Rush Cabinet Doors vs Waiting: A Cost Analysis

The Math That Changed How I Think About Rush Fees

A contractor I know (good guy, smart operator) told me once that he never pays rush fees. "It's a waste of money," he said. "I just wait." He was proud of it. Like it was a badge of discipline.

Six months later, I ran into him at a supplier. He looked tired. Said he'd just spent two weeks shuffling crews because three doors came in wrong and his supplier couldn't turn replacements faster than 14 days. His guys had been bouncing between two jobs, half-finishing both, making everyone frustrated.

"How much did that cost you?" I asked.

He did the math in his head. Crew hours. Truck gas. A callback to fix something they'd rushed the first time. The client who'd already started telling friends the job was running late.

"$1,500, maybe more. Plus a bad review."

"The rush fee would have been $200."

He didn't argue.

That conversation stayed with me. It revealed something I see constantly: contractors focus on the visible cost (the rush fee) while ignoring the invisible costs (everything that happens while waiting). The math almost always favors rushing, but you have to actually run the numbers to see it.

The Number Everyone Focuses on

Our typical rush fee ranges from $150 to $300 depending on order size and current capacity. That's the number most contractors see when they're deciding whether to rush or wait.

Order Size	Typical Rush Fee
1-5 doors	$150-200
6-15 doors	$200-250
16-30 doors	$250-300
30+ doors	Custom quote

That fee feels like an unnecessary expense when standard delivery is "free." But here's the thing: standard delivery isn't free. It just hides the cost somewhere else.

The rush fee is an honest, transparent cost. You know exactly what you're paying. The cost of waiting is hidden across half a dozen categories that don't show up on any invoice. But they're real. And they're usually bigger than the rush fee.

The Hidden Costs of Waiting

Let me break down every category of cost that accumulates while you wait for doors.

1. Crew Idle Time

This is the most obvious hidden cost, but contractors consistently underestimate it.

Let's say you have an installer who makes $40/hour. Two days sitting around waiting for doors costs you $640 in wages for zero productivity.

Crew Size	Hourly Labor Cost	1 Day Waiting	2 Days Waiting	1 Week Waiting
1 person	$40/hour	$320	$640	$1,600
2 people	$80/hour	$640	$1,280	$3,200
3 people	$120/hour	$960	$1,920	$4,800

At a 2-person crew, one day of waiting costs more than most rush fees.

And that's assuming you can send them somewhere else. If they're committed to this job and there's no alternative work, you're paying for nothing. If there is alternative work, you're still burning truck miles, setup time, and mental context-switching.

I've seen contractors argue that their guys can "work on something else." But what usually happens is half-days on two jobs, where neither job gets full attention, and quality suffers on both.

2. Delayed Final Payment

Most remodeling contracts structure payments in phases: deposit, rough-in payment, and final payment on completion. That final payment often represents 30-40% of the contract value.

Every day you wait for doors is another day that final check sits in your client's account instead of yours.

Contract Value	Final Payment (30%)	Days Delayed	Cash Flow Impact
$15,000	$4,500	7 days	$4,500 unavailable
$25,000	$7,500	14 days	$7,500 unavailable
$40,000	$12,000	14 days	$12,000 unavailable

On a $40,000 remodel delayed by two weeks, you're operating without $12,000 in receivables that should be in your account. If you're carrying any debt or credit lines, that's real interest cost. If you need that cash for payroll or materials on the next job, you're now borrowing against future work.

Cash flow is the lifeblood of small contracting businesses. Delayed final payments kill more contractors than bad reviews do.

3. Schedule Cascade Effect

One delayed project pushes the next one back. Now your second client is frustrated before you even show up.

Here's how it typically cascades:

Week	What Happens
Week 1	Doors don't arrive. Current project stalls.
Week 2	Still waiting. Next project start date approaching.
Week 3	Next client expecting you. You're still on previous job.
Week 4	You push back next project. Client is annoyed.
Week 5	Playing catch-up. Third project now at risk.

I've watched contractors burn months of goodwill because they tried to save $200 on a rush fee. The compounding damage isn't worth it.

Each pushed project creates a conversation where you have to explain why you're late. Each conversation chips away at trust. Each client tells their friends about the delay. The damage radiates outward from one door order.

4. Reputation Damage

"They were great but it took forever" is a 4-star review, not a 5-star review.

And 4-star reviews don't generate referrals. Not like 5-star reviews do.

Review Type	Referral Rate	Long-term Value
5-star	High	Repeat business, word of mouth
4-star	Medium	Some repeat, limited referrals
3-star	Low	Minimal future business
2-star or below	Negative	Actively hurts future business

The difference between "Excellent, finished on time" and "Good work but project ran late" is enormous over time. That one delayed project becomes a permanent drag on your reputation.

Online reviews compound. A contractor with ten 5-star reviews has social proof that generates leads. A contractor with eight 5-star reviews and two "took forever" reviews has planted doubts in every potential client's mind.

5. Opportunity Cost

While you're stuck on a delayed project, you can't take on new work. Every week you're waiting for doors is a week you could be generating revenue elsewhere.

