10 Questions Before Your Kitchen Remodel
Understanding is a strength. Though despite being common knowledge, mastering one’s subject matter is crucial to achievement in any endeavor.
Renovations go more smoothly and with less stress when you know your expectations. Comparable to bathroom remodels. A good remodel requires planning. What questions to ask and what kind of information to have? Begin top 10 things to know before renovating kitchens. These suggestions can be added to Your Personal Diary to help you in the future.
1. Your kitchen contractor’s workers or subcontractors?
It would help if you found out who will be executing. Who would you hire if you won? A good feeling about the person you talked with but then find out they are a general contractor and subcontract all the work? All of the renovations at Multi Trade Building Services are finished by our in-house staff. Before hiring us, we give potential clients a brochure containing photos and biographies of everyone involved in the projects. Under our website’s “Our Team” section, you may also see pictures of them. When working in your kitchen, you should always feel comfortable with the people in your home. There is no guarantee that you will feel connected to the folks executing the job just because you liked the person who gave the quote and is part of the sales team.
2. When will the kitchen be renovated?
Since kitchens are often the center of family life, you probably want to know how long the renovation will last. This is a tricky topic to answer, and any reliable contractor will tell you it will take as much time as necessary. A rough estimate of the job’s duration, say between 2 and 5 weeks, should be possible.
There are three special remodeling projects in a kitchen, each with a unique time commitment. The cosmetic upgrade requires new countertops, lighting, sinks, and faucets. The term “remove and re-install” refers to a type of renovation in which existing cabinets and fixtures are removed, and then new ones are put in place. Even if it means tearing down supporting walls, your dream kitchen is within reach with a custom renovation. The time required to finish each of these renovations varies greatly.
3. When my kitchen is being renovated, would I still be able to use it?
This is a crucial inquiry, as your contractor may have a distinct method of doing things. When you choose Multi Trade Building Services, we ensure that your appliances, including the sink, refrigerator, and stove, continue to work until the day you move out. The removal of such goods shall be performed only when necessary. You can keep making your meals at home for as long as possible.
It’s important to note that not all contractors operate in this manner. Some people find it easiest to take everything out of the kitchen on the first demolition day. Know what works for them so you can anticipate their actions. Your kitchen will be inaccessible for some time during the renovation, regardless of when the stove and sink are taken out.
You may prepare in advance for the occasions when you don’t have access to your kitchen by taking a few simple steps.
- When planning a kitchen remodel, we usually advise our customers to do it in the summer when they can cook outside on grills.
- Make food and put it in the freezer ahead of time. While your kitchen is being remodeled, you can still eat at home by heating casseroles in the microwave.
- If you have friends or family in the area, you may consider staying with them while you cannot use your kitchen. Do something crazy like offer to use their kitchen for cooking a meal for them and their guests. They’ll appreciate not having to prepare meals, and the family may spend more time together.
4. Will someone work in the kitchen every day?
This is a significant inquiry. Delays on the job site are possible if your contractor uses many subcontractors. The plumber’s schedule is out of the contractor’s control, even if the contractor has everything ready. The plumber, painter, and electrician all fall within this category.
Working with a firm that relies only on its workers has several benefits. Every job at Multi Trade Building Services is handled by our in-house crew of 7 hardworking individuals. No waiting around then! When we’re ready, we call our full-time plumber and tell him to come in the following day to get started on his part of the job. What this means for the total time it takes to finish the position is open to considerable interpretation.
This is a crucial issue if multiple projects are going on at once and there are not enough workers. As a result, they may work on your project for a couple of days, move on to something else for a while, and then return to it. This often causes holdups as well. It’s not unusual for businesses to juggle multiple projects at once; make sure you have enough hands on deck to deal with the work.
5. What’s my kitchen’s warranty?
Ensure that the contractor you hire will stand behind their work for at least a year. Find out if the countertop and cabinets also come with a guarantee by them. Most of the time, these products come from apart whose warranty terms may not be identical to the contractor.
Get your contractor’s documented instructions on maintaining your kitchen cabinets …and countertop. Keeping your kitchen and bathroom cabinets clean can significantly impact the length of your guarantee.
