Ikea Kitchens:Remodeling Guide

2012-01-02T15:10:00.000-08:00

Why Workspace?

For many homeowners, planning a kitchen remodel is pretty exciting. If you have to do it, or if you want to do it, either way there is an exercise of your creative side involved. It is easy to imagine the form and look you want in general. But don't overlook some important aspects of function.

What is a kitchen really for? Kitchens are for preparing food, in essence. If you are merely replacing old cabinets with new, you can stick with the existing layout/footprint, but at least give some thought to ways to make the same space better for food prep. If you are changing the layout, opening walls and rearranging appliances and utility lines, it's even more important to consider function.

Sometimes a kitchen is a gathering place, for family and/or guests. It's often a storage or display area for the kitchen stuff you've collected (where to put that KitchenAid mixer). These functions have to be incorporated, of course. But we want you to enjoy using the kitchen, which generally means preparing meals.

Some people depend heavily on microwave ovens for meal preparation while others shun them. Some scrape vanilla beans, some eat packages of ramen or even canned soup several times a week and consider this a meal. But in designing the layout of your new kitchen, consider that you might cook more in the future, that the next owner of your house/condo may be a foodie, or a chef.

Of course you don't have to be a gourmet cook to aspire to good and adequate workspace and lighting in a kitchen. I cook soup and pasta and egg dishes mostly. I also juice daily. For me, having a juicing area, where my juicer and other tools can be used and stored, and veg and fruit prep and cleanup can be done quickly and neatly, is essential.

Always separate food prep and cleanup areas if you can. Work with the "kitchen triangle" but make it work for your style of food prep. More counter space is better than bigger appliances. You can often keep an extra fridge or freezer in a garage so don't go overboard on the in-kitchen model you choose. A pantry cabinet or, better, more counterspace, will be often be better utilized than a huge fridge.

Keeping counter space free of clutter is also vital for best food prep function. To keep costs down consider using shelves built out of IKEA panels (the same style as your cabinets) and used in place of cabinets.

Once again I would highly recommend working with an IKEA kitchen design expert to get the most out of your remodel dollars. You will still have many choices to make and your preferences and requirements have to be worked out and communicated. But to get the ideal kitchen for your budget, your space, your aesthetic preferences and lifestyle, get the help of a pro if you can. Call or email and we're happy to share our resources with you.

Ordering Your IKEA Kitchen

2011-11-09T11:58:00.000-08:00

Once you've decided to use IKEA cabinets for your kitchen remodel (or for another storage area, or even a bathroom remodel), you might hit a wall of sorts. The "how-to" is missing for many people.

I often make the weak joke that whereas you can buy a set of plastic bowls at IKEA without expert help, designing and remodeling a kitchen with thousands of your hard-earned dollars is something entirely different. It's really frustrating to us that people attempt to design their own layouts for an $8,000 purchase, when for a tiny part of that budget, they could have an expert IKEA designer work out the optimal layout, best use of space, beautiful design and functionality, and, just as vital, prepare a correct ordering list.

I'm a do-it-yourself, budget-minded person so I do understand trying to design your own layout. But not only can you end up with a lesser result, but inexperience with ordering the right kitchen component parts can start a chain reaction of "remodel nightmare."

IKEA salespeople are well-trained to help you order your kitchen. Bring them a layout and they'll do their best to translate it into a complete list of components. A week or two later, a truck arrives and drops off a HUGE (even for a small kitchen) pallet of nondescript flat, heavy cardboard boxes. All you can do is hope that what is needed is there, fingers crossed as your contractor arrives to start work.

The story is different if you have an expert help you with the cabinet layout. Our designer has worked with IKEA cabinets for seventeen years. He knows part numbers, all those pseudo-Swedish codes. He knows how to use cabinet components, not just full cabinets, to design a layout that will utilize odd corners, special needs, high and low ceilings and floors, and much more. When the layout is done, we depend on him to put together a precise order list of each part that is needed. Arriving to IKEA to order with a list like this in hand is THE way to go.

Here is an example. Customer Mrs. Marsh finalizes her layout with us and heads to IKEA with her order list. She's excited, she loves the kitchen she soon will have. She knows it will fit. She has sorted out all her questions, concerns, ideas, and concepts for the new kitchen with an expert. She is moving forward on a remodel of her kitchen she has saved up for over 4 years, with knowledge and confidence.

She arrives to her local IKEA kitchen department, breezes past the folks sweating at the computer terminals trying to design their own kitchens. She finds a bright salesperson, hands them our 3D views of her soon-to-be kitchen, a schematic showing all sizes and placements of cabinets, and a complete list of all the parts she needs. The salesperson can enter the data into IKEA's computer system, verify any final options with Mrs. Marsh. If a question comes up (e.g., corner base cabinet with shelves or with lazy susan?), Mrs. Marsh calls us from the store, asks any question, decides, and moves forward. Ordering takes two hours typically, when you know exactly what you need to buy. If you don't know, you can spend an entire day, and have to return the next. I said people sweat at those computer stations at IKEA, but we've seen people cry. And couples swear at each other.

I know this sounds like a scare tactic, driving you readers to call us for design help. Good. That's exactly my intention. We know the difference between an IKEA kitchen remodel planned correctly, and beautifully, and one done without the knowledge needed to ensure a great result.

IKEA Kitchen Design Service for all

2011-11-02T12:18:00.000-07:00

If you have a kitchen project but live far from Southern California, we can still help. Kitchen design can be done via email, fax, and phone. We put our expertise to work for you and we truly want you to love your new kitchen (and us).

Just write or call. 626-203-1480 or info@modernfamilykitchens.com

Susan

Sleek, Modern Kitchen Options

2010-11-16T10:57:00.000-08:00

(A recent modern kitchen our company did in Pasadena. Cabinets are IKEA Abstrakt)

A significant percentage of our customers want a modern look for their new kitchens. A similar percentage, when they first call, are unsure of the quality of IKEA cabinets. Most really need an estimate, a true idea of what the project will cost.

The issue of quality is best addressed through one’s own research. Don’t be fooled by what only looks similar, that is to say, be careful not to compare apples with organges. We recently planned a new kitchen for a customer who ended up going to Lowes for Martha Stewart brand cabinets when she could not find an IKEA door style she really liked. The price was about 1.5 times the cost of IKEA cabinets for the same layout, so it was not too bad, money-wise. But the quality was shockingly worse. Make sure you really look, really compare specs, materials and warranties of components.

I’ve written earlier that those big box stores are going to offer free planning, free this, free that. It can seem like a good way to go until you get a real idea of costs. In my experience, comparable cabinets, i.e., same thickness of frames, same quality of hardware, same warranty, are going to cost about 3 times the price of cabinets at IKEA. And installation is often much more costly as well. The store will sell you everything, from dishwasher to floor tile, their employees will install your cabinets, your appliances, your tile. it can seem to be almost a turnkey remodel, but you’ll pay for every bit.

Roughly, you can expect to spend $15,000-$20,000 for a nice, medium-size kitchen remodel, including materials and labor, with all but the most costly IKEA cabinets and/or counter top. You can certainly do it for less with lower end door styles, laminate or butcher block counter top, and some do-it-yourself labor. But for a full remodel, with permits, some electrical and plumbing upgrades (which are almost always needed), flooring, tile backsplash, cleanup and demo costs included, this is a realistic estimate.

What would a same-size kitchen cost with other brands? With those lesser quality, more expensive Martha Steward cabinets, the project went to $32,000 and is still not finished. With many of the major brands you’ll find at cabinet warehouses, Costco, etc. you’re likely to be looking at $50,000 and up.

Keep in mind that when dealing with cabinet stores, or big box stores, you are dealing with employees who often work on commission. It is infinitely better to have a final layout, knowing exactly what cabinets you need to order as well as the cost of those cabinets, BEFORE you go to buy them. This is why we offer a kitchen planning service, to provide this very thing to our customers.

Last but not least is the subject of modern kitchen cabinets. For some reason, in the U.S., there are very few sources of such cabinets. If you have $100,000, you can order your cabinets from Italy. There are importers locally, of course. But you’re looking at 5 or 6 times the cost of an IKEA remodel.

There are a few American made modern door styles, KraftMade Venicia for one. We get calls regularly from homeowners who have gotten quotes for a remodel with these cabinets and, on average, the cabinets alone were about $30,000. Certainly these are nice cabinets, high quality, sleek and modern. The only problem is that they cost almost 4 times as much as IKEA cabinets. We’re happy to help any customer interested in a quote for a Venicia (or any brand) of cabinets. We’re not biased, be simply want the real costs right in view for each customer from the start.

For do-it-yourself homeowners, there are a few other options for modern doors. Online you can find anything for sale, from candied eels to human body parts-- modern cabinet doors are no exception. In theory, to do a modern kitchen at the lowest possible cost, you can buy IKEA frames and order custom doors for them. Whether the final cost would justify the inherent risks and problems with mail-order remodeling is something I don’t yet know. From my research, these mail-order doors are not cheap. IKEA doors win hands-down in terms of cost, reliability, speed.

Despite quite of bit of effort to find alternates to IKEA cabinets, for the best price we think you’ll ultimately find that for a modern kitchen, or really any moderate kitchen remodel, IKEA cabinets will be your best bet. We don’t work for IKEA, we wish there were other options to offer that cost the same and have the same quality. We just haven’t found any.

So take a look at photos of two modern kitchen remodels we did recently with IKEA cabinets. You are looking at IKEA’s Abstrakt line of cabinet doors, as well as expert design and very precise and expert installation, both factors that make all the difference in the world when it comes to IKEA cabinets (as compared to custom or semi-custom that cost much, much more).

If you are in the Los Angeles/S. Cal area, give us a call to discuss your ideas, your thoughts, your dream kitchen. www.modernfamilykitchens.com 818-273-4583.

-Thanks for reading.

Another recent remodel in Arcadia, cabinets are IKEA's also.

A Story of an IKEA Kitchen Remodel

2010-07-15T11:40:00.000-07:00

For the purpose of providing some helpful data on home remodeling, here is just one example of how a project was planned and completed by two homeowners, MaryJo and Jim.

