Thank you for reaching out to us. I want my team to provide for your woodworking needs. My name is Brian Eby and I own Eby Construction. Please contact me if I can be of service brian@visiteby.com, (510) 295-7927
Description of our Services and Process when we work directly with a Homeowner
Estimating: we collect as much information as possible from you and your team. Our proposal becomes more accurate with more information, in the form of drawings, renderings, specifications, paint or stain samples, and your personal description of your priorities for your project. While we are preparing your proposal we will substitute any missing information with clearly defined assumptions or placeholders, so that we have actionable information on which to build our proposal job value. We structure our Proposal with each large projects listed separately (kitchen, bath, office…), and with our fabrication, install and finishing prices listed separately within each line. For furniture pieces, or a single bathroom vanity, or similar small scope, where lots of breakdown is cumbersome and of little value, we may provide a single dollar value for the project.
Communication: when you engage us to work on your project we tell you who at Eby Construction will manage your project. Throughout the project you will communicate with various people for scheduling, coordinating drawings and samples, and installation. Your project manager will be your primary point of contact throughout, and will answer any questions or take any directions you have for us.
Site survey: our drawings and layout are based on accurate dimensions of your space, taken in our site survey. During our survey we identify the plane of each wall, floor and ceiling, and whether any abnormalities will affect the project’s design goals. During the site survey we document key layout items, like centerlines of doorways, window and door dimensions, and any features in the home with which our work has an alignment relationship.
Design intake: with our approved proposal, your current design documents and our completed site survey in hand we proceed to design intake. We review all of the documents above against our internal checklist, and generate a list of additional information needed along with any questions we have about the design. Sometimes this intake is a quick email volley, and sometimes it makes sense to meet in person to review. In nearly ever scenario it is important to get started quickly; we will coach you through the minimum information we need to start our design work. Our Proposal value includes intake hours commensurate with the size of your project(s) and the stage of design development that we observed while we were estimating your job.
Shop drawings: we provide detailed, dimensioned shop drawings with section views at most conditions and full or half size details at key intersections or connections. We will arrange at least one meeting with you and your design team to review our shop drawings together, where we ensure that all expectations are in sync. If we make significant changes after we meet, we will meet again. We can proceed with production when we have approval of our shop drawings. This approval can be a meeting in person with a clear understanding and satisfaction with our design, or it can be a signed set of drawings sent to us. Our price includes shop drawings, one site meeting, and two revisions.
Sample submittals: pricing includes one submittal sample of each face/exterior finish as well as a sample of any interior finishes, drawer box, and any specified pull hardware. If we are providing custom metal, glass, stone or other finishes, our pricing includes one submittal of each of those finishes. We prefer to meet in person to discuss finishes. We can proceed with production after we have approval and return of samples. Minor adjustment of a nearly-approved sample is included in our price. New samples range in price. Generally samples cost $50-$250 each, depending on what the sample is.
Fabrication: while we are building your project you are welcome to visit the shop to see how our process works, and check in on your cabinets. You are welcome to visit our shop any time, though visiting while we build your project is great because you can connect with our cabinetmakers while they are immersed in the details of your project and in exactly the best position to implement your feedback.
Finish (paint, stain, clear coat, etc): we usually shop-finish cabinets prior to install. If we damage the cabinets during installation we either remove them for repair or do touchups in-place. Generally touch-ups are also needed after your project is complete, as the other trades that follow after us are likely to scratch or dent something. In certain circumstances it makes sense that we finish cabinets after install. Typically we would choose to finish after install because of a huge assembly where pre-finishing would leave too many visible seams, or because the design requires a continuous brush-mark or other specific surface texture. If you choose to handle finishing outside of our scope of work, we will remove that value, and work with your finisher to coordinate that work.
Pre-installation: we visit your project prior to installation to set full-size plywood silhouettes of your cabinet layout. These silhouettes provide all of the layout information that the general contractor, electrician, plumber and HVAC trades need to place their work accurately, relative to the cabinet layout. If the wall plumbing is tight or adjacent to drawers, we will also install wall template(s), showing the plumber and electrician which areas are acceptable for them to penetrate the cabinet without obstructing function.
Installation: we deliver and load cabinets in to your home. We need an open space adequate to handle cabinets and set up our tools, adjacent to the room(s) where we will install. We coordinate this on-site logistics with you or your construction personnel in advance of our delivery. Our installation includes any interface with related trades (electrical, lighting, plumbing, stone, etc), and we work in a sequence that allows other finishes to fit best for the design of the project. We use ample screws and hardware to attach our cabinets, honoring building codes related to our depth of screw penetration and avoiding any damage to other surfaces. In tight-fit scenarios, we might abrade or damage adjacent surfaces. While we cannot accurately anticipate or commit to a value for any on-site damage, we will work with you and your team to coordinate away from damage-likely sequencing. If we simply break something or drop something, we pay for our mistakes.
Post-install followup: after we are complete, or between install phases, we encourage you to contact us to discuss any questions you have about adjacent finishes, function of your cabinets, or any other questions related to the remaining work around cabinets and millwork.
Hardware installation, punch list: we do our best to get everything built in the shop, so that installation is quick and complete. That said, pull hardware is often chosen and located at the very end of the job, sometimes things get damaged after we install, and we make mistakes. Our price includes a reasonable amount of time for wrapping up the job after we install and an accurate budget for installing pulls or other late-arriving hardware. If we encounter excessive damage by others late in the project we identify the best solution and explain it to you along with a definition of any costs, before we take action.
Additional services: if the need arises we are happy to add pre-install carpentry, finish carpentry, cabinet lighting, decorative metal, and many other elements to our scope of work. These additional services, if needed, usually come up in the form of a missing link in finishes or between subcontractors. We handle these situations case-by-case, and we encourage you to ask about items that seem “left out” of your project. We can direct you to an efficient solution, whether or not we are the best resource for the item in question.
Maintenance and service: please contact us for future work, or if something we built needs attention. Cabinet hardware has many moving parts, and will settle in time. A tune-up several months after you move in is a good idea, and we provide those adjustments free of charge.