Kitchen Remodel
Please note: this page contains reviews and opinions sent in by Berkeley Parents Net subscribers. Your
own experience may be different. Please always check references before hiring!
Berkeley Parents Network >
Reviews >
House & Garden >
Kitchen Remodel
|
Questions
See Also
|
More Reviews for Design/Build Professionals
Kitchen Furnishings & Equipment
|
Remodeling our kitchen for under $40k
Jan 2013
We're interested in remodeling our kitchen, but not in a
$100k solution! Anyone have any recent recommendations for
design-build contractors that are happy to work with Ikea
cabinets (or similar)? hoping to come in well under 40k
Andy Frasheski is the perfect guys for your project. He has
done IKEA and Home Depot kitchen remodels recently. We have
a couple of properties and he has remodeled our kitchens and
bathrooms. He is very clever, creative and resourceful. He
has great designing ideas and suggestions. Andy has a great
eye for detail and solves problems effectively in a very
creative manner. His rates are very reasonable. Andy can be
reached at 510-644-3711 or afrasheski@frasheski.com Ana
My contractor did a great job installing ikea closets in the
master bedroom, it was not easy because it needed to be
adjusted to the space. We were so happy we hire him to do
the master bathroom ( it turn out gorgeous ) so he can work
with ikea or high end products. He is creative,
knowledgeable and honest. Just tell him your budget and
concerns from the beginning , if you want to see pictures,
let me know I could ail you some, you can also see his
website . His name is Piotrek Krasnowski (520) 333-1566
Mariedda
We have a wonderful contractor that we have used for
multiple projects since we bought our house in Orinda 8
years ago. He has fully remodeled our master bath, our hall
bathroom, remodeled our downstairs with new lights, new
floors and removal of walls.
Just this month he has installed French drains and installed
pediment trim on all of our doors and windows upstairs. He
and his crew are professional and punctual and about half
the price of other more high end contractors. He is also
extremely nice and easy to talk to. We plan to use him for
our kitchen this summer (yes our house needed a lot of
work!).
His name is Elias and he lives in Oakland. He can give you
my number as a reference. He came referred to me by my
friend in walnut creek and most of his business is word of
mouth.
Elias Sanchez 510-219-2651
Orindamom
I cannot recommend Marius Construction enough. I have a
1910 Craftsman that was a dilapidated but loveable mess when
I bought it. I have been having to do work on it slowly but
surely for years. My main problem early on, was finding
someone who understood I am not made of money but I want
quality work. I must have suffered through 6 contractors
until I came upon Marius. He is the 8th Wonder of the World
when it comes to honesty and hard work. His work is that of
an artisan, yet he understands a budget. When he makes a
contract there are NEVER any overrruns. He also is good at
suggesting ways to save money, such as you yourself going
down to get parts at Sincere Hardware, etc. I don't want to
say there is no finer craftsman at the price, because that
denotes a lack of complete dedication. There is very simply
no finer craftsman out there AND he understands and is happy
to work with all varieties of budgets. You can find him on
the web, he has YELP postings, and older BPN postings.
Please be sure to give him a call before you finalize any
plans. You'll be happy you did. suzymc
If you are planning on using Ikea cabinets I highly
recommend calling Alin with Bay Area Pacific Construction at
510 484 5765. I got to him through a BPN recommendation on
Ikea cabinets and I couldn't have been happier with the
decision I made. They are very meticulous in their work,
paying a lot of attention to detail, very clean- respectful
of our home and very polite; also all the inspections have
been passed without a problem. The bid/estimate I got from
Alin was a lot less than expected (I got 5 estimates from
different companies). I cannot recommend them enough! Greg
Want to update my kitchen
Sept 2012
I've been wanting to update my kitchen for years. Our house
is a modest post-WWII wood house with a galley-type
(rectangle) kitchen, so this will not be a high end project.
I'm looking for materials that are durable, serviceable,
easy-to-keep-clean, aesthetically pleasing, eco-friendly (at
least low or no VOCs) and affordable. Clean lines, nothing
visually overbearing or too busy.
Have you bought cabinets from Home Depot? They have a
partnership with a third party that seems to use
eco-friendly wood. Did you use Home Depot installers or hire
your own contractor?
If you didn't use Home Depot, where did you source your
cabinets? I don't want to get mine from the shops that
import from China because I'm concerned that they use
VOC-based finishes, and the ones I've looked at don't make a
broom closet in the size I need.
I'd like to hire one person to install the cabinets, counter
tops and new sink because it will make my
coordinating/oversight job easier. Have you worked with
someone who is skilled, reliable and responsible, good
communicator, kind and charges a fair price? The person
could be a great handy person who has done these jobs
effectively, or a small contractor. I prefer not to deal
with a firm or large company.
Thank you for your input!
Barbara
Just a warning: although we've bought satisfactory
materials from Home Depot, the times we've used their
contractors (or from the now-defunct Expo Design Center,
which was associated with Home Depot), we've been very
unsatisfied with their work. Sloppy floor installation,
materials taking months to be delivered, boxes of tiles
delivered with more than 50% broken (resulting in more wait
time), etc. I would use a different contractor. Karen
I am a licensed General Contractor in Berkeley, and for the
past three years since moving here have been fortunate to
have plenty of work from nice folks who can afford somewhat
upper-end materials and craftsmanship. I also have done some
remodels from people who worked from a very modest budget,
and who therefore insisted upon using IKEA brand kitchen and
bath cabinets and flooring. Huge mistake. I shall never
agree to associate with that brand again. Floor materials
warp and delaminate, kitchen and bath cabinets disintegrate,
and customer service is terrible. If parts are missing
from the small hardware packets, as was the case several
times in my experience, you will be charged for
replacements. The Ikea product looks good in photographs,
and the engineering and design concepts are actually quite
innovative, but the materials used in the products are a
landfill waiting to happen. If you wish to have inexpensive
cabinetry in your home, I would absolutely recommend Home
Depot or Lowe's.. or, for that matter, a salvage yard...
over Ikea. hyp.nosis
I highly recomment Flo Simon 510 536 3124 . He worked for
us last May and did very nice work on our kitchen and
bedrooms. He works very clean and did great prep work on all
the woodwork, I would definitely hire him again. Wendy
Small Kitchen Remodel
June 2012
We are contemplating a long overdue kitchen remodel and
would love to receive recommendations for a reliable,
competent contractor or a crew. Ours is a very small
kitchen, so this will be a relatively modest-budget project.
Ideally, we would like to have this done at the end of June
or the beginning of July and need someone who can complete
this as quickly as possible (without compromising the
quality of the work), as this is our only kitchen and we
prefer to avoid eating take-outs for weeks. anon
If you are in/near Berkeley, you should come see our
kitchen. Truly. We were in precisely the same situation last
fall. Tiny ugly run-down kitchen, unchanged in over 50
years. Lowell Hicks (licensed contractor and longtime
friend) turned it into a showplace, faster than predicted
and under budget. We could not be more pleased.
Lowell has done work for us a dozen times over 20 years,
ranging from built-in furniture to turning a basement into a
fine apartment. Often in dealing with contractors (or
handymen), out of (1) skill, (2) reliability and (3) good
price, you get to choose any two. With Lowell, it is all
three, every time. He's smart and clever (member of Mensa),
as politically correct as can be: he typically donates most
or even all of his profits to a children's medical center in
Honduras or a nunnery in Tibet.
My wife and I recommend him highly, and you really are
welcome to come look at what he did; we're near Shattuck and
Rose. He's at (510) 612-9988, or fcleffer@yahoo.com. John
When I first called Gelu Ilie (Gelu-Construction), within a
few hours they were able to provide me with a estimate for
my project. Surprisingly the price was very good. Gelu also
provided fresh ideas on the types of changes that would make
the kitchen more appealing and functional. Before the
remodel, the kitchen was dark and outdated. After completing
the remodel, the kitchen is more open, in part due to moving
a couple of walls and installing a bigger window. Gelu also
replaced the electrical installation, installed new
cabinets, set tiles, installed granite countertops, and
painted. They did all this in a very short time. My kitchen
turned out very nice and I would recommend Gelu Ilie for a
kitchen remodeling project. He offers great prices and is a
hard working professional.(510)506-5073
www.gelu-construction.com John
I know a wonderful careful, responsible contractor for your
kitchen remodel. I know him well because he used to work
form my dad remodeling kitchens and bathrooms in my dad's
rental property in SF and Berkeley for two decades. It's
quite rare to find a contractor like Michael Smith who stays
on the job and actually does the work himself. So many of
them leave less skilled workers the whole day on their own
and just come back to pick them up when the day is done.
Michael has been working in construction and remodeling for
over 20 years, speaks English perfectly and has very high
standards. You won't have to wait around while he
disappears on another project. He does careful,
conscientious work and finishes when he predicts he will. I
cannot recommend him highly enough.
Michael P. Smith Construction Co.
phone (415) 601-5385
(415) 312-9666
Christine
Existing kitchen makeover and ceiling moulding
May 2012
My partner and I have a 1940's craftsman and the original
kitchen cabinets we like, but would like some thoughts on
how to improve the workings of the drawers and shelves
without replacing the cabinets. We are also thinking of
adding crown moulding, but don't have any idea what type or
how to install. Any recommendations? Craftsman Owner
Seeking Craftsman
Hi there, I have used Baha from JB Construction for my
various projects. He is reasonable, knows what he he doing
and can tell you what you need to do. He is reasonable in
pricing compare to other contractors. You can email him at
powerlabor@yahoo.com or call him 510-735-4052. The best way
to reach him is through e-mail.
Maksuda
Over the past 18 months, we've used Jeff White (OTOB - On
Time On Budget) for our home and rental property renovations
and repairs. Over the last 15 years, we've worked with many
contractors and handypersons -- and it's amazing the excuses
we've gotten for unreturned calls, not showing up when
scheduled, incomplete or shoddy work -- or invoiced for
significantly more than the original estimate with little or
no warning.
Jeff is extremely easy to work with, responsive, affordable
and best of all -- he shows up when scheduled. We referred
Jeff to a friend who wanted to upgrade her apartment with
crown moulding, baseboards and paint in less than a week.
Jeff and his crew were able to complete her project on time
and on budget! You can reach him at 510.928-5559 or
jeff.white.tgi@gmail.com. pm
I highly recommend Carl Gaard! I was in a similar situation
where I couldn't afford to entirely overhaul my 1912 kitchen
cabinets, but I wanted to modernize them for functionality
while enhancing their vintage charm. Carl hand-built and
installed beautiful wooden gliders to replace the lower
interior shelves--at a very reasonable rate. Now my
cabinets look great, hold so much more and are a pleasure to
reach in and out of! He repainted the interior and exterior
of the cabinets a fabulous color and took into account the
colors and feel of the entire space. He also lined my old
drawers with new laminate, so they just look and feel so
much cleaner and more modern; easier to keep clean too.
Carl also made some other great changes like building a wine
rack inside one cabinet. Then he installed gorgeous
moulding throughout the house, with an artist's and
historian's sensibility for a moulding and trim color that
truly fit the home's period and makes the place just shine.
Carl also gave me excellent color advice for painting. He
is a true craftsman and artist. Now my old house sparkles,
and it was for a small fraction of the cost of a full
remodel. Carl is also honest, reliable, and completed the
work in a short time. He can be reached at: 510-410-6812
-- carlgaard@gmail.com -- www.carlgaard.com. Kelley
Kitchen Update - How to proceed?
May 2012
Thought I'd query the helpful BPN community before trying to
proceed with a kitchen update. My husband and I have not
made any improvements to our kitchen in the past 12 years,
and now the gas range and dishwasher need to be replaced. We
do not have the means or desire to do a major kitchen
remodel, since we hope to sell our house next year and
wouldn't recoup the expense.
However, we would definitely like to make some improvements
to our kitchen, since we need to replace two appliances
(with new mid-range priced ones). We were thinking of
refinishing the existing cabinets, improving the lighting,
and possibly building more cabinets to match the existing
ones. I've never liked our existing granite counter tops but
assume it would be too expensive to replace.
