Inspired Remodels, Author at Inspired Remodels

Kitchen and Bath Contractors Tips to Preparing for a Remodel

Remodeling your kitchen or bath is exciting. But it’s also disruptive and frustrating. Experienced kitchen and bath contractors, Inspired Remodels, wants every remodel to be as stress-free as possible. When you follow these tips, your kitchen or bath remodel will be much easier.

Living During a Kitchen Remodel

Plan on living without a kitchen for at least a month. If this is a major remodel, it may be longer. You can’t eat out three meals a day for over a month, so use this plan:

Set up a temporary kitchen

Turn a spare bedroom, living area, or even the garage into a temporary kitchen. Move the fridge in there along with a coffee pot, small microwave, and a toaster oven. If you don’t have room for your full size refrigerator, invest in one of the small dorm-sized fridge/freezer combo. You don’t need much freezer space, but you will want a few ice cubes here and there and may want to store a small container of ice cream. After all, it is stressful to have your kitchen under construction. You may want to self-medicate with a cocktail or some ice cream. If you normally eat in the kitchen, set up a temporary eating area as well.

Buy disposables

Go ahead and buy disposable napkins, plates, forks, spoons, and knives. There are even biodegradable options available these days. Even if you don’t like to eat with disposables, you will like washing dishes in your bathroom sink even less.

Plan for disruption

It’s going to get messy. An experienced kitchen and bath contractor knows how to contain the dust and debris. Talk to them about this plan before demolition begins. Think how the disruption will affect your pets. You may want to start feeding them in an alternative location before work begins.

Surviving a Bathroom Remodel

A bathroom remodel isn’t as disruptive, as you generally have more than one bathroom in the house. You only have one kitchen.

Even so, stock up on santizing gel and dry shampoo. When you’re sharing a sink and shower, you’ll find that the sanitizing gel and/or baby wipes are perfect for a quick clean up. Dry shampoo reduces the number of time you may need to stand in line to use the shower. As an alternative, you can always wash your hair in the kitchen sink.

Hang a mirror in an area with good lighting. This will come in handy when the working bathroom is occupied and you need to put on makeup or fix your hair.

If the cat’s litter box was in the bathroom undergoing remodel, you’ll want to make sure you move that a few days before the renovation so kitty gets used to the new spot. Having workers in the house is usually stressful for pets. Moving the litter box is also stressful. Moving the box in advance reduces the chances of accidents.

Kitchen and Bath Contractors Recommend

No matter what type of project you do, it won’t hurt to get away for a few days. Living with a kitchen or bathroom remodel may set your teeth on edge if you are compulsively neat and orderly. Even the untidiest among us may get tired of the disruption. Plan a small vacation to get you out of the house and away from the chaos for a few days.

Speaking of days, plan for disruptions. Every project, no matter how carefully planned, usually has its bumps in the road. If you are prepared for things to go wrong and for the budget to go over 10% to 20% it will be less stressful when it happens.

When you are ready for a remodel or update, call the kitchen and bath contractors that see your home as more than a job site. Inspired Remodels understands it is an honor to be invited into your home. You’ll get one point of contact for the entire project and communication will always be open and honest. Call (949) 716-1938 or Contact Us online today.

How to Hire a Home Remodel Contractor

By Inspired Remodels / Home Improvement / Comments Off

Earlier this month we looked at hiring a kitchen remodel company. The skill set for remodeling a kitchen is similar, but there are some specific things you need to know before you hire a home remodel contractor. Chances are, your home remodel contractor will be working in more than one room. They might even add a room to your house. Here’s how to hire a home remodel contractor in Orange County.

Understand the Regulatory Requirements

Some jobs require permits and others do not. Failing to get permits when permits are required leads to problems down the road. Your insurance company may refuse to cover your house if it violates code and the costs to bring your home into compliance will probably be greater than if you had followed code in the beginning. That’s because engineers may be brought in to assess the structure.

So, just start by finding out what work requires a permit and what does not. Then when talking to your home remodel contractor, find out if they will be responsible for pulling the permits. If the contractor asks the homeowner to get the permits that’s a warning sign. The contractor may have problems with their license or insurance that will be uncovered during the permit application.

Be Honest About Your Budget

You know how much to have to spend on your remodel project. Be honest with the contractor about it. A seasoned contractor knows that you should include a contingency amount in the total budget. An experienced home remodel contractor can also tell you if your budget is realistic.

Get the work to be covered by your budgeted amount in writing. In other words, make sure you have a contract and the contract specifies the amount budgeted. You will also want to include a change order process. If during the project changes are required to the scope of the work (such as discovering a load bearing wall), the contract should include a process for approving these changes.

