Pandemic Slows Delivery of Appliances, Cabinetry for Remodelers, Clients

Mark Fies remembers when it used to take appliances between three and six weeks to arrive for a remodeling project after they were ordered. “If you waited eight weeks, that was a long time,” says Fies, COO of design-build firm Synergy Design & Construction in Reston, Va., and the homeowner, with his wife, of Pro Remodeler’s 2021 Model ReModel.

But that was the “before times.” In 2021, as pandemic rules limit manufacturers’ ability to keep up with orders and remodeling demand from homeowners eager to upgrade their living spaces, delivery dates for key building products are getting delayed again and again. The same appliances that used to arrive within a month or two are now taking a staggering 12 to 26 weeks, according to Fies. He’s seeing the same issues with cabinets. “Cabinetry used to take four to six weeks. Now it’s 10 to 15 weeks,” he says. “Most cabinetry isn’t stock, so it’s built to order, and the factories are limited in capacity because they have to socially distance their workers.” 

The Model ReModel is no different. Mark and his wife Mina Fies, the founder and CEO of Synergy, had planned to start their remodeling project in the kitchen, which they expect to be the most complex part of their renovation. But due to the delays in cabinetry and appliances, they chose to begin the demolition work with the master bedroom suite instead.

Despite delays, the show must go on. Check out what Mark and Mina have in store for the Model ReModel here.