Easily affordable.
Kitchen DIY - Easier and More Affordable
If you’re a ‘do-it-yourselfer,’ you may want to build your own kitchen. Fabulous idea. However, if you lack the machinery and know-how, getting components cut accurately is difficult and cost-prohibitive.
It was while building a kitchen for his home that Martin Hunter, managing director of high-quality benchtop company Timbertops, discovered a smart solution.
“I wanted to put in a timber island in my kitchen, so I looked around and was horrified by the cost. The best-priced benchtop I could find was $7,000, which was ridiculous!”
Martin has spent a lot of time in the UK, and over there it is easy to walk into a store and buy sheets of laminated timber. He discovered this isn’t so much the case here in New Zealand.
Martin’s DIY kitchen
Through his UK connections, Martin imported the timber he needed. He chose Cutshop to process the components for his kitchen. Cutshop provides DIYers access to world-class machinery that enables them to achieve professional results at affordable prices.
For Martin’s kitchen, the process began by meeting with Cutshop’s Karl Ross.
“I showed Karl the shape and measurements of the existing space as well as the kitchen design I wanted to work to. He added the detail, such as where gaps should be, drew up the cabinetry and produced a cutting list.”
Not long after, the components (benchtop, cabinets and drawer fronts, etc.) were delivered to Martin’s home — cut to size, labelled and ready to install. Cutshop also supplied Blum hinges and drawer runners.
Having a DIY attitude, Martin installed the kitchen himself. And by utilising Cutshop’s machinery and expertise, the cost was just one-third of what it would have if he'd used a kitchen manufacturer.
Not surprisingly, Martin was delighted.
“Their service is awesome — they are efficient, helpful, and they really know what they’re doing.”
That, though, was just the beginning – his positive experience led to an ongoing business relationship.
During the process, it occurred to Martin that he might have discovered a business opportunity, so he set up specialist wooden benchtop company called Timbertops.
“At Timbertops, we specialise in quality wooden benchtops. When a customer places an order, we get Cutshop to cut the timber to size, cut holes for the sink and taps as well as cut grooves underneath so benchtops can be bolted together.”
Though Timbertops has a workshop, Martin says it is uneconomical to cut benchtops themselves. They only cut the difficult jobs that require on-site modifications. This enables them to allow for out-of-level walls etc. In those situations, production costs are higher.
By using Cutshop to cut and drill benchtops, Martin says Timbertops can take on more work and, actually, reduce overheads.
Cutshop also enables them to be far more price competitive than they otherwise would be.
“We just can’t do it for anywhere near the low price Cutshop charges — we don’t have a CNC machine, so the process is labour-intensive and takes too much time.”
If you’d like to find out more about how Cutshop can make your DIY project easier and more affordable, help your business handle more work, reduce overheads and keep price competitive please get in touch.
