The Five Stages of Kitchen Product Purchasing

Back in the Fall of 2007 I read an article about the Five Stages of Kitchen Remodeling, part of a larger report, called Homesight 2007, by Oregon-based CNW Research, in NKBA's Profiles Magazine. This study is not public, but commissioned by Meredith Publishing (BH&G).

CNW conducts exhaustive market research into consumer spending and Homesight 2007 is all about consumer spending in the area of residential remodeling. Their study is based on over 3 million remodeling projects and over one million respondents.

The article, from "THE CONSUMER SHOPPING EXPERIENCE" was written by Tom Troland, Meredith Research Solutions; and Art Spinella, CNW Research.

I scanned it at the time with interest as blogfodder and am finally getting back to commenting on the study results.

Unfortunately Profiles Magazine does not have an online version; so this is going to involve LOTS of typing (sigh). I will condense and paraphrase as best I can.

A. There is a PROCESS to decisionmaking about all home improvement projects. The process is the same regardless of the size of the project.

B. Women regard kitchen remodels as the PREMIER project they can undertake in their homes (Men go for entertainment spaces and finished basements).

C. Women take responsibility for most decisionmaking for a kitchen remodel.

D. The process of product selection is a learning curve. Decisionmaking is more VOLATILE in a kitchen remodel than in any other room in the house, with consumers changing their minds many times as they get educated in the process.

E. The average duration of a kitchen remodel, from first inkling to completion is two years...many take longer. (I just got an email from Edie in San Francisco, who has been planning for eight years).

F. Kitchen remodeling consumers are most influenced in their decisions by retailers.

G. "Empty Nesters" and "Mature Families" are most likely to undertake a kitchen remodel.

H. Shoppers should be aware of the "status quotient" that different brands project and how they affect their decisions.

I. The difference between estimated budget and what is spent is +13-14%, regardless of project size.

THE SHOPPING PROCESS

STAGE 1. NEEDS ASSESSMENT (five weeks)

Projects often start small and escalate. A need for a new major appliance,
for instance, can precipitate a kitchen remodel if other conditions are right.

Wish List created.

Magazines are the major resource for ideas.

More than 50% create a project folder at this stage.

19 project categories and 52 brands considered.

STAGE 2. PRODUCT COMPARISONS (four weeks)

More product categories, but brands are narrowed.

STAGE 3. FEATURES COMPARISONS (six weeks)

In this stage products expand to 28 and brands to 75!

Frenetic shopping!

Learning - seeking advice.

THE DECISION IS MADE ON WHETHER THE PROJECT WILL CONTINUE OR NOT...
The tipping point.

Brands still on the wish list have a good chance of being purchased.
Brands already dropped have little chance.

STAGE 4. DESIGN AND STYLE COMPARISONS (five weeks)

25 products, 35 brands (almost 1 for 1)

choices and focus narrowing.

Criteria are set.

"Style" for overall project is set.
No longer open to change.
Salespeople who "won't listen" risk losing the sale.

STAGE 5. PRICE COMPARISONS (five weeks)

19 products, 21 brands.

Store visits.

Can wish list meet budget goals?

Does delivery time impact the choices?

Should project be postponed or delayed?

Even at this late stage in the game,
fully 1/3 of all home remodeling
projects will be delayed up to five years.
Of those delayed,
17% will never be completed in full.

So. This is what is known about the "process" and selling to the kitchen remodeling products consumer. If you are reading this on my blog, this probably means YOU.

Now you know why magazines focusing on kitchen remodeling are all women-centric;>D

It's interesting to me that the only mention of DESIGN is Stage 4: Design & Style Comparisons. I don't think Design in that sense means spaceplanning and design, so I'm really not quite sure where such an all-important part of the "process" gets done???

My advice: Do the spaceplanning and design first and save yourself a lot of headaches. Most of the above frenetic running around and getting educated is really moot when you are working with an experienced designer who can guide you, partner with you and help you achieve your budget.

Peggy

Comment On Arrol Gellner's Appliance Advice

Bay Area architect and author Arrol Gellner is one of my idols.

His syndicated column, Architext, appears in the San Francisco Chronicle and I always read it eagerly for Arrol's insights into design and architecture, building and remodeling.

In today's column, Save money on a remodel by planning for later upgrades - Part 2, he wrote:

"since the dimensions of built-in appliances are standardized, the old units can be easily removed and replaced with fancier stuff when money becomes available."

Dear Mr Gellner,
I have enjoyed your architectural columns in the Chronicle for years and highly respect your abilities, knowledge and talents.
However, I must call you on a teensy error in your otherwise wonderful column of January 26, 2008.

While I agree with all of your ideas for lowering costs in new construction and remodeling by buying modestly priced replaceable products and then changing them out down the road; you have given readers the wrong impression about "the dimensions of built-in appliances" being "standardized".

Would that such were so.
Every kitchen designer would leap for JOY at the thought!

This issue probably causes more costly problems, mistakes and delays than any other potential problem area in building and remodeling residential kitchens.