Do we just need to find a good contractor for this kind of
work? I'm assuming that we don't need a kitchen designer or
architect, given the small scope of the project and our
$10-12K budget. Any advice would be greatly appreciated,
since I have no experience with this kind of thing. Is our
budget even realistic? Thanks so much! Sharon
Sears Home Improvement. Good quality, reasonably priced, 3
week job.
We went through the same thing last year, not having the
means to invest a ton of $. 4 bidders came out: 2 bids were
at $80k and 10-12 weeks, 2 bids were at $20-25k and 3 weeks.
Sears also had this deal going for 24 months 0 interest, AND
rebates. We went with Sears, (I should tell you that the
year before we used Sears for our windows, and it was a
positive experience, which is why we used them for our
kitchen). the crew was great, on time, every time, cleaned
up, thorough job. We timed it so that we received our
rebates to use toward our kitchen appliances (we bought our
dishwasher at Galvin's). We did new counters, cabinets,
sink, faucet, dishwasher, frig, floor, electicical,
plumbing. Sounds like you're just looking at cabs and
counters. One cabinet had to be customized to fit our 1938
original kitchen, but we really didn't want to break down
any walls, and keep the original footprint. It took them
about 2 1/2 weeks, from start to finish, having a full crew
in daily. No horror stories, no headaches, no pain. They did
what they said they'd do to our full satisfaction. Good
luck! Love the result and the bill! Happy w/Sears
I highly recommend our builder/contractor Colin Groth. I
posted a while ago to recommend him for deck work, but by
now he has also done a lot more for us - including knocking
down an interior wall and vastly improving the layout of our
house over a weekend while we were out of town!!!
He is licensed, bonded, insured, etc., but most importantly
my wife and I have been extremely happy with his work - in
particular in using/re-using existing materials and
generally taking a 'green' (but also the most
cost-effective) approach. He has done various upgrades and
remodels to our home, including a new porch and deck,
earthquake retrofit, opening up a wall, upgraded kitchen
surfaces/cabinets and appliance venting, converting a closet
to a children's bedroom (!), lighting, wiring and more...
He's sometimes very busy but I suggest trying him to see if
you can schedule a meeting with him...
His e-mail is colin.groth@gmail.com
Dan
Inexpensive kitchen remodel
Sept 2011
I have a small kitchen that needs a total remodel - new
cabinets, maybe a floor, counters, appliances, fixtures. I
am on a real budget and need to do something like IKEA, or
maybe Home Depot. Unfortunately, I don't have any DIY
talent! Ideally I'd like someone resourceful who can do
design, working with inexpensive products, perhaps rather
than a cabinet maker.
With such a small space I love the clever efficiencies of
IKEA products, but I don't love the wood colors. Prefer
painted cabinets. Anyway, looking for someone inexpensive
and creative!
I looked in the archives, but the info is dated. Has anyone
had any good experiences recently?
Thanks
Sarah
Andy Frasheski is the perfect guys for your project. He has
done IKEA and Home Depot kitchen remodels recently. We have
a couple of properties and he has remodels our kitchens and
bathrooms. He is very clever, creative and resourceful. He
has great designing ideas and sugestions. Andy has a great
eye for detail and solves problems effectively in a very
creative manner. His rates are very reasonable. Andy can be
reached at 510-644-3711 or afrasheski@frasheski.com
adf
We're in the process now, and like you didn't have $80k to
spend on a kitchen remodel. So i'm happy to share my
research and info with you.
Home Depot: less expensive but
they subcontract all the work out. Product good, takes a
long time, and if you have problems, home depot releases
themselves of liability, which means you have to contact the
subcontractor yourself.
IKEA, cute stuff, but we've hit and
miss with them. We bought nice bookshelfs but they were
cheaply made and didn't wear very well. I imagine a similar
experience with kitchen cabinets.
We decided on Sears home
improvement. We tested them with our windows and they did an
amazing job. No glitches, they were in and out, reasonablly
priced, cleaned up, all working well. The installers work
for Sears, so no worries about the subcontracting issues,
and it's safe to say that if we have any problems in 5 years
with our kitchen, Sears will still be in business, unlike an
independent contractor. Good luck! sears customer
We have used Jackie McKay, a licensed architect to help us
on a project. Her design was thoughtful and we were
definitely on a budget. Our project was not a kitchen, but
when we saw Jackie this weekend, she told us about her
latest project working on an Edwardian Kitchen remodel. The
clients were definitely on a strict budget, but she was
enjoying helping them find quality products and doing an
aesthetic design. She said she has found good alternatives
to Ikea cabinets. Jackie is fun, artistic and very
responsible. Tell her Sue and Allan recommend her.
415-401-5406 Jackie McKay (lives in the East Bay) Sue
We used David Holsan for an Ikea kitchen remodel about a
year ago and are happy with the results. It took about a
week for a complete remove-and-replace job on our small
kitchen. We had a different person do the floors. My main
suggestion to keep costs down is to do lots of
thinking/planning/researching and don't get into tearing
down walls or changing the layout too much. We went to him
with a strong idea of what we wanted (using the Ikea kitchen
planner tool available on their site), and David is very
familiar with Ikea kitchen products and had some good
suggestions about modifications to our plan. Ikea has lots
of painted cabinets - we used the white ''Applad'' variety.
David's email is info@bayinstall.com . happy cook
I just had my kitchen remodeled by Dan Martinez
Construction. (www.danmartinezconstruction.com). I was
willing to live with a 1922 kitchen rather than face a
remodel - all I heard were horror stories. But a friend of
mine had great success with Dan so I called him. OMG! I
didn't know there were decent, honest contractors out
there!! Dan is wonderful, his entire crew is great. Now a
financially strapped friend is having him do a very frugal
repair of her 1906 kitchen. I got my cabinets at IKEA and
he told me what things I could do for myself to save money.
I can NOT do plumbing or electical but I could buy my own
lights, etc. This is not a huge company; you will get to
know everyone's name. Sharla is in the office, number is
510.893.0485. Ernie, the foreman, is this easy going guy
who somehow keeps a million details in his head. My
demolition guy found hardwood under my old linoleum and I
added 3 days of time to my job because I wanted to keep and
extend the hardwood. Ernie explained my choices and just
switched gears to my new plan. I totally trust these guys
-- and a year ago I didn't think it was possible to feel
this way about a contractor. Get this: they finished on
schedule! I KNOW! I don't believe it either! Happy with
my gorgeous kitchen!
Hi ,
Doing a project on a specific budget has two main parts: a)
material b) labor;
a) Material: Home Depot and/or IKEA are not necessary the
cheapest cabinets you will find. Actually, HD is quite
expensive. I have good resources to get good cabinets at a
good price. These are cabinets I use on my own properties.
b) Labor - getting the cheaper hourly laborer does not mean
it will be the cheapest final product; and the flip side of
that coin is that getting an expensive contractor does not
mean you are getting the best. Just a reliable contractor
who has done countless projects, on budget, will save you
lots of $.
G.
We recommend Augusto Bituin (call him 'Augie' for short) to
remodel your kitchen or bathroom. He is a skilled
contractor and he is able to do small and large projects.
Over the last 10 years, he has expertly remodeled 5
bathrooms for us in 2 very different types of homes (one
mid-century/one 1920's craftsman). He is able to do it all
- tiling, electrical, plumbing. In addition, he resurfaced
our ceiling, patched walls back to new, and painted exterior
and interior spaces for us. He has also done similar work
for our friends. Augie takes pride in his workmanship which
is always detailed, quick, meticulous and very neat. His
recommendations and suggestions are pragmatic and practical
and flexible. His pricing is very reasonable and fair -
that is one of the many reasons why we always go to him.
Call him directly if you need work done! He has clients in
San Francisco, South Bay and the East Bay. Augie
415-793-4137 EL EL
Reliable contractor for kitchen remodel
June 2011
We'd like to remodel the kitchen in the home we recently
purchased, and need to find a contractor who can help with
cabinets, floors, countertops, etc. There are other parts
of the house that need help too, and we're hoping to find
someone who can work within our budget so that we can get as
much done as possible. Mark
We have wanted to remodel our kitchen for years now. We had
no idea where to start or what to do. Custom Spaces
remodeled our friend's kitchen and we really liked what they
did. When we went in to meet Catherine, she was very
helpful. Her extensive knowledge and excellent design sense
reassured us and gave us the confidence we needed to make
all the right decisions (with her help!). She was very
patient as we looked things over again and again before
finalizing. We made numerous trips to the showroom asking
for advice and always found the answers we needed and
samples to take home and see how they might look in our
house.
All of the recommendations Custom Spaces made were very
professional, knowledgeable, and the lowest price!! We
shopped for a better deal, but found out that we didn't need
to. Their showroom is one-stop shopping and we loved being
able to go there and find beautiful, affordable cabinets and
other materials to put in our home. They have everything we
wanted and what we saw in books, they ordered for us if they
didn't have it.
Next was the construction! They decided to take on our
project themselves. Their general contractor Daniel and his
brother Jason were great! They were trustworthy and very
reliable. They also tried to be as accommodating as possible
- minimizing in every way the amount of inconvenience during
our remodel. Daniel left my kitchen sink intact until he
absolutely had to remove it. At the end of each day he'd
move my plug in stove back into place so I could still cook!
We are SO happy with our newly remodeled kitchen!! pls go
see it on their website.
We could not have done it without Catherine & Dan and Custom
Spaces!!
We have referred them to many of our friends already and
would most certainly use them again! DD
You should give Rolander Construction a call. I had them do
my kitchen and master bathroom last year. They've been in
business 30 years and can take care of everything. You
mentioned budget? Ask Brad or Dick, they both believe in
service and should have tons of ideas. Their number is 510
339-3655. Good Luck! Adam
We just finished a kitchen remodel (and small addition, and
half bath) with Jamie Carlen and his crew. I highly
recommend them--good attention to detail, gave us a fair bid
and kept within the budget. www.jamiecarlen.com aw
I know a great contractor I have used twice and I wouldn't
think of using anyone else. He did a lovely addition for
me, and did kitchens and baths for some of my friends. We
all think highly of him and his efficient crew. He is
reasonably priced and very good to work with; also he's a
savvy problem solver. Company is Bowser Construction and
his name is Skip Bowser. Tel. 510- 815-7131. Feel free to
mention my name. Good luck, Lynn W.
I would strongly recommend Kirsten Elliott the owner of
Elliott Build for a kitchen remodel. Kirsten has done 2
kitchens, 1 bathroom and a bunch of other work for me and
she's terrific. She's a licensed contractor and has
considerable experience with kitchens. She is reliable, has
great design sense and is a pleasure to work with. Her
number is 415.377.9009. Website:
http://www.elliottbuild.com/. call me if you have any
questions. T.
Just had some work done on our house and wanted to recommend
Thomas Clark as a contractor. He was totally fair priced
and really easy to communicate with and very professional!
His number is 510 547-1740. jennifer
Carl Gaard single-handedly fully renovated my own 1896 Queen
Anne Victorian some years ago. He is experienced at matching
newer construction with older homes. He did everything from
redesigning my kitchen (with custom cabinets) and bathrooms,
to replacing my windows, repairing my siding, and matching
the paint colors. He was especially good at solving my small
space and storage problems. He is a gifted designer, with a
great sense of color. He even mixed his own colors, when
they needed tweaking. He knows how to work within a budget.
