kitchen reno report, thanks!


Hello Brownstoner! Thanks so much for the help with my kitchen reno, it’s done and I’m really excited about it!

I wanted to pass along my experiences/recommendations in case anyone else will find them useful:

– Contractor, Al Chica, alchica3[at]aol, 646-472-4842. I read rave reviews on Al here, and they were well deserved. I’m really happy with how my kitchen looks, but even more than the outcome–I just feel like Al was honest and respectful and dependable, and you hear all these horror stories about unexpected costs or things taking much longer to finish than people expect, and I just didn’t have any of that at all. He did exactly what he said he would do (more, actually!) beautifully, on time, and on budget. And he’s just a nice guy. So, thanks to brownstoner for the great recommendation on a contractor and thanks to Al for doing a fantastic job.

– Ikea cabinets: When I started planning this project I was like “ew, gross, I’m not getting Ikea cabinets.” When I took a more realistic look at my budget, I thought “Y’know what? These are not bad and they’re a *lot* cheaper.”

– A&K Tile Studio (9th street between 5th and 6th, park slope): A friend recommended them after having a good experience with them for her kitchen. I did *not* have a good experience. They kept forgetting to call the counter company to make set up a time for them to measure my kitchen, delaying things for weeks. They were dismissive when I asked about getting grout with the backsplash tiles. (Al to the rescue!) I’m really happy with the tile and counter top that I have from them, but the customer service was *awful* and I wonder if I might have been able to purchase the same stuff for less elsewhere.

– Electrician, Carlos Romero, 347-682-8192, again, good quality work, on time and on budget. Al recommended him, and I would too.

That’s about it!

If you want to see pictures, look here:

http://picasaweb.google.com/rebeccawidom/Kitchen?authkey=Gv1sRgCKPZt4On6K76nAE&feat=directlink

Thanks again brownstoners,
becca

Categories: Kitchen & Bath
By becca | 04/02/2009 10:26 PM | Comment