In fact, kitchen appliance cutout sizes vary all over the map.
The only place you are likely to find consistency is with the same manufacturer in the same year. And every manufacturer reserves the right to make changes within a model year, so we have to constantly be on our guard against such changes.

Here are the current cutout sizes for two commonly specified 27" built-in single ovens from KitchenAid and GE:


CABINET OPENING DIMENSIONS

KitchenAid

Single Oven Installed in Cabinet
A. 27" min. cabinet width
B. 1" top of cutout to bottom of upper cabinet door
C. 32" bottom of cutout to floor
D. 25-1/2" cutout width
E. 1-1/2" min. bottom of cutout to top of cabinet door
F. 27-3/4" cutout height
A. 23-1/4" min. cutout depth
B. 23" recessed oven depth

GE

Single Oven Wall-Mount or Cabinet Installation (in inches)
27" recommended cabinet width
Opening width 25" min. - 25-1/4" max
Opening height 27-5/8" min. - 28-1/8" max.
Minimum cabinet depth 23-5/8"
Recommended cutout location 32-1/2" from floor
Allow 3/4" for overlap over all edges of cutout.

Here is a Dacor Oven:

Cabinet Width 27”
Cutout Width 25 1/2”
Cutout Height 27 3/8”
Oven overlays 3/4” Each Side; 1/2” Top; 1/6" Bottom.
24” minimum interior cabinet depth.
Back of cabinet may need to be removed.
1/8” minimum clearance from appliance to adjacent cabinet doors/drawers.

Close, but no cigar. In fact, these three ovens are not swappable without alterations to the cabinets into which they are recessed. And, if clearances to doors are taken into account as well, they might not even safely fit WITH alterations.

Our clients, the consumers, don't help much either: they think they can change their minds on their appliances with impunity.

These issues constantly pose threats to the solvency and profitability of kitchen cabinet dealers and designers, since errors and delays are the bane of our existence, and very costly to boot.

Every time a client changes their choice of appliances after the design and drawings and specifications have been completed, there are myriad places in drawings and cabinet orders that have to be changed as a result. And all such changes have to be assessed for their impact on the overall design and fit of the rest of the products in the kitchen.

I have a caveat engraved on every set of appliance specifications I create that says:

NOTE: NO CHANGES ARE TO BE MADE FROM THESE SPECIFICATIONS WITHOUT NOTIFYING DESIGNER.
CHANGES CREATE UNFORESEEN PROBLEMS WITH FIT AND MUST BE ASSESSED FOR THEIR IMPACT UPON THE VARIOUS ELEMENTS OF YOUR DESIGN.

Such warnings are common on architectural plans the world over.
But when the designer is ordering and furnishing many thousands of dollars worth of cabinetry specially built to fit built-in appliances, the words take on special meaning.

Thank you for your great work and wisdom...and Architext!

Peggy Deras, CKD, CID



Response:
Dear Peggy:

Good call on pointing out that not all appliance sizes are
standardized. I was thinking more of push-in appliances such as
dishwashers, ranges, compactors and refrigerators and less about
appliances such as wall ovens and cooktops that require cutouts.
You're quite right to complain that the latter are "all over the
map", and this has caused me some grief in the past as well. Maybe
someday all of these will be as easily exchanged as a dishwasher is.

Keep up the good work on the blog, and thanks for taking time to write.

Sincerely,

Arrol Gellner
Architect

More On Green Cabinetry

Laurie Burke, over at Kitchen Design Notes, has a great post today called "Not All Green Products Are Alike".

She details how some kitchen and bath products manufacturers are "greenwashing" their products in their advertising.

Suddenly! EVERYTHING is green!

I think we can all see that this is so. And I think it is a positive trend, even though the products may not be all the advertising says they are...right now.

This just means you have to be careful about what you believe and what you buy, if you are really serious about buying green.

But, really, that's nothing new. Is it? Today's shoppers have this wonderful World Wide Web at their disposal to research and learn all about products: The good, the bad. the UGLY, the lies, and the truths. If you can't get the truth from the makers, you can sure hear it from the users. Even concerted efforts to plant green stories can not silence detractors on the Web.

A while back I blogged here about Crystal Cabinet Works' efforts toward sustainability in their manufacturing processes: Green Cabinets by Crystal.

The thing that impresses me so about their effort is that they began it back in the early to mid 1990's. And it was not greenwashing either. They did it for the health of their employees, who were exposed to "all that stuff" day in and day out. They also did it for their surrounding community, in Princeton Minnesota, and their state, which was asking businesses to clean up the environment for residents and workers.

So, while their Green-Core cabinets are at the cutting edge of green cabinetry in the U.S., their catalyzed varnish finishes have been water-based for years and thus healthier for their employees and the people who buy their products...Green-Core or not! And their particle board, plywood and MDF, are also low-VOC and low-formaldehyde for the same reasons. In fact, every component of their manufacturing process, from the lighting to hybrid vehicles driven by employees and scrap wood used for plant heating, has been examined to make it the best possible choice for a healthy environment.

Another company that has been doing green cabinetry for a lot longer than it has been "fashionable" is Neil Kelly Cabinets, up in Portland Oregon. They were the first company in the U.S., to my knowledge, to make a green cabinet box.

