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 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.