He can be reached at 510-410-6812. Elissa
We would like to recommend you Bay Area Pacific
Construction. They did a wonderful work on our kitchen
remodel. We have done a lot of remodel projects over the
years, but none have come close to this project in terms of
being a positive experience. They provided direction and
support when it was needed during an extensive kitchen
remodel. You can contact them at 510-484 5765 or online at
www.bayareapacificconstruction.com Stuart & Jess
Handy man/contractor recommendation. I highly recommend
Travis Eaton for small jobs such a cabinet repair, porch
remodeling, as well as more complicated work such as
foundation and drainage. He is hardworking, very reasonable
with his rates, and has a fine aesthetic to his work as well
as great suggestions for a better look if you are open to
hearing his opinion. Travis Eaton can be contacted at
(925)899-7438. Happy return customer
I would like to recomend Mike Trifan of Elco Bay Area 510-
427-8370 LIC 830793 He is a general contractor and has saved
our kitchen remodel! We started with a very disreputable
contractor that demolished the kitchen(the easy Part). He
was supposed to have it completely ready to install the
cabinets with clean fresh walls and floors and none of it
was ready. He cut in illegal overhead lighting on our old
knob and tube system and didn't even finish taking up the
floor or re-texture the plaster walls & ceiling, remove wall
paper, he was contracted to move the plumbing to the proper
new locations and much much more and once the job proved to
difficult he just left! Here I was no kitchen torn to bits
the electric he attempted was not to code, no permits had
been pulled. I called Mike on a recommendation from a
friend and he was also listed here on BPN. He saved us! He
started by putting in the proper new electric from the box,
through the walls into the crawl space all according to code
and permitted and cleaned up the mess the other contractor
left when we needed it most! He has been a genius! He really
knows how to work in my old house(1939) and how to bring it
up to code, we find him extremely knowledgeable and honest.
He and his crew have been so respectful and clean up after
each day of work. I have had many many people talk to me
about putting lighting in our dining room in the last couple
of years and NO estimate for the job has come close to
understanding the scope of the job able to do what mike did!
We are so pleased with all of his work! The old lath and
plaster walls are retextured and beautiful! They did a
great job and I can't wait to see the back splash they put
in on Monday! Call Mike he is an amazing reli overall
contracable contractor! kimberly
Call Sorin Feraru with Feraru & Associates Building and
Design. He just finished a major remodel for our house. He
is reliable, trustworthy and very professional. And you get
all that at a reasonable price. Sorin took care of our
remodel from beginning to the end and worked along with us
as a consultant. He always talked to us and answered his
phone, or called us right back. Things went smoothly and the
remodel was finished on time. Sorin's crew builds dust
barriers in the house so the dust doesn't spread to the part
that was not remodeled. Also they left the job site clean at
the end of each working day. We highly recommend Sorin
Feraru. Please call him at 510-228-7366 or go to his web
site www.feraru.us
I would like to recommend Carl Gaard as a contractor for
your kitchen. Carl just finished our kitchen and it is an
amazing transformation. The space feels twice as large and
we did not remove any walls or expand the room in any way.
It was Carl who came up with the design and handled all the
work including, all the lighting, installing of appliances,
(even a washer dryer that was not previously in the space),
building a soffit, installing new doors and refurbishing
some very old windows that now look new. He did the back
splash, installed the new sink and faucet, garbage disposal
and water purifier as well as some very detailed carpentry
work. Carl is reasonable, practical, easy going, a design
guru, strong, calm, and a pleasure to work with. He can be
reached at 510-410-6812 Mel
We highly recommend Mircea Ilie (510-459-5502) for kitchen
and bath remodeling. He recently remodeled our kitchen and
we are very happy. He is attentive to details, very flexible
in schedule, and works around the budget. He made very good
suggestions during the process. For example, he helped us
pick the tiles and matching wall color by bringing numerous
samples, and being willing to paint again for free if we
didn't like the color. For any kind of tile work, we also
recommend Gelu, that works with Mircea Ilie. Gelu did a
wonderful job when he installed the tiles and a mosaic for
us, and was a pleasure to work with. anon
We recommend contractor Dane Moore---Moore Construction and
Remodel-- for home projects. He does everything from small
jobs& those deferred home maintenance tasks to major
remodels. He's done a beautiful job remodeling our kitchen,
which was far more than that actually. He also put in new
stairways, a hallway, opened up a blank wall with a sliding
door and window, put in attic access, even fixed cranky
doorknob problems: all sorts of things our house had been
waiting for. Wonderful carpentry, easy to communicate with,
even-tempered, funny, creative, flexible, reasonable rates,
great project management. We did this all without an
architect so Dane also contributed largely to the design.
Contact info: arlosacat@yahoo.com or 510- 908- 5306 ~~love
my new kitchen ~
Help! Need complete kitchen remodel on a budget
May 2011
SOS! My design sensibility says Bulthaup while my budget,
sadly, screams Ikea. I need to tear my kitchen down to the
studs, and then wholly remodel (new cabinets, counters,
floor, appliances, etc.). I'm a true cook, love to
entertain, and we spend a lot of time in the kitchen as a
family (baking, etc.). But I'm in a small Oakland bungalow
and can't justify an enormous investment. Plus, busy work
schedules don't allow much time for DIY to offset the cost.
Am hoping for an experienced, reliable end-to-end kitchen
remodeling resource (contractor? design/build?) who has a
great sense of design, understands the challenges of a
limited budget, can offer creative options for cutting
expenses or making tradeoffs, and can ensure flawless
execution. Any great recommendations? Thanks!
Hi Stephanie,
I recommend you talk with Jay Cravagan at Canyon
Design/Build (formerly Federal Building Company) at 3630
Park Blvd, Oakland 94610, phone: 510-482-0300. The
designers and builders there are fabulous, and are
especially tuned into designing and building to your budget.
The have worked on our house, and I have done structural
engineering for their clients who need that as part of their
projects. Good luck with your kitchen!
- Josh
I highly recommend you check out Custom Spaces on Solano Ave
in Albany, www.customspaces.net. Catherine and Dan have a
wide range of price points and great ideas about how to
deliver an excellent result within any reasonable budget. I
designed my layout at Ikea and seriously considered their
cabinets until EVERY contractor I spoke with told me not to!
They look good for a short period but do not last.
Installation is a nightmare (missing parts are common). Any
water problems and fiberboard (which also off-gasses
Formaldehyde) might as well be paper towels. I got
customized, Formaldehyde-free plywood boxes with hardwood
doors and veneers for a great price. I sourced and bought my
countertop/backsplash, sink, fixtures, lights, drawer pulls,
cabinet door glass, and appliances myself, and hired my own
crew for installation, all of which saved me a lot of money.
Catherine& Dan were helpful throughout and helped resolve
problems when one veneer arrived damaged from their
supplier. Five years later, I still have a gorgeous kitchen
that could easily have cost 2x as much. Good luck! Terry
Kitchen Remodel - Design and Contractor
April 2011
We are considering remodeling our kitchen (my once in a
lifetime chance for a new kitchen!). We need a designer and
a contractor. Has anyone worked with Custom Spaces recently?
Other suggestions? This job in somewhere in between a face
life and new construction, and we need to start soon. Once
in a lifetime
We used Kitchens of Diablo (in Danville) for our kitchen
design/remodel. We were very satisfied. The design process
was great and the workers and workmanship were top notch.
The project was done on time and budget.
The owner is a general contractor who does the work. The
old kitchen was gutted.
--Happy Cooks
We did a kitchen remodel in 2009 and had a great experience
with our contractor, Bob Jones of OMB Remodeling. He was
awesome to work with and a true professional. He was on
time and reliable and stuck to his budget. Bob was
reasonable when it came to change orders and did not try to
overcharge. Now that it has been 2+ years since completion
I can say that his work holds up. Nothing has broken, come
apart, of failed in any way. He worked with a small group
of subs who he knew personally, but the rest he did himself.
The cabinets were hung beautifully and he even dealt with
our wavy walls. His number is 925-382-0925. He is based in
Antioch, but came to our home in Alameda with no problem.
The project took six weeks just like he said it would.
Andrea
We recently completed a major kitchen remodel of our Albany
home. We havenC",b"t worked with Custom Spaces before, but would
recommend Keri at Bay Area Cabinet Supply in San Leandro
(510) 483-8818. She did a great job in designing our kitchen
and helping to select our new cabinets. For the actual
remodeling work, we hired Spitzley Construction. It was a
pleasure working with Joe Spitzley, the owner, throughout
the process. He and his team were very professional,
courteous, and efficient. They gladly addressed all our
questions and concerns, and accommodated our accelerated
move-in schedule. Joe was willing to work within our budget
and his bid and invoices were detailed and clearly
presented. You can reach Joe at (510) 841-2185. Matthew
We used Rolander Construction and Carlene Anderson of
Anderson Design to do our Kitchen and couldnt be happier.
Everything looks great and the contractor was great to work
with. Call Dick Rolander at 510 339-3655. And Good Luck
with your job! Adam
We are just finishing our kitchen and family room remodel
(and small addition) and can highly recommend our architect,
designer, and contractor. We used the team of Michael
Albrecht (architect) and Becky Hatt (designer) of Haus
Design (510-526-9191, or www.haus-design.us). They do jobs
of all sizes around the Bay Area. Michael really helped us
fit all the elements we needed into our small space, and all
of the contractors we interviewed were very impressed with
the detail and thoroughness of his plans. (We had no
trouble going through permitting.) Becky helped us find
design solutions that were compatible with the style of our
house while incorporating some elements that were unique to
our vision. I also highly recommend our contractor, Jamie
Carlen, and his team (510-970-7977, or www.jamiecarlen.com).
They've got great skills and attention to detail and
aesthetic. They also were very respectful, kept everything
clean, and stuck to the anticipated budget and time
schedule. Our project has gone very smoothly, thanks to
these enthusiastic and supportive teams! AW
I recently remodeled an super dank kitchen using Jesse Rozay
and his crew from Zeus Design Build. Jesse's done work for
me in the past and has a great eye for detail. I most
appreciated his knowledge on a wide range of green materials
and he is super transparent on cost estimates, either full
contract package or time and materials. We worked hand in
hand through multiple designs. We also worked out which
items we would tackle ourselves and which he and his crew
would do. Email me if you'd like to get photos of the
remodel. Jesse can be reached at jesse@zeusdesignbuild.com
or 510.390.1245. Good luck. christine
You may want to check out this Berkeley-based firm -
www.codaprojects.com - the website includes examples of
residential and kitchen remodels. Fran
I highly recommend our general contractor Tom Wright at
http://www.thewrightconstructioncompany.com/index.html . He
worked with us to design an amazing bathroom for us and is
currently working with us to create a kitchen of our dreams.
He does fantastic work and we love working with him. Tracy
Call Sorin Feraru at 510-228-7366.He is head and shoulders
about the crowd, and can help you with the design as well.He
just finished a project at our house which involved
design.He provided us with the full package of design, plans
and construction, which is great because it really makes a
difference when the contractor, designer and engineer are a
team and communicate one with another.It sure saves you the
headaches.As for the construction, every single detail was
great. The greatest part was that we could reach Sorin
whenever we had questions, he always picked up his phone or
called us right back. You can check some of his work at
www.feraru.us
Addition and kitchen remodel in Walnut Creek
Feb 2011
Hello. We are in the beginning stage of an addition and the
possibility of knocking out our fireplace to make our
kitchen bigger. We have a ranch style home from the 50s in
Walnut Creek - Lakewood area. We would love any
recommendations from an architect/home designer to a general
contractor. Another question we have is cost of
construction with basic finishes. Also what kind of costs
should be allocated to permits and drawings? Any
insight/advise would be appreciated. We need to live in the
house during the remodeling. We need expert
advice/ideas/tips on the best course. Thank you so much
Clueless
I have been using Joe O and have been very pleased.
http://joeoconstruction.com carleigh
You couldn't find a better interior designer than Kathy
Bate, who lives in Walnut Creek. She specializes in kitchen
and baths, and has done numerous projects for me and my
neighbors. She is great to work with and is very creative.
You can take a look at her website:
http://kbdesigns4dining.com/content/home Good luck with your
project! Yvonne
I have a recommendation for a contractor for your addition
and kitchen remodel. California Rebuilders does very
meticulous work. (510)843-1800. One word of caution, just so
that you don't get sticker shock - contractors and
remodeling projects are expensive. Part of the reason is
that the cost of workers compensation insurance has
escalated. The cost of materials has escalated partially due
to the increase in gasoline prices. The redwood we bought to
rebuild a 40 foot bridge 2 years ago would cost us 25% more
if we did the same job today. On the other hand, now is a
good time to hire a contractor because there is not that
much work for them due to the economy. You need to be
careful though because the lowest estimate is not always the
best estimate. You also (usually) get what you pay for.
Architects are expensive and sometimes you need engineering
drawings as well. The architects may design something that
the builder cannot build in the real world so they have to
do something somewhat different to make it work and that
could add to the expense. So it all depends on the project.