Neil Kelly has a responsibility to continuously improve our products and processes as we work toward the goal of becoming a sustainable company. We will make our business decisions taking the environment, product quality, service quality, and profitability into account. We will continue to educate ourselves as new information and technology become available. We will partner with our suppliers and trade-contractors to share information and resources toward this goal. We will work to make our industry more sustainable as we work to make ourselves more sustainable. We understand that a healthy future for our children and grandchildren demands that we honor this pledge.

To help us achieve the goal of sustainability, we will:

Strive to educate ourselves and our clients about sustainable products and practices
Strive to meet the criteria of The Natural Step as we make choices for our business
Strive to reduce our energy use
Strive to promote and use products that are sustainable
Strive to reduce our waste
Strive to reuse and recycle as possible
Strive to design and build in a sustainable way
Strive to be a leader in our industry in this regard as we do in other areas

Now I have never been a Neil Kelly Cabinets dealer like I was once a Crystal Dealer, so I don't have intimate knowledge of their products. But as a kitchen designer I know and respect the Certified Kitchen Designers who have worked with Neil Kelly for years and what inspired Kelly to go the extra distance toward sustainability long ago.

I'd be interested to hear about any other cabinet manufacturers or large shops building green cabinets with green finishes in green factories in the U.S. and abroad. If you know of one, please let me know too....Long post. Sorry.

Peggy

Particle Board vs. Plywood Shootout

I am having quite an exchange, over at This Old House Discussions, on the relative merits of 65 lb. particle board, plywood and MDF.

Take a look.

Peggy

Builders = Remodelers...Or So the Story Goes

"Contractors Turn to Home Remodeling as New Construction Slows"
Associated Press (12/20/07)

In the Madison, Wis., area, some contractors are undertaking more remodeling jobs in the wake of sluggish home construction. Michael F. Simon Builders previously did roughly 60 percent new home construction and 40 percent remodeling. But that has now reversed, according to the firm's Phil Simon. The National Kitchen & Bath Association (NKBA) says more Americans remodeled their kitchens in 2007 compared to last year, but spent less on each renovation. As a result, homeowners spent approximately $96.2 billion in 2007 compared to $127 billion in 2006, says the NKBA. But the overall number of bathroom renovations increased, as did the amount spent on them, according to the NKBA. Mike Sweeney of Sweeney Construction says projects are becoming smaller and people are spending money more carefully.

This story illustrates what happens when new home building goes "south".

Now let's take a look at what's really going on here:

Builders are seeing their livelihoods drying up, so they are now calling themselves remodelers.

This happens whenever there is a slow down in building...Nothing to worry about. Right?

WRONG!!!

Builders build houses for developers, working at arm's length with architects and engineers. They are NOT accustomed to working on a home with people LIVING IN IT! They are builders because they PREFER not to have homeowners looking over their shoulders.

At most they have to put up with visits from the buyers. Often there are no buyers yet; so they are simply pleasing themselves and the developer/architect/engineer.

Remodelers, on the other hand, work with homeowners on EVERY project. They are familiar with the post-it-notes routine of constant communication with their employers...YOU. They know that the lifeblood of their future business is referrals from happy past customers, architects and designers; and that communication and partnership with their customers is paramount to their success.

Builders build and remodelers remodel, and the twain only meets in times of stress in the industry...When builders are trying to figure out how to pay their next house payment or buy groceries.

These are the times that try a good remodeler's soul; as builders working out of the backs of pickup trucks descend on the built-out neighborhoods around San Francisco Bay and create low-ball estimates to muscle in on remodeling work.

Last time it happened was 1989-1995, when we had our last housing bust. Many well regarded and experienced remodelers retired during those years because the competition for jobs just got too ugly. I fully expect that things will be the same this time around.

Now I am not saying that '89-'95 didn't produce a few good remodelers from the thousands of builders who became remodeler wanna-be's; just that I don't want to see MY clients be the guinea pigs:

I had one client during that period who paid for her tile roof material twice because the roofing contractor her general contractor hired went bust and didn't pay the supplier. No, her contractor hadn't bothered to get a lien release before paying the roofer. He hadn't sent her a copy of the lien either.

This was the same whole house remodel where the contractor "overlooked" the fact that an addition built onto the back of the existing house was built right on the ground with no foundation. The first day on the job he hit her with a change order that was half again his original bid.

What you, as remodeling consumers, need to realize is that the price you get in a low-ball bid is not the price you will ultimately pay if the contractor overlooks obvious deficiencies in the plans and figures he/she will make it up in change orders. Believe me, you won't be in a position to negotiate when your home is torn apart.

These are the times to go over credentials with a fine tooth comb and check and double check licenses and insurance and references; and quality of work with your own eyeballs. And if all the work is not within easy driving distance, then beware the roving builder!

Pay attention to quality contractor referrals by professionals. Get FIXED PRICE BIDS on well planned and documented projects. Cross all your t's and dot all your i's.

Don't say I didn't tell you.

Peggy