Foreign.
Speaker BThe House with Eric G.
Speaker BYour go to source for everything home improvement.
Speaker BWhether you're a DIY enthusiast or just looking to make your space shine, Eric G.
Speaker BIs here to guide you through the latest tips, tricks and trends coming up in this week's first hour of the show.
Speaker AToday, we're diving into the incredible journey of one of the most respected names in custom cabinetry.
Speaker AI'm joined by Elvin Hurst, the founder of Country Craft, a company that started with a simple table saw back in 1959 and has grown into one of the leading custom cabinet manufacturers in the country, all built in Pennsylvania Dutch country.
Speaker AWhether you're dreaming up your next kitchen remodel or just love a great American success story, this one's for you.
Speaker ANow let's get into it right here on the around the house show.
Speaker BSo grab your toolbox, put on your thinking cap, and let's get to work right here on around the House with.
Speaker AEric G.
Speaker AWelcome to the round the house show, the next generation of home improvement.
Speaker AI'm Eric G.
Speaker AThanks for joining me.
Speaker AIf you want to find out more about us, head over to aroundthehouse online.com and of course, this hour is brought to you by our friends at Monument Grills.
Speaker AIf you're looking for that brand new barbecue, check them out@monument grills.com and I tell you why we've got a fun episode today.
Speaker AWe're going to be talking cabinetry.
Speaker AAnd of course, with myself being a certified kitchen designer and doing kitchen cabinetry for about 35 years, we are right back in my wheelhouse and I'm really excited to be talking with Country Craft kitchens.
Speaker ANow here's the cool thing here, guys.
Speaker AI was at this factory probably 15 to 18 years ago checking it out when I was out in the Midwest.
Speaker AAnd I'm looking forward to this conversation.
Speaker AElvin, welcome to around the house brother.
Speaker CThank you.
Speaker CThank you.
Speaker CNice to meet you.
Speaker ANice to meet you.
Speaker AAnd kitchen cabinetry is one of those things out there and it's, it's something that I have really spent most of my career messing around with.
Speaker ABut one of the biggest issues that I see out there is we kind of have two things.
Speaker AWe have these great manufacturers like yourself that sell stuff across the country.
Speaker ABut you guys do such a great job from cabinet construction, cabinet finishes that really exceed what even some of the higher end custom shops do in their little shops.
Speaker AAnd I wanted to talk cabinetry with you today.
Speaker AAnd how did you guys get started with Country Craft?
Speaker CHow did we get started?
Speaker CWell, my background is aquaculture.
Speaker CI was a farmer for the first 20 years of my life.
Speaker CGrew up on a farm, the family farm, which is where country craft is today.
Speaker CIt's on the whole farm.
Speaker CSo being a farmer, I got a lot of education in all kinds of challenges to build things and fix things and learn how to work.
Speaker CAnd on the farm, my dad, whatever had to be done, we did.
Speaker CWe did our own carpenter work, our own mechanical work.
Speaker CAnd so I always enjoy woodwork.
Speaker CSo in 1958, Helen bought me a Sears and Roebuck table saw.
Speaker CMaybe you're seeing that when you were here to visit.
Speaker AYep.
Speaker CAnd that's.
Speaker CShe got me that for Christmas in 1958.
Speaker AWow.
Speaker CAnd I started.
Speaker CI've been working for a small kitchen company, Rich Made kitchens here local.
Speaker CI was working there as an installer and Hamilton bought me this table saw in 58.
Speaker CAnd in the spring of 59, the owner of Richmond called me in his office, said, elvin, I understand you have a saw at home and you're making some cabinets at home.
Speaker CI said well I'm making some hobby, I'm doing some crafts, small bookshelves and just small things.
Speaker CWell, he said, it's our policy.
Speaker CIf you work here, you can't be doing wood, you can't make cabinets at home.
Speaker CThat would be a conflict of interest.
Speaker CSo I called, I'm sorry, if that's your policy, I'm going to have to quit.
Speaker CSo I came home and told my wife, I said, well, I'm going to make good use of that saw you bought me.
Speaker CWe're going to start our own kitchen business right here in the garage.
Speaker CSo dad had a garage here on the farm, four car garage.
Speaker CAnd my dad was elect electrical contractor and he had some builders he was working for.
Speaker CSo I said, dad, why don't you check with your builders if they'd be interested in me making their cabinets.
Speaker CSo he sold my first three kitchens to local contractors.
Speaker CSo it was an interesting journey.
Speaker ANo kidding.
Speaker AThat is super cool.
Speaker AAnd you know, you guys, you know, farming in your, your part of the country is such a big thing.