Kitchens themselves seem to be particularly costly because
cabinetry, plumbing and electrical are all on the high end
of building expenses. anon
Hi, We've remodeled our kitchen and put additions on the
house while living there with our young son and it was
completely manageable. But planning was very important. For
the kitchen, there was about a week of doing dishes in a
basin in the bathtub and we didn't have access to our stove
for about a day. But it wasn't bad, we ate out a bit and had
a microwave in another area of the house. I left with my son
to visit family during the week of sheet rock work because
even with plastic containment walls, the dust can be
irritating to the lungs. If you can get a trustworthy
contractor, it is a great idea to schedule a week or two of
family vacation around when the kitchen is totally unusable
or during that sheet rock stage. Be sure to work with an
architect who can speak to BUDGET as well as design. You may
even want to get a contractor involved a little earlier
during the planning stages to put in some ballpark numbers
on how much this detail would cost, this counter top choice
vs. another, or this roof line vs. another, moving a sink
vs. keeping in the original location, etc.-- All of those
choices can change costs dramatically (as well as the feel
and design of it). My husband is an experienced contractor
and has remodeled and put additions on our house for the
past ten years, all while we were living at our place and
raising our child from infancy during that period. His
planning around our lives made it smooth and we have a
totally custom home. For one addition, we did all of the
work or the added space before we broke into the connection
to the main house. That kept it very separate from the
living area in terms of noise and dust, until the last
possible moment when they framed in the connector door. If
you want expert advice, and a reliable estimate, you could
try my husband's company, berkeleycraftsmen.com.
caroln
It will be difficult to get any useful numbers for the cost
of your construction, permits, and drawings as those sooo
depend on what you are planning to do, but the contractor
you are choosing might be able to give you a very rough
ballpark number. Speaking of which, I would love to
recommend our fabulous contractor, Andrew Sonnemann of
Sonnemann Construction (925-457-7710) who did a complete
remodel of a 1920 fixer for us a year ago. We have since
hired him back and recommended him to our friends. Andrews
work is absolutely meticulous and of the highest quality. We
were on a very tight budget but his level of attention to
detail just makes everything look amazing. We too were
living at the house for part of the time, and he and
everyone on his crew was extremely polite, nice, respectful
everyone from owners, children to pets. Because of the age
of our house, we needed lots of specially designed
solutions, and Andrew never tired thinking them up for us.
He never gave us a 'that can't be done' reply, its always
'let me think about that'. He never tired explaining things
to me so that I could make the most informed decisions.
Conveniently, his father happens to be a great architect,
and an extremely reasonably priced one too, which came in
very handy as it turned out that they needed to work
together on a few problems along the way. All in all, we
will never need to look for another contractor again :-)
Happy Home Owner
With no doubt, Sorin Feraru is the contractor you're looking
for. I know he covers also Walnut Creek area. Sorin can help
you with the whole project, including planning and
designing. He guided us through the entire process of adding
to our house and remodeling part of the existing one. We've
been through a remodel a few years ago and I know what a
trouble can be having to be the messenger between the
architect, designer and contractor, but with Sorin
everything went great. I know who I'll hire for my next
building project. You can reach Sorin at 510 228 7366.
In the past we have done a couple different remodeling
projects including kitchen, bathroom, laundry and a new
addition on our home in Berkley. Throughout each project we
could not have picked anyone else to make the whole
situation go any easier. We hired Bebe Construction who is a
licensed general contractor located in Castro Valley. Him
and his crew worked very hard in completing each project and
were always on time each day. Throughout the project my wife
and I had many questions in which Bebe was very reliable in
answering all questions and also provided us with help in
finding better deals for the finishing work. I could not add
any more on how great everything turned out, we would
definitely recommend on using Bebe Construction and his crew
for additions or remodeling projects.
bebeconstruction@yahoo.com and (510)566-6685 Jeff
I recommend on using Bebe Construction because of his highly
skilled crew and fine work. He remodeled the kitchen and
bathroom in our home, installed new hardwood floors and also
added a new roof. The projects went fairly quickly, passed
all the inspections the first time so everything went rather
smooth. I was very happy with the estimate and bid that I
received from Bebe and most of all it was well worth every
penny. If anyone needs any remodeling done to their home I
would go right ahead and contact Bebe Construction. If
anyone has any questions give him a call 510 566 6685 and
his email is bebeconstruction@yahoo.com
Good Luck!
Liz
We have done our kitchen remodeling project with our friend
JB Construction, License #908631 They are very helpful and
professional results. And it took they only couple of weeks
to comepletely redo the whole kitchen in our house. Best
contractor we had to deal with. Contact by e-mail:
powerlabor@yahoo.com Cristina
Hi, I can highly recommend Hometelligent, Inc., headed up by
Silvio Dobrovat. They have helped us with projects both
large and small. Silvio works with you to find good
solutions that fit your budget and I've been particularly
impressed with his responsiveness. I wouldn't go out of my
way to recommend him if I didn't believe in him. His number
is 1-925-383-8163. a satisfied homeowner in Albany
Kitchen Remodel - Seeking Words of Wisdom
June 2010
Hi,
We are at the beginning stages of a kitchen/family room remodel. We are
currently working with an architect who we really like and so far everything is
going well. We hope to start the remodel in the summer of 2011.
We have a 1954 ranch house in Orinda and we are trying to move it toward a
more ''modern'' style with a slightly artsy/funky/utilitarian vibe (which suits
our lifestyle & personality).
I've always lived in homes with very defined spaces except for a few years in
college when I lived in a warehouse. I love the open feeling of a kitchen that
flows into the dining room and has sight of the living room and family room
but before we bust down the walls and go for it I'm wondering if there are
some down sides I don't know about that are worth considering.
We don't own a lot of ''stuff'' and I don't think that will change, but I do worry
about seeing everything and hiding mess/clutter in the kitchen. We are
thinking of moving from a kitchen with 4 walls to one with just 2 and a large
island. We are considering placing the sink in the island.
If you can share your thoughts on this set up - especially if you did a remodel
where you didn't have an open layout and then created one - how do you feel
about the change? Is there anything you would do differently?
Along these same lines I am leaning toward using a lot of open shelving with
cabinets below but open shelves above. Again, I'd like to hear from people
who have this set up and either like it or don't.
Finally we will be creating a pantry. I am torn between a large walk in vs a
more shallow one with sliding doors to access walls of shelves. Feel free to
share your thoughts pros/cons.
Thank you so much for this feedback! We've never taken on a kitchen project
& we are very excited but also nervous!
All words of wisdom re remodeling like this are welcome, thank you.
Remodel in my future!
My wife and I just remodeled the kitchen and bath of our
rental apartment. The place needed extensive work, however
becuase it's a rental, we were on a tight budget. Rather
than calling a general contractor, we called Juan Jose
Garcia at Handyman Bay Area, who had done small repairs
for us in the past. He re-tiled the kitchen and bath, re-
tiled the shower, prepared us for granite installation,
rebuilt a deck, installed new appliances and fixtures--
essentially a full remodel. He gave us detailed, accurate
estimates for each part of the job and never charged a
penny extra. I highly recommend him. Handyman Bar Area:
Cell (510)260-4893. Email: jjgsp@msn.com
Dakota
We were in a very similar situation when we bought our
fixer-upper: The kitchen was a dark box with U-shaped
arranged cabinets -- lower and upper! I wanted to open up
the space, turn it into an L-shape for easy access to the
dining and living areas and a more open feel, and I wanted
to install floating wood shelves. I was very nervous about
whether I would end up with enough storage, especially since
we had been spoiled with ample space in previous rentals. I
started by writing down how much cabinet space I had
previously used for what (e.g. one upper for plates, 3
uppers for food...). That helped me figuring out how many
cabinets I would need. I was able to put in an upper cabinet
over the fridge and pantry cabinets next to the fridge --
this solution makes the fridge area look like a unit rather
than a freestanding fridge, and provides me with lots of
storage. I was also able to tuck three pull out cabinets on
top of each other into a wall that the kitchen shares with
the bathroom which stores away all sorts of canned food and
spices. For bulky pots and pans I am using the lower rack of
an antique butcher block that also doubles as a freestanding
island. For the dining area I bought a beautiful antique
buffet or sideboard (off Craigslist) where I can store
linens, glass, plates, silverware and other items to set the
table. Best of all, the setup really works, we ended up with
enough storage and easy access without everything being
squeezed. For ideas, I found the Kitchen Design book from
Sunset (the same ones that publish the magazine) VERY
helpful as I did not want a traditional or a modern kitchen,
but just something really simple. I love the idea of a
pantry to pack away all the clutter but just could not fit
it in. Our kitchen now is not cluttered even though there is
so much open space because I was able to find enough places
to tuck in storage solutions. You have a nice little project
ahead of you -- good luck and have fun :-)
D.
We did this last year. We knocked down 2 walls separating our dining room
and kitchen, and now have a ''great room''--living, dining and kitchen. We
also created an island. Your questions--If you don't like seeing a lot of
clutter, consider 2 things--NOT having open shelving, unless you are true
minimalists and obsessive neat freaks. Go with doors, as least glass-fronted
ones, with decorative glass (there are dozens--many very cool). Maybe pick
a special place (above a window, in an awkward corner...) to put 2 or 3 open
shelves. Secondly, create an eating bar in your island that is about 6'' higher
than the workspace. Our island countertop is 24'' deep like the rest of the
counters, and has a 16'' deep bar on top, which is not only wonderful for
extra seating and conversations with the cooks, but hides countertop clutter
when we are in the dining area. Our designer told us most islands nowadays
are flat, but we rebelled, put in a raised bar, and are sooooo happy we did.
Pantry--we put one in a 6'' deep recess of wall. It's floor to ceiling, 5 feet
wide, with 6 doors. And only 6'' deep so everything is visible and nothing
gets lost.
Sink--we put a small one in the island and big one on a wall. LOVE having 2
sinks. Take your time, trust your gut, pick what you like. Have fun!
Berkeley mom of 3
I went out and interviewed a couple contractors before I
hired anyone to completely remodel my kitchen and bathroom
in my 1960s Danville home. After interviewing and
researching I choose Bebe Construction. First of all the
bid that was given couldn't be any more reasonable for the
amount of work that was done. He was very reliable about
being on time and answered all the questions that I had
towards the remodeling. During the remodeling process he
let us know where we can pick up material at a cheaper
price which actually helped us save some money. In all my
wife and I could not be any happier on how the kitchen and
bathroom turned out. I would definitely recommend on
choosing Bebe Construction for any type of job that is
needed to be completed. You can contact him at Cell: (510)
566.6685 or E-Mail: bebeconstruction@yahoo.com
Bob
How exciting for you. I live in Walnut Creek and we
recently built a home and did just what you are talking
about regarding the kitchen. We have a large kitchen with
(two walls) a large island (we have a second sink in the
island w/ disposal). Our dining area is in the same area
as the kitchen and then it opens to our great room. We
love it because this is where everyone hangs out! I have
two little ones too, so it is nice to be able to watch
them while I am cooking etc... We don't have ''open''
shelving or cabinets, but what is open I do get crazy with
the piles of ''stuff''. Our pantry is closed cupboards with
the large pull out drawers (love it!). You are more then
welcome to come take a look or I can send you some
pictures. Regards,
amy
just a few thoughts
Open shelves: Remember we do have EARTHQUAKES around here.
Whatever you put there will fall (and break?) one day. Also,
consider how often you will use/wash the items that go on
the open shelves, because kitchens do tend to get dusty/grimy.
Open plan: If you are the type who can keep things picked up
and neat looking, I think these look great. I find that when
I cook, the kitchen clutters up, especially with the
multi-course meals I make for company. I didn't want that
all visible to guests from the dining room, so we opted not
to open up our kitchen when we remodeled. Also - It's not
clear from your post if you have kids, and if so, how old.
If you don't (or just have babies), know that things will
likely get messier for a while kids are toddlers-teens.
I love my walk-in pantry. It's not so big, but it holds
items in a variety of sizes, including some bulkier things
(step-stool, vacume cleaner, a small cooler that we use
often, etc.), as well as packaged foods. You may have other
places for those bulky things, but the pantry works for us.