This couple has a condo in a medium sized city, grown kids, no grandchildren yet. Their kitchen was a good size for a condo, 11 x 14. Both MaryJo an Jim work full time. Jim travels and MaryJo has to be on call evenings and weekends, in addition to a 35 hour week. They had saved up over two years to redo the kitchen and had a good idea of the styles and types of materials they wanted.

For this couple, time was really more vital than money. As they moved through the planning phase, they chose appliances, cabinets and countertop that easily fit within their budget. Their attention then shifted to the labor costs and timeframe.

As a first step, MaryJo had a big home improvement store come out for a free estimate and design. Although one or two of their cabinet styles were acceptable, they really wanted a more modern look to go with the contemporary style of the condo itself. But the real deal breaker came with the price quoted. The home consultation and design were “free” but the cost of the cabinets was over $28,000, more than their entire budget for materials and labor.

Back at square one, MaryJo and Jim went to IKEA to look again at the displays. It seemed obvious that these were a better deal, and even, per Jim’s research, better quality. So they found us online, a company that specializes in remodeling projects using IKEA cabinets. Our designer came up with a layout that was better for their lifestyle needs than any they had considered. Things really start to get exciting, and to move forward, when the layout is really right for the homeowner. It’s hard to do remodeling with all its costs and messes if you aren’t excited about the envisioned results.

Robert went out to look at the walls, plumbing, electrical, lighting, flooring, etc. so as to be able to answer their questions and provide a detailed bid sheet.

For better or for worse, this couple picked a week for their project when Jim would be out of town. MaryJo could take 2 days off work. The project timeframe was 10 days, including demo, a small amount of electrical upgrade, wall repair, cabinet and appliance installation, countertop install, tile flooring and backsplash and some new recessed lights.

During the project, once things were well underway and MaryJo was back at work, MaryJo kept in touch with Robert via cell and email. She had to make few choices along the way. She emailed our office one night to remind us not to let her cat out of the condo. We called her to let her know she had not received two side panels which were backordered.

On day 5, the countertop supplier came to install countertop and Robert adjusted two cabinets to help them.

On day 13, Jim came home to a finished new kitchen.

Want to discuss your project? If you are in the Los Angeles/SoCal area, give us a call, 818-273-4583 or visit us at www.modernfamilykitchens.com

IKEA Kitchen Remodeling TIPS: Part 1

2010-07-13T12:19:00.000-07:00

The more you know, the more expert guidance you have, the better result you will get. This means that, not only will your new kitchen look better, but you'll get more for your money, you'll spend less time and experience fewer delays, and the finished result will be much more satisfactory. Make knowledge a priority over money. Money, i.e., your budget IS important. But the best way to stay within your budget and still get a great result is to plan wisely and to invest a little in the help and guidance of experts.

The typical sequence of events in an IKEA Kitchen remodel:
0) Research. THEN decide if IKEA cabinets are the best choice for your remodel.
1) Kitchen design
2) Meeting with contractor; get a line item bid sheet
3) Ordering cabinets
4) Purchasing any non-IKEA materials: tile, appliances, flooring, lights, etc.
5) Bid sheet for installation and remodeling services approved
6) Permits gotten
7) Cabinet delivery scheduled
8) Contract for bid specs signed, job scheduled
9) Bin for trash ordered
10) First day of project. Meet with contractor in a.m.
11) Schedule countertop template (for solid surface countertop only)
12) Once base cabinets are in place, template is made
13) Complete cabinet installation, place appliances
14) Countertop company installs countertop
15) Contractor returns to hook up appliances, install sink/faucet, make final adjustments. Meet with contractor in p.m. for final inspection.

Kitchen design
IKEA provides software for a do-it-yourself kitchen design. It’s unfortunate because for a small investment you can have a professional designer work with you. The difference is huge. Don’t cheat yourself. Our company charges $375 in most cities within LA county, $475 and up outside the county, to send our expert designer to meet with you, look at the kitchen, house style, and find out what your ideas are. He’ll usually design more than one option and he’ll work with you on design until you love the layout. He can customize cabinets and use them in ways the planner software does not allow. He’s designed thousands of kitchens, he’s an expert with IKEA materials and with kitchen design. Included in the price is cabinet design of a bathroom or similar small area. Unlimied revisions. Best deal in town. People all over the U.S and even Europe call us about this planning service. IKEA is everywhere.

Meeting with contractor
There is really no way to get a price for the labor part of your remodel without having the contractor come out to look, with the new cabinet layout you want available to him.

If a representative, (salesperson) of some other cabinet company (that sells cabinets and installs them) comes for free and gives you a free design and a big price “$28,984.52” for your new kitchen, something is wrong. You’ve lost control because you don’t really know what that includes, the quality of the cabinets, the details of installation and remodeling. They’ll give you a contract with tiny print that explains it all. Don’t go this route.

Instead, meet with a contractor expert with IKEA cabinets if you’re using IKEA cabinets. Show him what you’d like, ask questions. Do you feel comfortable with the guy? Most important, get an easy- to-read line item bid sheet and make sure you understand what each item on it means and includes. Leave nothing ambiguous. Ask all the questions you think of. If he doesn’t answer, or takes days or weeks to do so, find someone else. Our company sells nothing, no products, we only provide service. It’s a better way to go.

Ordering cabinets
Our planning service, which includes professional design, also includes help with ordering. This can be the most difficult part of the whole process. Even with a finished design, you can spend 87 hours at IKEA trying to get the kitchen ordered, never sure if you’ve ordered the right things and paid the right price. For our local remodeling and installation customers, we send an expert who worked for IKEA for 15 years, to meet you at the store when you go to order. He will ensure you get the help you need, the items you need, the best deal. If you prefer to go to the store on your own, we’ll still fill out IKEA order forms for you so that the parts and quantities and numbers are already figured out beforehand.

Purchasing non-IKEA materials
You may not want to buy all your stuff at IKEA and you don’t need to. Appliances come in standard sizes. As long as the designer knows what you will want or have, he can work it into the cabinet layout. During IKEA kitchen sales, if you buy appliances at IKEA you get a discount on the cabinets and countertop. IKEA appliances are Whirlpool, by the way.

Appliances: Enjoy the shopping process. Make sure our kitchen cabinet design accounts for the appliance sizes you purchase. Check with your designer or contractor as to how a certain appliance will affect the cabinet installation. Sometimes, the refrigerator height will determine the height of all the wall cabinets. Know before you buy how the appliances will affect other things. It’s easy to sort out, just do it ahead of time,

Tile: Tile is a very creative and personal choice. A tile backsplash can be awesome. But keep in mind that the installation of the tile adds time to the project, at least two days. More complex tile types or patterns cost more to install than simple patterns. Ask the cabinet designe for suggestions, ask how much tile you’ll need for a backsplash, add 10% when you buy. Get a price for tilesetting listed on the bid sheet.

Lighting: Ask your contractor about code requirements for lighting and other electrical. In California you cannot install incandescent fixtures and usually you’ll have to replace them if you already have some and are doing any remodeling in that room. There are kits for this. It’s not a huge cost but it’s an issue to know about.

The IKEA Kitchen Sale!

2010-02-26T15:10:00.000-08:00

The season is almost upon us for butterflies, sprouting plants, warmer breezes, cherry blossoms. But none of these have our attention the way the IKEA kitchen sale does, also coming each spring.

We can hardly blame those who will wait till the sale starts to order their cabinets. Here is the general idea of the sale:

10% off cabinets and countertop
15% off if you buy 2 appliances also
20% off if you buy 3 appliances

As always I highly recommend having an expert IKEA designer do the layout for you. Spending hours perched at IKEA computer stations is no fun. Having an expert designer come to your house, listen to you, answer your questions, and design several options, provide you with cost data, is the best investment you'll make.

Save on the sale, don't skimp on a do-it-yourself design. If you are anywhere in SoCal, give us a call, 626-203-1480. Outside SoCal, our designer can either travel to you or work with your measurements. Ours is the least costly service of its type, the most comprehensive and, more important, we really want you to love your new kitchen.

Susan

Creative Use of IKEA Cabinets

2009-12-26T10:33:00.000-08:00

I thought it might help to explain why it is that, although we are remodeling contractors, we offer an IKEA kitchen design/planning service. We offer this service to ensure that our (potential) remodeling customers have a truly optimal layout. The service also ensures that the remodeling requirements and costs to achieve the finished result the customer wants can be planned out knowledgeably. It's a really worthwhile service I recommend without reservation.

Why do I "sell" this service to people who call? It's simply because we know, after hundreds of IKEA kitchen projects, that having a expert installation contractor AND a pro designer on your team. will get you a much better kitchen. One key is their ability to use IKEA cabinets creatively.

The IKEA software enables you to place cabinets along the walls of a kitchen. A 30 inch cabinet fits in 30 inches of space. It has 3 drawers or two shelves, etc., all the standard IKEA cabinets, as seen in their catalog.

A kitchen designer who is expert with IKEA cabinets, knows how to use these cabinets in many more ways than the software allows you to do. He knows how to avoid installation problems, such as when six feet of cabinets in six feet of space creates a problem (e.g., the oven door won't open) that holds up your installation for days while you re-design and exchange cabinets or appliances. An expert IKEA designer knows how to mix and match component parts and can customize cabinets to elegantly solve design issues in a particular kitchen.

I could not overstate how many more options you have with IKEA cabinets than you might realize, using only the standard cabinet sizes and configurations, and the IKEA planner software or their catalog's cardboard design kit.

Using these cabinets creatively, alterations to cabinets or to the kitchen itself can be proposed. Have a contractor who has years of experience with IKEA kitchen cabinets provides you with the immediate knowledge of what the alterations involve. If you think it'll cost a lot to move your sink to the other side of the kitchen, you may not even consider it. If your designer proposes this and at the same time, an expert installation contractor gives you a price of $200 to run the plumbing lines, well, your dream kitchen may start to come into view. And this is a real-life example.

Here are two more quick examples of recent projects in which the creative design of IKEA cabinets and expert planning service resulted in a much better kitchen remodel than the customer ever expected to achieve:

1) Lovely smaller home in Altadena. Customer wanted kitchen remodel. Designer and contractor went out for planning service appointment. Upon inspection and based on customer budget and their "dream kitchen" ideas, it was worked out that removing a small wall between kitchen and laundry area and moving the kitchen to current dining room location and dining room to kitchen location would result in a much larger and lighter living space that would serve the homeowners needs much more than the small, closed-in rooms they had. The cost of wall removal, electrical and plumbing, new lighting and even moving a large picture window from dining room (view of neighbor's house) to kitchen (backyard view), was well within the customer's $15,000 budget.

