If your heart is set on a new kitchen this year, one of the hurdles you must overcome is the selection of a contractor.
For most homeowners, the choice ends up being a leap of faith. But if you apply a basic strategy, you’ll limit the risk of getting it wrong.
A popular path is to select a specialist franchise that is a one-stop shop. They’ll not only create a design with you but offer style and color options, and then coordinate the installation, including any building or re-plumbing requirements.
At the other end of the spectrum, you can make a kitchen refurbishment a DIY project, buying flat-pack cabinets that you would put together and hang yourself.
If that sounds a little ambitious, you might consider coordinating the project, selecting a designer, finding cabinet makers and then having them installed by specialists.
As your neighborhood real estate agent, I have seen hundreds of kitchen remodels undertaken by homeowners preparing their property for sale. This gives me a good insight into some of the best local companies.
Time and again, the kitchen dominates the thinking of prospective buyers. It’s the room in which the whole family will gather through the day, so a great kitchen will enhance your property’s value and the speed with which it will sell.
Here are six quick ideas for how you might find your kitchen contractor:
Word of mouth – There is no better form of recommendation. Ask your family and friends if they’ve had a kitchen installed recently and whether they were happy with the experience.
Ask a neighbor – Have a chat over the fence, or go to sites such as Nextdoor, where you can ask members in your neighborhood to make a recommendation.
Ask a professional – As agents, we see hundreds of new kitchen installations and will have great insight into the best providers. Send me an email, and I’d be delighted to help you.
Use online sites – If you enter your zip code, sites like Houzz and Angie’s List will respond with a selection of companies in the surrounding area. Some will have customer reviews and have posted photos of their work. All the content is moderated, so there’s an element of quality and trust in the reviews.
Be cautious, always – Reviews on sites such as Google and Yelp are perhaps a little less reliable than specialist real estate and neighborhood sites. But check them out as they can provide insights into how your contractor will resolve disputes.
The choice is yours – If you’ve tried all the above options, you might become a little overwhelmed, so use one idea at a time. Ultimately, the final choice is yours.