Renovation Revelation: When “I know a guy” can be the worst approach to your new kitchen

Collage by Wo-Built: “Some guy you know” turns your home renovation into disaster area.

Image Credits: MS Office ClipArt: handyman + stylish woman thinking + thought bubble + house disaster.

I recently heard from an old friend of the family whose household is knee-deep in a major kitchen renovation (in fact, a back extension to their home). After making some simple inquiries, the flood gates opened and suffice it to say, I ended up "hearing all about it."

For starters, this individual said the building inspector has been essential to the project.  I asked her to clarify and she explained how he had caught several major problems in how the foundation, framing, and other work was completed, and was the one who told them they needed to be done.

You can imagine that in short order I was inquiring who they had hired to do the home addition. "Oh, a past client of mine," she replied.  Without getting into any details whatsoever about the kind of work she does and the kinds of clients she works with, let’s just say that "this guy she know" is not so much a "certified licensed contractor with years of experience," and more "someone does renos."

Okay, we all know SOMEONE "who does renos" …so what?  Is that a reason to hire them? Friendship is one thing. Acquaintance is another. A business relationship of any kind, no matter how amicable, is something else entirely…none can tell you much about the competence, experience and reliability of a general contractor. 

The costs of renovating your kitchen the wrong way, having to pay extra just to tear it down and pay again to do it right should give anyone pause to consider exactly who they are choosing to work with (and why). "Buyer beware" should be added to "if it sounds too good to be true, it probably isn’t."

And my friend with the botched kitchen extension? She wishes she hadn’t had gone with "some guy she knew" but rather, someone she trusts, respects, who she knows would have steered her to a contractor with experience and integrity. She wishes she would have called me to get referred to Wo-Built.


Attila Lendvai
VP of Strategic Development
Wo-Built Inc. - Innovative Design and Build

links:
wobuilt.com/blog: Kitchen Design Tips - Why to Remodel?
In Canada a large modern kitchen ranks as one of the most important selling feature of a home. In fact, some experts estimate that a remodeled kitchen can increase the sale of a house by at least twenty percent. Even if selling your house isn't your objective, you might still be considering a kitchen remodel.

wobuilt.com/blog: Kitchen Upgrade – Plan Yours Today!
In today’s tight economy, many people are on the lookout for relatively inexpensive updates for their homes.

wobuilt.com/blog: Kitchen Designs – Are We Missing the Boat?
... it struck me what had been bothering me for months about contemporary kitchens: the lack of innovation on a large scale. We have innovation in appliances and in new materials, but not in the fundamentals: the way we store things and the way we consider work and counter space.