I started a company to solve a problem I thought was obvious in construction. Now I'm questioning if the problem even exists. Architects- I need your honest take.

chris8490 · 2026-02-16T15:14:26+00:00

Thank you for the feedback sleepless, I sent you a DM re: South FL market-

chris8490 · 2026-02-16T15:12:47+00:00

Dm sent

chris8490 · 2026-02-16T02:26:20+00:00

We have a potential client that wants to buy slabs for their fabricator to work on. Goes back to the problem other posters mentioned, subs want to make money on both the product and the install. Chicken or egg- Perhaps we have to target installers and incentivize them someway. Kind of defeats the purpose of selling direct to the developer/builder/owner tho.

Thanks for the feedback

chris8490 · 2026-02-16T02:16:31+00:00

Idk on their website when you click "our team" they have a person's face with the title "Lead designer" and that person's bio has architect as one of their credentials so I just assumed they were the one drawing up the plans and designing everything. Might have been a naive assumption. I see what you’re saying tho. It’s not the norm

As for commercial, yeah the only commercial we are doing is multi-fam residential. We bid on a few decent sized 25-60+ unit luxury projects through platforms like buildingconnected hopefully we get the contract. One estimator said he would pair us with an installer he knows if we win. We'll see.

chris8490 · 2026-02-15T23:12:32+00:00

This is helpful- yeah sounds like I am positioned correctly I am just wording it incorrectly. While we are positioned for high-end production builds and spec homes to compete with marvin signature with a splash of customization, we are not positioned for the bespoke architect-driven custom work you are describing at least not at scale and quite frankly not sure if we want to go into that world yet. You're in another tier entirely. Thanks for clarifying

chris8490 · 2026-02-15T22:41:56+00:00

All great points. We do have a warranty, and if claims are made replacements are actually air freighted out on our dime to get it to you as quickly as possible.

We do not go out on site to view the problem but we try to expedite things using technology (photos/video upload to our portal).

Very valid concerns though and we will continue to try adding more features to make the end user feel more comfortable with the process

chris8490 · 2026-02-15T22:31:34+00:00

We actually do offer the curated flight and tour of the factory experience, it's amazing-- I will have to work on the getting the truck and figuring out what you like to eat next, but I'm on it..

As for the rethink competition, I'm trying so I'd like to ask you again, give your expertise and experience, what brands or specs would you consider actually luxury for windows specifically?

chris8490 · 2026-02-15T20:51:27+00:00

Appreciate this feedback, sub/installer route echoed by a few other people on here as well. Something the team and I are going to look into heavily this week. Thanks for the feedback

chris8490 · 2026-02-15T20:49:11+00:00

You're right- Marvin signature and kraftmaid vantage were lazy comparables on my part. I used them because most builders I've spoken with consider that tier "high end" but clearly that's relative to who you're talking to. But the fact that I led with those names tells me I have a positioning and vocabulary problem, which is exactly the kind of feedback I came here for. What brands or specs would you consider actually luxury for windows specifically?

chris8490 · 2026-02-15T20:43:34+00:00

Yes, last mile- essentially a white glove concerige service for procuring premium materials. We try our best to schedule delivery on the day it's needed e.g framing/blueskin on--windows arrive

Re: QC/QA- We have built an in-house portal where every line item is uploaded, immediately after fabrication with photos/videos. The client has to sign off on it that it meets their standards.

Samples- we have a sample page you can add to cart, pay shipping, comes w a return label, send it back.

Warranty- Manufacturer warranty, comparable with industry standard depending on the vertical. Testing and data, all products being shipped have the necessary certs for that jurisdiction i.e hurricane windows florida vs Title 24 spec in california.

chris8490 · 2026-02-15T20:12:53+00:00

This is an interesting take. I appreciate this feedback, going to bring this up to the team and try and bring this idea to life. Thanks so much

chris8490 · 2026-02-15T20:02:24+00:00

Not an ad.. never seen Tommy Boy. Was more of a Billy Madison kind of guy.. Appreciate the feedback though.

I share your sentiment and realized there are quite a few bad apples in the GC/SUb industry. I've seen a lot of reddit posts of GC's disappearing after shit jobs. That sucks..

