Phone starts ringing in April. Some of it's March, technically, if there's an early thaw. Mostly April. Clients have spent the winter looking at the room they want changed, and now they're ready to call somebody.
This is the right month for it. Not because we're slow — we're not, particularly — but because what gets booked in April lands in the schedule for late-summer install. Eight to twelve weeks, is what we tell people. Sometimes longer. Almost never shorter.
If you're calling in April hoping to have a kitchen done by July 4th — well. Not too late. But the easy version of that timeline left in February.
What April is good for
A few things.
Late-summer installs. Built-ins, mudrooms, mantles — anything that doesn't depend on the kitchen being functional during the build. April plan, May design, June and July build, August or September install. Works.
Outdoor projects. Pergolas, deck details, exterior trim that wants warm weather to finish properly. April plan, May design, June install. There's a window. It closes by August.
Pre-school-year projects. Mudrooms, mostly. Family wants the kid stuff sorted before September starts. April is when we start drawing. June and July are when we build. Mid-August install. Riggs supervises from the back of the truck, which you'd think wouldn't help, but he keeps the kids occupied while we measure.
What April isn't good for
A holiday-ready kitchen. Tell you what — if you call us in April wanting cabinetry installed before Thanksgiving, the math is tight. Possible, but tight. Most cabinet jobs take twelve to fourteen weeks of shop time once we have approved drawings. Drawings take three to four weeks if everyone moves quickly, which is generous. Plus a buffer for material lead times. Plus install. The honest version of that calendar runs all the way to early November — which is later than most people want to be eating Thanksgiving around a still-arriving cabinet box.
We've done it. Can do it again. Just isn't a "call in October" job, no matter what the fella down at Lowe's tells you.
Three things to think about now
If you're sitting on a project, three questions to answer for yourself before the first call:
- What's the room going to do that it doesn't do now? Not what it'll look like — what it'll do. We can design around either, but the function question is the one that gets skipped most often. Ned's wife asked me about a mudroom last fall. We ended up with a coat closet because nobody'd asked what the room was for.
- Is anything in the room load-bearing or weird? Old houses up here in Litchfield County have a lot of personality. Any wall might be a non-wall. Any non-wall might be a wall. I'll find out on the site visit. If you already know, tell me first — saves a half hour.
- What's the budget actually look like? Not what you'd like it to be. What it is. A real budget conversation in April is worth more than a hopeful one in June.
Set up the call
If any of that lines up with a project you've been thinking about — send a note through the contact form. Tell me what room, what you want it to do, when you'd like it finished. I'll either send back a site-visit slot or be honest about the calendar.
April's a good month to get it on paper. Which is more than I can say for January, when I had four projects start at once and Annie reminded me I'd promised that wouldn't happen again.