has already been installed, this way you can see for yourself the final product and ultimately your investment. You can have the best factory in the world, but poor installation of your joinery can cheapen the look of even the finest materials.
- Stone work Your cabinet maker may provide a quote for the stone work via their chosen stonemason. You have to make sure the stone chosen is from a reputable supplier, and that the stonemason manufacturer being used is also reputable, so do your due diligence. Ask for the actual stone quotation from your cabinet maker and check all the inclusions, exclusions and terms and condition to ensure all details are clear, which could be who is paying for the slabs (customer or stonemason?) and what rooms and dimensions are included in their quote. Good stonemasons will send through vein layouts, especially important for natural stone, to help with the visualisation of your stone veins in relation to your joinery.
- Contract - Congratulations you are at the contract signing stage after multiple emails, meetings and phone calls! The contract presented to you is extremely important, and must display your legal obligations clearly. Attached to the contract must be signed plans by the customer and documentation, builders warranty insurance (builder/cabinet makers supply this for projects over $20,000.00 inc GST) and a clear payment schedule. You should only be paying 10% deposit for projects less than $20,000.00 inc GST, and 5% deposit for projects over $20,000.00 inc GST.
At NOSIVA our quotation process is intentionally refined and detailed to ensure our clients are receiving exactly what is in our quotation description. This foundation clears up miscommunication and sets the tone for a successful renovation that flows as it should.