How to Judge a Kitchen Remodeling Crew Before Work Starts

Two crews can walk the same kitchen and describe the same job in words that sound identical, yet one has a sequence and the other has a hope. A written scope separates them, as the notes at kitchen remodeling scottsdale gregory whitehead explain. For a kitchen remodel in Scottsdale, AZ the questions below come before any contract is signed.

Ask for the sequence of trades

A prepared crew can say what happens first, second and third: demolition, rough-in electrical and plumbing, inspection, drywall, cabinets, template for the countertops, backsplash, flooring, final connections. A crew that cannot name the order usually has no schedule at all. Ask whether the crew has worked on homes near Camelback Mountain or in the Phoenix metropolitan area before. Ask which trades are the crew's own and which are subcontracted, and who is on site each day.

Look at the written scope

The scope should list the cabinets by brand and line, the countertop material and edge, the sink and faucet, the lighting, and the flooring. It should say what is excluded. Ambiguous words like standard or similar usually turn into a disagreement later. A scope that names the range hood duct, the electrical circuit changes and the plumbing moves shows that someone has looked inside the walls.

Permits and inspections

Moving a circuit, a gas line or a drain generally requires a permit from the city, and the permit is pulled in the name of whoever does the work. Ask who pulls it and when the inspections are booked. A crew that suggests skipping the permit leaves the homeowner holding the problem at resale. In Maricopa County the inspection record stays with the address.

Check the work in progress

Ask to see a kitchen that is mid-job, not only a finished one. A finished room hides the quality of the rough-in, the blocking and the cabinet leveling. A job in progress shows how the crew protects floors, handles dust, and stores material in the heat of a Scottsdale summer.

Judge the questions they ask

A good crew asks how the family cooks, how many people are in the room at once, and where the trash goes. It measures the room twice and checks the walls for level. A crew that quotes the job without asking any of this has not looked at the kitchen. The walk-through is short, and it tells more than a stack of brochures.