We have a limited budget -- roughly 30000-- and we would like to make the most out of the space that we have. We need new cabinet, new counter top and new floor. We are not looking for anything fancy..Are Home Depot or Lowe's acceptable solutions. If not, how do we find a good solution. a reputable contractor?
Some people like them, but horror stories abound. Look for a good local contractor. Ask friends and neighbors who they used. You may get a much better deal.
I agree with Edwin. A good local contractor is the way to go. Ask friends and neighbors for suggestions.
Are you doing some of this yourself? You can look at the cabinet boxes and see if they will work for you , They are pretty easy if it is just setting them. Get a countertop fabricated when you are done. That is best left to the pros and is the most visible piece.
My son-in-law does kitchens(cabinets) and he does a pretty large kitchen for about 1/2 that. I agree with the others, get a contractor, not HD.
Most HomeDepot contractors are wannabes that can't generate enough business on their own so they rely on sub-contract work to make ends meet. Since these sub-contractors are a dime a dozen their work is often less then what is to be expected. Sure if you bitch they would have to come out to correct the issues that you have(if you can get them back out in a timely fashion), but is that added misery necessary? If a job is worth doing to right the first time (These subs from HD don't understand that concept.). HomeDepot contractors cut corners way to often since they get paid by piece work. Have you ever asked one of their employees a half way detailed question about any job in particular? Their answers are "generally" bullshit. Most satisfied customers just don't know any better about the work that was performed in their homes so they think it that everything is dandy, not realizing the underlying problems within.
On 5 Sep 2005 15:45:15 -0700, snipped-for-privacy@rcn.com wrote Re Home Depot Kitchen:
IMO you will do much better to get bids from local cabinet shops and flooring installers. You may need a plumber also. It's more work on your part but you'll get better quality and probably at a lower cost.
If you want, let HD/Lowes also submit bids. I think you'll be surprised.
One other consideration: I believe HD/L want payment *before* the job starts. IMO that is highly unorthodox and contrary to your best interests. Generally (there are probably exceptions) you should never pay for work on small jobs before it is completed.
The last time we installed carpeting, we went to Lowes and they wanted payment up-front. Instead I went to a carpet/flooring store, got better carpet for less, and didn't have to pay for it until a week after installation, thus allowing me to be fairly assured that the installation was done properly
A contractor friend of mine is in the middle of a HD job. He's getting it ready for the HD contractors to come in and when they're done, he's going to do the final trim, etc.
The HD contractor is so bad that my friend wants to take the installation over but won't. He gave the lady a price and she said she'd be happy with the HD garbage. She's eating her words....
In other words, she hates HD now.
For our old house we had HD design our kitchen remodel using the "Mill's Pride" series of cabinets (a fairly cheap line -- maple-finish veneered particle board about 3/4" thick), but I did all the work myself, both assembly and installation. I don't think we spent more than $5000 (reusing the old appliances). Everything still looked fine when we moved a couple of years later. (For $30K I'd want gold-plated everything, including the kitchen sink, but my sister-in-law is getting multi-$K quotes just to reface her old cabinets.)
In that house we had an HD contractor install a new water heater, and I am sure they used a blow torch on the dip tube, which is a no-no according to the warning labels: I don't see how they could have done what they did without the blow torch, but I could be wrong.
Perce
On 09/05/05 06:45 pm snipped-for-privacy@rcn.com tossed the following ingredients into the ever-growing pot of cybersoup:
edie,
A good local contractor should be able to help you. The problem with a "store" contractor is that he will sell you the store's stock. You'll have a wider selection by avoiding this. $30,000 is not a "limited" budget for such a project.
Good luck, Dave M.
Check Consumer Reports. They had an evaluation of cabinetry and installations by HD or Lowes. Don't remember the issue date- during the last year. Perhaps someone else can recall. If you are not doing it yourself and would consider refacing check out Kitchen Solvers. We went that route and were very pleased.
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