2) A customer in Brentwood had gotten a quote of $36,000 to remodel three small bathrooms. Customer wanted a European look. Our designer drafted layouts with IKEA refrigerator cabinets altered to fit into narrow bathroom spaces, and customized with drawers. Minor plumbing alterations were needed. We completed the three bathrooms for under $9,000. Fabulous, European-style bathrooms.

Bottom line: spend a bit on professional design and include an expert installer/contractor on your planning team. In Los Angeles, just call us. Elsewhere, we can do your planning via email, but make sure you bring an expert installer in once you have the design work done, to ensure everything comes together just the way you envision it.

Susan

Hiring and Handling a Remodeling Contractor

2009-09-15T15:43:00.000-07:00

Perhaps the most important decision you are going to make in regards to your kitchen remodel is not be which cabinets or which flooring or which color of paint. It may not be a “what” but a “who”. Your choice of contractor, the guy or team that is going to prepare your kitchen and then remodel it with those beautiful new IKEA cabinets, can make a very big difference. Although IKEA seems to suggest that any Swedish teenager can whip together a new IKEA kitchen, getting a nice result requires expertise. Getting a great result, requires thorough planning, knowledge (foresight is better and cheaper than hindsight) and a careful search of the contractors in your area to find the right one for your project.

Here are some basic tips:

1) NEVER hire an unlicensed “handyman”. Do it yourself or hire someone who has a license.

In California and other states, a “handyman” may do remodeling or repair work that costs, in total, up to $500. Over that and he is violating the law. If the guy is doing this, he’s probably not paying taxes also. Do you pay taxes? Do you trust someone who considers the only way to make a living is to operate illegally?

The licensing requirements in any state are for YOU. They project you against the unqualified and the irresponsible. As a note, a licensed contractor MUST provide you with a written contract that lists all the specifications of the project and the price. They must provide a warranty on their work. If you hire someone without a license and something goes wrong, you have little if any recourse.

2) Get permits.

We certainly understand wanting to avoid this added expense. But NOT having a permit can be MUCH more expensive. It is EASY to get a permit for most kitchen projects. Swapping out cabinets usually does require a permit, as does plumbing or electrical work. But in many cases you can get your permit online (LA County, Santa Monica), or with a quick trip the your city offices (Pasadena). You pay a couple hundred bucks. You may need to get an inspection. Don’t worry about it. If you’ve got a licensed contractor, he’ll cooperate with the inspections and, remember, this is your city making sure your contractor did the work correctly and safely. It’s a bargain.

Some remodeling companies will get permits for you. Owners can get permits themselves for most kitchen projects so just do your homework, call your city office. Our company pulls permits but we also encourage homeowners to look into getting their own if they have the time to do so. It's a kind of self-empowerment. Whether or not your contractor pulls permits for you, it is, by law, the responsibility of the property owner to have necessary permits.

If you go to sell a property that has been remodeled without permits you may either not be allowed to include the upgrades in your assessed value or, worse, you will be required to pay penalties AND permit fees or, worse still, you‘ll have to tear out all the upgrades in order to sell the property. So get required permits. It’s easier than you think.

3) Get a contract, read it carefully, and honor it.

A contract is a written agreement, a handshake firmed with ink. It is your contractor telling you the rules by which he works, what he expects of you, what you can expect from him. To a great degree, the language of the contract is determined by the legal requirements for contractors in your state. But your contractor can add any statements he feels will clarify the terms of the job.

A contract is legally binding. This means that if you signed a contract for a company to install 20 cabinets and 45 sq feet of countertop for $5000, you have to carry through and allow them to do the job and then pay them for it. You can’t change your mind halfway through. Or two days before the job starts. Well, you can change your mind, but you remain liable for the $5000.

Here is an example of how NOT to operate:

You sign a contract with ABC Remodeling to install 20 cabinets and 45 square feet of countertop. The contract states the job will start on June 15. ABC crew shows up on the 15th.

1) You forgot to call ABC to say your flooring company is running late and the kitchen isn't ready on the 15th for cabinets. ABC has scheduled your job. They have every right to bill you for lost time. The contract says this but you just thought they’d be nice about it. But the delay costs ABC money, including but not limited to wages for their crew!

2) ABC installs 10 of your cabinets. Your brother-in-law comes to town and tells you he could do the rest for you for free. You call ABC that night and tell them you don’t like their work and are firing them.

You can’t fire someone with whom you have a contract. They are not employees. Even if they botched the job, you are required by law to allow them to fix the problems and only if they won’t do you have a legal foot to stand on. If you just fire them, you are legally obligated to pay the entire contract balance. That’s right. Even if they botched the job. You MUST let them fix it. You can’t be upset and angry and refuse. You stand to lose $5000 so keep it friendly and communicate in a business-like fashion always.

3) If things get nasty anyway, settle. Expect to pay for work that was done. Even if you have to hire someone else to finish the job, you have to offer to pay a fair amount for what was already done. Propose a solution. And before you pay whatever you are going to pay, request a Release. This will legally dissolve your legal obligations, and ABC’s. A proper release is often conditional on a payment being made. Once the check clears, the release becomes unconditional. This is the only way to get out of a contract without a lot of stress. In California, a contractor who does work for you and isn’t paid has the right to file a lien against your property (and it is easy for him to do this) and sue you for the entire contract balance.

This is not meant to scare you. Just require a contract, read it carefully, and if you sign it, be prepared to honor the agreement that it is. And require your contractor to do the same. If his work is bad, make him fix it. If he won’t, then and only then should you consider breaching the contract. But always keep communicating and do it in a business-like fashion. Chance are good your contractor wants to correct anything you are not happy with. Treat him with respect and assume he has good intentions.

The last point I want to make may be the first one to consider. Let’s say you request a bid from a remodeling contractor for your IKEA cabinet installation. He takes the time to prepare a helpful, detailed cost list for you. Don’t call him up and tell him his prices are too high. Don’t try to argue him down. Of course you can tell him you are only willing to pay $100, and not the $130 he is asking (for some service). But don’t tell him his price is high because you would not like someone to tell you that your salary or your prices are too high. They are what they are. This contractor may be a lot better in many ways than the guy who charges $100. It may be impossible to get the $100 guy on the phone. Impossible to get him to adjust the handles which go crooked every week. You get the idea. Operate on the Golden Rule. Life is short.

Thanks for listening.

About IKEA Cabinet Quality

2009-06-26T09:20:00.000-07:00

Almost every potential customer that calls our office asks us about the quality of IKEA cabinets. We're in an interesting position in that we don't SELL these cabinets (we don't sell anything for that matter, we only provide service), and we yet promote them in an indirect way.

It could be construed that we promote them because we install them. In other words, you might think that we encourage people to use IKEA kitchen cabinets for their remodels in order to create more business (designing and installing).

I keep this in mind when I recommend that a customer who is undecided at least makes a trip to an IKEA to look at their cabinets. Our purpose never has been to promote any particular product. What we sell are skilled remodeling services performed with integrity. So why do we narrow our focus to IKEA cabinetry?

It's really simple and probably obvious. Over the course of 30 years of remodeling work, and seven years installing kitchen cabinets. we've had to conclude that, for the majority of homeowners on a moderate kitchen remodeling budget (say under $20,000, although half that is common), IKEA cabinets are simply the best choice.

In terms of quality, a hands-on comparison would prove to most homeowners that IKEA cabinets meet or beat cabinets costing 2 to 3 times as much, the big box store offerings. The same is true, as far as we've seen with over 600 projects, with durability.

This is not to say there are no other great cabinets on the market. I love Venicia, Kraftmaid's European-look line. with sizes and options you can't get from IKEA. But the price tag on a kitchen layout priced with Venicia can be three or even four times the cost of IKEA cabinets. Is it better? In terms of quality, we don't think so. Does it look better? Maybe a bit if you're a dedicated student of line and form, but not enough, for a majority of homeowners, to justify spending $28,000 on cabinets when $7,500 would buy the same layout from IKEA.

I don't know how the IKEA corporation manages to sell this quality cabinet at the price they do. I just know that the completed kitchens we've designed and installed look amazing and the homeowners, one for one, are utterly pleased. I know of none who feel they compromised with their choice of IKEA cabinets.

This said, starting with these beautiful, high quality and affordable cabinets, the secret to a beautiful remodeled IKEA kitchen, is to enlist the help of a professional designer to work out the optimal layout, and a professional, expert contractor for installation. These can make all the difference. Those displays at IKEA were designed by pros and installed by pros. It's not just the cabinets.

So, I guess I'm always selling.

Hope this helps you,

Susan

IKEA Cabinets for Bathrooms

2009-06-05T16:17:00.000-07:00

I wanted to mention bathrooms. We spend a lot of time on kitchen design and installation using IKEA cabinets, and might forget to discuss IKEA cabinets for bathrooms.

We've installed quite a few cabinets, kitchen cabinets that is, in bathrooms. These cabinets are mostly 24 inches deep (although there is a 12 inch deep option for some). For many bathrooms, this is just too deep, the room is too narrow or small. So the key is to design with knowledge of cabinet alterations. A skilled installer can cut back the depth of the cabinet while keeping it structurally sound. A skilled installer can make cutout for plumbing, and can even make alterations to the drawers so that they work with plumbing fixtures.

With this know-how, you can use the many styles of kitchen cabinets for a bathroom. One of the most elegant we've done utilized refrigerator cabinets for bathroom sinks. These were hung on the wall (no legs). The look was really amazing but it did take a team of designer and contractor to work it out. In Los Angeles, we can do this for you with IKEA cabinets. You can have a European style bathroom at a fraction the cost you'd pay for European style cabinets.

There are also designated IKEA bathroom cabinets. Their quality is similar to the quality of their kitchen cabinets but engineered differently. You have many fewer choices but it's easy to plan with them because of this. Just get the bathroom cabinet 3-page foldout that shows the cabinet styles and sizes and options.

Just wanted to mention bathrooms. Add some tile trim, some nice lighting, and you can have a beautiful bathroom to come home.

