Collect measurements and define the project brief

Build one usable project brief

A useful brief connects the customer's priorities with the site conditions that affect the cabinets. Collect room-by-room measurements, photographs, appliance information and service locations. Label anything provisional, confirm who must verify critical dimensions and keep the current drawing separate from earlier versions. The brief should support review, not hide uncertainty.

Build one reliable project brief

Do not let important information remain scattered across chat messages, voice notes and unnamed photos. Create one project brief for each opportunity and update it when the customer confirms a change.

Customer and project identity

Record:

• Customer or company name and primary contact
• Country, city and complete project location when available
• Customer role: homeowner, dealer, designer, contractor or project buyer
• Project name and room list
• Target decision, renovation and delivery timing
• Preferred language, currency and measurement system

Use a consistent project name in the estimator, folders and later quotation documents.

Site information

For every room, request overall wall dimensions, ceiling height, door and window positions, columns, beams, skirting, plumbing, drainage, electrical points, gas points and appliance services that affect the cabinets.

Ask for wide-angle photos of every relevant wall plus close-up photos of obstacles and service points. A floor plan, elevation, hand sketch or designer drawing is helpful, but it does not replace verification of critical finished dimensions.

Customer-supplied dimensions remain the customer responsibility unless LOBIN expressly confirms a different written measurement scope.

Cabinet scope

List cabinet runs by room and type. Separate base, wall, tall and island sections because they follow different pricing rules. Note finished width, height, depth and quantity for each run.

Record requirements for countertops, sinks, appliances, lighting, glass doors, drawer systems, handles, pull-out baskets, hidden doors, wall panels and any other special item. A missing add-on can turn a useful estimate into an avoidable customer dispute.

Material and appearance direction

Ask for the preferred cabinet body, door material, colour, visible grain direction, edge-banding choice, handle style and hardware level. If the customer is undecided, record two or three acceptable directions rather than writing only premium or good quality.

Use the material tier lesson and current catalogue library to explain available combinations.

Delivery and site responsibility

Confirm who will manage freight, customs, duties, destination handling, unloading, storage, local delivery and installation. Record access constraints such as condominium booking rules, lift size, stair access, working hours and storage limitations.

These items are not automatically part of the cabinet factory price.

File discipline

Name files so another team member can understand them without opening every attachment. A useful pattern is:

Project-Room-View-Date-Version

Examples include Miller-Kitchen-WallA-20260907-V1.jpg and Miller-Kitchen-Elevation-20260907-V2.pdf.

Keep the latest confirmed drawing separate from old versions. Never delete the revision trail after a decision has been made.

Before creating the estimate

Check that you can answer four questions: What is being supplied? How is it measured? Which material direction applies? Which costs remain outside the factory scope?

When those answers are clear, continue to presenting cabinet materials as customer value.