One more suggestion - if you haven't already discovered it,
check out the kitchen forum at gardenweb.com. LOTS of
discussion of pantries, layout, and every imaginable detail
of kitchen remodels. Enjoy your new kitchen!
R.K.
We just moved to the area and our kitchen was just
terrible. So we looked on-line and got references for Bart
McCoy. I have never in my life met anyone that knowlegable
about kitchen/bath plumbing repair and remodel. He was
totally friendly and made sure I understood everything we
talked about. He gave me a price up front and for FREE. We
schedualed the job, he showed up as planned and did the
job exactly as he said he would. Not only that he charged
us LESS than he estimated, call him you won't be sorry, we
sure weren't. His number is 510-289-1402 or 510-350-7093.
Erik
If you're looking for a kitchen remodel contractor, there
is this guy that we had for our kitchen remodeling in a old
Berkeley house.His name is Luca Adamache. We have been very
pleased with him and the quality of the work. We felt very
confortable to have him around and handle the project from
start to finish. He is a licensed general contractor and
when we interviewed him we saw few projects of his done in
past and he can do so many more from foundations to
rooftops. He is specialized in remodels, additions, new
constructions, bathrooms, garage conversions, basement
conversions, decks, finish carpentry and many more. His
craftsmanship is excellent and his rates are reasonable.
What made us feel safe with him is that he is a Certified
Renovator by the EPA, too. If you hire him you won't
regret it ! He can be reached at 510-427-0585.
Stuart
We need our kitchen / bathroom remodeled
Dec 2009
We're looking to remodel our kitchen and bathroom and have
talked to a few local contactors. Our first choice is Kathy
Kovell with Big Red Construction in Lafayette. Has anyone used
this company? We've heard great things about her business
philosophy and the quality of work she performs. Two of our
neighbors have highly recommended her. Anyone know anything
about Big Red Construction in Lafayette?
Jean
Seth Melchert (company: Master Builders in Oakland) has done
both kitchen and bathroom remodels in our home. I highly
recommend him. He and his crew are reliable, honest, very
skilled, and personable. A kitchen remodel is disruptive to
the routine of a household, and Seth made every effort to
minimize the mess and disruption.
He will get your job done well, and in a timely way.
Master Builders-510-654-2746
laura
We recommend Augusto Bituin (call him ''Augie'' for short)
to remodel your kitchen or bathroom. He is a skilled
contractor and he is able to do small and large projects.
Over the last 10 years, he has expertly remodeled 5
bathrooms for us in 2 very different types of homes (one
mid-century/one 1920?s craftsman). He is able to do it
all ? tiling, electrical, plumbing. In addition, he
resurfaced our ceiling, patched walls back to new, and
painted exterior and interior spaces for us. He has also
done similar work for our friends. Augie takes pride in
his workmanship which is always detailed, quick,
meticulous and very neat. His recommendations and
suggestions are pragmatic and practical and flexible. His
pricing is very reasonable and fair - that is one of the
many reasons why we always go to him. Call him directly
if you need work done! He has clients in San Francisco,
South Bay and the East Bay. Augie 415-793-4137
EL
We recently finished up a 474 square foot 2nd story
addition/remodel to our home in Alameda and contracted
with Canivet Construction of Berkeley
www.canivetconstruction.com . The work included a full
kitchen remodel and new bathroom, in addition to two
bedrooms/new second story. Guillaume Canivet performed
very high quality work at a reasonable price (we received
4 bids for the work), in addition to making our project as
green as possible. He is currently pursuing a green-point
rated remodel through Build it Green and we may be the
first in Alameda. Guillaume's background is finished
carpentry so he does pay attention to all the details
including finish work, he even saw things I did not as an
environmental engineer. His work and crew stand out and
he also came in within 5% if the original estimate at the
end of the 4 month job. He finished a month ahead of
schedule and that makes a big difference when you are
moved out and renting with small children! He is a
pleasure to work with and really takes the time to listen
and understand what is important to the owners in the
project. I strongly recommend Canivet Construction be
considered if you are planning any sort of
remodel/addition.
Kitchen remodel - want to remove a wall
Oct 2009
I am interested in remodeling the kitchen to create a new floor
plan. I want to remove a wall and a closet that juts into the
kitchen. I don't know if these walls/closet are load bearing.
Do I use a structural engineer?
-a novice remodeler
Yes, we just did the same thing (removed an L-shape wall) and hired a structural
engineer. If you're getting permits, they can draw up detailed drawings to take to
the
permitting office. If not, they can draw up ''unofficial'' drawings, much cheaper,
for you
or the contractor to work by, just so you know you're safe in case of an earthquake.
a Berkeley mom
Try Greg Watson Construction 510-223-1541 office; 510-453-5638 cell.
I have used him several times; everything from bathroom addition with new plumbing
and electrical and foundation work to small repairs and painting. He's the BEST! He is
so honest and reasonable and easy to work with. And he likes to get in and get the
job done; no running several jobs at once, leaving you wondering when the heck he'll
be done or when he's coming back. Great guy!
Joan
Try Andy Frasheski, I highly recomend him, he removed a wall in
our house that divided the kitchen area from the living/dining
room to make it a great room. He has wonderful ideas and is
great at problem solving. He did such an amazing job, that
words are not enough to describe the good quality of the work.
Andy is trustworthy, reliable, and he always picks up his
phone, or calls you right back if he misses the call from you.
Please contact him directly (510) 644-3711 or
afrasheski@frasheski.com
Ana
I use Eric Laul at 5109329876 cell, or email at EricLaul@mac.com.
He is licensed and do very good remodeling, kitchens, baths,
decks, doors, dryrot, drywall and esp good at plumbing.
Kenny
Contractor for kitchen remodel
June 2009
Looking for some kitchen remodel bids: need cabinet refacing,
green-type counter tops, flooring, farm sink... etc. Anyone have
current rec's for a good team who works fast and on budget? In
Emeryville and (almost) ready to go!
Louise
We hired Sorin Feraru, a general contractor to complete our addition and
kitchen remodel.Sorin and his craftsmen team were polite, on time,
organized.They kept the house clean throughout the entire project.I highly
recommend this company for any remodeling and additions you might need.Sorin
was very reliable during the entire process, he is also trained as an engineer and
has
an excellent eye for interior design.He helped us choose colors, fixtures and
finished materials for our kitchen (free of charge), he offers this complementary to
his customers if you ask for.He always answered his phone (even on evenings and
weekends), and had really great ideas for our remodeling.He made suggestions and
saved us money on the long run. You can reach him at 510 228 7366 or check his
website www.feraru.us
Robert
Andy Frasheski was recently recommended for a kitchen remodel,
and I have a different opinion, based on experience working with
Andy on a bathroom remodel in my home. I agree that Andy is
personable and funny. The quality of his work did not leave me
laughing once he was finished. Here is a partial list of some
major problems in our house resulting from Andy's work: plumbing
leaks under both sinks and the shower, uneven floor tile, uneven
shower tile, glass shower enclosure installed outside tile
resulting in serious water damage, sloppy finish work, finish
work never completed, etc. Water leaks caused permanent damage to
cabinetry and required expensive repairs to plumbing, ceilings
and walls. Beware!
learned the hard way
Editor Note: Andy Frasheski's response is posted here in accordance
with BPN's negatice review policy:
Reading this anonymous negative posting regarding my work has left me deeply saddened as I remember it very clearly and very differently than described here. I did not even have a contract with this client and I was just helping my friend Jim for a very short few days so my involvement was minimal. The downstairs ceiling was seriously damaged before we even started the work and the client assumed that it was due to the old bathroom upstairs but I determined that the water was leaking in under the exterior door which had no flashing at all and was obviously the source of the leak. I never did any repair work to the ceiling below and was told "we will deal with that when we get around to remodeling the entire kitchen". I never did any plumbing at all let alone under two sinks which I never saw so I can only assume this was done by someone else as we left the job way before this stage. I never saw a glass enclosure and anyway I never install those but always subcontract those to a reputable glass company like Berkeley Glass. I have had this policy for twenty years now. I never did any finish work as I was gone long before this stage and I did drop in to see Jim doing his part of the plumbing only to see what a great job he had done to make this difficult situation work and his water test plus official inspection passed with flying colors on the first visit by the city inspector.
My reputation is all that I have so I value it highly and need it to be impeccable to get future work in order to feed my family. I have never had a dissatified customer in over twenty years of remodeling and I intend to keep it this way.
Why this BPN member would post such a false negative review of my work is beyond my comprehension, but then again, I cannot comprehend why one human being would deliberately harm another or go to a war.
I have a negative review of my own and so does Jim to post about this client but I will not do so as this is not me.
I am not cowardly posting this without my contact information so any and all are free to contact me by phone: 510-644-3711 or email: afrasheski@frasheski.com if you have any questions.
Thank you for your patience,
Andy Frasheski
Lic. # 375046
Ps. Feel free to check with the contractors state licensing board and also with Yelp.
May 2009
We're looking for somebody to help us with our kitchen remodel,
specifically demo of the existing cabinets and floor, then floor
and back splash tile work. We'll be doing Ikea cabinets
ourselves, and will likely seek a separate contractor for the
countertops (although we're open to one person doing the whole
thing).
It's a pretty small kitchen, galley style and about 8' x 8' or
so. Might really be a job for a handyman, but we'd love to hear
suggestions for somebody who could get it done on budget and on
time.
james
We looked around a lot when we did our kitchen. We ended up using
Haven Builders. Owner Rick Patterson, 510-978-1786, is super
smart and efficient. He has a guy that does concrete countertops
if you are into looking at that as an option.
Best, Kelly
I highly recommend Andy Frasheski; he is honest, reliable, very
creative, easy going, funny.....I can't say enough great things
about him. Thru the years he has done all kinds of jobs for us,
since remodeling our kitchen and bathrooms to build a fence,
re-paint,etc.....anything you need to repair or build. Anybody
I know that has used him, doesn't uses anybody else. We also
liked the fact that he is licensed and insured.
You can call him directly at 510-644-3711 or
Ana
I highly recommend Greg Ward of Smart Building. He has helped 2
of my friends on 2 seperate projects. They both really like him
because he finished project as promised, he made them feel the
projects were important to him as they were to the owners
regardless of the size of projects, they were very satisfied
with the quality of the project. Greg is a very nice person and
very easy to work with. His email is Greg@getsmartbuilding.com
Good luck
Lan
I would highly recommend calling Mircea Ilie Construction at
(510) 459-5502. Mircea fully remodeled two large kitchens for
me, one in my home, and one in a rental property I owned. His
people work quickly and do a nice job. We always passed our
inspections on the first go. The workers are respectful and
considerate. And he has some expert craftsmen from Europe that
can do great custom work. You can find out more about Mircea's
company at www.mircea-construction.com.
Christina
I highly recommend Andy Frasheski to you. He did our kitchen
remodel last summer, and he was really great to work with. We
were very cost-conscious, and he was happy to work within our
constraints. He and his crew were easy to work with,
communicated with us about any issues as they arose, and they
were fast! His phone number is 510-644-3711. Give me a call
if you have other questions about his work.
Good luck!
Sarah
Feb 2009
We are planning a kitchen remodel in our home in Piedmont. Can
anyone recommend a good contractor?
Thanks.
