The trade-offs.
Cost: factory-direct typically lands 30 to 60 percent below retail at equivalent specifications. The gap is the chain of markups removed (showroom, dealer, designer). For a multi-category renovation, the cumulative savings can be tens of thousands of dollars.
Curation: retail and designer-specified sourcing provides product curation by people who do this all day. For homeowners building one project, the curation has value. For builders and architects who already curate, the curation is redundant.
Coordination: a single source for cabinets, flooring, tile, lighting, and fixtures coordinates lead times, shipping, and any cross-category specification questions. Buying each category from a separate retailer or designer means coordinating multiple supply chains.
Control: direct sourcing keeps the homeowner closer to specifications and lead times. Retail and designer-specified sourcing offloads decisions but limits visibility into upstream supply.
Common questions.
- Is factory-direct always cheaper?
- Usually yes at equivalent specifications. The exception is small-volume purchases where the per-item shipping cost dominates the savings; for single-item one-off purchases, retail can be competitive.
- Do I need a designer if I go factory-direct?
- Depends on the project. Builders, architects, and design-savvy homeowners often work direct without a designer. Homeowners new to renovation often benefit from working with a designer who curates products and coordinates spec, even on direct-sourced supply.
- Can Crateworks coordinate across multiple product categories?
- Yes. The one-stop sourcing program coordinates across cabinets, flooring, tile, lighting, sanitary, and other categories for project-level coordination and a single supply chain relationship.
Project in motion
Renovating multiple rooms?
We coordinate multi-category direct sourcing across the renovation product list.