Do you know how many kitchen renovation companies are there in Australia? How do you choose one? What makes one company better than the others? Should you choose one based only on the price estimate or are there more important factors for you to consider?
Any kind of renovation is expensive, especially for a kitchen. Choosing the wrong partner for the renovation project can add unimaginable costs to your project and you might not even get what you wanted.
Internet is full of horror stories where builders left the projects midway or added a lot of hidden costs or botched the project due to other reasons. In short, you can’t expect to hire anyone and have a great experience and get the kitchen of your dreams. Here’s a list of the factors you should consider before hiring someone for your kitchen renovation project:
Number of Years in Business
It’s a cutthroat industry as they are low barriers to entry. Businesses can’t survive too many bad customer reviews. This is why the number of years a company has been in business is really important. It shows that the customers are generally happy with the company and if their past clients are happy, there is no reason you wouldn’t have a good experience with them.
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Detailed Estimate
They should be willing to provide a really detailed estimate. One of the most hated aspects of this business is cost surprises. Nobody likes them.
This is why detailed estimates are the way to go. Once you ask them for a detailed estimate, it should include everything including the cost of materials, cost of labour as well as expected deadlines. In case something breaks down in the middle of the work, the estimate should outline who is going to pay for those or any other unforeseen circumstances.
The estimate shouldn’t allow the contractor to add on any kind of charges at a later date without you agreeing to them.
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Time Taken to Complete the Job
If you hire someone for a kitchen renovation project, you expect them to finish the job within a few weeks depending on the scope of the project. You wouldn’t expect them to hang around for far longer than expected.
This time estimate should also be a part of the detailed estimate.
Keep in mind that there are contractors who try to wriggle out more money from homeowners by delaying the job. They would come up with multiple excuses to delay the project unless you pay them extra money they have asked for. This is why it’s important for you to get those deadlines included in the contract before signing it.
Who’s Going to Manage the Show?
They should also be transparent about the person who is going to be the contact point during the renovation project. You shouldn’t have to deal with multiple people to get updates or clarifications on various aspects.
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Payment Terms
The estimate should also outline payment terms. There should be a clear schedule of payments. Don’t pay a substantial amount of money upfront as this is not how renovations work.
Reputed contractors are never going to ask you for a big part of the overall project cost upfront. Make sure the terms are reasonable and you won’t have any problem making payments before agreeing to those terms.
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Final Thoughts
Overall, there are thousands of kitchen renovation companies but choosing the right one is extremely important if you want to avoid one of those horror stories you read online. Doing your research will not only help you save a lot of money but will also help you avoid the stress of a botched-up job or going over budget.