Nicole
The contractor for our kitchen remodel was Gene Paletta / Paletta
Builders. You can contact Gene at sunkyng (at) hotmail.com or (415)
377-0356. He is experienced working with higher end homes and the
extra/special care that is required. Does a great job minimizing
the dust and disruptions during the remodel, is meticulous about
details, and is also a great communicator, something that many
contractors are lacking! Good luck. Brenda
Hi Nicole - I would highly recommend you contact Cameron Habel of
Habel Construction -- (510) 531-4090.
http://www.habelconstruction.com/ We have used this company for
numerous remodels on homes in the Oakland Hills and Orinda, and
have found them to be the best contractors/builders. They are
highly reliable, artistic, reasonable and above all honest! The
workmanship that went into our kitchen remodel was amazing -- in
fact Cameron Habel won a design/remodel award for our kitchen in
1996. Moreover, Habel Construction was recently rated to be the #2
company by sf.gate -- though in our book, they are number one! Good
luck and have fun with the remodel - Bekki
Try Mike Costello at Costello Construction
(www.mikecostelloconstruction.com). He's based in Montclair and
does a lot of work in the Piedmont/Montclair area. He and his staff
were all very professional, great craftmen, neat, friendly --
everything you'd want from a construction crew working in your
home. Happy Customer
I'd recommend Rick Patterson at Haven Builders. He's done a
couple of jobs for us and is finishing up a complete bathroom
remodel right now that I am in love with. Everyone that he
subcontracts with has been a pleasure to work with and also thinks
very highly of him. You can reach him at (510) 665-9777 and
rick@havenbuilders.net. Also email me with any questions if you'd
like. Ruth
You should try Yvonne Kettels of She Custom Building
510-520-0295. She remodeled our kitchan and did a great job. (Also
has built us fences, built-in shelves, and a window seat.) Yvonne
has also worked for many friends and families at our school.
Everybody happy with her work. She is very experienced and
responsible, and works w/green materials when possible. Has good
ideas and is creative. - Best of Luck
Hi Nicole, I read your posting and had to respond. I too had a
kitchen remodel done about 3 years ago, and we used Lawrence
Construction. They are an honest, company that provides excellent
workmanship, on time and on budget. We couldn't be happier. Take a
look at their website, and give them a call.
Lawrenceconstruction.biz Very happy customer
I highly recommend Paragon Remodel
(http://www.paragonremodel.com/). I have a 2/1 in rockridge over
the past 1 1/2 years Rebecca has built a new bathroom (gorgeous),
rebuilt our kitchen from the studs and found the space within our
house for a family room. She's honest and completes the projects on
time and on budget. She and her crew are pleasant and personable.
They cleaned up at the end of each work day as well. I couldn't be
happier. Good luck! brenda
I highly recommend Andy Frasheski, he has done numerous jobs in
our house including remodeling our kitchen and adding a bathroom.
He is reliable, very creative and easy to work with. You can
contact him directly 510-644-3711 Ana
Call our fabulous contractor Tom Judt! He just did a major
remodel for us, including the kitchen- he does beautiful work (and
on time and in budget too!). He'll come up with a plan for you to
fit your budget- he has great suggestions of where to get fixtures,
etc. and is creative at working in the features that you already
have. And he is a perfectionist- your kitchen will be gorgeous! Tom
is the nicest and does it all- tjudt@yahoo.com, 510-852- 4560. Give
him a call and get it done! Good luck! Kris
In 2008 We had a huge restoration/remodel performed on our
Montclair home that Mircea Ilie Construction handled with grace,
speed & professionalism. We had a tremendous amount of structural
work as well as finishing work to be done, and the job was
complicated by the fact that we lived in the space as they were
working in it. They kept our property clean throughout the
construction process and respected our home and personal
boundaries. Mircea & his crew were reliable, hard working & honest.
They were at our property for over 4 months and were consistently a
pleasure to work with. Based on this experience we hired Mircea to
do a kitchen remodel at our rental property in Albany. The remodel
took only two weeks to complete and went off without a hitch.
Mircea personally took me to cabinet & granite distributors to help
me choose our materials & we saved a fortune using his connections.
We continue to hire Mircea Ilie Construction for all of our remodel
and carpentry needs. Mircea: (510) 575-5434. Janelle
Hi Nicole, I highly recommend Constantin from C G Builders. He
remodeled my entire house including the kitchen. It is very easy to
work and communicate with him. He is a problem solver. He is tidy.
His prices are adapted to the current economy. He was really
patient with me till I decided what I wanted. He also gave me
several suggestions regarding my project. You will never hear loud
music or foul language during your project. He didn't do any
damages to rest of my property. You can contact him by email
info@cgbhome.com or by phone at (510)305-5680. diana
I have a fantastic contractor who just did a kitchen remodel for
us this summer! His name is Matthew Gibbs and his number is
(415)652-2665. Our kitchen came out beautifully, it is now
functional and inviting. We receive almost daily compliments about
it! Matt was able to work within our budget, did it in the time he
said and was just so nice to work, he is professional and friendly.
His attention to detail and artistic eye shows in the finished
kitchen. He was able to help deal with space issues in creative
ways. He and Santos(his helper) were very respectful of working
while as I was home and eight months pregnant at the time. They
cleaned up everyday, so we could still use parts of our kitchen
throughout the process and did not leave any mess when they
completed the job. I am so glad we did the work, and could not be
happier that Matt was our contractor. We have actually hired him
since to do other work for us since. With Matt we actually enjoyed
the remodeling process! Feel free to contact me directly if you
have more questions. Cara
Hi, I would like to recommend Matt Whalley of Whalley
Construction. He is a licensed general contractor and has done
several projects for us including a kitchen and bathroom remodel,
and a redwood fence. He was extremely patient and flexible when it
came to helping with the design (we moved a couple of walls) and
was able to suggest several suppliers. He knew exactly what the
procedure was when it came to picking and ordering supplies and the
approx. time of their arrival, and was more than happy to work
around our schedule since the cabinets, appliances and countertop
all arrived at different times ( all were special order). Overall,
he did an excellent job on our house, he has always been very
pleasant to work with and always took time to answer all of our
questions. He can be reached on 925-366-6199 or through his website
at www.whalleyconstruction.com Kristina
Hi Nicole, My kitchen remodel was just completed in December. We
hired Larry Guillot and were very pleased. This was our second
project with Larry. He also did a small bathroom update for us a
couple of years ago. The project came in on time, on bid and we
love our new kitchen. The best thing about working with Larry for
us is that we trust him. He's easy to reach, easy to communicate
with, and if he says he's going to do something, he does it. As
homeowners, we've had seven total contractor jobs and the two we've
done with Larry have been by far the best. Larry can be reached at
Larry Guillot larry@quakeprepare.com 707-965-3299 Larry has my
permission to provide you my personal information if you'd like a
reference from me over the phone. RB
We highly recommend Matthew and his brother Darren Whalley
(matthew@whalleyconstruction.com; 925 366-6199;
www.whalleyconstruction.com). They built a 100 foot fence and gate
for us and we liked their work so well that we asked them to do our
kitchen remodel. They are skilled and experienced structural
builders and were a joy to work with on the ''design'' issues. No
item was too small for them to fully consider--we all brainstormed
on light & switch placement, cabinet placement, etc. & we took all
their suggestions on the major structural issues involved with a 70
yr old house. They worked well with all the other contractors &
delivery people & paid attention to every detail. They worked
neatly and always did what they said they would do, were always on
time, & for a reasonable price. Really, we could not have asked for
more. We would have them back in a heartbeat. R & V
I recommend Jeb Bunker. I've just finished a kitchen remodel
project with him in Walnut Creek. He was a real partner in the
project, did great work, and went out of his way to make the client
happy. He ENJOYS his work and it shows. Take a look at his web site
( http://www.jebsgeneralconstruction.com ) and give him a call 925-
260-7579. Bill Engelhardt Engelhardt Architecture
http://www.engelhardtarchitecture.com 415-572-8895
Hi NIcole, we hired Sorin Feraru, a general contractor to
complete our addition and kitchen remodeling.Sorin and his
craftsmen team were polite, on time, organized.They kept the house
clean throughout the entire project.I highly recommend this company
for any remodeling and additions you might need.Sprin was very
reliable during the entire process, he is also trained as an
engineer and has an excellent eye for interior design.He helped us
choose colors, fixtures and finished materials for our kitchen
(free of charge), he offers this complementary to his customers if
you ask for.He always answered his phone (even on evenings and
weekends), and had really great ideas for our remodeling.He made
suggestions and saved us money on the long run. You can reach him
at 510 228 7366 or check his website www.feraru.us Robert
I would like to recommend Mircea Ilie (510-459- 5502) as a
kitchen and general contactor. He has done several big
projects for me, and each time his bids were the lowest, far
below the other contractors. Our projects included lots of
last minute, major and minor, design changes, and Mircea was
very helpful with suggestions and color choices. With his
experience, he could immediately tell me the cost of each
change, so I could make an informed choice and the project
could move forward quickly and as close to my lvisionn as
possible. The add-on costs were almost always less than I
expected. He helped us find beautiful and very affordable
granite counters. I am very happy with Mircea, and so are my
neighbors who have also used him for roof work.
Ed
Kitchen remodel homework
Sept 2008
Our kitchen designer has recommended 3 contractors, Alex
Avalos, David Dinh, and Steve Vorkoeper/V.B.&C. Construction.
Does anyone have any experience with any of them? We are doing
an older house, staying as close as possible to a 1920's feel.
We are buying our own cabinets, countertops, and appliances.
Has anyone used any sources that they were very satisfied with,
or not?
We just finsihed a remodel of our 20's bungalow, including the
kitchen. Our contractor was Tom Judt (510-852-4560;
tjudt@yahoo.com) and he did a spectacular job (on time, in
budget, lovely work) making sure all of the trim details
matched the existing features, as well as doing some
restoration as he went along. He's not one of the folks you
asked about, but wanted to share his info anyway b/c I was so
pleased with how our house turned out.
We used Armkea for cabinets (they have a little showroom in
Berkeley on University and then out by the coliseum in
Oakland). We did off the shelf cabinets from them, they're very
pretty, nice quality, and they customized the inside for us.
Ended up doing counters through Home Depot b/c I liked the
Silestone better than anything else- but if going for Corian, I
wd recommend Parkmead Countertops, and if granite- Armkea has a
nice selection or take a look at Granite Expo in Emeryville
across from Home Depot on 40th.
Appliances- we ended up getting the big ticket items at Western
Appliance, b/c they were the most willing to work out a deal
with us. Their selection isn't as large as Airport Appliance,
and if you want to go high end try Gourmet Appliance Outlet off
of Hegenberger. We didn't really find anything fantastic at
Sears Scratch and Dent, but I have friends who swear by it.
Also, w/all of the housing activity- lots of folks are
stripping their recently done houses and selling fixtures,
cabinets, everything- it's worth looking at Craigslist.
Anyway, recently been there, done that! Good luck- it's so
great once it's done!
kris
For what it's worth, I'm thrilled with our recent kitchen
remodel, done by Andy Frasheski. The work was done on time, on
budget, and Andy is a very kind, helpful and resourceful guy.
If the other contractors you're looking at don't pan out, I'd
very much recommend calling Andy (510-644-3711). We bought all
our cabinets from Walker Lund Cabinets in Oakland
(http://www.walkerlund.com/) and our counter and backsplah from
Import Tile in Berkeley. Good luck!
Sarah
We did a kithen plus dining room remodel last year with Jim Davenport
as the contractor. It was a big job and the final result was
outstanding. Jim has a great crew. Everyone was skilled and courteous.
Our house was always swept up. There were never any loose tools or
nails for our kids to step on. His subcontractors showed up on time and
finished quickly. Most important, Jim really helped us make many
critical decisions regarding design and construction questions that
came up unexpectedly during the process.
Jim submitted the most competitive bid for our job and his work was
excellent. Brad
Oct 2007
This last spring we used Paul Lashley to remodel our kitchen and
found him to be friendly as well as efficient. He had a quality
team and reliable sub-contractors. We are very pleased with our
kitchen and highly recommend Paul. His numbers are: 510-910-1028
cell and 510-243-6640 home
Sarah
I'm posting to recommend a fabulous person who does many home
repairs and remodel work, but specializes in kitchen and bath
remodels. We recently had both our kitchen and bath remodeled in
West Berkeley by Paul Lashley. Paul was really wonderful, did
great work, and made many very good design recommendations along
the way for us to consider. Paul is really enjoyable to work with
and really thinks through the whole process, keeping you up to
speed on exactly whatms happening all along the way. He does or
oversees all the work himself, and primarily works with two
others guys q a finish carpenter and a plumber. All three are
top-notch and incredibly nice. They were really a pleasure to
have around and we always felt they were being completely open
and honest about everything along the way q no surprises. Our
projects were done together and came in on budget and on-time. We
get glowing compliments whenever we have guests over. Paul is a
master electrician, and does jobs large and small q I highly
recommend his work. Paul Lashley 510.910.1028
jv
July 2007
I highly recommend Marc Shure of Shure Design and Construction
for kitchen remodels. Marc redesigned and remodeled our kitchen
earlier this year and did a terrific job. Throughout the
project he worked closely with us to make sure that we got
exactly what we wanted and clearly understood the reasons
behind the choices we had to make. Marc is thorough,
conscientious, and does excellent work. Although he is a finish
carpenter by trade, he is a general contractor with thorough
knowledge of all aspects of construction. His cabinetry is
beautiful as is his finish carpentry. His design for our
kitchen made the space much more functional without tearing out
any walls (which is what we wanted) and retained the character
of a bungalow kitchen. Marc's business telephone number is 510-
540-1952.
