Ah the kitchen! The most dreaded remodel, and yet the most valuable. Value - as in, 80-90% of your remodel dollar will be returned at re-sale. Value - as in, the satisfaction of cooking and entertaining in the kitchen of your dreams - both aesthetically and functionally. So, consider the following things before you begin… and maybe you can remove the dread and enjoy the process.
When considering a full-blown, change the size and shape of your kitchen remodel, do you need an architect? This decision depends on 1) can you find one who will be willing to work with your contractor and vice versa; 2) are both parties simultaneously planning the most workable, efficient, most cost effective project? Do not allow yourself to be sold a fancy, complex project when all you really needed was a few more feet in the dining area. You do this by making sure both parties are cooperating, providing you with legitimate reasons for their ideas and designing something that can actually be built into your home. Architects have great ideas, but contractors know if they will work - that is why I think you need to have both parties working on this at the same time. Also, insist that they hear what you are saying. If you want a traditional farm house look, don’t settle for the latest contemporary European styling.
If this sounds too complicated, then go with a design build contractor who will have in-house designers and access to architects that they have already worked with.
The biggest cost in the kitchen remodel is in the cabinetry. I felt a shudder through the web! Determine early on what you are willing to tolerate.
Option 1: If you select a local built from scratch cabinet company, expect time delays. These delays will be from design issues and quality control efforts. Several ways to accommodate these delays: after designing the kitchen, order the cabinets and have them onsite before construction begins. This way, the special cabinetry is not causing a crisis for the contractor or for you. Another way to avoid crisis is to insist that the cabinet maker be apart of the design process too. The final, most important way to avoid trouble is to thoroughly research the cabinet company. Build successive payments into the contract - do not pay the next invoice until you have personally inspected the process and verified that the reality matches the schedule. Finally, have a penalty clause built in - a day or 2 delay for a quality control issue is one thing; several unaccountable weeks is unacceptable. Just know that with penalty clauses, be prepared for that company to counter with a proposal where you pay them more if it is done sooner.
Option 2: There are many big name cabinet companies out there. Working with their reps and with the other members of the design team, you should be able to avoid too much hassle with the cabinetry issue. The big name companies have the quality control, ordering and delivery systems automated. They also have a wide enough selection of choices that you can still customize your order. Customizing comes from you being able to get what you want, the way you want it. Insist on this throughout the cabinet process – it can be done. Payment with these companies will normally be 50-50; do not make a payment until you feel that everything is right. Do not make the final payment until the cabinets have been delivered and inspected. As with option 1, research the company placing your order.
Trust your guts in the selection of architect, contractor and cabinet company, they will not let you down. After all of the fact finding has been done, and you are considering similarly qualified candidates, you have to rely on personality choices. If one just feels right, select that candidate – they will be the right one for you. And you must be able to enjoy this process – it is too much time and money not to.
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