Susan

Best Green Kitchen Investment

2009-04-30T12:30:00.000-07:00

Along with the many creative choices a homeowner has while kitchen remodeling, there are a few choices that can result in better health for you, for your family and for our planet.

My top suggestion, whether or not you are remodeling your kitchen, is to invest in an under-sink water filtration system. The plastic canister types are also good (Brita, etc,) but not as convenient. A high quality under-sink filter can cost as little as $75 (check out what Sears has to offer). Installation costs vary but expect to pay about $250. Reverse osmosis systems cost upwards of $300 plus installation. Do the research and pick a product that suits your needs.

Here are some benefits:

1) you can use tap water for cooking and drinking again!
2) your water tastes better
3) your coffee tastes better
4) you don't have to carry home plastic water bottles
5) you avoid the health risks associated with plastic water bottles
6) you don't contribute to the problem of plastic water bottles that take 1000 years to begin to decompose. In 2006, 38 billion plastic water bottles ended up in U.S. landfills.
7) you save money. Bottled water costs between $1 and $4 per gallon, (90 percent of the cost is in the bottle, lid and label)

Thanks for reading. We're happy to give you a big discount on filter installation.

How Much Should a Kitchen Remodel Cost?

2009-02-12T11:02:00.001-08:00

According to my sources, the American Kitchen and Bath Association says that the average kitchen remodel in the U.S. costs $47,000...!

Are they using cabinets made of solid gold?

Our company regularly completes beautiful kitchen remodels that cost the homeowner $10,000. When a customer chooses a countertop material such as Corian or Caesarstone, their costs can go up to $20,000, including some extras such as cabinet lighting, tilework, flooring.

I really don't know where this $47,000 figure comes from. I cannot figure out how, using IKEA cabinets you could, if you wanted to, spend $47,000. Gold faucets? Marble counters shipped from Italy? A 2000 square foot kitchen?

Sad to say, we know that homeowners are spending MORE than $47,000 on kitchen remodels and never realizing that there are other ways, other materials, without compromising quality, durability, or beauty, that are available to them. Maybe it's a status thing?

We always hope to have a chance to point out the type of amazing results that can be attained for a much lower cost. Many customers have already decided on IKEA cabinets when they contact us. We provide professional design so that the kitchen, once installed, serves their needs and pleases them aesthetically, and is optimally laid out for function and enjoyment. This is truly a vital part of the process.

It may be that people assume IKEA cabinets will be comparable in quality to some of their other furnishings. This is understandable. It is not factual though. IKEA cabinets are, in fact, higher quality, and carry better warranties, than some brands that cost three times as much.

It is true that if you go to a "big box" store, you'll get design help on the spot. This can be comforting but it comes at a very big price. You will almost never have the option of European styling, and, more to the point, your final price is almost inevitably going to be at least twice what you would pay for IKEA cabinets plus installation. Those big box stores, once they've sold you on their cabinets, assume you will want their installers and you will probably feel they are most qualified. If you go this route, make sure you meet your installer before signing up for his service. Don't assume the big box store is guaranteeing his accountability.

Going the IKEA route, it initially seems that you have to do the design yourself, which makes most people nervous right from the start. Or you have to locate a designer. There are only a few people in the LA area, and likely in any area, truly qualified to design IKEA kitchens. It is a unique system, not like any other, and knowing the products is vital. A kitchen designer who has limited IKEA experience is not the best choice. If you are in LA, give me a call, 626-203-1480, and I can provide more on this point or schedule our $375 planning service for you. It's the best planning service I know of. We ensure you have a great layout, an expert contractor to consult with, and that you have labor and materials costs known before you get started. We've developed this service over years of experience and discovery of what homeowners really need help with in order to confidently move forward. We really want people to be thrilled with their new kitchens. If you have $3000 or $30,000 to spend, treat yourself to professional design. As they say, you'll be glad you did. It is certainly worth $375, no matter your budget. In fact, doing it right the first time is one of the best ways to save money.

This post is meant to simply confirm what most readers already know. IKEA cabinets are very high quality and cost much less than big box and name brands of other types. In any economy and no matter the reason, "Kabinet King"-type companies are NOT recommended. Call to discuss my view on these.

Installation, if the planning is done well, can be very affordable also. Your choices determine your costs to a very great extent.

The bottom line here is that you can spend $5000 and have a brand new, modest, small or condo kitchen. You can have a fabulous 10 x 15 kitchen completed for under $20,000. We do this all the time.

Susan

P.S. Spend a little of even a tight budget on design help. Ensuring you have an optimal layout will save you money in the long run, both in purchasing and installing the cabinets. If you can't find a local designer, call us, we can work via email and phone, 626-203-1480.

A Bit about Remodeling Permits

2009-01-20T15:34:00.000-08:00

Many homeowners who embark upon a remodeling project worry unnecessarily about the subject of permits. The cost of permits and an uncertainty about procedures and inspections may drive even the most honest and civic-minded to consider remodeling without permits. We don't advise it.

While every city has different requirements, for most kitchen or bathroom remodeling projects, the process is straightforward, the cost reasonable, the inspections timely and in the best interests of the homeowner. Getting permits for your projects is a much better alternative to avoiding this step in your project planning. Remodeling or demolition should not start prior to obtaining required permits.

1) Why you need a permit
The permit and inspection process gives you, your neighbors, and your City assurance that specific standards are met when expanding, altering, or repairing your property. State codes, local codes and zoning requirements are all standards based on well-established health, safety, and environmental considerations intended to protect the integrity of your home, the safety of its inhabitants, and the welfare of the public. The permit and inspection process ensures that your contractor is doing the work correctly and safely. The city is really on your side.

Projects not completed according to code can affect your home’s insurability and potential sale. In most cases City building records are public, available upon request. Anyone involved in a future sale of your home, including municipal agencies, can use these records to see if permits were obtained and if compliance was achieved for specific projects. In some areas, a lack of permits will hold up the sale while the non-permitted work is corrected or torn out.

2) When is a permit required?
Permits are required prior to removing and/or installing most remodeling or construction materials on your property. Samples of required permits for interior remodeling include the
installation of new cabinets, and modification, installation, or replacement of electrical, plumbing, or heating devices.

3) Who is Responsible for Obtaining a Permit?
The property owner is responsible for ensuring that a permit is obtained prior to work being started. Contractors can also apply and obtain permits on behalf of the property owner but expect to pay for this service. Time spent at the permit office is often billed at the same rate as the remodeling work itself. There are also permit-assistance companies that can help you.

In most cases, when a typical kitchen remodel, the simplest and most affordable route is for the homeowner (who is hiring a licensed contractor to do the work) to get their own permits. Your contractor must often supply a license number and evidence of worker's comp insurance. If you are doing the work yourself and simply hiring laborers to assist, you will need a worker's comp policy as well.

4) How Much Does the Permit Cost?
With few exceptions, permit fees are based on the fair market value of the work being done, including the cost of materials.

5) How Do I Get a Permit
In Los Angeles, express permits can be gotten online for many types of projects. In other cities, a call to your city's building and safety office will enable you to discuss your project and find out the requirements. In most cases, two submissions will be required, in addition to fees:

1) A detailed, written description of the proposed work
2) A dimensioned floor plan detailing tthe areas of change

For many kitchen remodeling projects, inspections will be required. Any electrical, plumbing or wall removal or building will require inspection. Your contractor will help you schedule so that there are no delays. Inspections can often be scheduled a mere 24 hours in advance.

This article is only a brief summary of some things I have learned about permits. I hope it provides enough gentle encouragement so that you will include the cost of permits in your budget, and the process of obtaining permits in your remodeling learning curve. It's far easier than you may think.

Are IKEA Cabinets Perfect?

2009-01-14T13:01:00.000-08:00

A rhetorical question, of course.

We have been looking for years for any other cabinet brand that matches or exceeds IKEA’s kitchen cabinet line. We’re not tied to IKEA although it may seem as though we’re promoters of their cabinets. We just have not been able to find any other product that is as affordable, durable, and, when laid out and installed correctly, as beautiful.

And yet a nagging feeling remains since nothing is 100% absolutely perfect, and mass-produced IKEA cabinets must have shortcomings. To provide a balanced view of a wonderful product, here are the three things (only three) that we consider imperfections. They hardly warrant an article, but it might be good to know these things before you run into them.

1) They come in only a few standard widths and heights. If you could pay a cabinet maker to build cabinets for your kitchen, the sizes would be specific to your kitchen’s requirements. With any purchased cabinets, you have to design the layout with the standard sizes the manufacturer provides. With IKEA cabinets, you have somewhat fewer standard sizes than some other brands. Is this a problem or serious limitation? If you are designing the kitchen yourself using IKEA’s design tools, “yes” comes to mind. You are stuck with standard sizes and if they don’t quite work you are looking at wasted kitchen space.

On the other hand, if you have an expert kitchen designer to work with (like ours), the sizing limitations just require creative, customized use of standard cabinets. I am endlessly amazed at the customizations our designer comes up with. I’ve learned first hand that the standard sizes are merely a palette from which you can design. You do have to work with the fact that cabinet doors can rarely be resized, and that wall cabinets come in only 30 and 39 inch heights. But with those few unchangeable factors, you can, I have seen, do many, many things.

2) The interiors are birch or white only. Sometimes, if you are using a dark wood door (such as IKEA’s Liljestad) the edges of the cabinet frames can be slightly visible when the doors are closed. If you use white frames (boxes) and white doors, not a problem, or birch and birch. But if you have the dark doors and light interiors, you may find that the finished kitchen, even perfectly installed, has a few areas where the doors are slightly, maybe 1/64th of an inch, smaller than the frame, leaving a small line of frame visible.

Installers run into the problem of having the customer think this is an installation issue. It is not. It is simplyh that a mass produced door is not going to be perfect. We’ve had customers return a slightly-smaller door to IKEA only to find the replacement door slightly too big, or otherwise perfect also.

The best solution if you can’t live with a tiny sliver of lighter wood showing, is to have your contractor put some dark veneer tape around the front face of the cabinets whose doors are not perfectly matched. This handles the problem completely.