Carl
We just had a very good experience remodeling our kitchen, due
to our excellent contractor McCallin & Moseley. Tim McCallin and
Jeri Moseley did almost all of the work themselves, and are both
skilled and conscientious professionals (and members of the
Carpenters union). They helped us figure out some design issues,
and gave us good advice about what we needed and what we didn't
need. The kitchen looks great, as they are meticulous in
implementation of plans. We had a problem with an uneven floor,
and Jeri and Tim actually re-laid the floor when they were
unhappy with how it looked at first. Their bid was competitive,
and they have all the insurance and that kind of stuff. In
addition, they were very easy to have around the house, and they
did their best to help us live comfortably in the house while
the work was being done. They also worked with our travel
schedule to make sure we were out of the house when the worst of
the work was being done. We are very pleased with the job they
did and wanted to recommend them to others. You can reach Tim
McCallin at 510-760-0596.
Jenifer
June 2007
We've a baby due in July so don't have time for a complete
kitchen remodel of a very old 50's style kitchen....one with the
stove hood on the ceiling type! I do want to give it a little
face lift before the baby comes. We're not looking for high end
work but someone honest who does good work at a reasonable
price. Any recent first hand experience with a contractor who
service the El Cerrito/Richmond area? Thanks much, LK
Patrick Ridge of Ridge Builders did such a great job renovating
my 1950's kitchen that I have to keep recommending him. He is
reliable, smart, honest and fun to have in your house. He is in
the El Cerrito/Richmond area. I am sure he will do an
excellent job on your kitchen because his work ethic will allow
him to do nothing less. He can be reached at 510-701-5093.
March 2007
We recently took the plunge and bought a house that badly needs a
kitchen update. We're thinking of using Paragon Remodel, and
would love to hear from past clients. Was your experience good,
great, mediocre, nightmarish? Any info will be greatly appreciated.
first-timer
We used paragon remodel for a bathroom remodel and a partial
kitchen remodel. The bathroom work was extensive, the layout
was changed from the original, so all the water pipes needed to
be moved. We were pleased with the results, the tile came out
beautiful. Also I do have to note that they did a really,
really good job of keeping down the dust, unlike another
remodel project in our laundry room that we had done prior. The
work in the kitchen consisted of new appliances and a new
countertop, not a complete remodel.
As far as referances, we did follow up on all three that the
contractor gave us everyone had good things to say, and several
were people from their website before and after photos. So I
would recommend them. If you have any other questions email me.
Amanda
I had a good experience with Paragon Remodel. Rebecca has lots
of good design ideas and is very easy to work with. Her
subcontractors generally were good too. Her prices are very
reasonable - we got several bids and hers was not only the
lowest, she was the best contractor I talked to. She is a
stickler for keeping the remodel area clean. Whenever the crew
left for the day everything was left remarkably neat with dust
confined to the actual work area, not flying all over the house.
The only thing I'd be aware of is how many other jobs she has
when she's doing yours. I guess there isn't any way to control
this, but she got pretty distracted by the end of my job because
of all the other work she'd taken on. For example when some
plumbing came in with a wrong piece she tried to fix it with a
rubber band instead of taking the time to get the correct piece.
Just watch out for things like that (which I guess you'd have to
do with any other contractor) and I think you'll be happy working
with Paragon.
Satisfied Customer
Feb 2007
Mike Wilson just completed a major kitchen remodel, and wemre
extremely satisfied with the entire process and outcome! We had
a small kitchen and adjoining laundry room walls, ceiling and
floors gutted down to the studs. Mike combined those spaces
into one large, bright open kitchen. This involved wall
removal, structural beam installation, creating new window and
door openings, new outside siding, etc. Mike works
independently and did much of the work himself. He supervised
the entire project and any sub-contractors brought in, e.g.,
for major plumbing and major electrical work.
His carpentry and drywall work are impeccable. He kept the
project on schedule and within budget. In particular, we
appreciated his detailed project estimate spreadsheet which
covered every single aspect of the remodel. Mike also
provides invoices on a regular basis which detail all work
completed and associated cost and materials making it very easy
to track one's budget during the remodel. Any surprises (there
are always some) were dealt with head on and the time/cost
impact of any changes we requested mid-project were discussed
in advance and documented before proceeding.
Mike's rates are very competitive, and he is pleasant to deal
with and a good communicator. He took great care to answer any
and all questions during the remodeling process and is very
honest and reliable.
Please contact Mike at (510) 559-3461.
Rafi
Dec 2006
We are starting the process of remodeling our kitchen in
Oakland and are looking for a reasonable general contractor.
To save on costs, we would like to take care of all the initial
planning ourselves, e.g. architectural drawings, ordering
cabinets, counters, appliances, etc., then have the contractor
take charge of the actual remodel. In essence, we would like
to general contract the planning part of the remodel ourselves,
then hire a general contractor to oversee the actual work,
including hiring out the subs etc. Has anyone remodeled their
kitchen this way and if so, what was your experience like,
where you able to save costs? Are there any recommendations
for a good, but reasonable, general contractor who will be
agreeable to this plan? Any advice is appreciated!
Brooke
We just had our kitchen remodeled by a great contractor, Sorin
Feraru. Here is his contact info:
Sorin Feraru.
office[at]feraru.us
ferraru_2000[at]yahoo.com
510- 228 -7366
We contacted him in late August and asked him if he thought he
could have the entire remodel completed by October 31, my due
date w/ #2. He said barring any unforeseen complications or
excessive rain, he'd be finished on time. From the first day he
demoed to the last day he came to our house was slightly over 3
weeks. We ordered the cabinets ourselves (and knowing what we
know now, we wished we had consulted w/ him first because we had
problems with the vendor and aren't particularly pleased w/ the
quality of what we ordered), ordered the dishwasher and disposal
from a company in Chicago, order the granite from a Granite Expo,
etc. We already had our stove, hood and fridge. As long as we
had elements on time to match his timeline, he was happy to have
us do all the running around for what he was installing. The
only things he got himself were plumbing and electrical items
that he didn't feel comfortable with ''rookies'' picking up correctly.
As to how ''reasonable'' he was... I can't attest to that since we
decided to go with him early on in our search. He was punctual
returning emails and phone calls when other contractors we called
acted as if we were lucky they even bothered to return our
initial phone call. He seemed reasonable to us - plus he is
licensed and came with great recs from BPN already. My biggest
fear was the never ending remodel and we got a beautiful kitchen
2 days before our daughter was born.
If you'd like to see pictures or ask me specific questions,
please email me directly
catherine
We have done multiple remodel projects over the years, and the
best contractor, hands down, is Big Red Construction in Walnut
Creek. It is a women-owned business; Kathy Kovell is the
owner. She is incredibly professional, and a joy to work
with. Big Red is not cheap, but you get what you pay for:
meticulous work, on time, on budget, reliable subcontractors,
excellent communication. We felt so comfortable with Big Red
that we left for Eurpope for two weeks in the middle of our
kitchen remodel; our confidence in the contractor was well
placed. The resulting kitchen is gorgeous, and any little
problems were fixed immediately, no questions asked. Their
phone number is (925) 210-1953
Love Big Red
Tiffany Skau has been doing amazing work for us and she can
truly do just about anything. She has fixed our old plumbing (I
do mean rusy old....) underneath our sink, installed a new
dishwasher, rewiring it in the process. She is doing electrical
work for us as well.
She has been in the contracting business for 15 years and is
now striking out on her own. Her prices are more than
reasonable, she is a truly honest and great person. I'm so glad
we found her. Finally, someone who can help me with anything!
Including putting up a towel rack.(She is training other female
assistants too!). Call the Women's Construction Collaborative
and Tiffany will give you a great estimate and do an honestly
good job. 415-369-2704
Molly
Sorin Feraru with Feraru & Associates Building and Design is very
knowledgeable; he did a few projects for us in the last few years
and we're very happy; we would definitely like him back if more
work was needed at our house. His number is 510-228-7366. Oh, and
he also has a great website - www.feraru.us
Cindy
Sept 2006
We are planning to remodel our kitchen and at least one bathroom
and need some recommendations for contractors.
Sarah
Our kitchen was remodeled with new electrical, cabinets,
counters, appliances, tile, flooring etc. and we still like our
contractor! Scott Meadows will return your phone calls. He is
located in El Cerrito although his cell is 415 724-3778. He
helped us do the project ''green'' and we are very pleased with
the result. We appreciated his artistic background when it
came to color decisions and the smallest details of the work.
He communicated with us regularly and did the work right!
Nancy
If you are having ANY tile or stone work done in your kitchen,
bathroom or patio, I can highly recommend Nicole from Ascension
Tile. Here is her email address and phone #. Bashezo Nicole
Boyd [ascension22[at]hotmail.com]. 510.469.6252
Her work was very professional and meticulous. She is
reliable, hardworking and creative. She and her helper Martha
were always courteous and friendly to our two curious little
boys. They always consulted us when necessary and they even
did a great job cleaning up at the end of each day. They
worked in our new bathroom by tiling the floor, walls and
around a window. They also installed a marble floor. It looks
awesome! We couldn't be happier with our choice. I could
email you a photo of our bathroom, if you are interested.
gay
Dec 2006
We will be putting our SF condo on the market soon (moving to
Berkeley!) and a realtor we consulted advised us to buy
stainless steel appliances for our kitchen before selling it.
It is a victorian flat with a remodeled bathroom and is a nice
place except for the kitchen. The kitchen is crappy. It is a
nice sunny room but has ugly 60's cabinets that were obviously
removed from another apartment and slapped into ours, hideous
yellow laminate countertops that are peeling in some spots,
decent but very basic white appliances, and an awful layout.
What the kitchen needs is a total remodel, which we are not
going to do. Doesn't it seem like a waste to put any money in
the kitchen when the buyer is clearly going to want to start all
over? And if we do get stainless steel appliances, it looks
like buying the cheapest models of everything will cost a total
of about $2,000. But won't that look cheap too? Yet it seems
even crazier to spend $5,000 on a viking stove or whatever
because it seems unlikely we would recoup that investment. Any
advice? Thanks!
anon
I think you are getting bad advice. (Are you sure you are happy with the rest of the
advice this person is giving you about the sale?) Putting brand new stainless steel
appliances in a worn kitchen will just make the kitchen look worse.
As long as your appliances are in decent shape and look OK, don't worry about the
color. Use your money to give the kitchen a nice facelift that will help it sell much
more easily than swapping out the appliances.
For far less than that $2000 and a weekend of sweat equity, or a bit more money to
a good handyperson you can get a very nice looking kitchen. Paint the walls,
replace the cabinet hardware and paint the outside of the cabinets if they are
chipped or scuffed or particularly dark and ugly, replace the curtains or blinds with
nice inexpensive stuff from Ikea, and install a new stainless steel sink and new
faucet and put down a new laminate countertop. Throw in a new, bright light
fixture if needed and a new peel and stick floor and you basically have a nice
looking if nothing fancy kitchen. For a bit more money you can hire a company to
reface the outside of the cabinets (replacing doors and putting trim on the exposed
cabinet face outside the doors).
Then price it competitively to reflect the fact that the kitchen is nothing fancy.
