Interior designer before a general contractor to compare GC prices?
mamaandsage
5 years ago
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5 years agolast modified: 5 years agomamaandsage thanked Zalco/bring back Sophie!Related Discussions
When do I compare cabinet pricing, before the design or after?
Comments (7)What I suggest for someone price shopping is to make a simple list of 4 cabinets in "standard" construction and shop just those 4 around. Do a plain 24" butt cabinet with a finished (cabinet door applied) side, an 18" drawer base with no finished sides, a 36" tall 24" butt cabinet with one finished (cabinet door applied) side, and an 36" tall 18" wide cabinet with no finished sides. Add 1 stick of classic crown molding and one stick of wood toe kick. Those cabinets and moldings give you a mix of simple middle of the run cabinets and end cabinets and wood molding (some lines use vinyl). The pricing you get from these 4 equal cabinets will let you compare lines "apples to apples" without getting any design services. Of course, presenting your current layout to the designer while you're getting the price quote for any free ideas they are willing to give you as well as talking with them about their cabinets in general should be a priority. Good rapport with a KD is priceless, and a good quality long history of being in businesss is also priceless in this day and age. I don't do design work for free, nor will most of the other KD's I know. That' means no 20/20 work without a design deposit. If you have a list of cabinets that you want to compare prices, I will input them as a price quote only, but that won't include many needed elements like finished sides and molding--which can add 20% to a kitchen's cost--and which many of the folks in the boxes who are giving you "free" design work probably aren't including either in order to lowball you. If I have the time to do a simple design mock up for you, I will print a perspective of that out, but that "pretty picture" won't have any cabinet information or sizes on it. Now, what I will do for free is take the time to talk to you about what you want in your kitchen, both functionally and aesthetically. I will ask you where you see yourself budget wise without actually asking a hard number. I will tell you the benefits of each of my cabinet lines and where they fall in terms of good, better, and best and what that translates to in pricing. I will tell you if your description of you desired kitchen seems to be in line with your generally stated budget, or if you should rethink that item. I will point out items that you may have forgotten or that havent' received enough attention. I will explain to you the benefit of choosing my firm, both in the design achievements and the professional installers that we have to create the design in actuality in your kitchen. If there are any cabinet promotions going on, I will explain them so that you can get the most for your dollar spent. At the end of our sesssion, I will ask you to choose our firm for your project. If you choose to think it over, that's fine. I am willing to meet with you further if you want to clarify any of the above points, or want to get any input from a trusted friend or family member. However, any design work will only begin when I have received the deposit and my installer has given me an accurate measure of the space....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 Morereasonable time before receipt of general contractor's estimate ?
Comments (14)I just write off the contractors after one week. I look at the lack of response as a preview of their lack of professionalism especially during the job. I refuse to chase after a contractor and looked for other options after flaked out contractors. The results have actually saved me money. I had to reschedule an estimate appointment with a contractor about repiping my house due to my mom going into the hospital. I explained and he promised to call me back. I never heard from him after 2 messages. As a result, I'm paying $10K to repipe my house with a top notch repiping firm vs. the $25K that my neighbor paid. My neighbor was the one who referred the flaky GC. This firm happens to be the one that all the GCs in the area uses. That lack of response saved me $15K. Another company just called me this week and asked if I ever scheduled an estimate appointment. I pointed out that the original call was over a month ago and no one ever called me within the promised 24 hrs or ever. They then apologized and asked if they can come out for an estimate. Obviously I passed. Try to identify subs that you can work with directly. Look for reputable firms with fair prices vs. low pricing. You can save a huge amount of money. All the companies that responded quickly and that I contracted with have been great. They were transparent, careful and communicated every possible change. For example, the repiping company called and apologized that they would like to move my job back for a week because one of the specialists asked for a week off for his new baby. They preferred waiting until he was back to ensure that my concrete cutting will be perfect. These are the types of contractors that you want to work with....See MoreInterior Designer vs. GC
Comments (31)I've worked with a number of interior designers--some outstanding, some average, and some below average. The best ones are content working as a member of a team and contributing their expertise as appropriate. It's not important to them that they're in a superior role. I'm working with one now who is fabulous. She's listened to suggestions from my carpenters, the client, and me and used them (with or without modification) to make the end product even better. There's never been a "who's in charge argument and I suspect their never will be because we respect each other's expertise. The notion that the builder doesn't want someone else ordering materials is often spun as a "taking money out of the builder's pocket" argument. Nonsense. The builder charges what he/she needs to be fairly compensated for the project irrespective of who is supplying materials. You can consider the amount the builder needs to make as a mark up on materials or labor or both or a flat fee if you like. Doesn't matter. What does matter is that someone else ordering materials adds to the logistics, and potentially the cost, to execute the project. Getting input from the trades early in the process is important. I consider that an important and a differentiating dimension of the design/build process....See Moremamaandsage
5 years agoJeffrey R. Grenz, General Contractor
5 years agomamaandsage thanked Jeffrey R. Grenz, General Contractormamaandsage
5 years agoJeffrey R. Grenz, General Contractor
5 years agomamaandsage thanked Jeffrey R. Grenz, General Contractormamaandsage
5 years agolast modified: 5 years agomamaandsage
5 years agoBrickwood Builders, Inc.
5 years agolast modified: 5 years agomamaandsage thanked Brickwood Builders, Inc.Main Line Kitchen Design
5 years agolast modified: 5 years agomamaandsage thanked Main Line Kitchen DesignMain Line Kitchen Design
5 years agolast modified: 5 years agomamaandsage thanked Main Line Kitchen DesignMain Line Kitchen Design
5 years agolast modified: 5 years agomamaandsage thanked Main Line Kitchen DesignCarolina Kitchen & Bath
5 years agolast modified: 5 years agomamaandsage thanked Carolina Kitchen & BathCAP Construction, LLC
5 years agolast modified: 5 years agomamaandsage thanked CAP Construction, LLCmamaandsage
5 years ago
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Zalco/bring back Sophie!