Should I re-face my cabinets?
January 3, 2012 All, Kitchen, Other Leave a comment
Should I re-face my cabinets? In reality between refacing cabinets or buying new cabinets, the difference in price is very little. If you already have a countertop that you like, then I would suggest you to reface your cabinets, but I would still change all of the doors and drawers, to European hinges and full extension ball bearing drawers. You will not save a lot of money on the cabinets, but you will save about $ 3000.00 on the countertop and backsplash.
Remodel on a budget
December 31, 2011 All, Bathroom, Flooring, Homepage, Kitchen, Other Leave a comment
Many of my clients and friend often ask me if the “Remodeling Estimate” I will write will provide them with a budget for their “Kitchen”, “Bathroom”, “Flooring “, “Additions” and any other project they would like to work on.
Although any “Estimate” will provide you with a budget, the concept should be the opposite. When you plan in purchasing a car, computer or anything else, you would have planned prior from going to the store on how much you want to spend, or simply how much you can afford. It is true, many use financing institutions as their budget, what I mean by that is simply “ I am going to the store to buy a new laptop, I am not sure yet how much I will pay as I wish to get a credit card for it”. I would strongly encourage you to always have a budget and try as hard as possible to stick to it. Even if you plan on financing your purchase, have a budget in mind and be realistic on how much you wish to spend and can afford.
Click here if you need help in creating a budget.
Now that we have those basic rules in place, let’s talk about “Remodeling”.
First of all you will need to determine what kind of “Remodeling project” (Bathroom, Kitchen, Flooring, etc.) and why you are doing it. Your budget should vary based on your needs and if you are Remodeling to sell your home, because you would like to give yourself a gift, or simply because you must.
When working with a “Contractor” to create a budget, be as specific as possible on what kind of style, color, finish and quality you would like to have.
Most of your “Remodeling” cost will be in your “Cabinets”, “Floors” and “Countertops”, but sometimes plumbing and electrical can bring up the bill. We strongly recommend you plan for your project together with your “Remodeling contractor” before starting your project and that you do not make any changes while the project is going on, unless necessary. This will help you to ensure you don’t blow your budget and that your project will be completed within the timelines given you by your “Contractor”.
One of the common mistakes homeowners make is to not share their “Remodeling Budget” with their “Contractor”. Sometimes because they do not have a budget and other times because they simply believe that it will cost them more to “remodel” since now they have shown all of their cards to the contractor, and he will charge them more, because now he knows how much you are willing to pay. Although I am sure that this scenario could be true, but it is not true if you were to do business with “Remodeling by Joseph”, and many other “respectable contractors”.
If you can’t trust your contractor, you should perhaps look elsewhere and not do business with him. When you share your budget and goals with us, we will help you in managing those expenses, in designing a realistic project and to stick to your budget, this will require some work on your part (create a budget) but it will help you in the long run.
Creating a budget is time consuming and it is not a perfect science. We recommend you add to your budget and emergency expense of about 15% of your total project.
How Much Should a Small Bathroom Remodeling Cost?
November 23, 2011 All, Bathroom Leave a comment
How much should a small bathroom remodeling cost?
It is somewhat hard to determine a price that would work for a specific remodeling project, without measuring the room, knowing what kind of tiles, fixtures and features. But an average cost for a small to middle size bathroom, about 5′x5′, is around $ 5000-7500.
Grout Repair
November 23, 2011 Flooring Leave a comment
How can I restore the grout on my floors or walls without using any chemicals? Very simple, use a 220 grit sand paper, lightly sand the grout, vacuum any debris and dirt. This process might need to be repeated and grout touch up or filled in. It is important to reseal the grout once finished.
Tiles
November 23, 2011 All, Flooring Leave a comment
Ceramic and Porcelain tile can enhance the atmosphere of your home. Ceramic tiles are made of a specific clay mixture along with water. Once the tiles are formed they are fired to high temperatures and then sometime glazed. Porcelain tile clay mixture is highly refined and purified. This makes porcelain tile, a much stronger product ideal for flooring a less likely to crack.
Cabinet Refacing
November 21, 2011 All, Kitchen Leave a comment
Should I re-face my cabinets? In reality between refacing cabinets or buying new cabinets, the difference in price is very little. If you already have a countertop that you like, then I would suggest you to reface your cabinets, but I would still change all of the doors and drawers, to European hinges and full extension ball bearing drawers. You will not save a lot of money on the cabinets, but you will save about $ 3000.00 on the countertop and backsplash.
How to Choose a Remodeler Contractor
November 20, 2011 All, Other Leave a comment
Before hiring your contractor
How to choose your contractor
You can find contractors many ways: friends, advertisements, Internet, etc. But the first thing one should always do when considering a company is to check for referrals and credentials.
Unfortunately many “Remodelers/Contractors”
have begun remodeling without the ability to pass or clear a background check, and/or have lost their primary job and therefore started a “company” without any prior knowledge, skill, and/or experience and education.
When comparing estimates (which you should always have more than one conducted), one needs to look at more than just the price. Furthermore, you cannot make an educated decision until all the contractors have given a bid for the same scope of work. If a project is being underbid (cheap) you will most likely have problems all throughout or after the project is completed, but there have been a few instances where companies that had over bid (expensive) when their product had little to no quality compared to the lesser bidders. Example:
Contractor ABC might be trying to sell you a poor quality job at a high cost, while Contractor XYZ may be trying to sell you a high quality job at a much more reasonable and moderate cost.
If you look on the Internet, and find the countless stories about “bad contractors” you will most likely read things such as: “not being punctual with the completion of the project”, “problems with the project after the contractor left”, “never been able to get a hold of them to solve the issue”, “took off with my money before completion”, and much worse. We are different and here is why. We are highly skilled and trained, have a A+ rating with Better Business Bureau, our background is FREE AND CLEAR, we stand behind our work 100% and guarantee everything we do, offer you a hassle free experience with no language barriers. We can provide you with many referrals, from recent and past projects, we guarantee a timely completion, .We are setting ”New Standards” in the Remodeling Industry.
Click here to schedule a FREE consultation
Looking forward in working with you,
Joseph
