Installer Profile

HOW CABINETMAKING PROVED A GATEWAY TO RUNNING A SUCCESSFUL KBB INSTALLATION BUSINESS FOR DAVE

Dave with one of his daughters

How long have you been installing and what areas do you cover?

I have been installing now for 18 years and we generally cover north and West Yorkshire but we are willing to work all over the country if the project is right for us.

What do you install and what’s your specialty?

Kitchens and bedrooms with our specialty being custom made furniture, made-tomeasure bedrooms which we handcraft ourselves.

Do you install yourself or do you have a team/teams of installers working for you?

My business partner Gavin Brown and I both install and have a full team of complementary tradesmen 

who we work along side to undertake the tiling, plastering, electrical, decorating and gas works as required.

How did you get into installing kitchens, bedrooms?

As a cabinet maker by trade, I began by making bespoke furniture and kitchens for a company close to Masham in North Yorkshire. Everything I produced was totally handmade and all from hardwood. I was fortunate enough to work for someone who was excellent at his trade who taught me a lot, especially the importance of the finishing touches.

I eventually moved to a building company based in Wetherby who specialised in one off, high-end building projects and so my skill-set became much more rounded. I’ve learnt a lot over the years but I always found that I loved fitting kitchens.

If you weren’t an installer, what would you be?

That’s a tricky question as this is all I’ve known really. I’m very artistic so perhaps a Graphic Designer or Architect

What has been your biggest challenge in business?

Definitely managing cash flow and completing projects on deadline.

What has been your biggest challenge personally?

My biggest challenge personally would be managing my work/ life balance which is very 

Dave's company specialises in custom made furniture

"We also create made-to-measure furniture which we handcraft ourselves"

Dave's two beautiful daughters enjoying the outdoors

difficult when trying to grow the company but still give enough time to my young family.

Do you have any concerns for the future of the industry?

Yes I do have many and probably the biggest is the current skills gap. I don’t think that young adults want to be in the trade as much these days as its very hard work and long hours and initially its not very well paid. I think that there are too many short courses rather than apprenticeships which is what the industry really needs because apprenticeships will produce quality kbb installers for the future as they will get an all-around skill set and understanding of the trade. It needs to change as currently, if the younger generation do choose a trade, it’s generally not in joinery.

What do you want to be doing in 1 year/5 years/10 years?

I’m sure my business partner would agree that our objective has to be that within 10 years we will have quite a few installers working for us which are as enthusiastic and have an eye for detail that we do; we have talked about showrooms and growing a business that everyone will be aware of. I’m sure the difficulty will be finding the right calibre of installer to uphold our great reputation.

Why did you join the BiKBBI?

We subcontract to Omega Plc for nearly 5 years and initially they specified that we joined the BiKBBI. Now we have become members we understand the necessity for such an organisation and all the great things it is doing for our industry, and installer members in particular. I have to say its great value!

How long have you been a member?

Since 2015.

How do you use the BiKBBI within your business? / Does it work?

In all honesty, we have been so busy that we have not yet used the BiKBBI to its full potential which is something we intend to change; however, just from being a member we have begun sub contracting to John Lewis, how bad is that!

Why should installers consider being a part of the BiKBBI?

Just by being a member of the BiKBBI demonstrates to potential customers that you have all the documentation needed like insurance etc., which you are a quality installer and a ‘safe bet’ to employ. It definitely gives you an advantage over non-members. Long term I hope that this will eventually squeeze out the cowboys who are currently pretending to be tradesmen.

If you were a youth worker, would you recommend your career to young people?

I would definitely recommend kbb installation as a career to youngsters as it can be very rewarding financially and also because transforming a sometimes dilapidated dwelling to a beautiful home is really satisfying. I love seeing the transformation throughout the project and to see the customer’s face when complete.

If you could change one thing about the industry what would it be?

I would put a stop to tradesmen folding their business to avoid debts accrued or worse, poor quality or work and the setting up again under another name.

Have you a family?

Yes, my wife and I have been married for over 10 years and we have two beautiful daughters aged 8 and 4.

Do you have any hobbies?

I don’t really have time for hobbies but I do really love our family holidays.

Dave and his gorgeous wife