Many people go through a hard time when trying to find a good and reliable contractor. A lot of people have had unpleasant experiences with contractors that requested upfront payment and never showed up at work or with businesses that didn’t have insurance coverage and damaged their personal property without paying for it. That is why, when trying to find the right contractor and investing a large sum of money in a remodelling project, you have to be very careful with the steps you take.

In this article, we are talking about all the things you should do when trying to find a reliable contractor.

The first thing you should do is to try to stay local and not look for contractors too far away from home. Staying close to home and choosing a local contractor means that you can easily verify their references and that you can easily locate them and get in touch with them if you are unsatisfied with the final result.

Another way to make sure that you choose a reliable contractor is to ask your insurance company for references. When your insurance company covers the costs of your repair projects, they work with they own contractors, because they have signed contracts and agreements with them. However, you can ask for references even for projects that are not covered by them, because they are in touch only with reputable, trustworthy contractors.

The third and final step when looking for a great contractor is to check for credentials. A site where you will find genuine information is the Better Business Bureau site for your area. On this site, you will be able to find all the licences and documentation you will need to see, as well as feedback from the past customers.

If you want to get a modern, luxurious kitchen, there are a lot of new design trends that can be used to get the impression of luxury kitchens, without spending outrageous amounts of money. Today we are talking about a new design trend, called the round kitchen.

The concept of a round kitchen is taken from foreign designers, who are very creative when it comes to interior design. Initially, these round kitchens were a luxury for most of us, but nowadays many of us can afford this luxury.

This type of idea is not very new, nor old. Some praise these types of kitchens for innovation, style and design, others are unhappy with the fact that they don’t use space in an efficient way. Each of us are free to decorate our kitchen as we please, so we are going to talk about some general details of a round kitchen.

The furniture is the piece de resistance that makes the difference in this kitchen model, due to the fact that it uses super ergonomic technology with a minimal look, that pleases even the toughest critic. This round kitchen furniture offers simplicity in cooking without much effort in terms of movement. No need to walk over to get to the kitchen oven, refrigerator or sink because these are around you. The concept of a round kitchen seems to please many homeowners who dream of the perfect kitchen to take care of all their needs without much effort.

Round kitchen furniture is made with high added value, so it is primarily accessorized and equipped with electric openers, special drawers and is lighted with modern lamps.To obtain a round kitchen you need a large space in which you can integrate furniture, storage for kitchen tools (cabinets), the bar and the round table.

How much does a round kitchen cost? Given that it requires modern kitchen electronics and materials it can cost over $5000-$7000. However, the price depends on the brand you choose. Pedini and Artika are the best known manufacturers of round kitchen furniture.

Renovating the kitchen isn’t exactly a breeze, but to transform the space into a modern and functional space is required every few years. In this article, we are giving you some useful advice on planning a kitchen renovation.

Discover what you want! Before you start the renovation, clearly establish your expectations and the outcome you desire. In other words, think about the style you would like and how you would like your kitchen to work, in order to make sure that your kitchen will be both aesthetic and functional.Think about the bigger picture and ask yourself in what kind of kitchen you would like to spend your time: in a contemporary or in a traditional one? Even if you know exactly what you want, allocate enough time to explore all the possibilities – browse magazines, the Internet and local stores.

Your needs should come first! Another important step before you get to the actual renovation is to discover what are the needs that new kitchen should satisfy. You may need more space for additional furniture used to store utensils and dishes, a sink / stove / fridge etc. Create a list of everything you need and make an estimated budget, consisting of material costs and labor costs.

Determine the necessary budget for the renovations. One of the most unpleasant aspects of renovating the kitchen is the budget you have to devote. Before initiating the renovation process, establish an estimate – making sure to allocate a certain amount for unforeseen situations – and organize it so that it is clear which are the priorities. For example, if you love to spend time in the kitchen cooking, a large part of the budget should be devoted to the replacement of the cooking equipment at the expense of design, for example.

Here are a few tips that might help you organize your budget for your kitchen renovation:

– 48% of the amount for the furniture;

– 18% for countertops;

– 15% for equipment and ventilation system;

– 6% for sanitation;

– 5% for lighting;

– 5% floor;

– 3% for repairs of the walls.

If you wish to make an important change in your home (repair, modify, remodel etc.), the very best option is to choose a general contractor, which can handle all the aspects of your project, including labor, equipment, vehicles and different services. If you have already decided that you need such a contractor, but you are yet to find the right general contractor for your needs, you should keep reading.