Speaker AAnd it was so beautiful when I was out there to see how you've got people out there literally working the land with their hands and then the middle of it is this high tech cabinet shop.
Speaker CYeah, right on the farm.
Speaker CAnd I've been blessed with many good employees over the years that joined my team and they do an excellent job making beautiful cabinets.
Speaker CAnd first of all, my education was from my parents on the farm and I was blessed with good, good teaching.
Speaker CI'm blessed by God.
Speaker CIt's all a blessing.
Speaker CIt's all a gift from God.
Speaker CEverything I have.
Speaker AAnd you guys make some beautiful cabinetry there.
Speaker AIt's so amazing to hear coming from that Sears and Roebuck table saw to where you're at today with all the latest technology that helps make beautiful cabinetry.
Speaker AI mean, think about that jump from 1958 to what we see now in a shop.
Speaker COh, I know Junior, Alvin Jr.
Speaker CWhich is the president of our company.
Speaker CHe keeps up all the latest equipment.
Speaker CHe has all the computerized saw and CNC routers and break.
Speaker CVery good equipment, Very good employees.
Speaker CGood, good craftsmans that take pride in what they're doing.
Speaker CSo we've been blessed.
Speaker CYep.
Speaker AYou guys do a lot of great stuff with that.
Speaker AAnd what I thought was cool, too, was.
Speaker AWas just seeing the mix of people that you have working in your shop.
Speaker AAnd I know that your son has been a pride and joy, but it is so cool to see all the different employees that you have working there.
Speaker CYeah, I've been blessed with a lot of good employees.
Speaker CAnd first of all, my children all took an interest in the business, and my wife was my partner from the beginning, so we started together.
Speaker CMy wife, Helen, she did the office work, the design.
Speaker CI run the factory and the installation.
Speaker CAnd then our four children, Dale and Dolores, and Jerry, which is in heaven now.
Speaker CHe was, unfortunately, was killed in a car accident in 1980.
Speaker CSo that was the saddest part of my journey.
Speaker AYeah, no question, no question.
Speaker CAlbin Jr.
Speaker CBeing the youngest one.
Speaker CSo they all three are in the kitchen business here and running things.
Speaker CDolores is a cfo.
Speaker CShe runs the financial, and they own the business now and do an excellent job.
Speaker AOh, that is great.
Speaker CWith a great team of people.
Speaker AOh, yeah, absolutely.
Speaker AI mean, what are some of the changes that you've seen over the years just in cabinet construction?
Speaker AI mean, how we built things even in 1958 to now is.
Speaker AIs considerably different, I would think.
Speaker CYep.
Speaker CWell, especially the finishes.
Speaker CThe finishes are endless.
Speaker CYou know, we start out mostly doing staining, hand rubber finishes, oil stain and sealer and varnish.
Speaker CToday, I say maybe 60, 70% of the kitchens are painted.
Speaker CSo that's a big change is the kind of finishes and many, many different colors.
Speaker CYou know, years ago, white was white and black was black.
Speaker CBut now there's 40 shades of white and 40 shades of black.
Speaker AIt used to be with kitchens, you know, you had the natural, the dark, and the painted, and it was kind of like, kind of like the model T thing.
Speaker AAs long as you Want it black, you're in a good shape.
Speaker CRight, right, right.
Speaker CYeah.
Speaker CBut construction wise, everything is mortise and tenanted and it's built a lot like we always did.
Speaker CEverything is built pretty well the same.
Speaker AWhat's funny is that technology has almost made it easier to build a stronger cabinet because you can really dial in and take out that human error that we see that even the best craftsmen sometimes have with a table saw.
Speaker CYeah, yeah, we have.
Speaker CThe saws that they have today are very precision.
Speaker CYeah.
Speaker CVery accurate.
Speaker CSo makes it easier to assemble a cabinet when all the parts are cut perfectly.
Speaker CRight?
Speaker AAbsolutely.
Speaker ADon't change that dial.
Speaker AWe come back.
Speaker AWe'll be talking more with Elvin Hurst, founder of Country Craft Kitchens.
Speaker AWe're talking cabinetry for your home just as soon as around the House returns.
Speaker ADon't go anywhere.
Speaker BTo find out more information, head to aroundthehouse online dot com.
Speaker BDon't change that dial around the House.
Speaker BWe'll be right back after these important messages.
Speaker AWelcome back to the around the House show, the next generation of home improvement.
Speaker AI'm Eric G.
Speaker AThis hour is brought to you by our friends at Monument Grills.
Speaker ACheck them out@monumentgrills.com today we've been talking with Elvin Hurst, folks, founder of Country Craft, an amazing cabinetry company custom built in Pennsylvania Dutch country.
Speaker ALet's get back to the conversation that we have really had a great time with.