3) Delivery. This is not a problem with the cabinets, per se. But the experience of remodeling with IKEA cabinets is going to include the issue of ordering and getting a delivery of a few hundred boxes. It’s not really possible to inventory the delivery while the delivery guys are still there. The only workable way, given the high likelihood that there is some missing, broken or incorrect part(s), is to simply install the kitchen and, as it goes in, to make note of missing/broken/incorrect parts and make a trip to the store to request replacements.
You may have forgotten to order something, you may have ordered the wrong thing, or the delivery may simply be incorrect in some minor way. Some people worry about this, but I can assure you it is not a problem. Just know that you may have to swap a few parts during the project. It is easy to do, IKEA’s aftersales department is very helpful and they will deliver to you at no charge any part they forgot to send the first time. They accept returns of broken parts easily, and as long as you have your order receipts, will do any exchanges needed.

These three factors, and only these three, have annoyed us at times, over the course of hundreds of IKEA kitchen remodels that we’ve done, and we run into them regularly. Should you concern yourself with there things? Should you look to another brand of cabinets because of them?

Not at all.

How to Begin an IKEA Kitchen Remodeling ProjecT: PART 1

2008-12-04T09:50:00.000-08:00

Years ago, we had a Five Steps to an IKEA Kitchen page on our website. It got lost in the shuffle of web redesign but in the past few days I've talked to half a dozen homeowners who would really like to re-do their kitchens with IKEA cabinets and it seems that a basic, step-by-step guide would be really helpful to most.

It is hard not to get excited by the IKEA store displays, the great prices and elegant kitchens. Being able to get a comparable result without wasting money or ending up with half a kitchen for six months, takes some know-how.

As I am writing, a customer who is waiting on some missing parts emailed me to ask if she should paint now, or later. There is a correct (or best) sequence for each project that an experienced contractor can foresee. But without an experienced overview of their project, omeowner can feel uncertain, and thus unable to move forward on a much-desired remodel, for fear of making mistakes that could add cost and, worse, might result in mid-project delays.

As I try to do when a potential customer calls, I would like offer here a simple guideline, a sequence of steps. To be honest, once you've done a kitchen or two, you can guide your friends and family through a basic project, too. But if your project didn't require any electrical or plumbing or flooring, for example, you might want to direct your friend/relative to a contractor for advice on sequence. Or just have them call our office (if they are in the Los Angeles area) or email me (anywhere else) and I can offer some help. No charge!

So here you are, you have just left your local IKEA and you know that those cabinets are for you. You've got the money lined up, the time is right or soon will be, and, when you arrive home, you begin to see hazy shapes of pull-out pantries and six-burner cooktops forming where now exist only some 1950's painted cabinets. It's time to get started.

There are two "lines" that you need to move on. First, you need a kitchen layout plan. Second you need to consult a contractor. Some people overlook one or the other. It is a rare contractor that can help you with kitchen design.

Some of the big box stores, and even some local kitchen places, offer "free kitchen design" when you buy their cabinets (It's never really free). With IKEA cabinets, there is a do-it-yourself requirement that has more to do with IKEA employee efficiency than anything else. You can design your own kitchen. You should get a kitchen designer. Without a doubt.

Our company offers a $375.00 in-home consultation, including measuring service, and including kitchen planning by a professional kitchen designer. I will be frank. It is by far the best deal, the best service, we have found inthe greater Los Angeles area. My point is, however, that you should find and consult with both a designer and an IKEA kitchen-experienced contractor before you buy cabinets, appliances, or anything. I can hardly overstate the value of professional design help, and having a trusted, expert contractor on your team from the start.

Next article: Buying your cabinets, countertops, and appliances.

-Susan

Would You Marry Your Contractor?

2008-10-27T09:54:00.001-07:00

There are many articles on this subject, "choosing a contractor." Obviously you want to ensure the person or company you trust with your investment in home improvement is qualified. And honest. In some ways, identifying a person/company of the type you want is about the same process as choosing someone to marry.

An honest, skilled, licensed remodeling contractor, who can provide good references and with whom who can communicate easily, is a better choice than "some guy the store recommended" or "my neighbor's cousin." Don't marry someone because Sears recommended them, or on your cousin's advice, either.

Though there are dishonest guys out there, it could be that the majority of all complaints against contractors (or even spouses) result from the consumer failing to use some very basic principles:

1) Don't even think about saving a little money by hiring someone unlicensed. If the guy is cheating the state, what are the chances he'll be honest with you? Think about it.

2) Meet the guy or at least talk to him on the phone long enough to figure out if he's a decent human being. Most of the time your sense of things will be correct. Occasionally you'll be fooled. That is life, the risk of getting out of bed in the morning. But read on, because there are ways to minimize the chances of being fooled.

3) See how quickly the guy or company responds, to calls, emails, quote requests, etc. If he keeps you waiting now, he'll probably keep you waiting while your kitchen is torn apart. This is perhaps the simplest and yet most important indicator of all: how quickly the guy or his office replies to your communications. Raise your hand if you like to be kept waiting.

4) Make sure you get a legal contract that lists everything the contractor is going to do for you, in precise detail, and the price of this. Don't hire someone who cannot or will not provide you with a legal contract. Check your state's contractor website to find out what the requirements for a legal contract are. It is not hard to figure this out and can help you understand your responsibilities and the contractor's, the best assurance there is that everything will go well.

5) Do all you can to avoid a "me versus the contractor" relationship. Remodeling is a team effort. If you don't trust your contractor, if you have ongoing conflicts, if you argue with his bid (although business-like negotiation is fine), if he doesn't show up when he says he will, you have a war, not a team.

Some people run their lives as a series of battles with others. Just as an insider secret, an honest, skilled contractor who genuinely wants to do a good job for you is on the lookout for these types of people and will often turn down work from them. Find someone decent and apply the Golden Rule.

How do you choose a contractor? You simply want a decent human being who operates legally, can communicate with you pleasantly, and has the skills needed to provide the services you need. The suggestions above can help you to identify this type of person or company.

You don't have to marry him/her, but if you find a good contractor, per these guidelines, consider it.

Micro-manage, PLEASE!

2008-09-02T09:28:00.000-07:00

Because we specialize in remodeling projects in which the homeowner is using IKEA cabinets, our projects tend to be mainly kitchens and bathrooms. We do a few closets with IKEA cabinets, some pantry or other storage areas too, occasionally. But our projects are fairly similar, one to the next, some more complex, some very unique as to design and cabinet modification, but all have the same elements of cabinet installation, and usually some electrical and/or lighting, minor plumbing, appliance install, sometimes flooring, and often some wall work or repair.

Despite the expertise and knowledge we've gained in doing hundreds of similar projects, we really know that each new project, each new customer who calls, has unique requirements we have not come across before. It is never the same. It is only similar. Exactly what the customer expects, needs, wants and will be happy with, is something we have to find out newly each time. Which means that, unless the customer speaks up, we move forward with their project with experienced and expert hands, but without the precise understanding that could result in a happier customer and sometimes in a better finished result.

Here is an example to clarify: Mrs. Jones (we've never actually done a job for a Jones family...) schedules our planning service and Robert (contractor) and Neil (designer) go out to her house one Sunday to inspect, measure and discuss her project with her. They are, to a great degree, trying to find out what Mrs. Jones needs and wants. The Jones' may want walls taken down to expand the space, they may want everything to stay the same but with new cabinets, or they may not know what they want yet, they need some pricing and ideas first (which is exactly what the planning service is meant to provide).

So here we are, a month later. The design was revised a few times until the Mrs. Jones was excited and ready to begin the project. They placed their cabinet order, purchased a few appliances, picked out floor tile. We provided detailed bid on each service they asked about that was optional (cabinet lights, for example) or necessary (demo out the old cabinets). By the time the cabinets are delivered, we have a signed agreement as to specs of the project that we are to execute for them.

We arrive one bright Monday morning to begin the project. Mrs. and Mr. Jones both work outside the home and after a 15 minute meeting with Robert, they drive off, saying they are going to get out of our way, leaving Robert and crew to work.

Our agreements (contracts) state that the final kitchen layout plan that the customer has ordered cabinets for must be posted on a wall and initialed by the customers as THE layout they have decided on. But lately, we've decided to also require the homeowner to remain onsite during the work and, if they cannot be there, to stipulate that any c

The Team Theory of Remodeling

2008-08-12T10:22:00.000-07:00

(Warning: if you are the type of person who believes that fighting is the only way to get what you want out of life, please do not read this article, as it could disrupt your entire way of life).

If you are embarking on a remodeling project, it's enough hassle to pull out your credit card twenty eight times in one week, to find unfamiliar, sweaty men smashing up your home (well, your old cabinets anyway) one bright morning, or to discover that your brand new $6000 fridge, finally delivered four weeks late, is the wrong one. You don't also need a battle with a contractor. You need, instead, team spirit.

Let's imagine that you find a contractor who has the skills and willingness to execute the project you envision. Part of you would love the have the guy do everything, figure out everything, buy everything and you could go to Bali for a month and come home to a fabulous new kitchen that is exactly what you want. Of course, most of us don't have the kind of money this guy charges to do it all, and, more to the point, some of us like the idea of choosing stuff and deciding things.

The key to a successful, efficient, happy and minimal-stress remodeling project is to be the captain of your remodeling team, the most vital player and he/she who calls the shots, sets the plays, and gets carried on the shoulders...well, probably not, even though you will win with this approach.

We are expert remodelers. Robert alone has over 30 years of hands-on home building and remodeling experience. We've installed over 600 IKEA kitchens. And you'd be amazed how much you have to know to pass the California State contractors' licensing exams. But we still know that you, the customer, are the key player of the "game" of getting a new kitchen (or any remodeling project). Our expertise is for you, the homeowner, to use, to acquire knowledge from, to consult, and to count on to skillfully execute the plays that you call.

One purpose of our kitchen planning service is to start to build the team. For the homeowner, getting questions answered, getting professional design help and getting a contractor in to inspect and provide a bid are vital and we do these things thoroughly for them. But when we send our contractor and designer to meet with the homeowner, their primary purpose, beyond providing the initial knowledge and assistance the homeowner needs, is to find out what the homeowner actually needs and wants. We've done hundreds of projects, many of them a lot like the one we did the week before. But we never know what any individual homeowner actually needs and wants and requires. We have to find out each time.

