Problem Solvers
We needed to have our small kitchen redone down to the studs. It took a while to find LC Construction, but it was worthwhile because after 2 months of construction, we have a beautiful, functional kitchen.
Lance, Mark, and the other professionals they hired to work on our job were all great - reliable, high quality, and pleasant to have working in our house. We would not hesitate to recommend them or to use them again.
Going into the job, we knew basically what we wanted, but we did not have an architect, so we needed someone who could do design/build. Also, our house is over 100 years old, and there had been numerous updates of the kitchen during those years that were mostly cover-ups. We had no way of knowing what would be uncovered during demo, or what remedial procedures would be required to bring our place up to code and into the 21st century.
Lance and Mark listened to what we wanted and paid attention to our sensibilities in drawing up plans that answered our wish list, solved known issues and added extra functionality and elegance beyond what we could imagine. They respected us, but were also very helpful if our initial idea was maybe not the best. For example, we thought we might re-use the original cabinets (which I hated), but Mark convinced us that it would be better to get all new cabinets and not too expensive. It is a decision I do not regret. They also took care of all of the permits and inspections required by the city.
But all of that is just the beginning. Demo brought surprises, the biggest probably was that with all the layers removed, the space was 4" taller than the plans specified. Lance, however, worked it all out, and the extra headroom makes the space feel even better.
This was typical of LC Construction's work process: A problem would arise, and they would figure out a wonderful solution. I never felt like they were doing hacks to make things work. If there was a problem, they fixed it and made it right.
Another example was that the plan called for replacing two mismatched windows with one large window. When Lance got to this task, he decided there was no way that stucco patches to cover the partial holes left in the exterior wall would ever look good, so he removed the entire kitchen wall and rebuilt it, then had one large stucco patch that matches the rest of the building. I was a little amazed when I walked into the kitchen and it was open to the outdoors, but I trusted Lance and I know he was right.
Trust is important in these projects, and we felt very comfortable with LC Construction throughout the whole process. We had to be out of town for about 4 weeks of the work, and most of that on the other side of the world, but Lance kept the job going, texting us if he needed our input and even sending us pix of the progress. When we got back to our house, we couldn't believe how amazing the kitchen looked. The remodel is all new, but it fits into our house, a good blend of traditional and contemporary.
The attention to detail is one of the most satisfying aspects of this project. For example, Lance got molding custom milled to match the rest of the house because it was important to us but they don't make large molding like that in stock. There was an awkward nook in the kitchen entrance that Lance transformed into open, deep shelves where we store large appliances and cookbooks. The crown molding has a final extra step that makes it integrate better into the room.
We have been living with the new kitchen for over a month now and love how it improves our life. The layout is better, it's easier to cook and clean in this space, it's quieter, and the view both inside and looking out are inspiring. We know we will be happy with our transformed kitchen for a long, long time. read more