Commercial casework is a different job from a kitchen, and most of the difference is paperwork rather than joinery. The drawings name a grade, the submittal has to clear review, and the install happens inside a building that other trades are still working in.
On a commercial job the sequence is fixed. Shop drawings are produced showing every component, dimension and material, they go to the architect or the client for review, and fabrication starts only once they come back approved. Submittal review commonly runs ten to fourteen business days.
That review window is why commercial millwork appears slow when it is not. Fabrication itself is usually four to eight weeks from approved drawings, but a late start compresses the shop schedule rather than the review, and the shop schedule is the part that cannot be compressed safely. Long-lead materials sit outside that window entirely and are worth flagging on day one.
The grade named in the drawings sets materials and tolerances. We price what is specified rather than what is cheapest, and say so where the two differ.
Shop drawings for review
Every component, dimension and material drawn and submitted. Getting this right first time is what keeps a project on programme, because a rejected submittal costs the whole review cycle again.
Field verify before fabrication
Dimensions taken from the building rather than the drawing set once the walls are up. Openings move on site, and casework built to a plan that changed does not fit.
Deliver and install in sequence
Installed in the order the programme needs, around the trades still working. On larger projects that means phased delivery rather than everything arriving at once.
Common questions
Commercial Questions, Answered
Grades, drawings, lead times and how commercial differs from residential.
Economy, Custom and Premium are defined levels of workmanship, material and installation tolerance on the surfaces that remain visible. Custom is the default in the standards and covers most quality architectural woodwork.
Custom for most of a building. Premium is used selectively where people stand close and look, such as reception counters and boardrooms. Economy suits back-of-house areas out of public view.
Typically four to eight weeks from approved drawings to delivery, with submittal review adding ten to fourteen business days before that. Scope, materials and shop schedule move the number.
Because commercial work is fabricated to an approved document rather than a conversation. The drawings show every component, dimension and material, and nothing is cut until they come back approved.
Yes. Heavier construction, hardware rated for public cycle counts, and thicker edge treatment on surfaces that take daily abuse. The joinery is familiar; the specification is not.
Usually, and it is planned rather than improvised. That can mean evening or weekend installs, phased areas, or building offsite so the disruptive part on site is measured in days.
Yes. An accessible service counter tops out around 34 inches with roughly 27 inches of clear knee height under it, and exposed pipes get covered. Your local code governs the exact figures.
We price against the grade the spec names, produce shop drawings for review, and sequence delivery to the programme rather than to our own convenience.