Speaker AYou know, using.
Speaker AWhen I first started kitchen and bath design, I was using a little computer work.
Speaker ABut when I took my CKD exam with the NKBA to be a certified kitchen designer, it was hand drafted.
Speaker AAnd I worked at companies that were high end that we did all the hand drafting and now, boy, the manufacturer creates the catalog to go into the kitchen design program and off people go designing it.
Speaker AAnd you guys get a list of cabinetry.
Speaker APretty easy compared to having to do all the hand entering and hand keying of things.
Speaker CYep.
Speaker CThat's what we started with.
Speaker CAll hand drawing, drew perspectives and a floor plan, an elevation and 3D.
Speaker C3D perspective.
Speaker CYeah.
Speaker CAnd that was a challenge.
Speaker CIt was enjoyable.
Speaker CThat's all we knew years ago is drawing by hand.
Speaker CWe didn't have any computers, so we started in 59.
Speaker CI think the first computer we had was 1980.
Speaker CYeah, yeah.
Speaker AAnd I was working for home centers in the 90s and they were starting to get, you know, in the early 90s starting to use the, the computers there.
Speaker ABut I tell you what, it was a lot faster instead of me drawing a kitchen out, you know, a couple kitchens, a Day I could do seven or eight, and it was a lot more efficient and a lot more accurate because I wasn't having to rely on my math.
Speaker CYeah, yeah, yeah.
Speaker CEverything's computerized now.
Speaker CYep.
Speaker AAnd you guys build primarily face frame style, traditional American cabinetry, correct?
Speaker CWell, it seems about 50, 50 with the frame, front frame, and then the frameless.
Speaker CWe also do a lot of frameless.
Speaker CYep.
Speaker AAll right.
Speaker AThat's a change since I was back out there a little bit.
Speaker AIt was a little bit you guys were messing around with, but, yeah, they're.
Speaker CDoing a lot more now.
Speaker CFrameless.
Speaker CYep.
Speaker AWell, that changes production as well, because, you know, you guys having to go through and build face frames and.
Speaker AAnd doing the mortise and tenon on that type of thing versus just edge banding, it really changes the workflow within the shop, it seems.
Speaker CIt does.
Speaker CYeah, it does change it.
Speaker ABut I have a mix.
Speaker CYeah, they have a mix.
Speaker CThey run some with front frame, and then the next one might be frameless.
Speaker CSo all blends together.
Speaker CIt works out.
Speaker AYeah.
Speaker AFor me, designing small kitchens, I always enjoyed the frameless ones because it just gave me a little more drawer space.
Speaker AWhen I was adding the drawers in there, I could get a little more into those small kitchens where the.
Speaker AI wasn't losing that, you know, that three inches or at least.
Speaker AAt least losing an inch and a half of space in drawer boxes going around a kitchen.
Speaker ASo for me, out on the west coast, being a designer, we were very much a frameless leaning company out here.
Speaker CYeah.
Speaker CAnd it's.
Speaker CIt's a very practical cabinet.
Speaker AIt is.
Speaker AHave you noticed a lot of the style differences?
Speaker AI mean, you being where you're located, when you started to expand the company, did you start realizing, wow, regionally things change a little bit.
Speaker ADid you notice that as you kept growing?
Speaker COh, yeah, A lot more.
Speaker CDifferent door styles, different colors, different styles, different shape hoods.
Speaker CAnd the kitchen's much more of a fashion item now than what years ago, it was just per function.
Speaker CA cabinet was made for function and for practical use.
Speaker CAnd today it's more of a designer type product.
Speaker CYep.
Speaker AYeah.
Speaker AIt is the center of your home, right?
Speaker CPardon?
Speaker AIt's the center of your home now, where before it was more like the.
Speaker AThe laundry room, where it was just a function only, and you never took your guests back to the kitchen.
Speaker CPublic space, nights of public space is a place where people love to hang out in the kitchen.
Speaker CAnd a lot of homes are built now with the kitchen and dining room and living room all open in one big room where you can socialize and entertain and.
Speaker CYeah, it's.
Speaker CIt's nice.
Speaker CIt's where.
Speaker CIt's where people like to hang out in the kitchen.
Speaker AAbsolutely.
Speaker CAnd it's fun food.
Speaker CYeah, food and fellowship that goes together.
Speaker AThere we go.
Speaker AAnd that's one of the things I noticed, too, that.
Speaker AThat designing.
Speaker AWhen I was designing older homes, you know, you get into stuff.
Speaker ALike pre 1960, that kitchen was a smaller space that was designed for function only.
Speaker ABut then you've got people trying to get in there that are trying to use it like you would a 20, 25 kitchen now, where it's that great space and you just couldn't fit your 15 closest friends in there and actually be able to do something.
