Washington contractor builds homes and cabinets

Strabala Construction began in 2003 as a general construction contractor much like any other, building and remodeling homes around the Washington area.

From the start, Owner Brian Strabala found the work often overlapped with his former field of expertise under a different employer: custom cabinet-making. Once the construction business got off the ground, he started offering that more specific service to clients, crafting drawers and cupboards by hand in his own garage.

By 2007, Strabala had branded the side gig Southeast Iowa Cabinets LLC, and it’s grown considerably in the years since. Strabala still offers the custom kitchen pieces — now through a dedicated workshop in town — but also serves as a retailer for Bertch brand stock cabinets. He recently bought out another local cabinet maker, further expanding the brand from its humble beginnings.

While cabinet production often goes hand-in-hand with home building and renovation work, it’s not typical for a contractor to provide both services themselves. Many of Strabala’s clients are contractors themselves, outsourcing help on kitchen projects.

“There’s not many out there that do custom cabinets,” he said. “It’s a whole other mindset, it takes a lot of specialty equipment.”

As for what sets his work apart, Strabala says it’s simply a matter of quality.

Both the construction and cabinet businesses take pride in their experienced team members, top-notch workmanship and goal to offer the best products possible.

“We take pride in what we do,” he said. “I’ve done this for probably 32 years, and I have good, experienced help that helps make it fly, and we can really do some neat stuff.”