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Inspired Remodels

Author: Inspired Remodels

man with a hammer

How to Hire a Home Remodel Contractor

By / Home Improvement / Comments Off on How to Hire a Home Remodel Contractor

Earlier this month we looked at hiring a kitchen remodel company. The skill set for remodeling a kitchen is similar, but there are some specific things you need to know before you hire a home remodel contractor. Chances are, your home remodel contractor will be working in more than one room. They might even add a room to your house. Here’s how to hire a home remodel contractor in Orange County.

Understand the Regulatory Requirements

Some jobs require permits and others do not. Failing to get permits when permits are required leads to problems down the road. Your insurance company may refuse to cover your house if it violates code and the costs to bring your home into compliance will probably be greater than if you had followed code in the beginning. That’s because engineers may be brought in to assess the structure.

So, just start by finding out what work requires a permit and what does not. Then when talking to your home remodel contractor, find out if they will be responsible for pulling the permits. If the contractor asks the homeowner to get the permits that’s a warning sign. The contractor may have problems with their license or insurance that will be uncovered during the permit application.

discuss budget with kitchen model company before picking a design

Be Honest About Your Budget

You know how much to have to spend on your remodel project. Be honest with the contractor about it. A seasoned contractor knows that you should include a contingency amount in the total budget. An experienced home remodel contractor can also tell you if your budget is realistic.

Get the work to be covered by your budgeted amount in writing. In other words, make sure you have a contract and the contract specifies the amount budgeted. You will also want to include a change order process. If during the project changes are required to the scope of the work (such as discovering a load bearing wall), the contract should include a process for approving these changes.

If the contractor excludes items from the contract, find out the value of these items to make sure you are still on budget. For example, if the project includes the installation of barn doors but the contract doesn’t include the actual cost of the doors, you need to make sure they are in your budget.

Also, remember that when it comes to home remodeling materials and workmanship the cost reflects the quality.

hire a home remodel contractor you can connect with

Connect with the Contractor

Don’t hire a home remodel contractor that you can’t personally connect with. This company is going to be in your house and they may be there for weeks.

You need a contractor with a personality and style that meshes with your own. You also need to know you can connect with the contractor when you have questions or a problem occurs. A reputable home remodel contractor like Inspired Remodels will provide you with a point person for the entirety of the project. Make sure this is a person that works well with your personality and style.

Home remodeling is stressful. Dreading a conversation, text or email with the contractor only adds more stress. So, select someone you can communicate with.

check the license of your home remodel contractor online

Check those Credentials and References

This is so obvious but it must be said. Check the references and credentials of the contractor. It’s easy to check a license online with the State of California and with sites such as Google and Yelp, it’s easy to find references. Be like Nike and just do it.

Orange County Home Remodel Contractor with Integrity

You won’t go wrong if you go with Inspired Remodels. That’s the home remodel contractor with integrity and a long list of happy customers and successful projects.

Contact us online or call (949) 716-1938 and schedule a consultation today.

 

Hiring a Kitchen Remodel Company Shouldn’t Be Scary

By / Kitchen Remodel / Comments Off on Hiring a Kitchen Remodel Company Shouldn’t Be Scary

Thinking of a kitchen remodel or renovation but the thought of hiring a kitchen remodel company is frightening?  Everyone has heard horror stories about remodel companies from hell.  You don’t want a new kitchen but you don’t want to make the mistake of hiring the wrong kitchen remodel company.  Follow these tips for hiring the right kitchen remodel company and safe your fears for zombie movies.

Use a Kitchen Remodel Company with Design and Construction Crews

There are architects, designers, and contractors.  Make sure you hire a kitchen remodel company with the right people. You need a designer to transform your dream into a floor plan with finishes that stay in your budget. A company that offers design services is the best arrangement possible.

Experienced kitchen remodelers can tell you whether your desired layout requires extensive changes to plumbing, electrical, or structural components.  Changing these items is costly.  An experienced and talented designer translates your wants and needs into a design that honors your budget. 

Remember to look at designs and pictures together.  Ensure that you and your designer mean the same thing when you say  “contemporary” or “traditional”.  The design team member must understand your needs and wants for lighting, storage, fixtures, and appliances.  If you have poor communication in this stage, the project will probably be a failure with both of you frustrated and unhappy. Remember, if you can’t discuss the kitchen remodel cost and time frame comfortably, you need to pick another kitchen remodel company.

Take a look at their recent work. See if their style meshes with yours or if they successfully adapt their style to their client. Run from a firm that repeats the same design time and again and just changes the finishes.  They lack  imagination.

discuss budget with kitchen model company before picking a designDiscuss Time and Cost Frankly

Any kitchen remodel company will give an estimate before work starts. Ask about what the estimate covers.   Do you know if the finishes are contractor grade?  Are appliances and fixtures included?  How do they handle problems? Who is responsible for going over budget?

