Newer companies will not have established company procedures and may be disorganized once the project starts. Any good company will have 100+ 5-star reviews after completing over 1000 jobs for happy clients. Check Google, Facebook, Houzz, Yelp and the BBB for any history of the company. Companies are made up of humans and humans make mistakes. However, carefully look through all the good and bad reviews to understand what you can expect for your project.
General liability insurance is a must as well as making sure the mechanical, electrical and plumbing contractors are licensed in the state you’re working. Don’t just take the contractor’s word for this. Vet their insurance and licenses by calling the insurance company and state licensing boards to make sure their paperwork is current. Shady contractors will try and pull a fast one on you by presenting outdated documents.
Depending on your city and state construction codes, certain remodeling permits are required. If you choose not to pull permits when you need to, the city might catch your contractor in action and make you stop work and pull the permits. During this permit process, you’re stuck for weeks or months without being able to move on. Not a fun way to start a project. Also, when you go to sell your home, there is a disclosure form you need to sign that asks if unpermitted work has ever been performed. You’ll need to disclose the remodel work that was done and hope the home buyer doesn’t mind that permits weren’t pulled.
Any reputable company will have a strong pulse on current product timelines and how long the projects will take to arrive. They will also know from experience how long the process will take from start to finish. With proper planning, there should be no contractor-caused delays.
Excellent remodeling companies resolve damaged cabinets quickly through a streamlined warranty claim process with their vendors. Excellent companies choose cabinet vendors based on how they treat their dealers and damage claims.
Colors, door styles, wood species, cabinet layouts, etc. A great designer knows which trends are fading out, which ones are coming in and which styles will be timeless. Ask these questions to find out if they’re passionate enough about their craft to follow the trends of if kitchen design is just a boring job for them. A great designer will be excited to answer these questions for you.
You don’t want a company to drop off cabinets at your door and say “Good Luck!” Make sure their installers are full-time who are trained not only in installation, but company processes on how to be respectful of your home and communicate effectively. A company may not have as tight of a control on subcontractor timelines as you would think and you don’t want to be left with your contractors pointing fingers at a subcontractor while your project remains unfinished.
Not all cabinets and countertops are created equally so you must ask what exactly it is that you’re receiving. Solid wood plywood for the boxes and solid hardwood for the face frames are a must for longevity. Never settle for particle board boxes unless you’re on a budget that won’t allow for quality materials.
By choosing the right remodeling project, it’s possible to have the HGTV fairy tale outcome for your project. Without verifying the contractor and asking the right questions, your project may take 2 or 3X the timeline you’re expecting and cause a lot of unnecessary added costs. The added costs come not only from the actual construction but longer short-term-rental bills (if you’re staying somewhere else during the remodel) and huge food bills as you’re forced to eat out without a kitchen. The last thing you want to do is switch contractors in the middle of a project and be forced to pay a premium to a reputable company to take over an incomplete and sub par project that requires rework.
We hope this guide helped you to feel more knowledgeable and confident going into your kitchen remodel project. We’re always happy to have a free idea consultation and answer any additional questions you may have about your project! With thousands of remodels under our belt, there isn’t anything we haven’t seen!
Best Wishes,
Cabinet IQ, Owner
(512) 994-7113