And thus, communication is the elixir in all remodeling. Good and abundant (and always business-like and/or friendly) communication can keep your costs down significantly, can get your project completed weeks earlier than predicted, it can result in a much more beautiful result and it can, surely and definitely and every time, minimize stress, upsets and confusion, which can bring about extra expense, delays and dissatisfaction.

What is a team, after all? It's a group of people who coordinate. And who communicate. And who then communicate more. And thus coordinate better. And then, just because it proves vastly successful, they communicate even more.

You might be thinking that you could simply call your fantasy contractor, the one who is "doing it all," from Bali. If you called every fifteen minutes, that would be a lot of communication. Since this is clearly not going to work, there must be some other ingredient that, added to communication, ensures a win.

That ingredient is responsibility. It is the 100% responsibility you take for your project. This is not to say the members of your remodeling team are not responsible. To the contrary, each team member, contractor, designer, crew member, husband and wife, even IKEA or Pacific Sales or Home Depot, need to be 100% responsible also. But unlike you, the captain of the team, each of these players may not see the entire project, may not have the insight and commitment and vision that you have, in regard to your project.

IKEA is responsible for the quality of their product that they deliver to you, and for their service. But you don't expect them to call you if the salesperson thinks the brown doors would look better in your house. It's up to you.

If your wife, or husband, is only peripherally involved with the project, she/he still needs to know what it is going on, what it is going to cost and when and how long it is going to take. He/she must somehow align his/her own activities and intentions so as to help, and not hinder, the goal from being realized. Each person are 100% responsible for their home, even if it's your job to make the remodeling decisions.

And your contractor, is, always, 100% responsible for the quality of his work, for the meeting of deadlines, for prompt and friend customer service. He is responsible for ensuring you have the full benefit of his expertise and knowledge. He is even responsible for the image of his industry, contracting, that he projects and instills.

However, a contractor cannot read minds. He cannot see through walls. And though he may be utterly expert and well-intentioned, he is human and fallible and has other projects and, of course, his own life, on his mind. He is, no matter how charming, muscular (and aggressive) some of us may be, your EMPLOYEE, someone you have hired to help you. Tell him what to do, let him know your expectations, ask for his help and cooperation, and let him do his job without undue interruption or micro-management. But don't make the mistake of thinking that you are the employee, the junior party to this project, or that your contractor knows what you want before you tell him, and will do what you want without your instructions, your supervision, your explicit communication, and your feedback, day to day, hour to hour even.

Because our company offers customers a lot of help, and caring customer service, because we usually provide design help, cabinet ordering help, and ongoing assistance with cost and design issues, and, mainly because we communicate a lot and quickly, there is the liability in doing this of inadvertently leaving the customer with the sense that "it's all taken care of."

Here is (made-up) customer Joe. We meet with him and his wife, Mary, and design a great new kitchen for them. It's a medium size project, including tearing down two small walls to open the kitchen and dining room to the family room area. There is re-wiring, some venting work needed, flooring to install, some tilesetting. Our typical project, in other words.

Mary works full time and more, and Joe, who works at home (online investments), is going to be the primary person working on the project. Joe has a thick folder by the time we come for the planning meeting. He has appliance specs, pictures of kitchens from magazines, drawings he's done of his ideas, lists of stuff and competitive price lists for items he and Mary need to shop for (tile, new appliances, flooring, paint, handles, a sink and faucet).

As Robert (contractor) walks through the downstairs with him, Joe is taking notes. He hasn't thought of how many outlets he'll want, whether he wants a water line run under the house for a pot filler for his new sink, and that his existing venting is going to have to be adapted for the chimney hood vent he has already decided on. These are just examples of the issues that contractors bring to a homeowner's attention. They affect kitchen layout options, costs, and functionality and enjoyment of the kitchen-to-be.

After the meeting, Joe continues to look into each of the new aspects of the project Robert has brought to his attention. Joe is new to remodeling, but he's done all type of projects in his life and knows that attention to detail and control are key to getting the result.

During the project, as the old kitchen and walls are torn out, Joe is around the house most of the time. He works upstairs while the crew is downstairs, but he's there. He talks to Robert every morning and comes in each day as the guys are cleaning up and shows his excitement as things start to change, asks questions, and makes some decisions as new issues, mostly minor, come up.

Joe's project was a big success. He tells us his new kitchen looks better than his neighbor's $125,000 kitchen remodel. Joe spent $18,500 with all new, top of the line IKEA cabinets in kitchen and dining room, high quality appliances, amazing Silestone counters, elegant floor tile and backsplash, and new and much better and safer electrical and lighting through all the downstairs of the house.

Customer Alice (also made-up) was different. She's a very busy mom and after a flood from the upstairs condo unit, had to replace her kitchen. We came to do her planning and she was sure the kitchen footprint should stay the same (possibly an instance in which deferring to the experts would have been smarter). She ordered her cabinets via fax from the first layout draft, and on the first morning of the installation, gave Robert a key and a check and asked when he thought it would be done.

Now, usually, this type of project goes perfectly well. If something comes up, Robert will call the customer or I'll email the customer and we figure it out. In this (made-up) scenario, the only problem was that we started the installation on Thursday and Alice had thought that it would take two days. She had 26 cabinets and tile to set so this was not a good prediction. On Friday afternoon, she walked in and got upset upon learning that tile cement has to sit for 24 hours before grouting. The kitchen would not be done that day! Robert also told her that the plumbing lines behind the sink would have to be changed out, just too corroded. This is not something you can see until after the demo, but Alice got upset about this, too. We should have known, she said.

Now we got this job done on Monday after Alice got a plumber in to replace the rusted out pipes on Saturday morning. The kitchen was beautiful. But we didn't get a big thank you (or a hug...). I think what we did wrong, mostly, was that we forgot to help and guide Alice to take responsibility for her project.

To you, the reader, it's pretty obvious that those pipes are Alices's, not the contractor's. But in the middle of a project, under a time or money crunch, it sure can be easier to blame someone else. But that is usually only true for those who resort to fighting (or, in the same category, antagonism) to get what they want.

As contractors, we are 100% responsible for the results we get. But, when we walk out the door for the last time, leaving a beautiful new kitchen behind, the homeowner, from that point and rightfully, takes all the credit. A responsible, communicative homeowner, who knows he/she is the captain of the team, and who uses and controls his/her team members effectively, cheerfully and knowledgeably, really deserves the win.

An Installer's Viewpoint:Who Needs Help with Ikea Kitchen Planning

2008-06-11T08:59:00.000-07:00

Having helped hundreds of homeowners install and finish new Ikea kitchens, we've identified the most basic, vital concerns a homeowner should address when planning a new kitchen. The issues are both technical (walls, floors, electrical, etc.), creative, and matters of kitchen functionality.

As a remodeling contractor (with a creative and experienced Ikea kitchen planner on our team), we make no claim to be interior designers. We've installed Ikea kitchens for interior designers and we respect the work of those designers. However, for the majority of homeowners, Ikea cabinets come with a promise of simplicity and affordability that rules out the relatively high fees for professional interior design.

This is not to say that homeowners cannot draft wonderful kitchen plans on their own. But many people need and ask for help with planning. Our experience with those who needed help has enabled us to learn what a thorough planning service needs to accomplish.

There are perhaps four main categories of homeowners who can benefit from expert help with planning:

First, are homeowners who do not move forward on a vital or desired project because of uncertainties. Sometimes this is just a lack of measuring-expertise, sometimes it is confusion or difficulty with Ikea’s planning software, sometimes it is really an issue with the house itself, as in category #2, below. But whenever there is uncertainty, self-planning might not adequately assure that a major purchase of cabinets will fit, or that the result will be beautiful and optimally functional.
A second category are those with older homes, where the condition of walls, plumbing, venting and electrical needs to be evaluated as a part of the planning phase. For this group especially, the type of planning service we offer can save a lot of time, money and stress. Know before you go.
A third group would be those with small kitchens who need to get the most function out of every inch. Small kitchens are often the hardest to plan and most likely to have planning errors turn into problems during installation.
A fourth category might be those who know exactly what they want to achieve, and want to minimize risks and maximize efficiency. Expert help with planning is suggested.

Our planning service is adapted to the needs of the individual customer. Some primarily need help with creative design. In this case, we send our planner to do an in-home consultation.

Other customers have wall, plumbing, or electrical issues that must be evaluated in the planning phase. In this case, we send our most experienced contractor for the in-home consultation and measuring. The plan is later drafted by our kitchen planner.

For customers who have already drafted their plans, we can do a plan check.

When we provide any level of planning service, having done an on-site inspection, we are able to give detailed bids on any remodeling that might be needed, along with an installation bid. Remodeling work has to be evaluated on-site and, if any is needed and if the plan is already done, a site inspection is the best service to request. (If the customer does not need planning help, we still can provide an accurate bid for cabinet installation based on existing plans and Ikea purchase list).

The fourfold result we are going for with our planning service:

Customer has a professional kitchen plan he/she is excited about. Plan is uploaded and accessible at Ikea
Customer has had questions answered and feels confident to move forward
Customer has a line-item bid on installation or remodeling services and knows their cost (labor)
Customer has a shopping list of Ikea materials to purchase and knows their cost (materials)

Kitchen planning is both a technical and creative endeavor. We try to cover all bases with our planning service to make it truly helpful.

If you live in the greater Los Angeles area, just give a call to discuss your project or to make an appointment for kitchen planning or installation, 626-203-1480.

The Top Ten Question People Ask Us About IKEA Kitchens

2008-04-11T16:57:00.000-07:00

1) Where do I start?

2) How much will it cost?

3) How do IKEA cabinets compare to other kinds?

4) What is the sequence of steps I need to take to get the project done?

5) How long will it take?

6) How can I avoid unexpected expenses?

7) What about permits?

8) How do I get rid of my old kitchen cabinets?

9) Can I do this with a very limited budget?

10) When do I install my new floor?

1) Where do I start?

You’ve probably already done the first step: you’ve gone to IKEA or looked at IKEA kitchen cabinets, and decided you want to remodel your kitchen using these cabinets. That’s the first step: a decision!

(Actually, all the steps are simply decisions. Any time there is a “maybe,” your project is likely to take longer and cost more).

If you are still shopping, carry on. IKEA cabinets are a great solution for many homeowners but if you want the unlimited possibilities of custom cabinetry, if you require wood frames (the boxes), or if you really want a “turn-key” remodel that you can turn over to an architect or interior design firm from start to finish, IKEA cabinets are probably not for you.