Buyers who care about having a real gourmet kitchen won't like your kitchen, so
they will either pass it up regardless of the appliances or be glad to save enough
money to do it themselves later they way they want it. Everyone else will be happy
with something that is clean looking and functional, especially if it costs them a bit
less than it would otherwise
Stainless steel is overrated
Before I sold my house in Berkekely last year, we had to make a
similar decision. The bathroom was in terrible shape and the
kitchen looked crummy but was all useable. We wanted to get top
dollar, so we contracted the work ourselves, found a wonderful
carpenter and plumber and handywoman. We did some of the work
ourselves like demolition, removing windows and the 1950s
dishwasher. In the end, the all-new bathroom looked fantastic
with middle of the line but quality fixtures. All we did to the
kitchen was replace the dishwasher and flooring, and paint it
completely. I figured I would hand the house over in operating
order and let the next owner make their personal decisions
about re-doing the kitchen
best of luck
Hi: I'm a realtor in the East Bay, rather than in SF, but here
are my thoughts:
1. Your realtor in SF should be someone with a VERY good sense
of the market, and someone you can trust regarding key issues
like this. If it's not clear to you right now that new
appliances are the way to go--that is, the argument doesn't ring
true, then I'd ask the realtor to give you a better explanation,
or think about shifting realtors. You'll need to have
confidence in your realtor, and it doesn't sound like you're
there yet. More discussion and interaction may get you there.
2. In this mixed market, sometimes there's no clear and easy
answer. That's tough for sellers, but I think it's important
for realtors to be straight on this. ''Let's go look at what
your competition looks like now at this price point; let's see
what THEIR kitchens look like; let's see how long that quite
comparable unit takes to sell; and so on.'' Sometimes saying one
doesn't know for sure actually increases the level of trust.
3. Here in the East Bay, the condo market is really quite slow,
and I can imagine advising new appliances. It's definitely the
case that certain buyers like/expect ''granite,'' and ''stainless
steel'' in ads. I like GE Profile because they are good value
while still punching the SS button. But location, charm, and so
on all enter into it so much that advising from a distance like
this is really useless.
4. In situations where I don't think new appliances make sense
(often in ''creeping incrementalism'' cases like yours--new
appliances means new cabinet fronts and countertops, which means
new paint, which means then the flooring will look dated and out
of place), I try and turn the negative into a positive.
For instance, I've sold beautiful vintage condos in Oakland with
the argument that we're not touching the kitchen--it's usable
for now, but the BUYER will get all the upside value benefits
from renovating, in addition to getting the kitchen THEY want.
Plus, the buyer gets to decide WHEN they pay for that upgrade--
now, when they are scrimping to make the downpayment, or next
year, when they can afford a bit more (though if you make
improvements now, they can essentially ''finance'' the added cost
in their mortgage at low rates over 30 years. Next year, they
might not have enough equity for a home equity line yet, and
would pay more in interest if they need to borrow.)
The Dec. issue of Realtor magazine has an annual feature that
rates the return rates on investments of various kinds in
various metro areas. I'm at home rather than the office (email
me if you'd like the details for SF), but generally the return
rates here, in contrast to other metro areas in the country, are
positive--about 125% of cost invested, on kitchen remodels.
But again, you need to work with a realtor who can convince you
of the logic of their arguments and advice, based on comparable
homes, market trends, and so on. If you're not there yet, you
might want to talk more and build on that relationship, or shift
to a new one.
Best,
Maureen K
March 2006
For those members who have recently made posts looking for bathroom and/or kitchen
design and cabinetry, and remodeling of old spaces, I recommend you visit the new
location of Custom Spaces easy to find on Solano Ave. at
Tacoma (1603 Solano), 510-526-7333. We have used their services for a
bathroom remodel (custom cabinet and tile installation) and a custom kitchen
corner bench (banquette) and know them to be extremely professional with a keen sense
of how to transform a space with just the right colors, cabinets, fixtures and look
that you want. When doing such projects, attention to detail is key and that is their
specialty as far as my husband and I are concerned. Go check out the striking kitchen
design in the window of their new shop. They have a kid zone too!
March 2006
I'd like to recommend KitchenWorks for kitchen remodeling. We recently moved into a
mid-century house with an original
kitchen. The layout was decent, but the dHcor was beyond terrible. We considered
several options for redoing it, but decided on KitchenWorks because they could give us
what we wanted at the price we were willing to pay. They give you an exact price at
the beginning, and that's what you pay. I was relieved not to get stuck with extra
costs down the line. They refaced the cabinetry, gave us all new doors and drawers,
built a new bank of cabinetry and a pantry, put in granite countertops, etc. From
start to finish it took them 3 weeks, which was a big deal with kids in the house.
Our kitchen is unrecognizable. We used Manon Demers as our design consultant, she was
fabulous-easy to work with and very helpful with design (800-464-2234 x 482). Check
them out-they'll come to your house and bring examples of what they do. Website is
kitchenworks.com. Please tell them Sara and Carey sent you. If you have questions or
want to see pics, let me know.
Sara
April 2005
we are in the process of giving our approx 50 yr old kitchen a much needed facelift. we are hoping to retile the countertops, put wood floors down and paint the oak cabinets. we are ultimately hoping to remodel this kitchen but our budget is keeping us from doing such a remodel just now. i am writing to ask if others have done similar "kitchen facelifts" and if the results were pleasing to you. we are quickly learning that one project always seems to lead to the next and the more money you spend in home rennovation, the more you save in the long run. however, we just want a kitchen that looks nice for ourselves and for entertaining for the next 5 years or so. what changes have you made and did those changes make an impact in your space? thanks in advance for words of encouragement and caution.
kitchen facelift much needed
Your facelift plans sound a lot like what I am just finishing up in my kitchen. It's taken over a year (I had another baby along the way) and most of it has been in place for a while, I just have to finish up the last painting. I had hardwood floors put in and a few additional outlets added near the countertop. I built-in a table, retiled the countertop, replaced the faucet, repainted my cupboards with decorative trim, and plan to paint the walls next month. I have spent less than $3000 on the entire project.
I LOVE the changes to my kitchen! It is a much nicer place to be in now and more functional. We will be in this house for another 3-5 years. I am very happy that we did this now so we can enjoy the kitchen.
It doesn't have to cost a lot to make a big difference
In response to the person who inquired about doing their own kitchen facelift, I think it's a great idea. We did a minor face-lift of our 60's kitchen - we replaced all of the cabinet hardware (hinges, knobs) and painted the cabinets. It looks so much better! And didn't cost much either.
Yana
Oct 2005
Having just returned from the Rockridge kitchen tour I'm convinced that everyone out there doing a kitchen remodel must have at least double the budget we would like to spend.
Would anyone out there be willing to share (anonomously even) what they've spent on a kitchen remodel, total? It looks to me that everyone is spending a six figured sum - am I right?
don't have 6 figured sum to spend on a kitchen!
Dear How: About 4 years ago I spent $24,000 on a total knock-down kitchen remodel that I designed myself, (took over a year of planning, replanning, researching materials, doing the drawings for the permits--you don't need any special talent, just patience!) I saved money by (1) designing it myself, (2) getting the permit myself, and doing the drawings, necessitating a total of 3 or 4 visits to the permit counter, saving the money a contractor would charge for that, (3) acting (somewhat) as my own general, so that if there were tradespeople needed, I hired them directly, saving the mark-up that general contractors would build in, (4) buying all the materials myself, flooring, tiles, applicances, etc., everything except raw building materials like sheetrock and nails, saving again a contractor's time (but ask for your carpenter's contractor number so you get the discount), (5) researching the least expensive, but still decent, materials, (6) being very conservative on cabinets, it's amazing how much money can be sunk into those things, really, tens of thousands! You don't need granite countertops! I used corian for the counters, maple cabinets with white laminate inside, hardwood floors, sliding glass door from V&W, simple appliances (not the $3000 range/oven, not the stainless steel stuff) that I shopped for at the Sears outlet in Hayward (I think). People who saw it all commented on how great my kitchen looked. We've since sold the house and I miss that kitchen!
raissa
Feb 2004
We are planning on completing a very minor and affordable
kitchen remodel; no changes to the layout of our existing
floorplan. However, we are planning on putting in newer
appliances, adding a dishwasher, putting in hardwood
flooring and exploring options for countertops and
cabinetry (reface vs new cabinetry?)
1) Since our needs are specific and we are not making any
changes to the floorplan, aside from putting in a
dishwasher in place of existing cabinets, should we still
seek out a kitchen designer? If yes, any recommendations?
(info is a bit outdated)
2) Any recommendations on a contractor; can contractors
also complete electrical needs?
3) Any recommendations on affordable places to purchase
granite countertops and how much does it cost per foot?
4) Has anyone done research on refacing vs purchasing new
cabinetry and the pros/cons in terms of cost/time and wear?
Thank you!
New to this remodeling process
I am just finishing a major remodel and have a friend who
is doing one more like your description. Here is what I
have learned...
1) I would not recommend a kitchen designer. You really
only need a contractor. You are not really designing a new
space, you are updating and replacing your existing
kitchen.
2) I don't have a recommendation for a contractor, but
contractors can and should complete all the work even if
the subcontract the work.
3) I know two families who used Fineworks Marble &
Granite. They have prefab slabs and cut them to size and
install them. They are fast and quite a bargain. My
friends have been very satisfied and their counters look
great. Fineworks is at 2098 Merced in San Leandro. (510)
895-9891
4) My friends researched new cabinets or refacing. Since
their cabinets are solid wood and the configuration has
basically stayed the same they chose refacing as the less
expensive option. Their cabinets were just completed and
they are very happy with their decision. They feel they
have better cabinets (because most new cabinets are
pressed board or plywood) and they got the look they
wanted.
Though you didn't ask, my friends minimal kitchen remodel
(with new GE Profile appliances and wood floors is costing
them about $40K.
Best of luck
Karen
We just did a similar remodel, and although we did some of the
work ourselves, I can answer some of your questions.
I don't think you need a kitchen designer if you have a good idea
of the following:
Color scheme (appliances, cabinet & floor finishes, countertop)
''Look'' (modern, country, etc) for cabinet doors, handles, etc.
Features of appliances you want most
Changes to lighting, additional outlets, etc.
If all of this sounds overwhelming, a kitchen designer might be
helpful.
Refacing vs new cabinetry:
Pros of refacing: costs about half what new cabinets do (for our
small kitchen the refacing estimate, excluding countertops, was
about $12,000).
Apparently takes much less time (my understanding was the
process is generally completed in about a week).
You do get new doors on the cabinets (so if your old doors are
beat-up it doesn't matter). Cons of refacing: Pretty limited number of places do it (the only
one we found that did hardwood veneer facing, rather than the
melamine-type, was Kitchen Works).
Pretty limited number of finishes available; we wanted oak with a
red rather than yellow finish, and it simply wasn't available.
You can't change anything at all about the cupboard layout. For
example, if your dishwasher is not exactly the same size as one
cupboard, and you would need to add a small cupboard to fill in
space, or replace a neighboring cupboard with a smaller one, you
really can't do this.
About granite countertops. Home Depot Expo's prices are not the
best, nor are KitchenWorks. There's a place down on Hollis St. in
Emeryville -- can't remember the name right now -- that had much
better prices. Costs $50 - $100 or more/ sq ft, depending on the
granite you choose; plus extra for backsplash and edging. If you
want cheaper but still nice you might consider SileStone, a product
that's over 90% crushed granite, and filled with epoxy, so it doesn't
have to be sealed (granite does).
Karen
To the person working on the kitchen remodel and on buying
new appliances, I'd recommend going to Monti Sowsawat at
General Appliance and Kitchen, on Shattuck between Dwight
and Blake. If you buy appliances from them, you get a
major discount on kitchen design, and I'm sure Monti could
give you good advice on whether to reface existing cabinets
or get new ones. Prices are pretty reasonable there.
2001
Can anyone recommend a good design/build firm for a kitchen remodel? I have checked the
archives, but
I am interested in talking to others. Also -- going with a design
build firm seems easier (is that right?) but is it also more expensive? please reply to
bryson
Recommendations received:
Chula Productions
Home Depot
Shure Design and Construction
this page was last updated: Feb 5, 2013
The opinions and statements expressed on this website
are those of parents who subscribe to the
Berkeley Parents Network.
Please see
Disclaimer & Usage for
information about using content on this website.
Copyright © 1996-2013 Berkeley Parents Network