general Kitchen Cabinet buying frustration
ltlfromgardenweb
10 years ago
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10 years agolast modified: 9 years agoardcp
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Wow, its was frustrating trying to buy the tile!
Comments (10)As a follow-up to my original message ~ the contractor arrived this morning to start removal of the old 3" deep mortar bed and original (bad shape) old hex floor. (For those old house restoration folks, we'll be replacing with a very similar new hex floor as it couldn't be saved due to the cracked bed.) He will go to Daltile today with my order list to purchase the tiles. The thing thats a bit upsetting is the unknown price. The cost of the field tiles was quoted to me at 31% over the cost at HD. Since he's never purchased there before, my guess is he will not get the big discount. But, at this point I just want the tile, and it is a small bathroom. Todays project is plumbing fixtures for the shower. Contractor needs this for tomorrow. Fortunately, the lady at the recommended plumbing store is a wonderful expert in all things plumbing and very, very helpful. She has suggested the Moen set in the attached link that I emailed to DH. We will go there early in the morning before work select and purchase the shower pieces using contractor's discount/account. Its going to be amazing to have a fully functional bathroom again that doesn't look like it came from the set of 'Green Acres'!!!! Here is a link that might be useful: Moen Shower...See MoreKitchen designer, general contractor, or both?
Comments (6)Oh...boy!. First time here and can I ever tell you about kitchen designers and contractors! I just finished my kitchen. Initially, the KD company had a contractor who works for them if a client needs it but apparently this guy didn't want my little 30K job because it was "too small". I had to hire my own contractors for electrical, demo of the old kitchen, and plumbing. (I later found out that these contractors, whom I know from another job, also install kitchens but at the time, I didn't bother to ask....) Anyhow, the KD mis-measured and a switch was half hidden behind a cabinet. He arrives to check it out while my contractors are here. They discuss it and it is agreed that the switch rather than the cabinet will have to be moved. Since my contractors are on the premises they may as well move it...ah yah, right! It cost me an extra $300 to move the switch because it wasn't easy as it was attached to a support beam. I paid the contractors and then deducted this amount as a back charge from the final payment owed to the KD company. Then, the KD threatens to take me to small claims court because he says why should his firm pay when they could have chosen their own contractor! Say what? Their contractor didn't want my measly job. This was their mistake. They never told me to wait or found a solution for over a month and they waited until the final payment was due to tell me this, even though I warned them repeatedly... Turns out the KD is mad at my contractors because they insulted his "plumbing knowledge" at some point. Now, I'm being forced to pay for a job the KD screwed up and let me tell you, there are numerous other measurement issues that have occurred as well...like brackets that are too big for a peninsula and a food processor that doesn't fit anywhere, despite the KD measuring it to fit! So, friends...the moral of this story is....If you have found a contractor who has experience installing a kitchen, don't rule them out just because they aren't bona fide KDs! I did and look where it landed me! (The latest is the KD is now trying to make me pay for 4 wooden counter support brackets that are apparently $100 each -- replacements for others that didn't match the kitchen hardware...presumably the KD's way of winning this round!) How many ways can you spell RI-DON-CULOUS!...See MoreFrustration with a kitchen 'designer'
Comments (34)let me say this... I designed and sold kitchens by emails and if I sold it. (with my english :-) I'm pretty sure that it can be done !! my english suck! but looks like people trust me. design a basic kitchen to give a price can take 1 day... price it another day max!! so if they don't give you a price and they want go in the showroom is because they are good sales and after ours of discussion they got the sales. (I use to work in a place like that) people was living the showroom with almost don't know that they bought.!!! Find the showroom that you like the product at least the finish if you go for an italian I can help you out to tell you the different technical between one and another, btw in italy are more then 500 kitchen cabinetry companies I don't know all of them! :-) I will try in my spare time soon to make a list with pictures for GW people to understand different cabinetry.. I just have an idea... so each one can compare apple to apple. this is an example how I sold a kitchen in NY: the person contact me thru a friend (I learn that word of mough work better than ads). 1)He send me a sketch with dimensions with description of the place, of his living habit, how many people in the condo and what he was looking for it.. and I ask what he didn't like of the present kitchen. 2) I did a quick design and I send the link of 2 kitchen companies 3) he review the drawings, scan and send to me and told me which line he like it from the website. 4) 2 review and after his approval I priced 5) he like the price and the design. 6) I flu to NY double check the dimension, review the drawing according with the new dimension. 7) Sign contract and place the order!! it's easy!! :-) here the sample of the kitchen: here some 3D of what will look like:...See Morefrustrated with how the kitchen is turning out and oak bashing
Comments (71)I have bashed my previous kitchens' oak cabinets but only because they were the awful pickled kind (not put in by us!). In our first kitchen, I liked everything but the finish on our cabs. The layout was nice, the size was good and even the seafoam green laminate did not bother me. I love the size and amount of the cabs. Dh liked the house instantly because of the cathedral ceilings, skylights, open layout, etc... I liked everything but the kitchen cabs and knew they were in too good of shape to justify taking them out. So, I dealt with them for 7 years and would probably still be dealing with them now 6 years later. In our current house, the pickled oak cabs were small, the surface was wearing poorly, the layout was wrong and there were no pullouts or anything functional about them. When the pickled finish starts to wear on oak, it is a sorry sight to see. Other materials develop patina and character, while pickled oak looks diseased with age. I have seen nice kitchens done with oak and may even consider one someday if we were to move (God forbid, after all the effort put in here, lol). I have also seen ones done poorly and done as the cliche of "builder's oak". I also feel that way about some of the new materials that all builders in our area are using (and I do mean "all"). Those kitchens look alike and all are brown wood with beige tumbled travertine, St Cecilia granite or similar, Tuscan type accents and a yellow/gold wall paint. In a few years, people around here will be bashing the heck out of those. Remember the laminate cabs with the oak strip on the bottom? They went from fabulous to hideous pretty quickly in popular opinion from the 80s to the 90s. See anyone using them lately? Oak just needs some time until it becomes retro enough to be cool. Most things come back in time. Just be patient, and you will be ahead of the curve again ;)...See Moresuzanne_sl
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