If you’ve decided, if you’re ready to get started, you will now need to know:

2) How much will it cost?

Make yourself a checklist or use this one:

Cabinets
Countertop
Demolition
Cabinet installation
Flooring
Appliances
Lighting
Electrical
Plumbing
Wall work or repair
Planning

This is pretty complete list of the main items in any kitchen remodel project. Cost out each item as best as you can. Separate labor and materials.

Of course, if you know your plumbing or electrical was installed in 1911, or if you have an electric stove and now want gas, or if your floor is at an 18 degree tilt, your costs are going to include remedying these.

The only way to get a reasonably firm cost for the LABOR for your project is to have your contractor inspect your kitchen and provide you with a bid. Your part is to know what you want as much as possible.

Getting your materials cost is pretty straightforward in regard to new appliances or lights or flooring materials. But to get the cost of your new cabinets, you’ll need a kitchen PLAN. You can download the IKEA kitchen planner software, measure your kitchen and draft a layout in the planner. This generates an IKEA “shopping list” that is a reasonably good estimate of the cost of your cabinets.

Over the years, our company has evolved a planning service to enable our customers to know their labor AND materials cost ahead of time, as well as to get their questions about the remodel, about plumbing, electrical, walls, etc. answered so that they can confidently move ahead.

1. Inspect the kitchen

2. Consult with the customer. Find out what is needed and wanted, the customer’s ideas.

3. Measure

4. Draft the layout plan

5. Provide a detailed bid on the project

If your project is straightforward and you find the planning software reasonably simple to use, and if you only need a contractor to install the cabinets, try planning the kitchen yourself to save on a planning fee. If a customer emails or faxes their completed plan to us we can provide a bid on the installation and schedule it without a home visit. We also use a “pre-installation survey” to clarify what the customer needs and wants so as to avoid surprise costs in the middle of the project. It works. See number six below for more information.

3. How do IKEA cabinets compare to other kinds?

In our experience over the past five years and hundreds of projects, IKEA cabinets are probably the best product on the market in their price range. Other brands of “European-look” cabinets typically cost two to four times the price and can take six to twelve weeks to be delivered. Chain store offerings, almost all traditional styling, can have the advantage of wood drawers or frames, but can cost twice the price, take weeks or months to be delivered.

Ikea cabinets can support just about any type of countertop, including granite and cement, come with a good warrantee, and can even be customized to some extent. The main disadvantages we’ve encountered are the limited range of sizes, and the occasional irregularity in door engineering that results in small gaps. You will probably be very satisfied with Ikea cabinets unless you expect the result to be comparable to custom built cabinetry.

4) What is the sequence of steps I need to take to get the project done?

The first step is the decision. The second is setting a budget. Next is the time to plan the layout, with your own skills or with the help of your contractor or kitchen planner. The next is probably shopping for cabinet styles and appliances, and possibly flooring and lighting materials. You can order your cabinets (and other materials) and once you have a delivery date, schedule the project with your contractor. If you don’t have a garage or somewhere to temporarily store the cabinets and appliances, it is best to find out when your contractor is available before placing the order.

Once you have your materials, if you are only replacing cabinets and perhaps flooring and lights, and not moving or opening walls, the demolition of the old cabinets and counters is the first installation step. You can install new flooring before or after the cabinets go in but if you are leaving the cabinet feet exposed (no toekick) you need to have the flooring cover the entire kitchen. Otherwise, you can save on flooring material by installing flooring after the cabinets go in. You can paint before the cabinets go in, or after.

If you’ve ordered granite or other hard counters (as compared to lower priced butcherblock or laminates), schedule your countertop supplier for the day your base cabinets are in and level. The countertop company can then come and make a template.

If you want to add cabinet lights or other counter height electrical, this is done before the cabinets go up. It can be done after but it takes longer and adds cost.

Once your cabinets are built, hung, leveled and “dressed out” which means the insides, doors and drawer fronts are installed, you are nearly done.

Your contractor can install your appliances or you can do this yourself. We always suggest having your contractor install the dishwasher in particular because this requires cutting through cabinets. If you won’t have countertop for a few days or weeks, you can still install the dishwasher and hook it up later, once the sink is installed. The plumbing for the sink, dishwasher and a garbage disposal is usually all under the sink.

Finally, your flooring, cabinet lights (wiring done earlier) and any custom touches can be done.

If you are opening walls, a common aspect of kitchen remodels, demolition of the old wall and patching of the newly exposed surfaces is done along with the cabinet demolition.

5) How long will it take?

The fastest project we ever did: the customer called for the first time on a Friday. We schedule a planning service appointment for the next day, Saturday. We delivered the plan Sunday morning. After a few plan adjustments, the customer ordered the cabinets on Monday evening. The cabinets were delivered on Tuesday. We started the installation (13 cabinets) on Wednesday and completed the installation with butcherblock countertop and appliances on Friday.

More realistically, give planning a week, shopping and ordering a weekend or two, delivery another week, demolition of the old cabinets one day, installation three days, countertop one day (but sometimes you have to wait for counters to be fabricated), appliances one day. If you need electrical or plumbing or wall work, these add days, but not necessarily weeks. You can get most projects done easily in one month, from your decision to do it, to completion. Others take two months or longer. But some take less.

6) How can I avoid unexpected expenses?

It is nearly impossible to predict every single aspect of your project but establishing a relationship with your contractor from the start, meeting with him at the project location, and getting a detailed bid on all aspects of the project you are considering is your best means of prediction. The IKEA kitchen software provides a “shopping list” so if your kitchen is planned correctly, you should have a ballpark estimate of your cabinet cost. You can price and shop online for appliances, lighting and flooring even if you make your final purchases in a local store.

Keep in mind that the condition of walls behind cabinets or the condition of your floor beneath existing coverings can be poor but unknown until the demolition is complete. Likewise, your plumbing or electrical can need replacement. Plan a margin in your budget and ask your contractor to inspect as closely as possible. Keep in mind that your contractor can not see everything ahead of time although he should want to provide the best possible advance data because that is his job.

7) What about permits?

Permit laws and codes vary in every municipality. For this reason, on most small to medium sized remodeling projects, it is almost always the homeowner’s responsibility to get any permits. It is not hard to do. Simply contact your town or city hall. The City of Los Angeles has an excellent website, enabling you to learn the requirements and pay for your permits online.

8) How do I get rid of my old kitchen cabinets?

Demolition of old cabinets and counters is part of most projects. You can do this yourself but keep in mind that it is not just smashing stuff up. Some cabinets have been in place for many years and require quite a bit of work to take out. Some counters are very heavy. Get some muscle to help you if you plan to do this yourself. The cost of demolition services is usually well worth it.

Our company does not provide haul off of the old materials. We require the homeowner to provide a bin. Usually a 3 yard bin is sufficient for an average kitchen. If walls are coming out, a larger bin will be needed. Call your trash removal company or your city/town hall to find a bin supplier. Cost is about $100-$200 depending on the area. Some condo associations have large bins that you can use. Some homeowners have us stack up decent old cabinets and place them on the curb. They are usually gone within a few hours. Sometimes you can stack the flat parts and put them in your regular trash over the course of a few weeks.

9) Can I do this with a very limited budget?

Every project requires some investment of both time and money. Sometimes it is better to wait until you have some margin in your budget so that you can have what you want and afford the service you would like. Here are some ways to keep your costs down:

1) Do the demolition yourself. Get some friends to help if possible. It takes muscle.

2) During planning, use one wide cabinet instead of two narrower cabinets where possible.

3) Install flooring after the cabinets go in

4) Assemble your own cabinets and have your contractor install them at a lower rate

5) Install your own handles

10) When do I install my new floor?

This has been covered already but one more thing to keep in mind is that if you install the floor before you install the cabinets, make sure you protect the new floor with at least one layer (two is better) of cardboard (flatten the boxes your cabinets come in for this) during the rest of the project.

Ikea Kitchen Installation: Why We Chose to be Independent

2008-03-06T17:34:00.001-08:00

We’ve been doing remodeling projects that include the installation of IKEA kitchen cabinets for five years now, with hundreds of projects completed successfully. We still love these cabinets for their great price, European look and the all the creative ways they can be used. There are limitations, of course. But overall, an IKEA kitchen remodel is a smart choice for many homeowners.

Our company has coordinated with the Los Angeles IKEA stores on various projects. We installed kitchen displays in the Carson store last summer, and shortly after that, at the request of Corporate IKEA, we became a certified IKEA installer for that store. “Certified” in this context simply means we agreed to certain terms that IKEA sets forth. The store, in turn, referred their kitchen cabinet customers to us directly.

Our experience in this relationship quickly proved to us that our company’s standards could not be met while in a direct relationship with IKEA. This is not to cast aspersions on IKEA. We simply found that we could not work with a small handful of local IKEA employees, particularly those who have long functioned as liaisons to outside service providers. Their ways and means were intolerable to us.

You could say that we chose to give up an easy life, a constant stream of customer referrals from the stores. We chose instead to be independent, to be able to offer a level of customer service and professional care that we felt we could not provide under the “certified” label. Sometimes things just work out this way. We have not regretted our decision to abide by our professional code.

It is entirely understandable that a homeowner could consider the “certified” installer referred by the store to be some protection or guarantee that their cabinets will be installed correctly. We consider that it comes at a hidden price but, more important, the guarantee we offer is enhanced by the fact that we genuinely care about doing a good job, being honest, and gaining a happy customer who will refer us.

If respectful customer service, good communication, and professional standards in all service channels appeal to you, give us a call to discuss your project and your needs when considering a kitchen, or other type of home improvement project.

Unlicensed contractors: Your Bottom Line

2007-12-11T13:28:00.000-08:00

As is true with any licensed contractor, our company has an obligation to report unlicensed activity. Beyond that, we feel we have an obligation to educate our clients and community in regard to this matter. Unlicensed contracting means any person who is not licensed and yet who does remodeling or repair work, residential or commercial, for over $500. Typically, there is no written agreement or contract for this work, another illegal aspect. A written contract for home remodeling and repair is required by state law. It is also vital for the protection of the homeowner's rights.

