Next Dumb Question concerning batch cabinets

Moderators: Jason Susnjara, Larry Epplin, Clint Buechlein, Scott G Vaal

Post Reply
JoeyLowe
Junior Member
Posts: 31
Joined: Fri, May 26 2006, 8:36PM
Location: Gilmer, Texas
Contact:

Next Dumb Question concerning batch cabinets

Post by JoeyLowe »

Okay, I knew I would have another dumb question before I log off. Whenever you batch cabinets, it generates a running tally on the right side of the screen. The far two columns, Unit Cost and Job Cost always have \"N/A\" in their respective columns. I can't figure out how to generate that cost data into this format. Any help for a poor blind cabinetmaker would be most appreciated.
J. Alexander Lowe & Sons, Inc.
104 Davis Street, Gilmer, Texas 75644-1821
(903)680-2297 Cell: (903) 445-9350
Todd Miller

Post by Todd Miller »

Joey,
You can generate this info using the cost buttonImage.
David Egnoski
Senior Member
Posts: 209
Joined: Tue, May 17 2005, 1:05PM
Company Name: Richmond Cabinet
Country: UNITED STATES
Location: Delavan, WI

Post by David Egnoski »

Should we assume that Unit Cost and Job Cost will be activated in some future build? It seems as though that info could be useful on the batch screen.
Dave Egnoski
Richmond Cabinet & Millwork
Todd Miller

Post by Todd Miller »

Joey,
I think I got what you need.... Follow the directions below.
When in the batch cabinets area, click on the item to take the item into the cabinet editor. At this point you will want to save the file. Click on the disk icon to save. At this point you will be at the save screen. Down in the lower left hand corner ther is a check box labeled \"Save as catalog cabinet\". When this is checked and a cost is added to the \"selling price\" box, The information you are looking for will show in the batch area.

Note: Just apply the changes to the cabinet when saving.
JoeyLowe
Junior Member
Posts: 31
Joined: Fri, May 26 2006, 8:36PM
Location: Gilmer, Texas
Contact:

Post by JoeyLowe »

Cool! Thanks Todd. That is exactly what I was looking for. I know this is probably not the way to do this, but I do my layout work in Chief Architect. After I get the layout the way I want it, I generate a report that shows me the actual cabinet box sizes. I take this info to the cabinet editor in eCabs and build the boxes and add them via batch. I find this easier since Chief Architect allows me much more freedom when doing layouts. Having the cost data on the batch screen would allow me to quickly set budgets for homeowners and builders without spending alot of time on the preliminary drawings.
J. Alexander Lowe & Sons, Inc.
104 Davis Street, Gilmer, Texas 75644-1821
(903)680-2297 Cell: (903) 445-9350
Michael Yeargain
eCabinets Beta Tester
Posts: 1740
Joined: Tue, May 17 2005, 8:33PM
Company Name: Timeless Cabinetry and Mantles
Location: South East

Post by Michael Yeargain »

That's sounds like a good idea Joey,

I have Chief Architect and havn't had much time with it. Do you have any tips or tricks for the kitchen layout \"as you say\" that you can share?
Intel Core i7-5820K (6-Cores, 3.3GHz, 15MB Cache)
32Gigs DDR4
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 960 4GB
SSD 840 256Gig, 2TB, 3TB, Samsung (2TB)
Corsair RM650
JoeyLowe
Junior Member
Posts: 31
Joined: Fri, May 26 2006, 8:36PM
Location: Gilmer, Texas
Contact:

Post by JoeyLowe »

Hey Michael:

Just noticed that you are from Aiken. I grew up in Rock Hill. Chief Architect is a great product. I typically draw my interior walls on the fly in layout mode, then drop the boxes in place. Then I go to elevation view and make any changes to the boxes. Chief Architect is not a cabinet software, but they do allow you to alter many features of the cabinet, like door style, drawer placement, color etc. What speeds up the process is the ease of generating and modifying walls, along with doors and openings. The software is intelligent in that regard. Once the walls are in place, you can place your cabinets quickly. You don't have to build a library of cabinets. After your cabinets are in place, you can modify their facade on the fly. This is real handy when sitting in front of a client. The entire process takes about 30 minutes. Because CA is not a cabinet making software, you can't alter construction nor can you cost the cabinet in CA, but what you can do is generate a report with cabinet labels, for instance, BDR2836 or W4242. With that info, I can batch those cabinets in ECabs and have an estimate in a matter of seconds as long as I have kept my costs updated in ECabs.