6. When should I remodel my kitchen?
Every 10–15 years, most kitchens need to be updated. But you can go much longer between updates with careful cabinetry selection. To a certain extent, the frequency with which you’ll need to redo your kitchen is proportional to how “trendy” your cabinetry choices are.
For instance, the honey oak cabinetry style was fashionable in the 1990s and the late 1980s. If you’re trying to sell your property, potential buyers will be able to find out when the last time you remodeled was. And that’s still true now. You may want to plan a renovation in ten years so that your cabinets don’t look old if you choose trendy options like dark grey base cabinets and light grey upper cabinets.
Select timeless styles for your primary cabinets if you want them to last. Select white shaker-style cabinets for a classic aesthetic that will last for years. Go for a unique countertop or backsplash if you want to add some pizazz or if you want to stay on the cutting edge of design. If they ever become unfashionable, they are simple to replace.
7. What’s my kitchen’s ROI?
A kitchen can increase your home’s value by anywhere from 50 to 100%. Though certain upgrades can increase the value of your property, others, especially if they are particularly high-end and substantial, can decrease it. Take the case where one of our customers requested to knock down the load-bearing wall that separated his kitchen from his dining area; we gladly obliged. He intended to convert the dining room into a larger kitchen and get rid of the dining room altogether. Since they frequently hosted gatherings, they were interested in purchasing a home with a sizable kitchen. Two stoves, two refrigerators, and three sinks were planned for this space, but there would be nowhere to eat breakfast. They didn’t care because they usually ate in front of the TV in the living room. Although it served their purposes, the high price tag and the lack of an indoor eating space mean that they will never get a return on their investment and severely restrict the potential buyers of their home.
Find out from your builder if the kitchen redesign options you’re considering will yield a good return on investment (return on investment). Avoid making this a top priority. After all, you want to ensure your dream kitchen comes to life as you envisioned it. Keep the return on investment in mind, though, because you will want to sell your property at some point.
8. Is your contractor licensed, WSIB-certified, and insured?
In today’s competitive economy, this is crucial. Is the person fixing your plumbing a professional plumber or just a handyman who happened to pick up some plumbing skills along the way? Is the company you plan to hire to do the electrical work a Licensed Electrical Contractor? Hiring a non-registered Electrical Safety Authority contractor is against the law in Ontario, so this information is vital. Those interested can learn more at esasafe.com.
Check their credentials by requesting proof of licensing, a WSIB clearance certificate, and liability insurance. All contractors should carry those above and at least $2 million in liability insurance. You shouldn’t collaborate with them if they don’t.
Another red flag is a contractor suggesting paying cash to cut costs. They’ll surely be skimping along the way if they aren’t legitimate businesses and want cash payments. Will they still return your calls if there’s a shortfall that needs to be settled if they desire money and prefer dealing in secret? Please read my post about cash deals on why they are a terrible idea to find out more.
9. Does your contractor make and install kitchen cabinets or buy them?
It is preferable to have the cabinets installed by the same person who made them. This is because determining who is at fault in a cabinet malfunction might be difficult. This might become a highly ambiguous situation if two separate businesses were involved. Each side will point the finger at the other, making it difficult, if not impossible, to resolve the problem.
If possible, hire a company specializing in making and installing kitchen cabinets. Seeing their factory firsthand will reassure you that your purchase supports a local business and that employees are being kept safe during production. It feels even more at ease. It is recommended that you meet the cabinetmaker and his team.
10. Is there a project manager?
Because of the scope of a kitchen remodel, it’s essential to have a single point of contact for any questions. A project manager will oversee every aspect of your endeavor, from ensuring the correct personnel is present at the right times to ensure that supplies and fixtures are ordered and delivered promptly and that work is being performed following your specifications.
As the Project Manager of Multi Trade Building Services, my responsibilities include those above and more. My customers know they can reach me anytime via phone, text, or email if they have any inquiries, wish to make any adjustments, or desire an update. I make an effort to keep in touch with them regularly. The difference between a stress-free makeover and a nightmare can be as simple as hiring a Project Manager.
It ensures a smooth and effective kitchen makeover. It is essential to ask the right questions and gather as much information as possible before getting started. Click here if you have any further inquiries or would like to set up a consultation with us regarding your kitchen remodel.
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