Do You Need a Contractor for Your Kitchen Remodel?

Anthony Maucieri
June 8, 2021

You’re ready for a kitchen remodel, and are doing your due diligence by laying the groundwork through careful research. Do you really need a contractor to help, or can you run with this on your own?

Managing your own project can be tempting. After all, who knows your goals, budget, and preferences better than you, right? Maybe you’re used to managing projects and teams at work, and assume that managing trade professionals must be similar.

Before you make any key decisions, we have a little food for thought. After all, your kitchen is one of the single-most valuable and complex spaces in your home, demanding a balance of style, function, and quality. Plus, the decisions you make are going to have an impact on your home’s value (and your quality of life!) for decades to come.

Consider the Codes

A kitchen is a complex room, and involves numerous codes and compliance considerations. More than just arranging cabinets and choosing a countertop, you need to make sure that it’s a safe, efficient space that meets local regulations. If a final inspection by your town or city uncovers the need for some aspect to be reworked or fixed, your timeline and budget will be set back substantially. An experienced contractor can help you avoid these headaches, and will know how to troubleshoot problems.

Experience Counts

No matter how intelligent or capable you are, you only know what you know. A first project is always a learning experience, and it’s best that your learning experience doesn’t involve a major remodel in your own home. Can you afford that kind of risk and stress?

Design Help

Finding design ideas and collecting pins on Pinterest is a great way to start, but in-depth designing requires specialized tools and technology. A proficient contractor and kitchen designer can help your vision come to life with digital renderings, allowing you to make the best choices possible by really “seeing” the room before construction begins. No surprises!

Similarly, if your home has unique architectural considerations, having a professional perspective can be incredibly helpful. They might have a solution or improvement you never would’ve thought of otherwise.

One Point of Contact

Especially when you’re knee-deep in the remodeling process, having one point of contact for questions, ideas, or concerns is helpful. Otherwise, there can be faulty, unclear communication, or a breakdown in accountability.

Knowing Reputable Service Providers To Hire

You’ve found three plumbers, and they all say they’re the best. Not exactly helpful… So, how do you know which is the right one who will really deliver and follow through? Can you be sure that their bid is fair when you don’t have a point of comparison?

Contractors spend their professional lives vetting service professionals, from plumbers to electricians, painters to HVAC technicians. Plus, a contractor who may offer them 10-15 jobs per year is going to be a higher priority than a single homeowner who isn’t going to feed them a substantial volume of work. In other words, they’re going to put their best foot forward for a contractor they respect!

So, Do You Need To Hire a Contractor?

We recommend it. The risks are just too large, and you have too much on the line, to attempt the process yourself. As always, if you have any follow-up questions, please feel free to reach out!

Learn about our kitchen design and remodeling services in Fairfield County, CT and Westchester County, NY.