One of the most common questions we’re asked is: “Why do you need our appliance details now when installation is still months away?” Or…“Can’t we finalise our selections later?”. The short answer is that custom joinery isn’t built like an off-the-shelf kitchen.
Every project follows a carefully planned sequence, with each stage relying on the one before it being completed. Think of it like a production line: when one piece is missing, everything behind it must wait.
Your installation date starts long before installation
Think of your project as a chain — every link needs to be in place before the next one can move forward.
When we allocate an intended installation date, we’re not simply booking our installers. We’re planning the entire chain of events that needs to happen beforehand, from finalising your design and selections, ordering materials and coordinating trades, through to manufacturing and preparing your joinery for installation.
When all the pieces are in place and each step happens in sequence, everything can keep moving towards your installation date. But when one link changes, is delayed or isn’t ready, it can have a domino effect on everything that follows.
Our goal is to have all the pieces in place before installation begins, giving your project the best possible chance of staying on track and getting you into your finished space as smoothly as possible.
Your project moves through each area of our business — from Design and Detailing through to Procurement, Manufacturing, Polishing and Installation. Each team plays an important role in the chain, with their work carefully planned and timed so the next stage can begin when it needs to.
That’s why the dates in your supplied project timeline are more than just reminders. They’re the key links that keep everything moving. When each milestone is met, the next stage can follow, keeping your project on track and bringing you one step closer to enjoying your finished space.
Why we ask for decisions early
Before a single cabinet reaches our workshop floor, our team of Detailers prepare comprehensive 2D construction drawings, providing our cabinet makers with everything they need to bring the design to life.
Our 2D construction drawings are the single source of truth for your joinery. They become the manufacturing instructions for every cabinet, panel and component we produce — and they’re also an important reference for the other trades working on your project.
The more information we can confirm before these drawings are finalised and released to our workshop, the smoother the process becomes all involved. Your builder, electrician, plumber and other trades can use the drawings to understand exactly what’s required, where services need to be positioned and how everything needs to come together on site.
To make sure the drawings are accurate, we require all relevant details confirmed, including:
• Appliance specification
• Sink and tapware selections
• Material and colour selections
• Owner-supplied items (model codes to be supplied)
• Builder information
• Verified site measurements
Once these drawings are finalised, they’re effectively the blueprint for the next links in the chain.
Should there be any changes made after this point, they need to be carefully re-detailed and checked before they can flow through to manufacturing. Any late changes or revisions will therefore incur our applicable hourly detailing fee, allowing us the time required to make and communicate those changes correctly.
Getting the details right before the drawings are finalised helps avoid unnecessary revisions, keeps each stage moving in sequence and gives everyone working on your project the information they need to get it right the first time.
IMPORTANT: Any changes made after your initial 2D drawings have been finalised may also affect your project timeline. As these changes can have a flow-on effect across our detailing, procurement, manufacturing and installation teams, your intended installation date may need to be reassessed, and a new date planned around the revised sequence.
Why we plan carefully
It can be tempting to think that a week or two’s delay in deciding on a colour or handle selection can simply be made up later in the process. In reality, our projects are carefully sequenced, and there’s often very little room to make up lost time without affecting something else.
When information or decisions arrive late, it can have a flow-on effect across the next links in the chain — giving our Detailing, Procurement, Manufacturing and Installation teams less time to do what they do best.
And the chain doesn’t stop with your project. While we’re working on your joinery, there are other SpaceCraft projects moving through the same process behind yours, each with their own planned milestones and installation dates. Keeping your project moving means we can keep the projects behind you moving too.
We don’t want to rush any stage, compromise on quality or create unnecessary pressure for our team. Most importantly, we don’t want you to have a rushed or stressful experience with your project.
That’s why we plan in advance and provide clear milestones throughout your project. The dates and deadlines we give you aren’t there to create pressure — they’re there to protect your project, your experience and the quality of the finished result.
When you entrust your project to SpaceCraft, you’re trusting us to manage all of these moving parts for you. Our job is to make sure each link in the chain is in place, so your project can progress as planned — and so the next project in line can do the same.
External suppliers: the links we can’t always control
While we carefully plan each stage of your project, some elements rely on external suppliers and manufacturers. Materials such as board, 2pac finishes, solid timber, stone availability/ordering, stainless steel and other specialty products can sometimes experience unexpected delays that are outside our control.
These lead times will usually be extended around the Christmas and New Year period, when many of our suppliers and manufacturers operate with reduced hours or close for the holiday period. Planning and ordering these materials as early as possible gives us the best opportunity to allow for longer (or unexpected) lead times to keep your project moving.
This is why confirming your selections and requirements as early as possible plays a critical part. The earlier we have the information, the more opportunity we have to order materials ahead of time, identify any potential issues and, where possible, find solutions before they impact your project.
These delays can occasionally spring up even with careful planning, but having all the information we need early in the process gives us the best chance of keeping the chain moving and minimising any impact on your installation date.
Quality comes before speed
One of the values we’ve always tried to uphold at SpaceCraft is that quality should never be sacrificed simply to preserve a date on a calendar.
Every link in the process needs the right time and attention, so if key information or approvals aren’t made by the milestone dates in your project timeline, we may need to move your project into the next available production window.
We understand this isn’t always the outcome you’re hoping for, but we believe it’s far better to adjust the timeline than rush a stage or compromise the quality of your joinery.
Our priority isn’t to get your joinery installed quickly — it’s getting it right.
How to keep your project on track
We’ll guide you through every stage, but there are some decisions and details only you can provide. Having these in place at the right time helps keep every link in the chain moving.
• Make selections by the dates on your project timeline.
• Provide requested information promptly.
• Have your site ready for the scheduled check measure.
• Let your Designer know early if anything changes.
The earlier we know about a change, the more opportunity we have to adjust the programme and minimise its impact on your project — and those that follow.
We’ll take care of the process; we just need your help with the pieces only you can provide.
Great projects are a partnership
Creating beautiful custom joinery takes collaboration. We’ll manage the process, craftsmanship and planning, while your input helps keep the project moving.
By working together and keeping each link in the chain on track, we give your project the best opportunity to move smoothly from first concept through to installation — and deliver the result you’ve entrusted us to create.
Every link matters — together, they bring your project to life.