Raleigh-Durham Kitchen Remodeling Pros
Renovate Your Raleigh-Durham Kitchen: Lets get Cooking
Please read this quick guide to hiring a Raleigh-Durham kitchen remodeling contractor (it will help, we promise!) Or click HERE to simply see our suggestions and contact information for 7 of the top area kitchen remodeling companies.
Hiring a professional Raleigh-Durham contractor to tackle your kitchen renovations can be a real pain.
First, there are many Raleigh-Durham kitchen remodeling companies out there. Look under 'General Contractors' or 'Kitchen Remodeling' in the Raleigh, Durham, Cary, or Chapel Hill phone books and you will see what we mean
there are hundreds of kitchen remodeling companies and general contractors in each area. On top of that, there are many more great contractors that are not in the phone book. How do you choose from the hundreds that are available and promoting the same thing?
Second, the barriers to calling oneself a contractor, or someone who remodels kitchens, are small. People don't necessarily need an office or a lot of fancy equipment or tools to start a business. Therefore, individuals that have done some repairs on a few houses can try to trick you into believing they are a highly skilled and experienced kitchen remodeling professional. If you have a truck, a tool belt, and a business card you could fool a lot of people!
Finally, there are many different types of contractors that remodel kitchens in the Raleigh-Durham area. There are handymen, general contractors, builders, construction companies, as well as companies that specialize in kitchen renovations only. It is hard to decide who to call.
So, what do you do when looking for a contractor to do your kitchen remodel work in the Raleigh-Durham and surrounding areas?
We recommend:
Asking your friends and neighbors to see if they have had good or bad experiences with any Raleigh-Durham kitchen remodeling contractors. Simply knowing that another person has had a good experience with a contractor prior to calling them lessens your chance of hiring a problem. The Super 7 can help with this.
If you have time, call a few companies to bid on your kitchen remodeling project. This will help you determine fair market price for your job. This does not mean you should always go with the lowest price, you should go with the company you
feel most comfortable with and who you feel will do the best job. If an individual is offering a real low price you should ask yourself "why?".
If you don't have time, we suggest using The Super 7 to locate the one company you choose. We have a list of remodeling companies that appear to meet our standards to be considered quality professionals. In fact, our
"Certified Super" listed companies have proven that they do! We also require customers to voice their experience about the kithchen remodeling pro to help ensure that they meet your needs.
Determine how you want to remodel your kitchen. At least have a few general ideas before calling a contractor. They can help you make some final decisions, but you need to be able to explain your basic needs before letting them talk you into things.
If you feel your job will cost over $30,000 you should only speak with licensed Raleigh-Durham general contractors. In NC, any work done on a house that is over $30,000 must be done by a licensed general contractor.
Try to decide if your kitchen remodel work can be accomplished by a handyman. If you are simply laying some tile, painting, and changing some appliances you should feel confident that a skilled handyman (with experience in these tasks) could handle this work. However, if you are talking about gutting and changing the entire kitchen around, then your best chance of success is hiring an experienced Raleigh-Durham general contractor.
Make sure the company has insurance. There is a chance for injury and for destruction of your house when remodeling a kitchen. As mentioned above, there are many fly-by-night Raleigh-Durham contractors that may not be insured. If you skip this part you could be held liable for an uninsured worker's injury in your kitchen. You could also be left with the bill if an uninsured contractor destroys something in your kitchen.
Ask if the kitchen remodeling company will be able to handle all of the work you require themselves, or if they will have to sub some of the work out to other companies (such as a plumber). If they are subbing jobs out, make sure that their
contract states that the remodeling company is still directly responsible for all work. You want 1 company and 1 contact for all problems.
If your Raleigh-Durham kitchen remodel requires a general contractor, or you simply decide to hire a company that states that they are general contractors, make sure they have a valid NC General Contractors License. They should be able to show this document to you.
Always get a statement of work performed in writing. Keep this filed away. Make sure the statement clearly describes what work is to be performed.
Ask if the kitchen remodeling work comes with guarantees. These are all factors to weigh when looking at the total estimates left by different Raleigh-Durham contractors.
Some contractors require an upfront payment. Agree to a payment schedule (which is a written document that clearly states how much and when payments are due). Make sure your payment schedule is discussed and documented on your contract prior to work beginning. More info on this: Paying Your Raleigh-Durham Contractor
Check in on kitchen remodeling progress regularly- try to catch potential problems or misunderstandings before it is too late.
If the contractor does a great job, tell them you will recommend them on The Super 7.
If they don't do a good job, ask them to fix the issue or you will let other Raleigh-Durham residents know about their poor performance on The Super 7 website!
Good luck with your Raleigh-Durham kitchen and remodeling needs!
The Super 7 provides 7 quality kitchen remodeling pros in the Raleigh, Durham, Cary, Chapel Hill, and surrounding areas. Click here for our Super 7 Kitchen
Remodel Contractors!
More helpful short articles to help with your kitchen remodeling needs:
Kitchen Design- Understanding Kitchen Layouts
Kitchen Remodeling Guide
Best Kept Secrets in Kitchen Design
Kitchen Cabinet Choices
General Suggestions for Hiring Raleigh-Durham Contractors
Paying Your Raleigh-Durham Contractor
How to Avoid Hiring Bad Contractors
How Contractor Pricing Relates to Satisfaction
Finding and Using the Proper Contractor References
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