If the contractor excludes items from the contract, find out the value of these items to make sure you are still on budget. For example, if the project includes the installation of barn doors but the contract doesn’t include the actual cost of the doors, you need to make sure they are in your budget.

Also, remember that when it comes to home remodeling materials and workmanship the cost reflects the quality.

Connect with the Contractor

Don’t hire a home remodel contractor that you can’t personally connect with. This company is going to be in your house and they may be there for weeks.

You need a contractor with a personality and style that meshes with your own. You also need to know you can connect with the contractor when you have questions or a problem occurs. A reputable home remodel contractor like Inspired Remodels will provide you with a point person for the entirety of the project. Make sure this is a person that works well with your personality and style.

Home remodeling is stressful. Dreading a conversation, text or email with the contractor only adds more stress. So, select someone you can communicate with.

Check those Credentials and References

This is so obvious but it must be said. Check the references and credentials of the contractor. It’s easy to check a license online with the State of California and with sites such as Google and Yelp, it’s easy to find references. Be like Nike and just do it.

Orange County Home Remodel Contractor with Integrity

You won’t go wrong if you go with Inspired Remodels. That’s the home remodel contractor with integrity and a long list of happy customers and successful projects.

Hiring a Kitchen Remodel Company Shouldn’t Be Scary

By Inspired Remodels / Kitchen Remodel / Comments Off

Thinking of a kitchen remodel or renovation but the thought of hiring a kitchen remodel company is frightening? Everyone has heard horror stories about remodel companies from hell. You don’t want a new kitchen but you don’t want to make the mistake of hiring the wrong kitchen remodel company. Follow these tips for hiring the right kitchen remodel company and safe your fears for zombie movies.

Use a Kitchen Remodel Company with Design and Construction Crews

There are architects, designers, and contractors. Make sure you hire a kitchen remodel company with the right people. You need a designer to transform your dream into a floor plan with finishes that stay in your budget. A company that offers design services is the best arrangement possible.

Experienced kitchen remodelers can tell you whether your desired layout requires extensive changes to plumbing, electrical, or structural components. Changing these items is costly. An experienced and talented designer translates your wants and needs into a design that honors your budget.

Remember to look at designs and pictures together. Ensure that you and your designer mean the same thing when you say “contemporary” or “traditional”. The design team member must understand your needs and wants for lighting, storage, fixtures, and appliances. If you have poor communication in this stage, the project will probably be a failure with both of you frustrated and unhappy. Remember, if you can’t discuss the kitchen remodel cost and time frame comfortably, you need to pick another kitchen remodel company.

Take a look at their recent work. See if their style meshes with yours or if they successfully adapt their style to their client. Run from a firm that repeats the same design time and again and just changes the finishes. They lack imagination.

Discuss Time and Cost Frankly

Any kitchen remodel company will give an estimate before work starts. Ask about what the estimate covers. Do you know if the finishes are contractor grade? Are appliances and fixtures included? How do they handle problems? Who is responsible for going over budget?

Speaking of budget, go ahead and have that discussion up-front. You may want a farmhouse sink and a prep station with an additional sink, but lack the budget for both. Discuss the budget in the beginning. It helps you prioritize wants and needs. Nothing is worse than being presented with a layout, finishes, and appliances you can’t afford. A waste of your time and the designer’s time too.

Understanding the time frame for the actual work is crucial as well. You need to know more than how long it will take. You need to know when the job starts. If the project requires permits and inspections, this adds to the time to complete.

Recognizing a Reputable Kitchen Remodel Contractor

Don’t fall for a company that presents a design and fails on execution. These days it’s easy to vet any contractor by checking their reputation on-line.

Google the company name. Look for reviews from Yelp, Angie’s List and Houzz.

Don’t forget to check the status of the company’s license. California has a website for checking the status of a contractor’s license. If you check the license for Inspired Remodels at CA.gov, you will find the company has an active license, is bonded, and carries worker’s compensation insurance. Since a kitchen remodel company must do their work in your house, it’s crucial that they carry worker’s compensation insurance for your own protection.

It doesn’t hurt to check with the local Better Business Bureau. In the best case scenario, you won’t discover any complaints. But if you there are complaints, see how the company handles them. Exceptional customer service is defined by problems are resolved. You want to do business with a kitchen remodel company that handles problems or complaints if they get them.

Inspired Kitchen Remodels

Inspired Remodels is the Orange County kitchen remodel company that provides design and remodel services. Hire a kitchen remodel contractor that’s with you from the initial design until the last trace of construction dust is removed from the kitchen. You get the kitchen remodel of your dreams within your budget.

Call (949) 716-1938 or Contact Us online to schedule your consultation today.

Author: Inspired Remodels