When the owners of the 1970s-ish home in McLean, Va., contacted NKBA member Cathleen Gruver of Purcellville, Va.-based Gruver Cooley, their requests were clearly defined. The husband, an avid chef, hungered for a bigger cooking surface and more storage for kitchen equipment, while the wife sought more display space for her artwork. To achieve this, Gruver took down the wall separating the living room and kitchen and replaced solid doors with expansive windows.
Go with the GPO
Gruver’s firm is a member of CBUSA, a construction group purchasing organization, and she is the chairperson of its Northern Virginia Chapter. (Full disclosure: Her father was one of the founding members of the group.)
In a nutshell, a GPO leverages the buying power of multiple home builders to negotiate the best material pricing. By establishing relationships with suppliers and brands, a GPO can simplify the purchasing process for members and allow them to compete with large national companies.
As a small firm, Gruver Cooley – and by extension its clients – benefits significantly from the collective purchasing strength of CBUSA, which counts several large-scale homebuilders in its ranks.
Brands from the full spectrum of residential construction suppliers have partnered with CBUSA. A select list includes building materials (for instance, Weyerhaeuser, Dupont and James Hardie), plumbing products (Kohler, Rinnai), appliances (Electrolux, JennAir and BroanNutone among them) and surfacing (Cambria, Emser Tile) as well as local vendors/lumber suppliers.
Gruver stresses the importance of working with a GPO that aligns with a design firm’s standards. “We pride ourselves on offering quality products to our clients, and the brands CBUSA has partnered with all represent that,” she added. “If a client is ever looking to save in a specific area or has no particular brand preferences, we feel confident in starting with our CBUSA partners and build off that.”
There are more advantages to participating in a GPO than preferred pricing, the designer notes. While getting better deals and national rebates is definitely a perk, she places a high value on the industry connections that membership brings.
“We love that it is a community where we can share best practices and lean on each other,” she said. “I think my favorite part of CBUSA is the professional relationships we’ve built.”
Unexpected Sources
Another way Gruver maximized the budget was to look beyond the established channels for products. Case in point: She scoured Etsy for the cabinet hardware. The designer had used the platform on other projects and has found many options that were well crafted at friendly price points.
“It’s a great spot to save because the cost of pulls and handles can add up quickly when you have a bunch of cabinets!” said Gruver, while pointing out that before specifying anything from the site, her team always examines the quality of the items and scrutinizes the descriptions of the materials used in their production.
The Bottom Line
A look at the project spreadsheet underscores the efficacy of Gruver’s cost-control efforts. The document tracks the costs in 20 categories, with breakouts for material, labor, subcontract work, equipment and miscellaneous expenses. For this job, the kitchen cabinets had an allowance of $46,440; plumbing fixtures, $2,395; counter surfaces, $14,170; and appliances, $16,290. The total retail price for the entire project, which included some work in the living room and foyer as well as the kitchen, came to slightly less than $180,000.
Sources
Design: Cathleen Gruver, Gruver Cooley Photography: Frazier Springfield Photography Styling: Blaize Springfield Cabinets: Bremtown Cabinet Hardware: YSHardware (Etsy) Cabinet Inserts: Rev-A-Shelf Countertops: Silestone Dishwasher, Microwave, Range, Refrigerator: Frigidaire Professional Faucets, Sinks: Kohler Paint: Benjamin Moore Seating: Crate & Barrel Tile: TileBar Vent Hood, Wine Cooler: Zephyr
