Who to hire to remodel kitchen? (San Diego: countertops, 2nd mortgage, refinance)

[djxpress]

I'm thinking of remodeling the 1950's kitchen (new cabinets, counters, stove, sink). Should I go through a service that Home Depot/Lowes offers, or should I consider buying my stuff from one of those kitchen and flooring stores and using them to install (i.e. the stores on Miramar Rd)?

My kitchen is about a 20x10 rectangle space. What's a ballpark for granite, tile floor, maple cabinets and install? Am I looking at $15,000+?

I need to start saving.

Here are a couple of pictures:

Kitchen 1

Kitchen 2

Kitchen 3

[bigdaddy5]

Yes, Home Depot has contractors for hire if you leave a job request at the Customer Service desk. Folks there should be able to walk you through it. When I needed some ceiling fans installed, I left a contractor job request, got some phone calls with price quotes and went with one. Our contractor did quite a good job, we called him back for exterior lighting/garage lighting work also.

You can try Angie's List but the contractors with the best ratings there are sometimes too busy, with the Home Depot route, the contractors who give quotes are usually available immediately.

[cruitr]

I've found some great contractors using Yelp. As an example, we just had our windows cleaned. Found a great young guy on Yelp. Our windows have never been cleaner. Never would have found this guy any other way because he does zero advertising. We had to wait two weeks just to get on his calendar.

Just search Yelp for 'kitchen remodel' for San Diego and start reading the reviews. Get several estimates. If you have the time, check the contractor's references too.

[mongozx]

I remodeled my kitchen thru Lowes just last year. Changed the tile counters to a Curava "engineered glass" and cabinets to a more modern silver and dark brown wood look. Changed all the appliances to LG with a more uniform brushed metal finish. Also got rid of the microwave/vent above the stove and had them install one of those sleek new vents. Didn't change the layout. Just wanted a more modern look.

Grand total including Lowes installation of the cabinets/counters and new appliances (except the fridge which we got when we first moved in): $25k. Yes I know it's quite steep but I was ready for it.

The best part is that the design phase with the Lowes lady was totally free. Consultation can be expensive! I already knew what I wanted and told her exactly what needed to be done. They came in and installed it flawlessly.

[djxpress]

What I want to know is where people get $25k to remodel a kitchen? Credit, 2nd mortgage? It seems like so many neighbors I see getting new roofs, remodels, etc...and I wonder where they get all this money? I make more than the average household income in SD, and I can't seem to afford any of that stuff!

[mongozx]

Originally Posted by djxpress

What I want to know is where people get $25k to remodel a kitchen? Credit, 2nd mortgage? It seems like so many neighbors I see getting new roofs, remodels, etc...and I wonder where they get all this money? I make more than the average household income in SD, and I can't seem to afford any of that stuff!

Well for me it's credit. I payed half in cash and the other half Lowes started a credit card for me for 12 months 0% interest. Pay it off before the 0% expires. It's what I mainly do for my large purchases.

[mauialoha]

yes and you can do it cheaper if you know some people and/or do some of the work yourself. I redid our kitchen for around $6000 including new Samsung appliances.

I used an associate at Home Depot to choose the cabinets and general layout. My helper at work came and helped me demo the old kitchen. I paid him $200 plus $26 to dump the old stuff off my truck at the Transfer Station.

I do masonry construction myself so I have a truck and some tools etc. Anyway, my helper and a friend who does cabinet installation came and did the cabinet install in one day with me assisting, running to HD etc. Cost, $200 for each guy. ( I think the cabinets cost about $1000)

I had Home Depot come and measure for the countertops and do the install ($900 for nice laminate, granite/quartz $2500). I had a plumber (and helper) come and install the new sink, refrigerator hook up, and dishwasher ($600). I had redone the floor the year prior.

I ran new wiring for the new stove and microwave and installed the microwave above. I rented a tile saw and installed a glass tile backsplash.

This was lots of work. I spent a whole day installing the handles on the cabinets. It took six weekends to do in part because I had to have the cabinets installed before they will measure for the counters. It was done with the regular Hampton Bay cabinets which are not expensive, we did special order Shaker style and they look real nice.

[Cardiff Kook]

Originally Posted by djxpress

What I want to know is where people get $25k to remodel a kitchen? Credit, 2nd mortgage? It seems like so many neighbors I see getting new roofs, remodels, etc...and I wonder where they get all this money? I make more than the average household income in SD, and I can't seem to afford any of that stuff!

Straight cash. Fat tax refunds usually pay for it

[earlyretirement]

Originally Posted by djxpress

What I want to know is where people get $25k to remodel a kitchen? Credit, 2nd mortgage? It seems like so many neighbors I see getting new roofs, remodels, etc...and I wonder where they get all this money? I make more than the average household income in SD, and I can't seem to afford any of that stuff!

djxpress,

I often wonder this as well but I'm convinced people are leveraging their credit cards. Now, like before, the credit card companies are doling out credit. It's not as bad as the bubble years but my mailbox is full of those pre-printed checks that I can use to deposit into my account or pay anyone.

I'm sure a good amount of people are accessing credit card via these checks. They ding you with 3% fee to use it but then it just goes on your credit card. I believe we'll see a problem again probably in 2 years with these unsecured lines of credit that people are tapping.

[GuyInSD]

Originally Posted by djxpress

What I want to know is where people get $25k to remodel a kitchen? Credit, 2nd mortgage? It seems like so many neighbors I see getting new roofs, remodels, etc...and I wonder where they get all this money? I make more than the average household income in SD, and I can't seem to afford any of that stuff!

Well, if you've been in your property for some time, one easy route is to refinance and turn some of that equity into $. Just be sure NOT to over-extend yourself.