Whether you’re building a brand new home, have bought a renovator’s dream, or simply wish to update your existing kitchen, unless you have the ability and experience to do the makeover yourself, you’ll need to call in the help of professionals. Like any sort of trade, their are kitchen installers who do a fantastic job, and then there are the ones you want to steer well clear of. In this post we’ll be taking a look at some key ways to choose a good kitchen installation company, the benefits of a reputable company and the repercussions of choosing a bad one.
Jump To:
First Things First
Ask The People You Know
Make Use Of The Internet
Call And Ask Questions
The Good
The Bad And The Ugly
The Takeaway
First Things First
Before going on the hunt for your dream kitchen installer, you want to have some things firmly in mind to begin with.
One of the most important is your budget. You need to work out exactly how much you can afford to spend on a new kitchen or kitchen overhaul. Once you’ve decided on a figure, maybe add an extra ten percent to the total for unexpected costs.
Now that you have a budget in mind, you can start dreaming up your new kitchen, how it will look, the fittings, what type of finish the cabinets will have and so on. Much of this will be dependent on how much you have to spend, and to really nail down what design you can afford, you’ll have to discuss this with the company you settle on.
Let’s now look at some tips on finding a quality kitchen installer to do the job.
Ask the People You Know
Personal recommendations are the most powerful. What better way to find a good kitchen installer to work with than to have one recommended to you by a friend or family member who has successfully used said company themselves?
If a friend has recently had a kitchen built, and you can actually see the results with your very own eyes and it looks fantastic, then chances are if you use the exact same kitchen installer, your new kitchen will be a dream too and not end up becoming a nightmare.
The reason so many businesses love word of mouth referrals is because it’s an easy and cost effective way for them to get more business. A company can only achieve these results if they do quality work and really look after their customers.
If you receive a personal recommendation, you can be pretty confident you’ll be dealing with a company that places a high value on its service and quality.
Make Use of the Internet
If you don’t know anyone locally who has fairly recently had a new kitchen installed that they are happy with, then it’s time to turn to the internet to help you in your search.
Look up some kitchen installation firms in your region and make note of the ones that sound promising. Ignore any testimonials on their websites because these may or may not be genuine. Instead, what you want to do now is perform a search for independent reviews and testimonials about each company and see what people are saying about them.
You might find a mention in a forum post where someone has asked the very question about the company you want an answer to, or you could ask questions yourself and see if someone can recommend a reputable kitchen installer to you.
If you can find positive reviews online, where someone has dealt with the company in question and had a good outcome, then all the better.
Call and Ask Questions
Without committing to anything yet, another great way to make an assessment of a kitchen installer and whether they’ll be good to work with, is to make a phone call to them and ask them a few questions.
If they go out of their way to be helpful and answer your questions, there’s a chance they’ll be the same when they actually build your kitchen.
On the other hand, if they don’t seem too helpful and just seem intent on hustling you into a deal then and there, maybe give that company a miss.
If anyone’s abrupt and rude to you over the phone, definitely scratch them off the list.
The Good
Let’s quickly take a look at some of the obvious advantages to selecting a high quality kitchen installer to work with:
- They will be transparent about pricing and work within your budget to deliver the kitchen they promise you
- Your new kitchen will be of the highest quality your budget allows. This includes both the workmanship and the quality of the materials used
- A decent company will keep you informed every step of the process, and if something is going to cost a little extra, they’ll discuss this with you first and get your okay before moving forward
- Your brand new kitchen will be installed on time and on budget
- You’ll receive after sales service and support
- Your new kitchen will be backed by some sort of guarantee or warranty
- The company will be friendly, helpful, respectful and generally all round good to deal with
The Bad and the Ugly
Now let’s look at a few possible downsides to selecting the wrong kitchen installation company:
- They may quote you a very cheap price just to get your business and then start charging you for extra things once they start work
- To keep within the bargain price they offered you, instead of charging you extra, you’ll find they cut corners by doing quick and shoddy work, or using materials of a lesser quality than what was agreed upon
- The company will do part of the job and not finish your kitchen
- Your finished kitchen may start to fall apart after only a few months, such as cabinet doors breaking off
- The plumbing could have water leaks
- The people who work for the company may not be friendly and respectful and don’t communicate with you effectively throughout the process
- Your new kitchen ends up costing way more than what you were quoted
The Takeaway
Don’t hire a kitchen installer unless you can get some form of personal, independent recommendation, and the company has a good name for doing quality work at the right price. You want to avoid the industry cowboys who are just in it for a quick buck and find yourself a kitchen installer who takes immense pride in the quality of the workmanship they deliver.
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