Speaker ASo that was always some of the design challenges we would run into.
Speaker AAnd I think that's why you see so many remodels now with people taking walls out and trying to make that into the great room feel and trying to break up those smaller spaces.
Speaker CYeah, I see.
Speaker CThat definitely was a big change.
Speaker CThe open space.
Speaker CYeah.
Speaker CYears ago, back in the 40s and 50s and 60s, people, the kitchen was a private place, and dining room was another room, and the living room was not a lot of open.
Speaker COpen living, open space space.
Speaker AYeah.
Speaker AAnd it's so interesting, too, if I think about 1959, when you guys started thinking about how we use the kitchen and even how the hardware and stuff changed.
Speaker AYou know, back then, it was really doors, drawers on the top, and, you know, the hinges were different.
Speaker AAnd now with the soft clothes and all the different things that we've got, boy, it has come a long way.
Speaker CIt did.
Speaker CIt came a long way.
Speaker CThey have good hardware and good drawer guides, and we use them Blum under mount guides and from Germany, and they're really nice.
Speaker AYeah, yeah, it's.
Speaker AI remember, you know, one of the things that.
Speaker AIt's funny when I see consumers out there, whether you're a builder, remodeler, or a homeowner out shopping, you know, that dovetail drawer box was always that thing with the side mount or the, you know, the white epoxy slides were out there in the 80s.
Speaker AThat drawer box strength was all based upon that.
Speaker AYou know, the heavy duty drawer.
Speaker AAnd nowadays, when you're getting into those, the bloom, you know, tandem and the undermount soft close.
Speaker AThe drawers are so much stronger on the glides.
Speaker AThey support the drawer so much better that maybe you don't always have to go with that dovetail drawer box to get the job done.
Speaker ABecause I tell you what, the glides take the beating where the drawer box used to.
Speaker CYep.
Speaker CYeah.
Speaker CYeah.
Speaker CWe wouldn't have to make a drawer box as heavy as we do, but it's what people want.
Speaker CThey want a solid maple, 5, 8 inch thick dovetail drawer box.
Speaker CBut you could.
Speaker CMy first 20 years I made my drawer boxes out of half inch birch plywood with an edge band on.
Speaker CMuch lighter now you have all this weight here to carry around when you're shipping and handling in the factory.
Speaker ASo.
Speaker CBut it's what the market wants.
Speaker CThey want the big drawer box, which you wouldn't, you wouldn't need it, but.
Speaker AExactly.
Speaker CYou give people what they want and they come back for more.
Speaker ANo question.
Speaker AAnd you guys have done a lot about, you know, a lot of that over the years.
Speaker AAnd are you guys shipping now across the country to cabinet dealers, independent cabinet dealers like that, or how far do you guys go now?
Speaker CWell, we're covering the whole east coast from Maine to Florida and we have a couple dealers out west in California.
Speaker CWhere.
Speaker CThat's where you're from or where.
Speaker AYeah, I was actually up in the Seattle area.
Speaker AI was trying to really push you guys to your farthest limit at the time.
Speaker ASo I was trying to get it out here.
Speaker AAnd that's, you know, that's one of the things I will say that I think that's getting better out there over the years is getting those cabinets successfully shipped, you know, across the country to people.
Speaker CYep.
Speaker CYeah, we have good, we have a good independent truckers that haul our cabinets very, do quality, quality work very dependable and handle things well.
Speaker CYeah.
Speaker ADon't change that.
Speaker ATime we come back, we'll be talking more with Elvin Hurst, founder of Country Craft Kitchens.
Speaker AWe're talking cabinetry for your home.
Speaker AJust as soon as around the House returns.
Speaker ADon't go anywhere.
Speaker BTo find out more information, head to Aroundthe House online dot com.
Speaker BDon't change that dial.
Speaker BAround the House will be right back after these important messages.
Speaker AWelcome back to the around the House show, the next generation of home improvement.
Speaker AI'm Eric G.
Speaker AThis hour is brought to you by our friends at Monument Grills.
Speaker ACheck them out@monument grills.com we've been talking today with Elvin Hurst, the founder.
Speaker AThis is such a great American success story of Country Craft Kitchens.
Speaker AThis is a cabinet manufacturer in Pennsylvania Dutch country and he is the founder.
Speaker ANow let's get back to the conversation.
Speaker AThat is great because I know when companies back in the 80s were really expanding, going across the country, they were palletizing them and they were shipping them like Anything else like towels and toilet paper or whatever else out there.
Speaker AAnd yeah, those, those trucking companies could be pretty tough on cabinetry.
Speaker CYeah, yeah.
