How do you hire the right kitchen remodeler?
If you do an internet search for remodelers in your area (such as “Kitchen Remodeler, Quincy, MA), your computer screen will be populated with unlimited results. In this sea of potential remodelers in your area, how do you know which one is reliable? Do you have time to contact possibly 100 people and interview each one to assess who you like the best?
With any remodeling project, hiring the right remodeler is essential. The following are some suggestions for choosing the right kitchen remodeler.
The best way to hire a remodeler is to ask your friends and family who they used and if they were happy with their work.
This is the best way to assess a remodeler and how they will perform in your house without actually hiring them. Remember to ask questions like:
- Is there anything you would do different?
- What were their strengths and weaknesses?
The advantage of asking your friends and family is that you can actually go to their kitchen and assess the job the contractor did. And, knowing what other people paid for their remodel is great. Contractors may charge less if you are looking for off-seasonal work. No matter the time of year, be sure to compare your estimate to your friends estimate to see if you are getting a fair market price for the remodel job.
If you don’t have any friends who recently remodeled their kitchens, then you need to move to stage two of how to hire the right remodeler, which involves the interview process. This takes us back to square one, the dreaded internet search, or, for those less technically savvy, the even more dreaded telephone book search. Put in your local area into your favorite search engine coupled with the words “kitchen remodeler” or “bathroom remodeler”, basically whatever room in your house you are looking to remodel. We are putting a lot of trust in search engines at this point that they will return results relevant to your area.
After conducting an internet search, we recommend picking at least 5 contractors which means 3-5 estimates depending on who calls you back.
Once you have spoken to the remodelers and you have scheduled your appointments for them to discuss designs and provide estimates for your kitchen remodel, be sure to complete the following:
- First, and most importantly, make sure whoever you hire will not subcontract the job out. Communication is very important in the remodeling industry. If you have any problems or concerns, it is a great feeling to have the person you already met and have a relationship with on the job to discuss problems or even suggestions as they arise. If your remodeler is sub contracting work out to people you have never met, chances are they will not perform as well as the master builder whom you initially met.
- Secondly, check references! While the contractor is working on your design plan, call the names they provide you to get a feel for the kind of work the remodelers do and have done. If the homeowner will let you come to their house and assess the work, by all means do so. It may feel a bit awkward, but if you are willing to spend $50,000 on a remodel, taking a drive to check out a stranger’s home isn’t that hard of a pill to swallow.
- Finally, request a design and estimate before committing to anything. One a side note, don’t put too much stock into the rendering that the contractors give you. Sometimes, contractors are typically not artists, they can provide you an “idea”. You should be basing your decision on price, customer feedback, and your relationship with the contractor.
Trust your intuition!
If everything else is a dead heat between feedback, price, and communication – trust your instincts and go with the contractor you feel will do the best job.
At Burns Home Improvement, we are confident you will be satisfied with our quality of craftsmanship and satisfied customer base. Contact us now for your FREE kitchen remodel consultation.
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