Bottom line -- we couldn't be happier with the work that Don did on our kitchen.
The project: replace all the cabinets with new ones. Add a dishwasher, new frig. Add new granite counter tops. Replace kitchen window and two sliding doors. Keep same basic configuration.
We interviewed three people for the job, and two of them were very close in price, while one guy was up front about it and told us he didn't do jobs as small as ours. Don came in and spent two or three hours taking measurements and asking us what we wanted. We had several things we thought where custom items, but it seems like they were just different variations of configurations his cabinet supplier already had. This meant that we had the benefits of a customized kitchen without paying exhorbitant costs. Don didn't charge anything for this first visit, unlike Ikea, which makes you pay $250 for a "consultant" to work with you. He also gave us three references and told us he'd have a bid for us in a couple of days.
We then talked to his references and one of them graciously invited us over to have a look. All raved about Don's work. But one thing really stood out -- Don generally got in and out in three, or at the most, four days. This was very unlike a lot of horror stories we had heard. One of our neighbors had been without a kitchen for 6 weeks. Another friend, almost two months. This is a hidden cost of remodeling -- unless you plan to eat off a hot plate in the garage for the whole time. Eating out every day can add up!
Two days later, as promised, Don came back with the price. The Schrock cabinets are guaranteed for life. There's none of that abysmal particle board that was so popular in the 1970's. Everything closes on its own. The price was right in line. And Don told us once the cabinets arrived at our house (about a 2 week delivery window), he would be there the next day and be finished in 3 days.
He showed up with his crew on the day after delivery. Demolition took about 3 hours, and by the end of the first day, we could see the new kitchen taking shape. And sure enough, by Friday he was done, and we were ready for the next step -- the replacing of the kitchen window and 2 sliding doors, and the measurements for the granite counter tops.
We couldn't be happier!
If you're reading this, I imagine you're thinking of remodeling too. Here are some perhaps un-obvious things to think about:
1) Take a good look at your refrigerator opening. If you're keeping the same configuration, make sure the new opening is wide enough, and especially tall enough, to accommodate today's refrigerators. They're bigger than they were 15 years ago! Take accurate measurements of the height, width, and depth you need, and see how many models fit those requirements. When we did this with our old configuration, we found only 2 on the market that small!
2)Make sure you keep in regular touch with your counter top company, your window/door company (if you're replacing those), your electrician, and your plumber. If you don't, you might find yourself wasting days because of schedule changes.
3) If you're getting sink fixtures that require electronics, make sure your electrician comes soon after cabinet completion to make sure you have the proper power under the sink to make everything run. Also, line up a plumber who knows what they're doing regarding "plumbing electronics." The first plumber we called had never installed an electronic faucet or a hot/cold filtered water setup. We had to tell them to go home right then, and lost three days while we found a plumber who was up to date on their skill sets.
4) Figure out what cabinet pulls/knobs you want, and make sure they're there on the day the cabinets arrive. If you order them right after you get your bid, you should be fine.
5) Take this opportunity to get rid of kitchen stuff you haven't used in 5 years. We had 5 boxes of stuff we hadn't used in years! read more