If you’ve been in the contracting business for more than a few years, you already know the drill. You win a bid, lock in a timeline, coordinate your subs — and then the cabinets become the wildcard that blows up your entire schedule.

It’s not just frustrating. It’s expensive.

In 2025, the average wait time for cabinet installations has increased by 10–15% compared to 2023, with 70% of builders reporting delays in obtaining raw materials and critical components. And that’s before you factor in peak season. Spring and summer are when demand surges — and lead times surge right along with them.  — Best WMS Software of 2025: Complete Guide to Leading Warehouse Management Solutions

For contractors, this creates a brutal domino effect. Cabinets are the pivot point of any kitchen or bath project. Until cabinets are installed, many other elements cannot be completed — countertops, lighting, plumbing finishes. Cabinet installation acts as the pivot point between rough construction and finish work. When cabinets are late, everything is late.

Warehouse Management Software for Small Business: Solutions & Buyer’s Guide

Most contractors mentally budget for the cabinet cost. Few budget for the cost of waiting.

Think about what a 3-week delay actually means:

• Your crew is either idle or pulled to another job and unavailable when cabinets finally arrive
• Your client is living in a half-finished kitchen, frustration building by the day
• You’re fielding calls you don’t have good answers to
• Your next job’s start date is now at risk

75% of companies have faced increased demand and supply chain disruptions, and 65% of builders report needing help managing inventory adequately — stocking too few cabinets causes project lags that disrupt the entire flow of work.

The standard advice from suppliers is to order 6–9 months ahead. Pre-ordering cabinets 6–9 months in advance can cut lead times by up to 25%. That sounds reasonable until you remember that most residential contractors don’t have permits approved 9 months out. Clients change their minds. Projects get delayed. That pre-order becomes a logistics headache of its own. – Deposco

The real solution isn’t ordering earlier. It’s working with a supplier who actually has product in stock.

In-stock cabinets can be delivered or picked up almost immediately, allowing contractors to stay on schedule — particularly critical in the fast-paced world of construction, where delays lead to increased costs and unhappy clients. With a large in-stock inventory, contractors can take on more projects without waiting for custom orders to arrive.

Stock cabinets, which are pre-made and ready to ship, can often be delivered within a week or two — compared to 6–12 weeks for standard orders, or longer if materials are backordered That’s not a marginal improvement. That’s a fundamentally different way to run your business.

At Lighthouse Cabinetry, we warehouse our inventory right here in the US — with stocking locations on both the East Coast and Midwest. When you place an order, you’re pulling from product that’s already on American soil, not waiting for a container to cross an ocean.

We built our supply chain this way on purpose, because we work with contractors. We know your timeline isn’t flexible. Your client’s move-in date doesn’t care about shipping delays.

Whether you’re outfitting a single bathroom remodel or managing a multi-unit development, you deserve to know when your cabinets are arriving — and have it actually be true.

Ready to see what’s in stock? [Browse our current inventory] or [Contact our dealer team] to get set up with a wholesale account.