The Thing You Need To Look At Now…
Appliances.
That's right...appliances. With the impacts of Covid on supply chains, fluctuations have been the norm. The construction industry, like many others, felt the impacts of supply chain challenges, grappling with price hikes and extended timelines reaching up to 300%. While this has largely settled down, one item that still demands attention: appliance lead times. Many of the professional level appliances (think SubZero, Wolf, Thermador, etc.) still have substantial lead times for their products. (like 6-12 months).
Given this, we highly recommend anyone thinking of starting a kitchen project prioritize looking at appliances. While certain items, such as refrigerators, offer more flexibility and ease of replacement if the lead times don't align with your schedule, others can present challenges. Take ranges, for instance. Often, they play a pivotal role in the kitchen's design, with clients developing an attachment to a particular size, color, and aesthetic. Finding suitable alternatives can impact the project timeline…and there's nothing worse than having a completed kitchen with a giant refrigerator sized hole in it.
OUR TIPS:
DO NOT run out and buy appliances before the design process has begun. Trying to design around appliances that don't work or are the wrong size is not a good way to start a project.
DO start looking. Head to some local showrooms and see what you like and inquire about lead times. This will give you a good idea for planning purposes when you are lining up the pieces of your project like contractors and designer's availability, loan process timelines (if needed), etc.
Texas Appliances, Capital Distributing, and The Jerrell Company are great DFW showrooms for appliances.
We hope this has been helpful! As always, get in touch with us if you have questions or would like to chat about your project.