Many homeowners simply choose someone based on low prices. This is understandable but let's look at the consequences of hiring an unlicensed person or company to work on your home. And then let's look at why their prices may be low.

First, a homeowner who hires an unlicensed contractor (this can be a handyman or someone to install flooring or lighting, or just someone to do some repairs around the house, etc.) has no recourse should something go wrong.

Let's say you hire a guy your neighbor recommended to install your new cabinets and countertop, and a dishwasher. He's not licensed, just a part-time handyman. The guy does a decent job although one drawer doesn't pull out in the right way and the countertop edge is a little crooked. You call him to come fix these issues and he doesn't return your call. There is really nothing you can do but you figure you've save money so you live with the problems.

But what if, three days later, there is water on the floor, a leak from under your sink. You now have to call a plumber. The plumber finds the water leaked into the subfloor and it now needs to be replaced or you're going to have a mold problem. You have no recourse. You do not have a warrantee on the handyman's work, you have no written contract. You also cannot discuss this with your plumber who, if he's licensed, has an obligation to report the handyman (though he may not).

You see the picture. Was it worth saving a few hundred dollars to hire an unlicensed guy?

Now let's look at why this guy charges less. First, if he's unlicensed, he's not paying for insurance (you have to be licensed to get either insurance or a bond) and is unlikely to be reporting all his handyman income. He's not going to have a city business license either, so no fees or taxes he has to pay locally. If he has "employees" or helpers, he's not paying for Worker's Compensation Insurance, a big expense for a licensed contractor. In California, he may not be a citizen, and thus may pay no taxes at all.

Of course this guy is cheaper. Is it worth it? If you pay taxes out of your income, perhaps you want others to do the same. Perhaps you want the people who are working in your home to be covered by Worker's Comp (required by law) for their own safety and protection. What would happen if a guy working in your home got injured on the job and he is not licensed or covered by WC?

My point is not to scare anyone or to make up frightening possible scenarios. My point is that hiring an unlicensed person to do repair or remodeling on your home is not worth it. Support the guy, the company, that made the effort to study, learn his trade and trade business practices, and passed his licensing exams and keeps up with license requirements, who pays taxes, who covers his employees with insurance. When you hire an unlicensed guy or company instead, because it's cheaper, you are penalizing the licensed, tax-paying guy. He's got to compete with these lower prices while having to pay taxes and insurance the other guy doesn't pay.

That's the picture, the view from a licensed contractor's office. Thank you for letting me speak out.

101 Reasons NOT to Remodel Your Home

2007-01-22T22:24:00.000-08:00

101 Reasons Not to Remodel Your Home

Remodeling Humor for the Lighthearted

1. It is less stressful and much cheaper not to.

2. Your kitchen was good enough in 1954, why mess with it?

3. The mill has stopped making the wood flooring you bought too little of last year and the boxes of it in your garage have mildewed anyway.

4. Walls are not meant to be taken down.

5. There are 26 layers of paint-wallpaper-paint that, if scraped off, would widen your bathroom by a foot and a half and disorient you at 3am.

5. You can simply decide that your almond appliances are just a pastel shade of stainless steel.

6. The eight foot high cement block wall you have wanted to build around your property will not increase its value.

7. Your neighbors will call the City on you, no matter what you do.

8. Adding kitchen and bath outlets will encourage the acquisition of embarrassing small appliances like sandwich fryers, dog vacuums, and portable electric bidets.

9. For any project large or small, you will have a boat-sized, rusted blue dumpster in your driveway for months, if not years.

10. Since they don’t get shipped, ever, you will come to believe that railings are highly over-rated.

11. Your contractor is waiting for a vacation until he starts your project.

12. Living without windows and doors for awhile.

13. If you simply throw away half your stuff, you’ll have twice as much room without further inconvenience.

14. There isn’t really any known way to make room for a pool table, or for a pool, where either do not naturally exist.

15. A Sunday morning outing to Café De Omelet vs. three to Home Depot.

16. You cannot really improve on a toilet enough to make it worth $3000.

17. Turrets are better left in the Middle Ages.

18. You will have to make hundreds of decisions, none of which really matters.

19. Everything to do with remodeling, every single possible item, is toxic.

20. The fumes will kill you, or with luck they will only destroy the creativity that got you started.

21. ……..? umm………….

In life, as in literature, you will run out. You will run out of flooring, you will run out of tile, you will run out of pvc pipe the size you need, you will run out of bricks, paint, drywall, washers, trim, rags, wire, shingles, shims, flashing, fencing, and sconce brackets and there will not be just one more squeeze of silicone nor one more rung on your ladder to lift you to the code-required heights a better, more expensive ladder might have.

So you will have to run out to get another, to get more. Sadly, but predictably, no matter what it is you need, the hardware store has also run out.

To avoid this running out—of material, enthusiasm, life-force, money and the will to awaken to the odor of sweating men to whom you are not related—please re-read from #1. In remodeling, everything has to be done twice.

Square Peg Syndrome

2006-10-20T13:21:00.000-07:00

It's been awhile since I've posted. We've probably installed another 100 IKEA kitchens in the interim. I like this work and these products more all the time. Did you know that the average kitchen remodeling project in the US costs $47,000? Did you know that the average kitchen remodeling project using IKEA cabinets costs under $10,000?

Anyway, here is some information that will help do-it-yourself-ers but should also relieve some of those who want expert installation of their new kitchens but feel they have a secret from their contractor: they know they don't have level floors and straight walls. I would like to relieve you of your guilty secret. We understand:

Installing Kitchen Cabinets: Square Peg Syndrome

As professional installers of kitchen cabinets, we have learned some basic installation concepts that homeowners can overlook, whether they do the installation themselves or hire an expert installer to do it.

When you measure your kitchen to begin planning, your old cabinets are usually in place. This makes it hard to take other vital measurements, called “LEVEL” and “PLUMB”. Floors are level or not so. Walls are plumb (at right angles to the floor) or not.

Installations can become complex because square pegs do not fit into round holes: a rectangular cabinet will not fit squarely into a space that is not square because walls are not plumb or floors are not level.

If you live in an older house, or a house in an earthquake zone (which means all of southern California), just assume your walls are not plumb and your floors are not level. How much so is the question of the day. Even if your house is fairly new, you can still run into this problem.

The problem can show up as soon as you start hanging the cabinets, when you try leveling the cabinets, or when you are trying to align doors and drawers and discover they simply won’t align.

Say your floor is not level. You trim the legs of the cabinets as you install them (tricky but doable) and eventually get the cabinets more or less level. Then you start installing doors and drawers. You step back and notice that the space between drawer and door on a base cabinet is crooked. You make every adjustment you can think of but it’s still crooked and you start to think IKEA has bad cabinets.

The problem is that, having leveled the cabinet by trimming the legs, your cabinet is slightly tilted structurally. This is the nature of fitting prefabricated, “off the shelf” cabinets into non-level, non-plumb locations. Chances are you will not be able to get rid of that slightly crooked gap.

Homeowners who hire expert installers can assume the installer will have a magical solution to the non-level, non-plumb situation. True, we have shims, filler pieces and the ability to trim cabinet legs accurately. Your cabinets will go in and will look nice. But don’t expect your installer, or your self, to fit a square peg into a round hole without some consequence. In this case, the consequence might be some ever-so-slightly-crooked-hanging drawers or doors.

If you find these installation imperfections impossible to live with, and you don’t want to spend the time or money ensuring your floors are level and walls are plumb, IKEA or other prefab cabinets are not for you.

I hope those of you who have struggled with this issue get some relief here. I hope those of you who are about to embark on an installation are more knowledgeable and thus better prepared to do a good, if imperfect, job.

Ikea Kitchens: Why We Got Started

2006-04-13T18:14:00.000-07:00

By fate and fortune, I found myself needing a solution for replacing 51 kitchens in a Pasadena apartment building undergoing renovation. I’d never been involved with construction or even much home remodeling. I’ve been in marketing most of my life.

But as the manager and leasing agent for the property, whose pay depended on having the work finished fast so there would be apartments to lease, it was in my court to get these kitchens done. On a fairly restricted budget, I wanted to end up with some “sizzle” to help me lease these small, pricey studios in a downtown neighborhood where there are lots of rentals. The building, before it was rehabbed, had been half empty.

The first few kitchens the building owners had rehabbed were custom built by a cabinet maker the previous manager had found in the Yellow Pages. When I came on the scene I found the following problems with the cabinets and the maker:

1) The $6,500 price for one straight wall of plain-looking “Victorian” cabinets with absolutely no sizzle.

2) The cheap wood that had to be painted but the price didn’t include painting.

3) The white ceramic tile countertops, the same tile we used in shower stalls, about the worst mistake you can make in countertops, at least in rentals (what you want is a smooth, impenetrable surface, NO GROUT, please). His price didn’t even include sealing the grout (revealed only after he was fired) and he needed six weeks advance, from the point of ordering, to build the cabinets in his shop. Then he’d deliver them and install them, when he had time.

I was in Ikea buying a butcher block table around this time and, in spite of the crowds, took a good long look at the kitchen displays. The average 10 x 10 kitchen price noted on the displays was about $2400. And these were great-looking kitchens, loaded with cool features like wire rack baskets, slide out pantry shelves, and lots more. I am talking sizzle. There were 15 styles and more color choices. I found five I really liked.

In the following weeks I looked at other kitchen options--cabinet builders, kitchen designers, kitchen stores, online resources and even Home Depot. But, when my research time was up, it was obvious that Ikea offered the best product for the price.

So, next time he came to town, I brought my boss, the owner, to Ikea. He swears he has no aesthetic sense, is color-blind, and style unconscious. But he liked the price tags at Ikea and he trusted me. So I had the go ahead to fire the cabinet maker and proceed with our first 5 Ikea kitchens.

Ikea Kitchens: Why We Know Something

2006-04-13T15:01:00.000-07:00

There is a lot of pro and con around regarding Ikea kitchens as an affordable option for kitchen remodeling. I've supervised the installation of over 100 Ikea kitchens so far and I figure my experience might help someone else decide if an Ikea kitchen is a good choice or not. My husband Robert who was the installer can also give some hints to do-it-yourselfers on the installation aspect of things. We don't know a lot of things but we know about Ikea kitchens so if you are considering one or have bought one, read on.