If you’re thinking of building a new home, or hold close to the dream of updating your kitchen, bath, or some other area of your home, here’s a word of advice: Don’t even begin until you’ve had the chance to peruse the gallery of work amassed over the past three decades by Jeff Priebe’s team at Priebe’s Creative Woodworking. Especially if you value creativity, ingenuity, and remarkable craftsmanship. A virtual walk through the amazing body of work that the Priebe’s team have crafted over the years will spark your own desires and give you a whole new perspective on what’s possible.
Jeff founded Priebe’s Creative Woodworking on Plaza Drive in Benton Harbor in 1995 with a commitment to establishing a trustworthy reputation for his custom cabinetry company. His wife Lillian has been a tremendous added resource, and rounds out a team of designers and craftsmen who bring not only expert knowledge, but more importantly an unending dedication to quality, helping provide results that consistently exceed the expectations of clients across the board.
I sat down with Jeff and Lillian recently to help find the best way to tell their truly unique story and Jeff immediately suggested, “Really there’s nothing magical about our story in any way other than we work hard and have been blessed to be a part of many homes.”
It might not be magic itself, but the end results are decidedly magical to those who sign on to obtain the full measure of what the Priebe team brings to the drawing table every time.
In any industry, a key element is consistency, and Jeff & Lillian are privileged to tell us that they have a vast majority of the same employees on staff—they are family. As Jeff notes, “Some of our team members have been here for 20-plus years. That’s been a real key advantage for us. The craftmanship of building, finishing & installing cabinetry takes years to learn we would love to see the younger generations take an interest in learning this trade.
I asked Lillian to focus for a moment on the misconception Priebe’s Creative Woodworking is beyond the reach of many, and she made an excellent point, telling me, “If someone values having something that lasts a long time, then we’re clearly the option for them. A homeowner can purchase discounted cabinetry and while it might look great initially—if the space is highly used it will not last—you’re going to be unhappy in the long run.”
Jeff adds, “Our biggest goal is to be able to educate the client, ‘You can get cabinets cheaper. Just like you can get a cheaper car, or a cheaper contractor. Essentially, you can get everything cheaper.’ We never want to be outrageously priced, we just want to be priced appropriately for the quality of the materials we’ll use for you, and the service that you’re getting. Ultimately, you do get what you pay for.” Going further, Jeff says, “if you want all-wood cabinetry, and you want the confidence in having a quality product that comes with warranty and service—it’s naturally going to cost more. On the other hand, if you want particleboard cabinetry, there’s really not much to service nor are you guaranteed any longevity.”
Philosophically speaking, Jeff suggests that “It’s easy for most people to get 90-percent of a job complete, but it’s that last 10-percent that makes a huge difference, so we focus on that critical 10-percent to achieve one hundred-percent completion and satisfaction.” By that, he means it all boils down to the fine-tuning of adjusting doors and drawers, making certain the hardware is perfectly straight, miters on moldings are flawless, etc. The reality is that many product lines can look fine coming out of the box, but it’s all about the installation and making sure that everything looks complete that makes a difference.
The team at Priebe’s spend so much time assuring the quality of our higher-end cabinetry, and focus on delivering the best service possible in order to back up what we sell and what we install. This is what their clients value. Jeff promises, “We will do what we say we’re going to do, and we have a high degree of expertise because everyone who’s here has been in the business for a very long time. It’s like that one insurance commercial. ‘We know a thing or two because we’ve seen a thing or two.‘ That’s fundamental for us.”
Building or remodeling a kitchen, bath or other focal point of your home is not rocket science, but it’s not a cake walk either. Jeff explains, “Essentially, no matter what price point the project for your home is, our ultimate goal is that when we’re done, your home has appreciated in value. We want to help guide people to know that they’ll recover their money by doing things in a quality way.”
Just because you have a modest home, doesn’t mean you can’t have a spectacular kitchen of top quality. However, as Jeff will be the first to tell you, “If you’re just looking for low numbers, we’re likely not the team for you.” He goes on to explain, “Many times, big box stores, just fill your space with cabinetry but there isn’t a lot of creativity that goes into providing a highly functional space. A client might want to have a nice big drawer for pots and pans or a pullout rack for spices. Functionality is quite critical, and often marks a huge difference between a cheaper kitchen cost.” The bottom line — little things do matter, and they can be costly.
Jeff proudly notes, ‘We have done thousands of kitchens and baths over the past 27 years. That says a lot when you’re thinking about what our business has provided to our community. We know how to do what we do—all day, every day very well, and we don’t cut corners. We want to do the best for all of our clients—treating their project as if it’s our own home and we’re living there. We will not compromise on quality workmanship.”
Lillian, too, is proud of the Priebe heritage, and says, “We stay busy by providing good service and a good cabinet line. The Omega cabinet line which comes from Iowa has been a part of the company for 25 years, they have been a true tested brand for us. In fact, we rarely have any call-backs. When you think of the sheer volume that we have installed yet with few call-backs, that’s just a resounding message that we’ve got a quality product.”
The Priebe team also does an astounding business in providing quality countertops as well. In fact, Jeff reports, “We have our own in-house fabrication, which allows us to control most importantly our quality and scheduling. That’s an advantage that we bring in addition to working closely with all the other subcontractors to help keep the project timeline moving.”
The Priebe team works with builders, architects, designers, and homeowners directly. They have an extensive cadre of professional partners they can recommend for other aspects of the job from flooring to lighting, plumbing and beyond. They have handled hundreds of unique spaces including wine cellars, murphy beds to entertainment centers, bookcases and entire libraries for discerning clients.
Elegant woodwork. Superb cabinetry. Focus on quality. Attention to detail. Engineered drawings. Fresh and innovative ideas. A long and storied history of excellence at every turn. Those are the hallmarks of Priebe’s Creative Woodworking. Find them at 2113 Plaza Drive in Benton Harbor, by phone at 269-926-2469, on Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest and Houzz, or click the link below for their robust website online: https://priebeswoodworking.com/