In this article, we are talking about all the steps you should take in order to find the ideal contractor.

The first thing anyone should do when looking for a great contractor isn’t browsing the internet, because it sometimes can be deceiving. However, the opinions of friends and family have a greater chance of being genuine and can be a great place to start your search. Do not hesitate to ask your relatives, neighbors, friends or coworkers about the general contractors they have hired and about the results they have obtained. If their feedback is positive, chances are that the contractor is worth hiring. However, if you don’t manage to get any results of this inquiry, you can widen your search to the phonebook or the internet.

Whatever the method you use to get their phone number, the next stage is to call them and even make a short phone interview, in order to make sure that they can provide the resources you need and that you won’t be wasting both your time and theirs. A few common questions could be whether they take projects of a certain size, how many years of experience they have in the field and if they can provide you with a list of their past clients.

Another great way to narrow down the list of possible contractors is to go online on sites like Yelp and see what the feedback of previous customers is. Also, don’t forget to go on the site of the Better Business Bureau in your area and check if everything about the companies checks out. After narrowing the list down to maximum 3 contractors, you can already compare their prices and see which one is the right fit for you. Finally, another way to make your decision easier is to pick the contractor that has insurance coverage and thus will be able to cover any damage done to your property when working on the project.

When deciding to remodel your whole home or even a few rooms, one of the most important steps to take, before making a plan and a budget, is to find the right remodelling contractor. Since this is such an important decision, you have to make sure that it’s the right one. That’s why, in this article, we are going to give you some useful information that will help you choose the right remodelling contractor for you.

The very first thing you should do when trying to find a great contractor  is to ask for advice and referrals from neighbors, friends and family. You can ask them about the contractors that did a great job for an acceptable price and about how they handled certain situations.

Besides referrals, another important element in the search for the perfect contractor is knowing how to look for credentials. You can do that either by calling their phone number or by visiting their website. You have to make sure that the contractor you will choose has all the required licences in your state or region and all the other certifications. Also, check if they have insurance coverage, to make sure that damage from accidents while remodelling will be paid for.  

Another thing you could do is go online, on sites like Yelp, and see what the feedback on their work is. If a lot of people think that they did a great job, chances are that that contractor will be great for you too.

After you narrowed down the list of possible contractors, you should schedule interviews with each of them and ask them about all the things you are interested in, such as their prices, the amount of time they take to get a job done and the experience they have in the field.

After comparing all of these elements, you can choose the contractor that fits your needs and your budget.

When deciding to invest an important sum of money in an important home improvement project, you have to make sure that you hire the right people for the job. There have been many cases in which homeowners were unhappy with the final results and felt like they have thrown money out the window, just because the contractors they hired were not able to transform their vision into reality. To make sure that this doesn’t happen to you, we have gathered in the article below a few guidelines to help you make sure that you hire only the top general contractors.

When looking for a good contractor, you have to be extremely careful where you get the information you need. Often at times, advice from people close to you can prove to be more effective than information found on the internet. You can ask for advice from friends, relatives or neighbors who have done projects which are similar to the one you are planning. If they had a great experience with a certain contractor, chances are you will too. However, you shouldn’t go only on their advice. Make some research of your own and if the company seems to be efficient and trustworthy, don’t think twice about hiring them.

If you are not able to get information from this source, you will probably have to rely on the internet. Choose to go on sites like the BBB (Better Business Bureau) site, where you can find valuable information about the companies in your area and their feedback score. Another great way to find genuine information about contractors is going on sites like Yelp, when you can see the comments and feedback of previous customers. Also make sure to check the company’s website, where you can find details about their experience, licences and other documentation, as well as a list of their previous projects.

After making a list with possible contractors, narrow it down by asking about the size of the project, the fees and whether they have insurance coverage, which is really important. After narrowing the list to two or three companies, schedule face to face interviews and talk about your project with the contractors. That will help you put a face to the name and see which is their vision on the changes you want to make to your home. This way, you will be sure that you have chosen the very best general contractor.

When doing any kind of renovation, repair or remodelling, you will probably need the help of a professional contractor. When experiencing such a situation, if you don’t know any reliable contractors, you are probably on the lookout for someone you can trust with your work. If this is the case, in this article, we are offering all the information you need to find the ideal contractor.

