Hiring the Best Kitchen Remodeling Pros

Hiring a professional contractor to tackle your kitchen renovations can be a real pain.

First, there are many kitchen renovation companies out there. Look under 'General Contractors' or 'Kitchen Remodeling' in the 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. 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 and surrounding areas?

We recommend:

• Asking your friends and neighbors to see if they have had good or bad experiences with local 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.

• If you have time, call a few companies to bid on your 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?".

• 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.

• Try to decide if your 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 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 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 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 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 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 Contractor

• Check in on kitchen remodeling progress regularly- try to catch potential problems or misunderstandings before it is too late.

Good luck with your kitchen and remodeling needs!

More information can be found at Finding Kitchen Remodelers in Raleigh-Durham or anywhere.

Jim works for The Super 7- a company dedicated to helping homeowners search for, and hire, good home service contractors. More information on this effort can be found at Raleigh-Durham Kitchen Remodeling