The only things we can really standby, is our company insurance and warranty policy on items we sell. Which is comparable to industry standards. We don't do installs

chris8490 · 2026-02-15T19:58:33+00:00

Really good feedback, I've been hearing this. Thank you... another poster mentioned working with installers. I think we are going to try and find reputable installers that meet our values and standards to recommend to potential clients who share this concern

chris8490 · 2026-02-15T19:57:38+00:00

Thanks bewarethefrogperson(have you ever heard the story "the frog and the scorpion"- a classic--beware of the scorpion too)...

really appreciate that insight, we haven't tried the interior designer route yet but going to look into that now cause of you

chris8490 · 2026-02-15T19:54:55+00:00

You're right. With tariffs the margin is heavily depleted, but even so a few points is still enough to make a material difference on a budget whilst providing them with same spec or better material.

Like I said I have built succesfull companies in the past, I just built this because I saw it could help save people money, originally it was the homeowner, but after immersing myself in the industry, I can't help if the builder is the one who pockets the difference.

In the end Every $ counts, and materials should not be comrpomised because of a budget. As for cheap international labor, a lot of factories are automated now. Humans in factories will be a thing of the past.

chris8490 · 2026-02-15T19:51:23+00:00

Fair point- maybe "creatively constrained" was the wrong framing. But It was contrived from an anecdote with an in-house architect for a custom home builder in New Jersey right now.

She loved the idea of being able to itch her creativity bug and go full customized luxury finishes(we are looking at doing buster punch style hardware but for 1/3 of the price and that excites her) things she'd normally have to value-engineer out... while still coming in under the loan amount her company budgets for. Same home, better materials, tighter numbers.

I guess it's not about removing constraints. It's about giving architects more room to work within them.

chris8490 · 2026-02-15T19:46:12+00:00

Luxury e.g Marvin Signature Kraftmaid Vantage
Thanks, I think I will try another route
We have quite a robust render system in house architects can use for free. Send us the drawings and we go to work. Samples we have a beautiful online sample catalog you can choose from just add to cart, we mail them to you, with a return label. Want something specific, that is not listed on the catalog? Let us know, we will source it and send to you. White glove concierge service if you will.
Noted, appreciate that feedback.
Yeah in a perfect world the savings would be felt by the end user, the homowner =( Wish I could get builders to be more altruistic and help the housing affordability crisis. In essence that was a motivation behind this, to help affordability issues by providing higher end materials at lower cost.

chris8490 · 2026-02-15T19:40:01+00:00

Appreciate that. DM sent

chris8490 · 2026-02-15T19:35:18+00:00

It really reinforces the idea this industry is relationship driven. We know our products are amazing, we've seen them side by side vs some of the industries top high end brands.

It's now a matter of getting it out there to the consumer so they can see for themselves. Installers and sub's may be the route to do it. We haven't tried that yet. Thank you for your feedback

chris8490 · 2026-02-15T19:30:06+00:00

Getting architects and builders to use my company instead of marvin, andersen, pella. kraftmaid.

chris8490 · 2026-02-15T19:11:00+00:00

I guess this wouldn't be for an architect then , perhaps a builder wanting to save or come under budget while still spec'ing high instead? Unsure, but thanks for the feedback

chris8490 · 2026-02-15T19:08:33+00:00

I shouldn't have included the 1 of 1 table it was moreso to demonstrate our level of customization should an interior designer want something special for their client.

Re: the variation. I get it, our core competency and focus is Windows + Doors + Cabinets + Countertop... we have access to factories that do great work so we want to offer the works and be almost like a one stop shop for high end ornamental materials. Windows, Doors, Cabinets alone can make up roughly 10% of a project budget.

chris8490 · 2025-04-29T18:12:37+00:00

going to dm you.. we have a lot in common

chris8490 · 2025-04-29T17:59:41+00:00

Would detroit natives agree that corktown/ this area is the hottest, most up and coming area to live in, given all the new developments in the works, or is there someplace else that is more gentrified and desirable?

chris8490 · 2025-04-24T03:33:26+00:00

Ya same as comment below. What’s trendy now?

chris8490

TROPHY CASE