Your Typical Weekly Revenue	Weeks Delayed	Opportunity Cost
$3,000	1	Up to $3,000
$3,000	2	Up to $6,000
$5,000	2	Up to $10,000

Even if you're only operating at 50% capacity during the delay, you're leaving money on the table.

6. Client Relationship Damage

Beyond the public review, there's private relationship damage. A frustrated client won't call you for their next project. They won't recommend you to their sister. They'll remember the delay every time your name comes up.

The value of a happy client extends far beyond the current project. Repeat business and referrals are the most profitable work any contractor does. Zero marketing cost, high trust, smooth projects. Delays put all of that at risk.

Calculating the Real Cost: A Framework

Here's a simple framework for deciding whether to rush:

Cost Category	Calculate
Crew idle time	(Crew hourly rate) × (Hours waiting)
Cash flow impact	(Final payment) × (Days delayed ÷ 365) × (Your borrowing rate)
Schedule cascade	Value of next project × Probability of delay × Reputation damage factor
Opportunity cost	(Average weekly revenue) × (Weeks delayed) × (Capacity utilization)
Reputation impact	(Probability of worse review) × (Lifetime value of lost referrals)

You don't need precise numbers. Rough estimates are enough to see the pattern. In almost every emergency situation, the rush fee is the cheapest option.

When Rush Fees Pay for Themselves

Pay the rush fee when:

Crew idle time would exceed the fee. This usually happens in less than one day. If your crew costs $80/hour and they'd sit for 4 hours, the $200 rush fee is already justified.

The delay would push your next project start. Any schedule cascade should trigger rush consideration. The downstream costs are too high.

The client relationship is high-value. Repeat customers, referral sources, or clients with large social networks are worth protecting. A bad experience with them costs more than any rush fee.

You quoted a specific completion date. Your reputation is on the line. Missing a committed date is worse than paying for speed.

The delay would cause significant cash flow issues. If you need that final payment to make payroll or fund the next project, rush is insurance.

When Waiting Makes Sense

Standard 21-day delivery is the right choice when:

You're ordering well ahead of install. If you've got 3+ weeks before you need doors, standard timing works fine. No rush needed.

The project has genuine scheduling flexibility. Some remodels aren't on tight timelines. If the client is relaxed about completion date, so can you be.

The order is large enough that rush capacity is limited. Big orders may not be rush-able. In that case, plan accordingly from the start.

You've got other productive work for your crew. If waiting for doors means your guys can knock out another job in full, the math might favor waiting.

The delay won't cascade to other projects. If this is your only active job and nothing else is scheduled soon, the urgency is lower.

I'm not trying to sell you rush fees you don't need. If standard timing genuinely works for your situation, take it. Rush is for emergencies, not for preference.

Real Example: Kitchen Remodel in Bradenton

Let me walk through an actual decision one of our customers faced.

A contractor needed 3 replacement doors after a measurement error. Standard sizing, shaker profile, nothing exotic. His options:

Option 1: Wait 21 days for standard delivery

Cost Category	Amount
Rush fee saved	$0
Crew reallocation (2 guys, 5 days each)	$1,600
Delayed final payment cash flow impact	~$200
Customer frustration (resulted in 4-star review)	Hard to quantify
Cascade effect (delayed next project start by 1 week)	~$500 in shuffling costs
Total real cost	~$1,660

Option 2: Rush 5-day delivery

Cost Category	Amount
Rush fee	$250
Project completed on schedule	$0
Happy customer (5-star review)	$0
Payment received on time	$0
Next project started on schedule	$0
Total real cost	$250

The rush fee paid for itself more than 6x over.

This pattern repeats constantly. The visible cost of rushing is small. The invisible costs of waiting are large. But you only see the invisible costs when you actually account for them.

The Decision Framework

Here's my simple rule: if the crew will sit idle for more than half a day waiting for doors, the rush fee is worth it.

The math almost always works out. Half a day of idle time for a 2-person crew is $320. Most rush fees are below that threshold.

Beyond idle time, consider:

• Will this delay affect another project? Rush.
• Is this client high-value for repeat/referral business? Rush.
• Did you commit to a completion date? Rush.
• Will delay cause cash flow stress? Rush.

If none of those apply, and you have flexibility, standard delivery is fine.

Learn More

See exactly how our 5-day turnaround works with step-by-step process details.

Read about project delays caused by cabinet doors and how they cascade through your business.

Explore our complete emergency cabinet replacement program.

FAQ

How much is the typical rush fee?

$150-300 depending on order size. We quote exactly before you commit.

Is the rush fee refundable if I change my mind?

Before production starts, yes. After production starts, no.

What if I need rush but capacity is full?

We'll tell you immediately and offer the fastest alternative available.

Can I negotiate the rush fee?

The fee reflects real costs. We're transparent about what it covers and don't inflate it, so there's not much room to negotiate.

Get a Rush Quote

Call 941-417-0202 for immediate pricing. We quote rush orders in under 2 hours.

That contractor I mentioned at the start? He orders from us now. And yes, he's paid rush fees when he needed them. He did the math. The math doesn't lie.

Ready to solve your door emergency? We built our rush program for exactly these situations.