The very first thing you should do is finding possible contractors. You can do this in two ways. The first thing you could do is to ask for suggestions and recommendations from neighbors, friends or family. If they had a great experience with a certain contractors, chances are you will too. If you want to find contractor, another way to do this is browsing the web. By doing a simple search, you can find out which are the contractors available in your area and by going on their website you can find all sorts of useful information, such as previous jobs they have completed, the amount of experience they have and also contact information.

Once you have gathered the contact information, it is time to inquire about other important information. One thing you should ask is whether the company has insurance coverage, because in the case your property is harmed in the building process, you have to be sure that they will cover your losses. Other useful information can be acquired by going on sites like Yelp, where you can find feedback from previous customers. The higher the feedback score, the higher the chances to get a great contractor, which will do a great job and finish it promptly. Also, you should go on the Better Business Bureau site, to see if the company or contractor have all the documentation they need and also go over their feedback score.

The last step, when you already found your last options, you should compare their fees, in order to find the perfect match for your budget. However keen you may be on saving as much money as possible, do not fall for the offers that seem to be too good to be true, as they probably are. Choose the offer that has an acceptable fee and includes insurance coverage.

In case you don’t know, general contractors are the type of contractors that will handle any type of projects from the beginning to the end. They oversee the projects and bring together all the workers needed for the different stages of a certain project. In order to do so, they hire a series of sub-contractors. A general contractor generally has different contracts and agreements with many sub-contractors, although some general contractors may have their own crew of workers, paying them at an hourly rate. The contractors that have their own crew usually hire people that are specialized in many trades in order to efficiently cover all the stages of any kind of project.

In case you are wondering what is a general contractor cost, you should know that there are three types of contracts in this business: fixed price contracts, time and materials contracts and costs + fees contracts. Each type of contract is different and has its advantages and disadvantages for the client, according to the type and size of the project you have in mind.

The first type of contract we are going to talk about is the fixed price contract. As its name states, this contract starts with a bid from the contractor, accepted by the client. The sum of money agreed upon is supposed to remain the same until the end of the project. In the case of smaller projects, this formula in efficient, but for larger, more complex projects, it is highly unlikely to maintain this fixed price, because a lot of changes can occur.

The second type of contract, the time and material contract, is a document that contains the hourly charges for the workers, the fees for the materials used and the mark-up of various sub-contractors that may be needed for the different stages of the project. So, if your plans change and you add work to the project, the time increases and the costs will grow. This type of contract has its disadvantages, especially for the client. If you don’t employ a trustworthy, reliable and honest contractor, you may lose some money, because any extra time spent on the job is paid from your pocket.

The third type of contract, cost + fee contract, works the other way around. This contract has the costs of the materials and a fixed fee for the general contractor, which means that the renovation company is interested in finishing the job as efficiently and quickly as possible.

The kitchen is a space where utility, order and functionality must be ground rules for planning and designing. However, there are mistakes that homeowners do when designing a kitchen and we are going to talk about them in the following article.

1. Classic is best

Many kitchens are created on the same principle: a long countertop with drawers under and closed shelves above, aligned with the sink and the stove. Experts in kitchen furniture recommend the form of a triangle, with the cooking area (countertop), stove and sink put at the ends of the triangle.

2. Tile from top to bottom

Do you ever think that your kitchen has the air of a hospital? If this is the case, you should remove the tiles that cover all four walls and put them only in the places where the walls could get dirty. For the rest of the room you can use a washable or steam resistant wallpaper.

3. The white fridge

Lately refrigerators can be found in all colors and patterns, with interesting, retro looks. These are indeed more expensive, but a black or red fridge will become the center of interest in your kitchen.

4. Big tables in the center of the kitchen

If you have a large family and all members have time to eat together every day, the presence of a big table in justified. However, if you rarely use it, you should change it. Try a table that you can put on one wall or a folding table.

5. The door is absolutely necessary

Many people are wary of open kitchens because they think the fumes and smell of food will go in the house. To solve this issue, you can invest in a high performance hood and get rid of the door. In its place you can build a bar or you can even set up a dining table.

6. The kitchen is only for cooking and eating

Why exclude any other activity in the home kitchen? For example, if you place a chair there, you can enjoy reading while you wait for the food to be ready. Your guests will enjoy comfortable chairs to sit at a glass of wine in the kitchen. By doing this, the kitchen can quickly become a space of socialization.