Speaker CThere you can't just ship with anybody.
Speaker CThese people specialize.
Speaker CWe use Sounder Trucking from New Holland, Pennsylvania.
Speaker CYep.
Speaker CThey do a nice job for our long distance like into Florida and out west.
Speaker CAnd then we have a local company here called Cupboard Wagon and that's all they do is kitchen delivery.
Speaker CSo they do a nice job.
Speaker AThat is great.
Speaker AI tell you what, I have never seen so many wagons that out in your country, out there in your part of the woods.
Speaker AIt is a beautiful part of that.
Speaker AAnd it's, it's so interesting to watch how the different cultures have meshed in and worked together out there.
Speaker AIt's, it's, it's a piece of beauty and I think that shows in your craftsmanship out there as well.
Speaker CYeah, we're blessed.
Speaker CWe're in a beautiful part of the world here.
Speaker CA lot of agriculture and a lot of local industries.
Speaker CCraftsmen.
Speaker CAnd it's just a beautiful area.
Speaker AOh, absolutely.
Speaker AI remember speaking of New Holland, I remember going through New Holland and I was driving through there with some friends checking out cabinet dealers, of course.
Speaker AAnd I see this huge New Holland cabinet.
Speaker AI mean New Holland tractor dealership.
Speaker AAnd directly across the road was somebody out there hand working the land with a horse.
Speaker CYeah.
Speaker AAnd I was like, I am in this ying yang world of wow, all right here.
Speaker AAnd it was really cool to see.
Speaker CYeah, we have a lot of the Amish people still use horses for farming and so we have all different kinds from horses to big tractors.
Speaker AYeah, it's great to see.
Speaker AAnd it's something for me that was just really foreign to see out from the west coast out here.
Speaker AIt's just not something normal that we would see in our everyday.
Speaker AAnd I really thought it was beautiful.
Speaker AAnd some of the buggies that run around there, and I'm probably using the wrong terms as a west coaster, but beautiful craftsmanship everywhere that I saw.
Speaker CYep, yep.
Speaker ASo with cabinetry, cabinetry now, I mean, it's really interesting.
Speaker AAre you working now with, with builders, Are you working more with independent cabinet dealers or is it a mixture of both?
Speaker CWe do some of everything.
Speaker CWe always did.
Speaker CWe sell to the.
Speaker CWe're our own local dealership right here in the factory.
Speaker CWe sell to the individual retail.
Speaker CWe have a showroom.
Speaker CSo and we have in salespeople and installers that cover a 70 mile radius from our factory.
Speaker CAnd then everything there goes from there on.
Speaker CIt goes through independent Dealers.
Speaker CSo we sell individuals and contractors and that's how we build our business, selling everybody from individuals to contractors to dealers.
Speaker ASo Elvin, who is your customer as far as in the space of the cabinet?
Speaker AYou know, kind of in that good, better, best.
Speaker AAnd that's the one thing I learned early on in cabinetry is that you've got kind of everything that starts out with what I would call is the ready to assemble.
Speaker AComing in off the boat from overseas to the high end architectural digest, you know, $300,000 cabinet package going in a small condo that looks absolutely insane.
Speaker AWhere you guys kind of fit in that, in that world of cabinetry.
Speaker CWell, we are, I would say in the high end of the high end custom.
Speaker CWe.
Speaker COur motto is the only limitation is your imagination and your space and your budget.
Speaker CSo if you can design it and fit it in your house and can afford it, we can build most any, any size kitchen you want with any style, any color.
Speaker CSo we make small kitchens for 20,000, all the way up to a hundred thousand.
Speaker CSo what?
Speaker CWhatever you want.
Speaker CWe don't just do kitchens.
Speaker CWe do furniture for the entire home.
Speaker CWe do the walk in closets, office furniture, bathrooms.
Speaker CIf it's a cabinet, we build it for any and for the whole house.
Speaker AYeah.
Speaker AIt's so amazing how, you know, kitchens were the big thing thing.
Speaker AIt expanded into bathrooms and really making the most out of that space where people started to really rethink about what went into that cabinetry.
Speaker AAnd you're right.
Speaker AFrom family room entertainment areas to media rooms, to that luxury closet system, which half the time in many of these big homes have better cabinetry than what's in the kitchen.
Speaker CRight?
Speaker CYeah.
Speaker CSo we cover the whole house wherever you want.
Speaker CCabinets, even do the garage.
Speaker CWe do cabins in the garage, the basement, the laundry, the bathrooms, the entertainment centers, office, everywhere.
Speaker CYou can see it on our website.
Speaker CWe have pretty well everything going there.
Speaker AThat is awesome.
Speaker AYeah.
Speaker AAnd you guys have really.
