But my friend's "friend" referred him!

Have you ever gotten excited when a friend of a friend of a friend offers you their "expert" plumbing skills at a reduced cost? Who can pass up a "skilled" tradesman at half the cost? And besides, he's a friend right?

So you verbally agree on the work to be done (put a new pipe here & there, hook up the new sink, and turn on the water), and then a start date and time is given. You just need to give him his up-front payment to cover his expenses. The day finally arrives and you can't wait for the work to begin. The start time has come and gone by a half hour and a little disappointment has settled in. But he's a "friend" so you cut him a little slack. When he finally arrives, he seems a bit unprepared, but gets right to work. An hour or so later it appears he needs to run to the store for more parts. Hours later he returns, but shortly after it's quitten' time and states he will be back tomorrow.

A little more disappointment settles in because not much was completed on day 1 and you don't see the end of construction in sight. Meanwhile, you are using other rooms in the house to prepare meals and wash dishes. But hey, this is a "friend" and friends don't let us down. Several more days pass and you are still waiting for that shiny new sink to be installed, but your "friend" promises to return tomorrow. That verbal agreement didn't outline every aspect of the job and there was no completion date so when he gets to it, it will be done.

Wow- a month later your sink is finally installed, it looks amazing and works great. You have paid your "skilled" tradesman the balance of the reduced -cost payment and he has cleared out of your space. WAIT!!! Where's this water on the floor coming from? Why is this pipe leaking? It was just installed and why is the drywall wet???

What could/should you have done differently?

Don't Leave Your Child Out On The Curb

When attempting to make pita chips to go with supper, you open your too small cabinet, and a bunch of spices come tumbling down. As you are scrambling around to pick them up, you forget about the pita chips in the oven and burn them to the point that the fire alarm is triggered. When the fire alarm goes off, your dog goes crazy and starts racing around the house, barking hysterically. As you try to let your dog out, the dog trips you and you crash into the chair and hit your head. When you go to the freezer to get some ice for your head, the doorbell rings. You answer the door and find some random jogger guy standing there holding your dog telling you your dog was chasing him.
As you apologize profusely and take your dog back in the house, you see the mail truck across the street and you realize you forgot to put an important check in the mail- and it's due TODAY- so you scramble to get your check in the envelope. You open your overstuffed drawer in the kitchen and ransack through it to find a stamp and after 5 minutes of not finding one, you see the mail truck pass your house.
As you realize you now have to make a trip to the post office AND you'll need to swing through the drive-thru to pick up dinner, the phone rings. It's the school. You have forgotten to pick up your child. Because, let's face it- it's time for a new kitchen.
Don't leave your child out on the curb; remodel your kitchen with Bella Domicile.

What's your story?

Your Remodeling Project

Step 3: Implementation and Construction

So you've determined your design style, wants and needs, had several meetings with your design consultant, and even made a payment or two. You've made it all the way through Step 1 and Step 2 of the design process and are ready for construction to begin. This is the part you've been waiting for! But what really goes on during construction?

1. Prepare for life without a kitchen. Before any demolition or removal of materials starts, you have to plan for how you will live during the construction period. Depending on you timetable, some contractors will set up a temporary kitchen (refrigerator, microwave, and a cabinet or two) somewhere nearby, such as the garage or mudroom area. Other people are content with having a microwave and access to a sink. Whatever the case, you should also take care to remove and carefully pack-away what's in your cabinets, which is why we provide Bella Boxes.
2. Deconstruction. The contractor will begin the construction process by removing any old materials that will not be used in the new design. Cabinets, countertops, tile and even walls will be torn out or knocked down. Dust will fly as the room is being prepared for a new look.
3. Construction and installation. Once old materials are removed, new construction can begin. Based on the project, this may include electrical, plumbing, drywall, and other work. The room will be prepped and painted before installing new materials.
4. Countertop measure and installation. Once the cabinets are installed, the countertop fabricator will come out to take precise measurements for the new tops. From the day of measure, it will take about 2-3 weeks for the countertop to be fabricated and installed. You can begin to use your kitchen again by storing some items in any upper or tall pantry cabinets. Depending on the job, some appliances (refrigerator, range, etc.) may even be hooked up and ready for use. Once the countertop is installed, the bulk of the project is usually complete.
5. Walk-through with designer and/or contractor. It's helpful to walk-through the remodeled space once it is complete to make a "punch list"- a list of items that may be waiting for completion. This could include items that are on back-order (i.e. some cabinet hardware) or an item that was damaged during the installation process (i.e. a cracked tile). 
6. Enjoy! Move back in to the space and make it your own!

While this is our final step, it's not really the end of the process. We love to stay in contact with previous clients. One way we keep connected is by delivering a warranty binder, which contains all warranty, cleaning, and care information for your specific products. This is delivered once the space is complete, and is also a chance for your design consultant to see the finished space. We also love referrals- recommend us to your family and friends who may be interested in their own remodeling project!

Ready to make some changes to your own kitchen? Call us at (608) 271-8241 or stop by our showroom to set up your consultation today!