What does this do for me? Well, typically whenever I meet with a client or builder to discuss cabinets, if I come prepared with my laptop and printer, I can close the deal with the exception of minor details on the spot. I give allowances for features such as rollouts, pullouts, dividers, etc. and if the cost of the project exceeds their budget, we know immediately and can make changes on the spot to get us within budget. At the end of the meeting, I pretty much know whether or not to proceed with more detailed drawings and contract or whether they are shopping. My builders like it, because they know that I'm not there wasting anyone's time. I'm there to conduct business as efficiently as possible. The customer likes it because they can focus on things like color and hardware and not get frustrated with layout issues. I personally think that ECabs and Chief Architect are the best things going and they have made my life much easier.
J. Alexander Lowe & Sons, Inc.
104 Davis Street, Gilmer, Texas 75644-1821
(903)680-2297 Cell: (903) 445-9350
Michael Yeargain
eCabinets Beta Tester
Posts: 1740
Joined: Tue, May 17 2005, 8:33PM
Company Name: Timeless Cabinetry and Mantles
Location: South East

Post by Michael Yeargain »

Thanks Joey,

I guess I may have to start another learning curve. It will be alright as I am one to believe that \"a man with knowledge can be very valuable to those around him\". Women too of course.

And the more knowledge the more valuable. Only if the knowledge is put to good use.
Intel Core i7-5820K (6-Cores, 3.3GHz, 15MB Cache)
32Gigs DDR4
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 960 4GB
SSD 840 256Gig, 2TB, 3TB, Samsung (2TB)
Corsair RM650
Kerry Fullington
Wizard Member
Posts: 4718
Joined: Mon, May 09 2005, 7:33PM
Company Name: Double E Cabinets
Country: UNITED STATES
Location: Amarillo, TX

Post by Kerry Fullington »

Chief Architect to me, has the most intuitive methods for laying out rooms of any software I have ever used. You can draw a room and place all windows and doors in minutes, I wish that eCabinets could incorporate some of its features such as the drag handle re-sizing of walls and rooms. Beyond these features though it isn't much use in this business. I don't want to draw a room in CA and then have to draw again using eCabinets to get the info I need to bid and build cabinets.
I would like to see the eCabinets Wall Editor function a bit more like CA.
Kerry
p.s. Sorry about discussing another software but since CA is geared more for builders and re-modelers than cabinet making I hope it is OK.
JoeyLowe
Junior Member
Posts: 31
Joined: Fri, May 26 2006, 8:36PM
Location: Gilmer, Texas
Contact:

Post by JoeyLowe »

I thought the same thing when I first mentioned this Kerry. As long as we make it clear that CA is not a cabinetmaking software, then I hope it will be okay. I agree completely. I wish that some of the features in CA could be adapted by ECabs too. Drawing the walls and placing doors and windows (and cabinets) for that matter are a breeze. You can drop boxes along a wall and CA will change the box size to fit the space immediately, If in elevation view, you can see what the box will look like immediately. The whole process takes just a few minutes. Its also great for remodels, but that's a discussion for another board. Anyway, because I do the drawing and elevations in CA, I never draw in eCabs. My job files stay smaller and more manageable and I can then batch my cabinets in eCabs and generate shop drawings. I'm sure there are many other ways of doing this; some probably easier. This system works great for me and if the client is a tirekicker, I've only spent a few moments with them versus several hours. Hey Mike, the learning curve with CA is quick and easy. It is almost like a WYSIWYG program.
J. Alexander Lowe & Sons, Inc.
104 Davis Street, Gilmer, Texas 75644-1821
(903)680-2297 Cell: (903) 445-9350
JoeyLowe
Junior Member
Posts: 31
Joined: Fri, May 26 2006, 8:36PM
Location: Gilmer, Texas
Contact:

Post by JoeyLowe »

Oh, before I forget! My next step is to try the production sharing aspect of the program. I would like to locate a regionally local shop which I could send over a small cabinet job to test the waters. Has anyone done production sharing yet and if so, how did it work out? Likewise, did you find it cost effective?
J. Alexander Lowe & Sons, Inc.
104 Davis Street, Gilmer, Texas 75644-1821
(903)680-2297 Cell: (903) 445-9350
Post Reply