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For those of you who have done a kitchen remodel - how did you organize all of the various aspects of a remodel? Cabinets, backsplash, appliances, countertops, lighting, plumbing, sink, vent, etc etc.
Did you go with a general contractor, or did you just make a list of all of your needs and begin shopping around for each?
Would like to get this accomplished but the biggest thing standing in my way is looking at it and going "ugh...I dont want to deal with this" - at the same time dont want to overpay for someone to burn my money either.
Also, in your projects, has any one company/supplier really stood out as the bar none best value where you knew you had not only the best price, but the best results too?
I would recommend a general contractor. It's a nightmare coordinating all the permits and plumbers, etc. Call your local permitting office and ask who they work with that they rarely have problems. Contact these general contractors and ask for bids and references.
First thing to ask any contractor is how are you going to prevent dust and debris from getting all over the rest of my home. How are you going to protect the floors. Make sure they know that you intend to make sure they don't do anywork unless they prep the site first. You'd be amazed at how many don't do this. Even the more experienced one do it. If you don't mention it, they won't take care of it. Also, be careful of change orders. Everytime you want to make a change, they will charge you for that change, so sit down and carefully decide what you are going to do before you hire a general contractor or builder.
We did our kitchen remodel ourselves. Ordered everything, got the permits, got the inspections, installed it all (except the granite) ourselves as well. We saved a small fortune doing it this way (about $12K) BUT my husband is a do-it-yourself type person and he has had some experience doing other projects leading up to this.
First thing we did was pick out the cabinets and get them ordered. Once they were delivered and there were no issues, we started demo. We picked the granite shortly after since that will take some lead time as well (depending on where you go, we went to a granite yard, not home depot).
It was a fun project and actually quite easy. We did have to move our main water line from the pantry (we were knocking that out) to under the house. We did hire a plumber for that but all the other plumbing we did ourselves.
I'm sure our kitchen wasn't done as quickly as a GC might get it done, but my husband took a week of vacation when it came time to hang the new cabinets so all-in-all it took about 2 weeks to have a functioning kitchen and about 6 months for it to be completely finished (trim on the cabinets, tile and new appliances...and that was just me dragging my feet to pick make the choices).
We did our kitchen remodel ourselves. Ordered everything, got the permits, got the inspections, installed it all (except the granite) ourselves as well. We saved a small fortune doing it this way (about $12K) BUT my husband is a do-it-yourself type person and he has had some experience doing other projects leading up to this.
First thing we did was pick out the cabinets and get them ordered. Once they were delivered and there were no issues, we started demo. We picked the granite shortly after since that will take some lead time as well (depending on where you go, we went to a granite yard, not home depot).
It was a fun project and actually quite easy. We did have to move our main water line from the pantry (we were knocking that out) to under the house. We did hire a plumber for that but all the other plumbing we did ourselves.
I'm sure our kitchen wasn't done as quickly as a GC might get it done, but my husband took a week of vacation when it came time to hang the new cabinets so all-in-all it took about 2 weeks to have a functioning kitchen and about 6 months for it to be completely finished (trim on the cabinets, tile and new appliances...and that was just me dragging my feet to pick make the choices).
Curious-Is your kitchen floor hardwood or ceramic tiles? I am just trying to figure out between what is more practical vs. what would be more attractive to a potential buyer of a home when it comes to a kitchen.
I would recommend a general contractor. It's a nightmare coordinating all the permits and plumbers, etc. Call your local permitting office and ask who they work with that they rarely have problems. Contact these general contractors and ask for bids and references.
I know that Triangle Design Kitchens has a great reputation, and I've seen a lot of his work.
He is not a "budget guy", but does charge a fair price for above average work. Worth giving him a call to see if it might be a fit. Feel free to let him know that Bmateo sent you (or don't if you'd rather not), I've known Bill a LONG time.
We also remodeled our kitchen and were our own general contractor, but this was because we spread the work out over a few years to fit our budget. We did the floor first, hiring a guy to do the floors in our kitchen, laundry, and half bath in the hall. Then we hired a company to redo the cabinets, and another to install the new countertops+sink. We also had the gas company install a new cooktop and gas line to it. We did the new faucet, travertine backsplash, and painting ourselves.
Try Tim Peterson at 395-0887. He does good work. He can either help you or refer you to someone.
Ask around & find out who your friends have used. Unless you are more handy than the average person don't try to handle it all yourselves. A good general contractor or kitchen specialist will usually have good subcontractors for the electrical, plumbing, etc.
1st step -----------design the kitchen
2nd order cabinets -----figure out lead time
3rd use the lead time to figure out your schedule
4th do all demo and framing
5th have electrician, plumber and HVAC guys do there rough in
6th waste a couple of days waiting for the inspectors (if Apex expect failures add week to job schedule)
7th sheetrock and paint
8th hang cabinets and measure counter top
9th install counter
10th trim out
11th sand and finish floors
12th waste a couple of days waiting for inspectors
13th enjoy your new kitchen after living without one for 4-6 weeks (2-4 wks if no inspection are necessary)
1st step -----------design the kitchen
2nd order cabinets -----figure out lead time
3rd use the lead time to figure out your schedule
4th do all demo and framing
5th have electrician, plumber and HVAC guys do there rough in
6th waste a couple of days waiting for the inspectors (if Apex expect failures add week to job schedule)
7th sheetrock and paint
8th hang cabinets and measure counter top
9th install counter
10th trim out
11th sand and finish floors
12th waste a couple of days waiting for inspectors
13th enjoy your new kitchen after living without one for 4-6 weeks (2-4 wks if no inspection are necessary)
andy
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