Our process begins with a phone call or email to obtain contact details and schedule an in-home consultation. During the consultation, Joe Cerami, the owner and operator, will discuss your requests and vision for the project to generate design ideas. He’ll also take detailed dimensions and layout information for the initial design layout renderings.

Initial renderings typically take about a week to complete and include 3D renderings based on the site meeting information. The design incorporates your ideas and Joe’s professional experience. This initial design consult, rendering and budget is Free of Charge. While it may not be an exact match, presenting options outside your vision can create more possibilities. Joe believes that clients have considered their project but an outside designer can bring overlooked options.

The 3D rendering design includes 3D drawings of your space in the desired finish and door style, along with a 3D walkthrough available on your phone or computer. The initial design also provides a budget price for the cabinet design, which may include multiple budget prices based on our stock line, semi-custom, and custom price points if requested. 

With a 3D design, you can visualize your space and budget pricing. Next, meet in our showroom to review cabinetry lines and door styles/colors. If the budget aligns, you can decide to work with J. Thomas kitchens. All of this is included in the initial design consult which is at no cost to the potential client.

J. Thomas Kitchens operates on a deposit system that benefits both parties in the client-designer relationship. We request a 10% “line drawing deposit” based on the provided budget. This deposit serves as a commitment to potentially purchase cabinets from J. Thomas Kitchens and also allows Joe Cerami to allocate the necessary time to refine the design based on the meetings, conversations, and emails required to transform your dream kitchen into reality.

At this stage, you will receive detailed line drawings that include layout and cabinet dimensions, providing you and your contractor with the necessary information to accurately price the project. These drawings are also utilized for any permit submissions. While some clients prefer to have the entire budget in advance, we advocate for a design that provides detailed specifications, as this will enable your contractor to offer a more comprehensive proposal based on your specific requirements rather than relying solely on budget pricing derived from initial ideas.

Ultimately, if you choose to purchase cabinets from J. Thomas Kitchens, the 10% deposit is applied to your initial order deposit, effectively negating the cost of the design work. However, if you decide to utilize the detailed drawings and shop the project elsewhere, the line drawing deposit is applied to the fully detailed line drawings that you have essentially purchased for your project.

Following the initial order placement, Joe provides continuous updates on the project schedule and maintains communication with your contractor to ensure timely progress. Our cabinets are typically shipped directly to our warehouse and stored in a climate-controlled environment until the project is ready. At that point, the delivery is scheduled to be made directly into your home.

During the installation phase, Joe is available to address any questions and frequently visits the jobsite to monitor the progress and address any concerns.