Design 101: Seasonal Order Cut-Off Timelines

Holiday miracles are best left for Hollywood’s feel-good movies.

Every year we begin writing this article with hopes that we can better educate and inform our current and future Clients about seasonal order cut-off timelines, but we never seem to get to it. Although this is the first time posting, we would be remiss if we did not identify the ongoing economic conditions influencing design (e.g. supply chain challenges) we face at Articulated. At the time of writing this (August 24, 2022) we realise that we are not even done with summer yet so how could we possibly be looking toward holidays and new year plans? We have already begun receiving order cut-off deadlines from our suppliers and, because this is the earliest this has occured on record, we want to break down the challenges we face for kitchen, bath and furnishing projects for our “Christmas Miracle” clients.

September 1: Full-Scope Design Work Deadline

Let us start with the good news that design work that starts now will generally be completed before end of year. This applies to all residential and commercial design work but it will not include any permit processing periods at the jurisdiction (which is often 6 to 8 weeks long and fluctuates regularly, but never less than 6 weeks). Yet, this will not mean that if a prospective client reaches out to us today that we will be able to accept the design work before the start of 2023 and it is always best to schedule a discovery call to find out what room we have in our schedule.

September 1: Furniture Order Deadline

This applies to all types of furniture and we have bumped up this deadline by 2 months this year because of the ongoing issues everywhere. In fact, many suppliers have already issued their deadline to us but what clients often misunderstand is that the date an invoice is paid is not the date it is ordered. We have a lot of paperwork to process and we stack our orders together weekly so that we can save you money.

October 1: Cabinet & Counter Order Deadline

It is very true that cabinet orders received after October 1 annually likely will be ready for delivery before the end of year but will not be installed. We have a blackout period every year from mid-December to mid-January for cabinet installation work at project sites because (based on our +15 years experience) it is never a successful outcome, so we just will not do it. This date is subject to many fluctuations and the ongoing supply chain issues as a result of the COVID-19 Global Pandemic continue to affect an array of manufacturers, suppliers, and products.

November 1: Online Design Service Deadline

Most of our Online Design Services will be able to be completed by December 15 should the service be purchased prior to November 1. This is subject to availability and workload that we balance from our Full-Scope Design Work.

The Big Change

At Articulated, we work hard for our clients and their projects and this means that we do our best to communicate realistic timelines. Since the start of the COVID-19 Global Pandemic timelines have evolved considerably and they have not stopped changing.

So, what’s the biggest change?

All workers have adjusted their values and that means there’s a quiet resignation and going the extra mile or above and beyond just is not the standard anymore. Workers want their homes, hobbies, families, and goals to be achievable and while the market has not yet adjusted to this new normal, the old think ideals that salary includes overtime has become a thing of the past.

Written by Corey Klassen, CMKBD NCIDQ IIDA

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