Nicely Done Kitchens Blog

To many it may seem that remodeling during these hard economic times is not a wise decision.  People tend to focus on the amount of time or money involved in design.  Especially with the decreased values in homes surely to bounce back in five or six years, now may be the best time to remodel and reinvest in your own assets.

The last 6-8 years have been booming for remodelers.  Simple supply and demand concepts will tell you that as demand increases the price mirrors it.  During the last 9 months in the Northern Virginia area, the demand has been decreasing, therefore designers throughout the remodeling industry are offering better values.

However, the market is an unpredictable beast and changes rapidly.  Presently, we are seeing a higher demand in the last few weeks.  But there are still great values to take advantage of out there before the price spikes upwards again.
In remodeling, several factors have to be taken into consideration in addition to great value:

What should you expect when looking for the company to remodel your kitchen, bathroom, basement, etc.?

- Design: It all starts with great design.  A great design is timeless, it will ensure that the space will be functional, beautiful, and tailored to the end user.

- Trustworthiness: Would you trust the contractor enough to leave your home and go on vacation for several weeks while your home is being remodeled?  Will the contractor be able to make the right decisions in your absence?  Are the workers skilled in the trade they’ll be performing?  How much experience do they have?

- Accountability: Is everything accounted for when you sign the contract?  Will there be any additional or “hidden charges” after the contract has been signed?  There are companies that in the surface give you a “deal,” and in the end will charge extra in order to finish the job.  Take the time to Google “complaints” and type a specific company and city where they are located.  In addition, the Better Business Bureau keeps detailed information online about companies, including complaints.  It never hurts to know too much about a company because making the call.  After all, you trust them with YOUR home.

- Quality: the old adage that says, “You get what you pay for” is true, especially in the remodeling industry.  If the price seems too good to be true, it probably is!  The first thing that will suffer with a low price is quality.  Quality doesn’t cost….it pays.

- Value: What is value?  Value is the assurance of knowing that you are receiving not only a reasonable price, but also the services that go along with the project.
For instance, in our company—NICELY DONE KITCHENS– our designers are professional designers, and each has a design degree, in either architecture or interior design.  Yes, folks, four years of arduous university time learning how to design spaces for different needs such as: handicapped accessibility, aging in place population, colors, textures, balance, proportion, ergonomics, traffic patterns, ease of entertaining, etc.  These subjects are especially important when designing the kitchen or the bathroom spaces.

-  We provide the one stop shop concept.  You literally don’t have to set foot anywhere else.  We offer a wide selection of cabinetry, different countertop materials, over 200 knobs/pulls for cabinetry, floors, backsplashes, tile, appliances, etc.

-  Complete service from concept to completion.  Project management, Client service personnel, residential construction superintendant, and more.

In the end, you will be happy knowing that the granite in the kitchen is not going to crack later because it was placed on properly installed cabinetry, and properly installed floors.  If a company has never had a complaint filed against it, as is the case of NICELY DONE KITCHENS, there is a reason for it.  Service, service, and service pave our way.
- Timeline/Schedule—the contract should spell out the projected start and completion of the project.  Our kitchens on the average take 3 – 4 weeks of construction from start to finish.  There are companies out there that take months to finish!

- Consumer Sites – Lastly check with consumer sites that provide real feedback (i.e. Angie’s List, ComplaintBoard.com) or ones that provide complaints of companies providing you an estimate.  Researching the company will save you a lot of anxiety as your project moves forward.

Finally, establish that chemistry with your designer as you begin.  They can really help you have that kitchen, bath, or other room of your dreams!