CabinetMaker+FDM - October 2011

A bar was also part of the built-in project,
which was the most popular project in the
survey.
2. Built-in project

This is a whole house built-in project that includes a bar, cabinets, an entertainment center, and bedroom office cabinetry.

All were done in full-overlay Eu-rostyle construction, but a similar look could be achieved with full-overlay, face-frame cabinets, so bidders were given the option to do it either way.

ware or CNC machining. There are both low and high bids from CNC shops, and even shops using the same software package will show up with dramatically different bids, high or low. Similarly, it’s interesting that construction hours don’t correlate consistently to automation either.

Estimates for construction hours and materials costs are clearly the biggest variables in the bids. Paying closer attention to record keeping in these areas will help shops to have more accurate and profitable quotes.

And finally, the survey suggests that shop rates have edged up. A shop rate of $50 an hour is about the bottom for bidders this year, while in years past there might have been a quoted rate as low as $25 an hour. The average rate is $66 to $68 per hour depending on project, and there are a few bidders with shop rates over $100. This suggests that despite downward pricing pressure from the economy, established shops are paying attention to overhead costs and making sure their shop rates – and the resulting bids -- reflect real costs.

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