When I purchased my 30-something home, I knew that kitchen remodeling would be one of the first projects on the list. As the saying goes, the kitchen is the heart of the home, and this home needed a transplant. I didn't want to merely replace the old with the new; I wanted this kitchen taken down to its studs. Many homeowners dream of being their own general contractor. I was one of those people. Fortunately, and for the sake of my future kitchen, I acknowledged my own limitations and started searching for a contractor.
After meeting with several contractors who claimed to specialize in kitchen remodeling, I didn't feel any closer to a start date than I did when I bought the house. It was clear that all of the articles that I had read about hiring contractors were wrong. I had dutifully done my homework, but was not rewarded with a contractor that I was willing to hire. If only my contractor would drop from the sky. A referral from my realtor led me to a design-build company. You won't find "design-build" as a heading in the local phonebook, but an internet search should provide plenty of options. With angst still lingering from my first round of contractor meetings, I scheduled an appointment.
Somewhere between my ideas and the budget, the designer asked me if I had considered shortening a floor-to-ceiling window and removing an odd doorway leading to the dining room. I certainly had not considered these options and couldn't hide my excitement at the prospect. A whole new landscape for my kitchen remodeling was evolving.
The design, drawn to scale, would cost $200 and I had the option to hire the design-build company to do the work, or, take the design to another contractor. No matter what my decision, for $200, I owned the design. I felt like I stepped into a home improvement show and could hardly wait for my design to be delivered.
To my delight, the design was everything that I wanted, including elevation drawings. After some minor tweaks to the cabinetry and a round of budget negotiations, I hired the design-build company to do the work. By using the design-build company, my kitchen remodeling project retained cohesiveness between concept, design, and execution that may have been lost if I would have used another company or even been my own general contractor. The design itself would never have come to life if an experienced designer with an eye for utilizing space hadn't offered alternatives. All of this and I was still within my budget.
Finding a good contractor was more challenging than I had expected, but the success of the project is directly proportional to finding the right contractor. If kitchen remodeling is in your future, research design-build companies in your area so that you too can bask in success.
After meeting with several contractors who claimed to specialize in kitchen remodeling, I didn't feel any closer to a start date than I did when I bought the house. It was clear that all of the articles that I had read about hiring contractors were wrong. I had dutifully done my homework, but was not rewarded with a contractor that I was willing to hire. If only my contractor would drop from the sky. A referral from my realtor led me to a design-build company. You won't find "design-build" as a heading in the local phonebook, but an internet search should provide plenty of options. With angst still lingering from my first round of contractor meetings, I scheduled an appointment.
Somewhere between my ideas and the budget, the designer asked me if I had considered shortening a floor-to-ceiling window and removing an odd doorway leading to the dining room. I certainly had not considered these options and couldn't hide my excitement at the prospect. A whole new landscape for my kitchen remodeling was evolving.
The design, drawn to scale, would cost $200 and I had the option to hire the design-build company to do the work, or, take the design to another contractor. No matter what my decision, for $200, I owned the design. I felt like I stepped into a home improvement show and could hardly wait for my design to be delivered.
To my delight, the design was everything that I wanted, including elevation drawings. After some minor tweaks to the cabinetry and a round of budget negotiations, I hired the design-build company to do the work. By using the design-build company, my kitchen remodeling project retained cohesiveness between concept, design, and execution that may have been lost if I would have used another company or even been my own general contractor. The design itself would never have come to life if an experienced designer with an eye for utilizing space hadn't offered alternatives. All of this and I was still within my budget.
Finding a good contractor was more challenging than I had expected, but the success of the project is directly proportional to finding the right contractor. If kitchen remodeling is in your future, research design-build companies in your area so that you too can bask in success.
No comments:
Post a Comment