Speaker AI was really impressed out there with, with the thought that you guys have put into the cabinetry.
Speaker AAnd I just noticed like building your doors and things like that.
Speaker AThe, the attention to detail that you guys do on your stuff.
Speaker AIt.
Speaker AThere's a lot of companies I've been through, I've been through probably 30 or 40 different cabinet manufacturers and it still sticks into my head the little details to make sure that the, the doors can expand and contract correctly.
Speaker AAnd just all the thought that went into building these to be something that's going to live a long life in your home.
Speaker AAnd that to me is Kind of the ultimate of a green cabinetry is that you build something that's going to hold up through generations, that someone's going to get tired of the look of it before it actually fails.
Speaker CYeah, you won't wear it out in your lifetime.
Speaker CThe only reason people change them is because they get tired of the color or style.
Speaker CYeah, yeah.
Speaker CThere's a lot of detail goes into building a custom cabinet.
Speaker CAnother thing we do to make sure your cabinets get delivered on time, complete with good quality, we schedule our kitchen to go into the shipping room in the warehouse for inspection one week before delivery.
Speaker CSo we set the whole kitchen up just the way it goes in your room.
Speaker CInspect everything, every detail, make sure every door fits properly, every drawer and all the finish is good.
Speaker CSo make sure that when it gets delivered, it's going to be what you want.
Speaker AYou know, Elvin, that is one of the most important things that I have seen in a manufacturer.
Speaker AAnd I think you were the first company I saw do that to that extent going around through cabinet plan places because so many times the final assembly crew that is at the end of the line is trying to keep up with pace.
Speaker AThey have a schedule to meet.
Speaker ABut by doing that, you catch the mistakes.
Speaker AI mean, I have ordered.
Speaker AI'm not going to say anything bad about your competitors out there, but many times I, as a designer and as a kitchen cabinet dealer owner, had ordered cabinetry and I had ordered 24 inch wide single door cabinets.
Speaker AThey were clear on the order, it was on the confirmation, and they were for an entertainment, tall entertainment unit.
Speaker AHalf the doors showed up as two 12 inch doors.
Speaker AHalf of them showed up with single doors.
Speaker AAnd if someone would have actually stopped and looked at this and would have went, this doesn't make any sense.
Speaker AWe better look at the paperwork.
Speaker AA lot of headaches can get solved right then before it leaves the factory.
Speaker CRight.
Speaker CIt's so important to do a thorough inspection to be sure that you get what you ordered.
Speaker CAnd our motto is here, the golden rule.
Speaker CTreat people the way you want to be treated.
Speaker CDo it right, do it right the first time.
Speaker AAnd for our listeners out there, this is one of the most important things, things when I see this, because I tell you what, there are other manufacturers out there that lean on their customer service team afterwards that, well, we'll just get it fixed, maybe they'll catch it, they'll ship it, they'll send out parts the next week.
Speaker ABut what you guys do is so innovative to most cabinet manufacturers out there.
Speaker AIt really makes that installation process and even just the receiving from the cabinet dealer.
Speaker AWhen that comes up into their warehouse or out to their job site, it makes for such a cleaner experience.
Speaker ADon't change that dial.
Speaker AWe come back.
Speaker AWe'll be talking more with Elvin Hurst, founder of Country Craft Kitchens, just as soon as around the House returns.
Speaker ADon't go anywhere.
Speaker BTo find out more information, head to aroundthehouse online.com don't change that dial.
Speaker BAround the house.
Speaker BWe'll be right back after these emergency important messages.
Speaker AWelcome back to the around the House show, the next generation of home improvement.
Speaker AI'm Eric G.
Speaker AThis hour is brought to you by our friends at Monument Grills.
Speaker ACheck them out@monument grills.com we've been talking today with Elvin Hurst, the founder.
Speaker AThis is such a great American success story of Country Craft Kitchens.
Speaker AThis is a cabinet manufacturer in Pennsylvania Dutch country and he is the founder.
Speaker ANow let's get back to the conversation.
Speaker CYeah, we had our challenges.
Speaker CPeople order things that you wonder if you can build.
Speaker CBut we are blessed with many good craftsmen here now that build most everything that people want.
Speaker CThere's very few times that we will turn down an order because we don't know how to do it.
Speaker CSo, yeah, there is challenging times.
Speaker CBut oh, yeah, we, we, we figure it out.
Speaker CWe get it done.
Speaker AYeah.
Speaker AOne of the things that have always been one of my Achilles heels with designers that I've always worked with are those wood hoods, you know?
Speaker CYeah.
Speaker AAnd the challenges that can go with those, from making sure that it meets fire code where it extends over the cooktop to.