Speaking of budget, go ahead and have that discussion up-front.  You may want a farmhouse sink and a prep station with an additional sink, but lack the budget for both.  Discuss the budget in the beginning. It helps you prioritize  wants and needs. Nothing is worse than being presented with a layout, finishes, and appliances you can’t afford. A waste of your time and the designer’s time too.

Understanding the time frame for the actual work is crucial as well. You need to know more than how long it will take.  You need to know when the job starts.  If the project requires permits and inspections, this adds to the time to complete. 

Recognizing a Reputable Kitchen Remodel Contractor

Don’t fall for a company that presents a design and fails on execution.  These days it’s easy to vet any contractor by checking their reputation on-line.

Google the company name.  Look for reviews from Yelp, Angie’s List and Houzz.

Don’t forget to check the status of the company’s license.  California has a website for checking the status of a contractor’s license.  If you check the license for Inspired Remodels at CA.gov, you will find the company has an active license, is bonded, and carries worker’s compensation insurance.  Since a kitchen remodel company must do their work in your house, it’s crucial that they carry worker’s compensation insurance for your own protection.

It doesn’t hurt to check with the local Better Business Bureau. In the best case scenario, you won’t discover any complaints.  But if you there are complaints, see how the company handles them.  Exceptional customer service is defined by problems are resolved. You want to do business with a kitchen remodel company that handles problems or complaints if they get them.

Inspired Kitchen Remodels

Inspired Remodels is the Orange County kitchen remodel company that provides design and remodel services.  Hire a kitchen remodel contractor that’s with you from the initial design until the last trace of construction dust is removed from the kitchen.  You get the kitchen remodel of  your dreams within your budget. 

Call (949) 716-1938 or Contact Us online to schedule your consultation today.

custom kitchen remodeling job added blue lights for accent color to an otherwise neutral kitchen

Kitchen Remodel Company Brings Function to Beauty

By / Kitchen Remodel / Comments Off on Kitchen Remodel Company Brings Function to Beauty

When you remodel any room in the house, you want it to look awesome. But when you remodel a room as important as the kitchen, it needs to look good and work well.  After all, a kitchen is as much a workroom as a hobby garage. You need room to store the tools of the trade, do your work, and share your masterpieces. Any kitchen remodel company worth their salt (pun intended) can install attractive cabinets and counters. But it takes a special kitchen remodel company to create a space that’s a treat for the eye and the cook. Inspired Remodels does it on a regular basis. Here’s how.

kitchen remodel company creates floor plan based on triangle

The Kitchen Triangle

No, the kitchen triangle isn’t a sordid affair between the lime, salt, and chili powder. The kitchen work triangle refers to the arrangement of the major work stations in the kitchen. That’s the sink, the refrigerator, and the stove/oven. Each makes up one point of the triangle. No leg of the triangle should be more than 9 feet long. The sum of all three sides should be somewhere between 13 and 26 feet to be ideal. There are just too many steps if it’s larger.

This is some serious stuff. It’s based on time-motion studies on the most effective way for a one-cook kitchen to achieve true efficiency. While today’s kitchens often have more than one cook, the kitchen triangle or it’s cousin, the kitchen zone still creates a game plan for efficiency. The kitchen zone concept creates zones for food preparation, cleaning, baking, and cooking. These zones usually end up in a variation of the kitchen triangle.

Kitchen Remodel Company Deploys Kitchen Triangle

Putting the Triangle into Action

Take a look at the lovely kitchen above. Pay particular attention to the stove in relation to the refrigerator. Next, see how the fridge is across from the sink?  Can you see the triangle in this kitchen?

Now can you see it? It might have been tempting to use the space next to the cooktop for the refrigerator and use the refrigerator wall to create a large work space. But the savvy kitchen remodel company understands that fridge door needs to be opened and closed several times during meal prep.

Had it been located next to the stove it would have saved steps, but it would have been awkward.

A functional kitchen flows. You move smoothly and without friction from one area to the next.

Can you see yourself working in this kitchen?

And speaking of working, notice the work area station to the right of the stove. When you take a hot pan out of the oven, there’s a place for it.

There’s ample room for the traditional 3 step breading station. And it looks great!

 

Inspired Remodels is the Kitchen Remodel Company to Call

When you are ready to put kitchen remodel dreams into action, call the kitchen remodel company that will ensure you get a kitchen that works hard and looks good doing it. Call Inspired Remodels.

Inspired Remodels is a full-service design and build remodel company. From the initial design stage to polishing the chrome on the new kitchen faucet, they’ll be with you every step of the way. Call (949) 716-1938 or Contact Us online today.