A kitchen contractor isn't necessarily hard to find. What’s challenging is finding ones that people are willing to recommend, remodelers with the right blend of qualifications and experience. Actually, it’s better to find several remodelers to interview, so you can find one who matches your goals on quality and cost. Recommendations are always the best place to start. If you have friends or family members who've recently had a kitchen remodeled, their experiences, both good and bad, can guide you. (Read: Why Hiring a Contractor is So Difficult)
Another great place to find recommendations is a good old fashioned lumber yard. The people who run the yard know contractors who have been in business in your area for a long time. And according to Tom Silva for This Old House, they also know who pays their bills on time, which is a nod to their trustworthiness.
If you are thinking about a kitchen remodel any time soon, you've already got a lot on your plate. To help ease some of the stress, here are a few things to look for that can help you choose the best person for the job:
Check Trade Organizations for Kitchen Contractors
Another good source for leads are professional trade organizations, as membership indicates a level of commitment to their business and the industry. Depending on the state where you live, membership may be stronger in the National Association of the Remodeling Industry (NARI) or the National Association of Home Builders (NAHB). For example, the New Hampshire Home Builders Association has 9 local groups and no real NARI presence. In Massachusetts, NARI is the more active association.
The benefits of working with their members include:
- They've gone through the application process with references from an existing member (my banker) and suppliers (for me, Ricci Lumber and Harvey Building Products in Portsmouth, NH).
- They have agreed to follow a business code of ethics (see example) covering things like advertising, contracts and handling of customer complaints.
- They follow all local, state and federal rules about licensing and/or registration.
- They carry all insurance required by federal, state and local authorities (for my handyman business – general liability, worker's comp, bonding and vehicle insurance).
- They use quality products and follow practices to insure the safety of their employees, sub-contractors and customers. Following the lead-safe Renovation, Repairs and Painting (RRP) rules is especially critical for homes built before 1978.
What this means is that the people you hire are active, full-time contractors who committed to their profession. If they claim expertise in some aspect of home building like green building, you should ask them to describe the education they've taken to support this claim. I've taken the classes to become a Certified Aging in Place Specialist (CAPS) but didn't pay the additional $175 for my official certification.
Learn Whether Contractors Have Dedicated Kitchen Experience
Learn Whether Contractors Have Dedicated Kitchen ExperienceWhen is a great contractor not the right contractor for you? When most of his experience is with bathrooms, or bedroom remodels, or any place except the kitchen. You need a professional with plenty of kitchen experience, because there are so many different elements to this room. (Download: Find and Hire Your Home Contractor)
A kitchen contractor doesn’t just know about structural issues.They're experts on special wiring issues for kitchen appliances, plumbing, tile work, countertop surfaces, and all of the things it takes to pull a kitchen together. The best bathroom remodeler in the world is usually not as good a choice as one whose expertise lies with kitchens.
Check Each Contractor’s References, Licenses and Insurance
Regardless of where you find the contractors you're interviewing, you want to check their references and make sure their licenses and insurance are current. Don't rush through your due diligence during the planning stage. You're making a big investment of your time and money, and you not only want great value, you want the experience to be positive. When you hear horror stories (everyone does), if you probe a bit you'll likely find that the homeowner didn't do the proper due diligence.
References don’t help if you don’t check them, so be sure to make those calls. And any good kitchen contractor will happily show you proof of licensure and insurance. He won’t make you feel uncomfortable for asking, because that is part of the job.
Give Serious Consideration to Contractor Personality and Bid Range
Give Serious Consideration to Contractor Personality and Bid RangeOnce you have a few — at least three kitchen contractors — to choose from, you’ll want to meet them in person. Your contractor will be inside your home a lot, and probably for several weeks, depending on the scope of the project. If your personalities don’t mesh, imagine what spending that much time with him underfoot would be like.
Another important thing is the bid range. You’ll be asking each contractor for a bid, but going with the lowest bid isn’t always the best approach. If one bid is only slightly lower than the others, then he’s probably just being competitive and wants the job. But if one is dramatically lower, you’d be risking shoddy workmanship, says Silva, so it’s better to take a higher bid.
Ask the Kitchen Contractor to Put Things in Writing
A great arrangement is one thing, but it doesn’t mean a whole lot without a written agreement. You’ll want a contractor who backs up his promises in writing. This might seem like a hard line approach, when all you want is a new kitchen. But there are so many things that can go wrong.
An agreement protects both you and your contractor. It should make plain the terms under which you’ll pay, and also the terms and timeframe under which he will perform the work. The more detailed the agreement, the better. That way, there is less room for confusion, disappointment, and disagreements.
Hiring a kitchen contractor can be more stressful than the remodel itself. But if you really do your homework on the front end, everything that comes after will be less of a burden. Both you and the person you hire will have fewer surprises. And if there’s anything that a remodeling project doesn't need, it’s more surprises.
Have you hired a contractor recently? What worked well or didn't? Or maybe you'd like to use our homeowner guide, Finding and Hiring the Right Contractor.
I thought that it was helpful that you suggested getting promises from contractors through their written contracts. My wife and I have been wanting to hire a contractor to remodel our kitchen to a more modern style, and it will be important for us to know that we could trust in who we would choose to hire. To help with that, I will be sure to ask for everything in writing.