Speaker ACan you actually get it in there?
Speaker CWe, we make a lot of wood.
Speaker CA lot of wood hoods.
Speaker CYep.
Speaker CSweep hoods, sweep.
Speaker CFront sweep, side sweep and three.
Speaker CThree sided.
Speaker AYeah, that is, that is great.
Speaker CTo be a popular thing is wood hoods.
Speaker AYeah.
Speaker AOne of the things that I did, I think my biggest wood hood that I had ordered for a client in my 30, almost 35 years of design was this homeowner had a 14 foot long run of a hood because she had a pizza 14ft and it was crazy to build.
Speaker ASo we ended up building it locally because shipping it was never going to be something that was going to be capable without having to rent a whole truck out and ship it, you know, just getting it out there.
Speaker ABut we built a 14 foot long hood because she had a, like a 7 or 8 foot French range, a pizza oven that was in there, that was underneath it.
Speaker AAnd it was really a commercial hood that we were hiding under, you know, residential woodwork.
Speaker ABut she first wanted ordered.
Speaker AAnd I was like, we have to build this here locally because it's going to cost you tens of thousands of dollars just to try to ship it across the country on a semi truck.
Speaker CSo you made a wood hood 14 foot long?
Speaker AYes, we did.
Speaker CWow.
Speaker AWe had craftsmen, we had, you know, the.
Speaker AIt was a nightmare, you know, trying to get the hood to work correctly and to put.
Speaker AWe really basically had to get with a commercial hood manufacturer and then build us around, around the hood that they had to build around the line.
Speaker AThat's.
Speaker CThat's too long.
Speaker CWe'd probably say no to that.
Speaker CWe'd probably make it in two sections.
Speaker CMake two seven foot hoods instead of 114.
Speaker AYeah, well, she wanted a 14 foot arch.
Speaker ASo it was not easy.
Speaker AIt was not easy.
Speaker AI'm sure we said yes when we should have said no.
Speaker ASo those are those lessons you'll hear, right?
Speaker AWe've had plenty of those.
Speaker AWe've had plenty of those.
Speaker AYou know, the other thing is, I don't know if you're seeing that out here, but out here on the west coast, we're seeing a lot more of the waterborne finishes just to be able to meet our state regulations on, you know, what's coming out of the finish room.
Speaker AAre you guys dealing with that out there as well?
Speaker CYeah, we just recently, the last couple years switched to all polyurethane finishes.
Speaker CSo we have a very good finish, very high quality.
Speaker AThat is my favorite finish of 2025.
Speaker AIs that polyurethane?
Speaker AIt is so much better.
Speaker CGet it from Sherwin Williams.
Speaker CSherwin Williams makes it.
Speaker CYeah.
Speaker AThat is the only right answer right there, my friend.
Speaker AThat is the beautiful Stu.
Speaker AThat is.
Speaker AIt's kind of the best of all worlds.
Speaker AYou get that really clear clarity that doesn't look like plastic, but it has that durability that combines with it.
Speaker CIt's a good, it's a good finish.
Speaker AIt's just absolutely beautiful.
Speaker AAre there other things that kind of surprise you that you see out there that have really changed in the cabin industry over the last few years?
Speaker AAnd I know you're a lucky one to be able to watch from a little of the outside and not having to be on the, on the shop floor managing that every day?
Speaker ABut I tell you what, I love the kitchen and bath industry.
Speaker ABut when I hung my hat up on the design stuff and not waking up at 2 o' clock in the morning wondering if I ordered the crown molding for a project, it's nice, but you have seen so much what's new out there that kind of makes you go, wow, we sure never had that before.
Speaker CYeah, well, I don't know.
Speaker CLike I said, I'm.
Speaker CI don't know of anything that they, that's that new that they can do.
Speaker CBut I know they're always dealing with new materials and new lemonade.
Speaker CSome people want high gloss lemonade cabinets and, and different woods.
Speaker CThey want this a lot of quarter saw and oak.
Speaker CThat's very popular noun.
Speaker CWhite oak, quartz on quiet oak.
Speaker ASo yeah, the white oak and the walnuts are sure hot it seems right now.
Speaker AYou know what I mean?
Speaker AWhere, you know, that was not used in cabinetry for 25 or 30 years for many people.
Speaker AIt wasn't one of the in ones.
Speaker AThat's when we had the, the maple and the alders and maybe some fur and things like that.
Speaker ABut yeah, that quarter sawn white oak and in the light stains have been just tearing it up across the industry it seems.
Speaker CYeah.
Speaker CAnd wal, like you said, walnut.
Speaker CWe're doing quite a bit of walnut too.
Speaker CYep.
Speaker AIt's, it's.
