Kitchen Renovation – Selecting A Contractor

How to select a contractor for a kitchen renovation.

Selecting a contractor for a kitchen renovation can result in a smooth and cost-effective renovation.

Here is some advice on how to make it so.

Homeowners often feel qualified to judge a contractor using techniques that make sense to them, but these techniques for choosing a contractor can be unreliable in many cases.

For example, many homeowners will ask contractors to supply three references. There are no contractors who don’t have many satisfied customers if they can cherry-pick projects over years of service. Asking “Where are you working now?” and “Can I speak with that customer?” may provide more and better information to help you decide.

Using a contractor’s project estimate as a way to judge a contractor has its problems.

• What if the contractor is very good at creating an estimate but no very good at managing the project?
• What if a contractor is relatively poor at writing a project estimate but an excellent manager and craftsman?
• What if the contractor is excellent at writing an estimate and a skilled craftsman, but this contractor is also unscrupulous.

A proper and detailed estimate shows organization. However, it may not reveal necessary construction knowledge, installation skill, honesty, or reliability.

Recommendations from friends and family can be helpful, but less so if their project job is different from your project. Construction projects vary greatly. Kitchen renovations can require complex home alterations, detailed finish carpentry, plumbing work, and other challenges that use a specific skill set. Contractors who do great jobs finishing a basement, putting on a deck, or building a family room addition may not be the best contractor for a complex kitchen renovation.

Price is the worst way to judge how good a contractor is. Expensive contractors can still be incompetent, simply overpriced, or just greedy. While less expensive contractors could offer a smaller company with more personal service.

The Best Way!

What are the most reliable ways to judge a contractor?

First, Google the contractor and read their online reviews. Bad reviews can be telling. Not having any reviews can also be a bad sign. Alternately, large numbers of good reviews cannot be faked. Unhappy customers will be quick to write poor reviews even when undeserved, so having a strong positive ratio of good reviews to poor reviews is meaningful.

Read the reviews to see what prior customers have said. A lot can be learned from reading these reviews. Even bad reviews can help you gain confidence in a contractor if you suspect that the customer was the root of the problem. Also, check Yelp, Angie’s List, and Houzz.com. Angie’s list allows customers to review contractors that weren’t hired, so you can see if people felt a contractor’s estimate was too high compared to the others.

However, probably the most reliable reference you can get is from another industry professional. A professional will know who is good and who is not so good. A professional is hard to trick. A professional who makes a referral or recommendation is also putting their reputation on the line.

A kitchen designer you respect may have worked with hundreds of contractors over their career. A referral from an experienced professional is far more valuable than one from a friend or family member. They have vastly more experience working with kitchen contractors.

Consider other, related, contractors. Do you know a painter you like? They also will probably have worked with many general contractors. All kitchen renovations must get painted, and the painters get to see the finished product! Therefore, a painter may be one of the best types of contractor to use for a reference on the contractor you are considering.

Do your homework. Ask the right questions to the right people. Make a decision and get going.