7 Fatal Mistakes Most Homeowners Make When Doing A Kitchen Remodel That Are Costing Them Thousands Of Dollars…
(#7 alone can save you a boatload of wasted cash…)
#1 Not Hiring A Kitchen Designer…
Time and time again we walk into a disaster…
The client calls us after demo telling us they need cabinets… (first off, calling after demo isn't the smartest thing to do)…
We ask if they need a design and plan put together…
They say “No, I think I can handle it, besides, I'd rather do it my self and save the money”…
We say “Ummm… Ok.. What cabinets and cabinet sizes would you like to order?”
They give us their order, make their payment, and we begin the manufacturing…
When we get there to deliver, the cabinets don't match the measurements and are deemed useless…
Now here's the thing…
Because we manufacture our cabinets to order, just like most manufacturers, there's are ZERO refunds, so if design and elevations aren't done correctly, you're stuck with a kitchen full of cabinets that don't work, and you now have to pay to have your kitchen designed and reorder your cabinets…
Trust me, we've seen this multiple times, and the $497 is a small insurance policy to ensure that your cabinet order is 100% accurate and that you're not liable for any mistakes made with the order…
#2 Hiring Designers/Installers/Contractors Off Of Craigslist…
Now don't get me wrong, Craigslist or Backpages can be an excellent resource…
But more often than not, you're going to find unlicensed “contractors” or contractors that usually offer much less than perfect quality services…
Now let me expand upon the idea of finding a great contractor by saying that Yelp, Angie's List or any other service like that doesn't guarantee anything… Everyone has bad days, off days, etc…
It's up to you to decide how you want to react to the moment of having a “problem contractor” if it arises… We suggest you keep your cool…
Look for contractors that have after photos of their work… If it aligns with your vision of your new kitchen, then go for it!
(p.s. we have a select group of contractors that we can recommend for you…)
#3 HGTV or DIY Network “Blindness”…
I'm not too sure of the percentage of homeowners that do this, but it seems like many of our clients do…
They have this idea that a kitchen can be remodeled in about 22 minutes…
Or, within a few days…
Now depending on the size of your kitchen, sure… MAYBE you can have it done in 3 days if it's a small kitchen in the spare bedroom in your garage…
But if its your main cooking space, chances are you're looking at a 14-30 day timeline at minimum…
One of the ways we've been able to help our clients control that time is that once we've finished your design, you've signed off on it, and we've taken your order, we HIGHLY recommend that you wait to start demo until you're closer to the cabinet delivery date…
This will keep your kitchen functional without having to wait two weeks for the cabinets to be delivered and not having a kitchen…
And yes, our manufacturing and delivery process is about 2 weeks from start to finish…
#4 Lack Of Decisiveness…
Making decisions is a basic part of life, but if you can't stick to them, it can cost you throughout every aspect of your life, but in a kitchen especially…
We've had a few clients “change their mind” right in the middle of construction… This includes on cabinets, appliances, countertops, appliances, etc…
This causes the project to delay (sometimes major delays of weeks or months), and you're going to be stuck paying HEFTY change order fees and trip charges… Now if you're ok with this, great… But this will also start to effect the morale of the crew working in your kitchen…
#5 Waiting Until Nov 1st Or Dec 1st To Start The Project…
One of the most interesting things we've seen in this industry is the influx of orders that come in around the holidays… You would think it would be a “slower” time of year, but it's not…
Now I know you may want to have your new kitchen done before Thanksgiving or Christmas to host your food extravaganza, but if you're starting the project in the first week in either of the holiday months, you can forget about it…
#6 Using “Custom” Countertops Instead Of Prefab…
The principle behind this one comes from a quote I heard at a marketing seminar once… They said “ignorance isn't bliss, it's expensive…”
95% of the homeowners we speak to don't even know this little hack exists, and that it could literally save you a few thousand dollars on your kitchen renovation…
Here's a quick explanation…
Custom quartz or granite countertops are purchased as a raw slab and are then fabricated to your specs…
Prefab quartz or granite countertops are purchased with the finished edges already fabricated (they're manufactured in mass to keep costs down) and only require a little cutting and polishing…
Custom will take 5-7 days for the installation…
Prefab can be installed next day…
For a custom countertop costing $5,000, you could expect to pay approx $3k-$4k for prefab…
And with prefab, you don't sacrifice with the quality of material… Prefab granite is REAL granite and prefab quartz is REAL quartz…
You're welcome 🙂
#7 Being A Pain In The A$$
This will probably turn some people off to doing business with us, but if it does, we probably weren't going to be a good fit anyways 🙂
The reason I say being a “pain in the a$$” will cost you is that contractors gauge their pricing on their experience with you…
Contractors do have set pricing for most things, sure… But if they sense you're going to be a “headache” client that loves to micromanage with impossible standards (toilets don't work well on ceilings) then you can expect a much higher bid…
The logic behind this (which me telling you this will probably get me killed) is that if you're going to be a headache to work with, then they don't really want to work with you, so they'll double or even triple the price for the work… If you don't agree to the price, great, they don't have to deal with you…
But if you do, it's now worth it to them…
And if you're looking to get started on your own kitchen renovation and would like a free design consultation, simply enter your name and best contact info in the form below…