Speaker AThat stuff of the 70s and 60s has come back again.
Speaker CYeah, I know.
Speaker CYep.
Speaker CThere's more stains coming back again too.
Speaker CInstead of paint.
Speaker CThe hand rub finish.
Speaker AYeah, it's, it's interesting.
Speaker AAnd are you guys still doing.
Speaker AWhen it comes to the finish shop, are you doing more spray stains or are you kind of doing a mixture depending on what the color is?
Speaker CNo, it's all the stains are all wiping stains.
Speaker AAre they cool?
Speaker CYep.
Speaker CHand rubbed oil stain.
Speaker ANice.
Speaker AThat is something that I really like.
Speaker AThere's some companies that have, shall we say, gotten away from that and they use the, like a flatline finisher that they will spray the stain on.
Speaker ABut I just love the, I love the look.
Speaker AYou get a much more furniture look with, with that hand rub stain.
Speaker AIt's just more of, well, that old school way of doing it.
Speaker AThat looks good.
Speaker CIt brings the grain out.
Speaker CIt really makes.
Speaker CIt really pronounces the wood.
Speaker CNice.
Speaker CYep.
Speaker CYeah, we like the handbra.
Speaker CWe don't spray any stains.
Speaker ANice, Nice.
Speaker AThat is a good one.
Speaker AWell, you know, Elvin, we're running a little out of time here.
Speaker AWe're getting close to the one hour mark on this show.
Speaker ABut if there are people out there that want to maybe become a dealer for you guys that are, that are a kitchen cabinetry designer, we have a lot of designers that listen to us here on the national radio show and podcast.
Speaker AWhat's the best way for them to reach out to you?
Speaker CWell, the best way is Just to call us and tell them they're interested and we'll gladly communicate with them and connect with them.
Speaker CYou want my phone number?
Speaker CDo you have that?
Speaker COur number and address and website.
Speaker COur website's perfect.
Speaker AThey can track you down from there.
Speaker CWe have a beautiful website.
Speaker CYou have that.
Speaker CWould that be on your show?
Speaker AYeah, absolutely.
Speaker AGo ahead and we can put, Go ahead and give it out there and I'll.
Speaker AWe'll make sure that it's in the show here and I'll put it in the show notes as well.
Speaker CYeah, you put your website on and our phone number.
Speaker CWe're, we have.
Speaker CWe still love to talk to people one to one.
Speaker CWe don't.
Speaker CWhen you call the Country Craft kitchens, you'll get a live person answering the phone.
Speaker CYou don't have to talk to a robot or push buttons.
Speaker CAnd you know, we have a friendly receptionist that likes to talk.
Speaker AThat is perfect.
Speaker AThat is perfect.
Speaker AAnd for the consumer out there that's thinking about building a house or last year at Thanksgiving they said, I'm not cooking another Thanksgiving in this kitchen again.
Speaker AWhat's the best way for them to find out more about you guys?
Speaker ASame website.
Speaker CYeah.
Speaker CWe have good sales people here, good reps to follow up.
Speaker CAnybody's welcome to call us.
Speaker CWe love to do business with anybody, anywhere.
Speaker AThat is perfect.
Speaker AI love it.
Speaker CWe invite people to come to visit us.
Speaker CCome to for a factory tour.
Speaker CCome and see the beautiful Pennsylvania Dutch country and take a tour of the factory.
Speaker APennsylvania Dutch country.
Speaker AI tell you what, it is beautiful.
Speaker AMy little brother actually lives up in Mechanicsburg and anytime I can get out that way to come take a look at that beautiful part of the world.
Speaker AI sure don't.
Speaker AI sure don't turn it down, if you know what I mean.
Speaker CWell, I hope if you come the next time, come and visit us again.
Speaker AOh, I would love to.
Speaker AAnd seeing factory tours, I think if you're in the area that is the most, simplest place to start is to see the people and you guys are jam packed with the people that love what they do.
Speaker AI noticed that you had a lot of families working out in the shop.
Speaker AMulti generational people that, oh, this is their person's cousin and this person's dad or grandfather, grandmother, whatever.
Speaker AYou have such a great crew out there.
Speaker CWe do.
Speaker CWe have a wonderful team and they love, they love to give the welcome tours here.
Speaker CWe like to give tours.
Speaker CSo thank you so much for interviewing us and we welcome everybody to come and visit us.
Speaker AI appreciate it.
Speaker AI'm Eric G.
Speaker AAnd you've been listening to around the House.
Speaker BTo find out more about country craft, visit their website@countrycraft.com make sure you use the letter K when you spell country and craft.
Speaker BThanks for tuning in.
Speaker BWe will catch you next time you've been listening to the around the House Show.