7 Questions to Ask Before You Hire a Kitchen Professional

Unless you are a general contractor or kitchen professional yourself, are very handy and experienced in renovating kitchens, or want to make just minor changes to your kitchen, chances are you will need to hire a kitchen professional.

Considering that a full kitchen remodeling can cost anywhere from $20,000 to upwards of $200,000 and complications from a botched project or disputes with contractors could potentially cause all kinds of problems: structural, quality of life and financial, you want to make sure that you do your due diligence up front.

Here are some questions to ask before you hire a kitchen professional:

1.	Are you licensed and insured? Making sure that the contractor you hire is licensed benefits you in two ways. First, it gives you the peace of mind that this person has met professional criteria required by the state so you know they have some level of expertise, and second, if you end up in a dispute with the contractor about the project, your rights will be protected by the state, which may not be the case if the contractor is not licensed. There are two types of insurance that contractors should have: workers compensation and general contractor insurance. Workers compensation protects the workers on your job in the event that they get injured, and also shields you from getting sued if they get injured on your property. General contractor insurance can compensate you if the contractor does faulty work, damages your property or accidentally hurts you or other residents or visitors.
2.	Do you charge for an estimate? Since each kitchen remodel project is a custom job, putting together an accurate estimate involves physically coming out to your home, measuring the space thoroughly, consulting with you about what you want and often, doing a sketch or computer layout to accompany the proposal. All of this takes time, and some kitchen professionals will charge from a $200 to $1700, while others cover the cost for this service in other ways.
3.	May I have some references? Make sure that you ask for references, preferably on kitchen remodeling jobs of a similar scope to yours. Once you get them, call them rather than email them because you will be able to get a lot more information over the phone and will be able to get quick answers. Some questions to ask them: Were you happy overall with the contractor? Was he/she easy to work with? How was the quality of the work? Did the contractor and workers clean up after themselves? Did your project come in on or under budget and if not, why? Did the contractor and workers show up when promised and complete the job in a timely manner? Would you recommend the contractor?
4.	What is the scope of work you handle? There are many different kinds of kitchen professionals, such asinterior designers, architects, general contractors, cabinet manufacturers, granite fabricators. Find out up front what aspects of the project the professional is willing and able to do. Generally speaking, a general contractor will supervise the project and hire subcontractors for any specific thing that he can’t or doesn’t want to do, like electricians, tile installers and plumbers. Other times, the general contractor will do all of the work in-house. A cabinet manufacturer may construct the cabinets and install them, but not sell or install countertops. Once you know what your main professional will handle, you can factor in costs and look for professionals to handle the parts of the project that are not already covered.
5.	How do you get your subcontractors? If you hire a general contractor who will be using subcontractors, you need to find out how those subcontractors are chosen. What are their qualifications and how long has the GC been working with them? Although it is the job of the general contractor to supervise the subcontractors, you want to make sure that all people working on your project are qualified. If the relationship is a new one, be wary. If a subcontractor has a financial dispute with the GC and hasn’t been paid enough or at all, he has a legal right to put a lien on your property.

6.     Do you give written warranties?

Most states require remodeling firms to provide a warranty on their work, usually one year. However, reputable kitchen remodeling companies frequently offer a warranty that is longer than that mandated by the state, showing that they stand behind their work. Companies that have extended written warranties are less likely to do shoddy work in the first place, and if something does go wrong, you can rest easy knowing they will come and fix it at no additional charge.

7.     Do you typically take on projects this size?

Ideally, you would like your kitchen professional to have lots of experience doing projects as similar to yours as possible. Although every project is different, similar size projects tend to involve many of the same challenges and types of materials. If a kitchen designer’s main clients are multi-million dollar mansions, she may be inclined to recommend or specify materials that are too costly for your project. If a general contractor normally does small, budget-tight kitchen remodels, he may not have the experience to successfully complete a bigger, more complex kitchen renovation. Also, if the kitchen professional’s other current projects are all much bigger than yours, you will end up being a low priority and having your project take longer and get less attention than it should.    

      

Check with your legal advisor or the NKBA for additional advice regarding hiring a kitchen professional.

In order to find the right kitchen professional, it helps to start out with a short list of professionals who meet certain criteria. When you register for our Plan Right Professional Kitchen Toolkit, we can connect you with up to three kitchen professionals in your area who have licenses and insurance, have been in business at least 2 years, they have an official place of business and are registered with the National Kitchen and Bath Association (NKBA).

If you are already registered with our Explore Right Basic Kitchen Toolkit, click here to upgrade. When you choose to be connected to kitchen professionals in your area, all of the enhanced kitchen layout customization and kitchen design and budgeting content is absolutely free!