Process
Seven stages, in the same order every time, with the weeks and the payments written down before you sign anything.
Overview
Average: 16 weeks
Range: 14 to 22 weeks
Counted from deposit
Long lead times are the price of boards that have finished moving.
Most of the sixteen weeks is not hands on wood. It is lumber settling in the shop, glue curing, finish hardening. Rush any of those and the doors will tell you about it in the first February.
Drag the cards below, or use the arrows. Each one gives the weeks, a note on what happens, and whether money changes hands.
Seven stages
From the first measure to the last drawer
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01
Consultation
Before week 0
An hour and a half at the showroom or in your house, no charge. We measure, photograph and ask a lot about how you use the room. Bring the thing that annoys you.
No charge
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02
Design drawings
2 to 4 weeks, before deposit
Plan, elevations and a full-size section, drawn by Anneliese. Two rounds of revisions are included. Nothing is cut until you have signed a drawing.
Drawing fee credited
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03
Deposit and lumber order
Week 0
The deposit starts the clock and the lumber order goes to the mill in Vergennes the same day. Your date is held from here.
30% due
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04
Milling
Weeks 1 to 2
Boards are sticker-stacked in the shop for two weeks to settle, then milled and rough-cut. Grain is matched across doors and drawer fronts before any joint is cut.
No payment
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05
Joinery and assembly
Weeks 3 to 10
Dovetails, tenons, drawer boxes, carcases. Hide glue on period work. The longest stage and the one we do not hurry. We send a photograph every other Friday.
No payment
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06
Finish
Weeks 11 to 13
Three to four coats in the water-based finish room, sanded between coats, cured for a week before hardware goes on. You will be asked to approve a sample board first.
40% due
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07
Install
Weeks 14 to 16
Two installers, two to six days depending on the job. They scribe to your walls, adjust every door and drawer, and leave the room swept. We come back at six weeks to check seasonal movement.
30% due
Schedule
Sixteen weeks, laid out
Drawings happen before week 1 and are not counted.
Deposit schedule
Cheque, ACH or card.
Card adds 3%.
Three payments, each tied to something you can see.
| Payment | Due | Share |
|---|---|---|
| To start | Signed drawings, week 0 | 30% |
| At finish | When finished work is ready, week 13 | 40% |
| At install | The day installers leave, week 16 | 30% |
Lead times by size of job: a single bookcase or table, 14 weeks. A kitchen, 16 to 19. A kitchen plus mudroom or whole-house millwork, 20 to 22. Stair parts depend on the template visit and run 12 to 18.
Questions we get
Six answers before you ask
Yes. A single bookcase or a hall table is a good job for us, and a good way to find out whether we suit each other. Expect the same drawings and the same 14-week lead time. A bookcase starts around $4,800.
Most of the kitchens we build land between $62,000 and $135,000 installed, before countertops and appliances. Wood, door style, and how crooked your walls are move the number more than size does. The written estimate comes within ten days of the visit.
Often. Bring a drawer front or a door if you can. We cut test boards against it. We will not promise a perfect match on old cherry: it has been darkening for decades and new cherry will take about eighteen months to catch up.
We tell you the week we know, not the week the problem becomes obvious. If a delay is ours, installation is scheduled ahead of newer jobs once the work is ready. Weather and a finish that will not cure are the usual causes.
Anywhere within about 150 miles of Burlington: Vermont, the New Hampshire side of the Connecticut River, the Adirondack side of Lake Champlain. Further out, we build and your own carpenter installs. We will talk the carpenter through it.
Yes, and we would like you to. Come to the rack and pick boards if you have the time. The wood page lists the eleven species we keep and what each one does over ten years.