Charles, You also want to make sure to check references of work done inn last 1 to 2 years.
Thanks for explaining that we shouldn’t rush through the process of choosing a contractor, since it’s a big investment of both time and money. My husband and I just purchased an old fixer-upper home, and we want to find a contractor to help with the bigger projects like the stairs and kitchen. I’m glad I read your article because you helped me see that I should take the decision of which contractor to hire seriously!
Daphne, Good luck with your renovations …
I like how you mentioned that when looking for a kitchen contractor, you should make sure that they use quality products and follow practices to ensure the safety of their employees and customers. My house is super old and outdated, and I’ve recently decided that I want to remodel the whole thing and make it look more modern, starting with the cabinets. I will definitely keep all of your great tips and information in mind when looking for a suitable contractor to help me with my remodeling project!
I love the tips you have for hiring a remodeling contractor. We want to remodel our kitchen this year, so this is great for us. We’ll have to look for those who are members of the NARI or the NAHB, like you said.
I appreciate what you said about contacting a lumberyard in order to find valuable references for remodeling contractors. I believe that remodeling a kitchen is a great way to increase the overall property value of your home. My wife and I want to add some new appliances to our kitchen as well as new countertops. We’ll make every effort to find the best remodeling contractor in our general vicinity.
Maybe checking for trade organizations for kitchen remodeling contractors is a good strategy to know which ones are legitimate as you said. If they have dedicated experience with kitchen work as you said, I’ll be sure to hire them especially if they have a long experience with things already. Since you mentioned that I should also look out for their references, licenses, and insurance, I’ll try to make sure that the one I’m hiring has the best one I see so that I no longer have to wait for a long time to finish the kitchen remodel when we start next month.
My kitchen is very small, so I’d like if it was remodeled. Thanks for mentioning that I should look for a contractor that has written contracts. Thanks for all the great tips on hiring a kitchen contractor.
I do like that the article recommends asking about whether or not they have specific experience with kitchens. After all, remodeling and redesigning a kitchen is very different than a bathroom. You will want to make sure that they have experience with things like gas lines, garbage disposals, refrigerators, and other kitchen specific technology like that.
Glad to see this article helped you. There are a few other things you need to be aware of. Always check to see if the company you are hiring has the proper insurances. For example – workman’s compensation. You don’t want anyone to get hurt on your property.
Joey, I couldn’t agree more as I ran a handyman business & had workers comp & liability insurance. Unfortunately many solo contractors don’t have insurance & that means trouble when there are serious accidents.
I like the tip you gave to check if a contractor is licensed before you decide to hire them. My wife and I have been saving our money for new marble counter tops, and we need to find a contractor to install them. I will be sure to check if a contractor is licensed before I hire them, so I will know that they are working legally.
Easton, Please slow down … The process for measuring & installing stone (granite, marble, quartz and even solid surface) countertops is a very specialized task. Every time I’ve installed these, the company cutting the stone comes to your home and creates a template for the countertop(s). These companies are called fabricators & they create the templates that they use to cut the material, then deliver it to your home & install it … including creating the seams that are often needed (visible or not).
You’ll find your fabricator through a kitchen/bathroom design company, a lumberyard that offers similar services or you can Google & go directly to them. I did just that when shopping for countertops for the house I’m building in Florida.
I’m looking at hiring a contractor to help me get my kitchen remodel project completed before the end of the fall. I appreciate how you point out that I need to get references of past clients to get an idea of what it will be like to work with a renovation contractor. This is definitely something I’ll keep in mind since I want to hire the best possible contractor for my kitchen renovation.
Raymond, When you talk to prior contacts, ask them what they found to be the strengths & weaknesses of their contractors … as some will be more important to you than others.
I am planning to remodel my kitchen because I want to have more storage space and I want to add a kitchen island, so I am glad that I found this article. You make a great point that when looking for a remodeling contractor you should find out about the amount of experience they have specifically with kitchen remodeling. Also, I will make sure to check the contractor’s references so that I can talk to previous clients and find out if they were happy with the service provided.
Thank you for the information about hiring a kitchen contractor. We are planning for a renovation of our entire kitchen. It really helped when you said that finding the best contractor is through recommendation. On the other hand, I found it interesting when you said that hiring a kitchen contractor can be more stressful than the remodel itself.
Recently my family has been thinking about remodeling our kitchen and I wanted to look up some information. I really appreciated how this article talked about getting leads from professional trade organizations. I will have to keep this in mind as I search for the company to help my family.
Max, Good luck with your kitchen remodel …
I like how you mentioned checking a contractor’s license and insurance. I’m looking into remodeling my kitchen this summer and I didn’t know where to start on hiring a good remodeler. Thank you for the information on what to look for in a reputable kitchen contractor.
I liked that you pointed out it would be smart to make sure that they have the right licenses to do the work. I would hate to hire someone and then for them not to be able to legally do the work I need. Also, it just seems like if they are licensed they know what they are doing and it would give me more peace of mind.
Ivy, Here in the US contractor licensing varies by state. In New Hampshire where I had my handyman business, only plumbers & electricians need to be licensed. You’re right though, that they have the necessary skills & take the time to get the details right.