Did you know that 20% of Americans consider the kitchen to be the ?heart of the home?? And according to RICKI SmartChart, a full 25% of homeowners made improvements to their kitchen last year. If you?re planning a kitchen remodel, there?s a few things you?re going to need to keep in mind. Here are our tips for hiring kitchen remodeling contractors in 2016.
1. Know What You Want
Of course you can always rely on the experts to help shape your decisions. If you walk into a meeting with kitchen remodeling contractors without knowing what you want, though, you?re probably going to sign up for a lot more than you bargained for. What are you key goals for your kitchen remodel — is it pulling your kitchen out of the 90s and into the modern era? Is it more about functionality? Is it about making it appealing to home buyers? Have at least a basic idea of whether you?re more interested in new cabinets, new splashbacks, or more.
2. Look for an Experienced Kitchen Remodeling Company
You don?t want just anyone working on your kitchen, especially if you?re looking to invest hundreds or thousands of dollars into updating it. Make sure that the company you work with has references you can contact about previous work they?ve done. You?ll also want to check out their online reviews on sites like Yelp and Google for any obvious red flags — and also for an idea of how they do handle bad feedback, if any exist. Do they work with the client, or just ignore them? Check out their rating on the Better Business Bureau Website, and make sure that they?re insured and licensed if applicable. Otherwise, if something goes wrong and an employee is injured or your home is flooded — you don?t want to be the one on hook for the bill!
3. Set Up Clear Expectations for Remodeling Services
You?ll need to be a bit flexible when working with contractors, because there are many factors in a work project that can be simply out of their control. They may be working on a past project, only for the homeowner to be out of town one weekend and not comfortable with them continuing work without her there — delaying your project. Or they could put in an order for a new granite countertop — only for the company to delay shipping. You?re going to want to make sure, though, that your project (and your money!) isn?t dragged on endlessly, so have at least a few dates (with some wiggle room) specified in the contract you draw up.
Do you have any particular tips for working with kitchen remodeling contractors? Do they line up with our list? Let us know!
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