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Kitchen renovation -- Need a good contractor

Discussion in 'Homeowners Corner' started by Mr Rogers, Aug 28, 2014.

  1. Mr Rogers

    Mr Rogers Active Member

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    After 13 years in this house, it is time for an overhaul. We want to add a half wall to our kitchen, change the countertops, and put wood floor on the entire first floor.

    Anyone out there had good luck with one that you'd care to recommend?
     
  2. redon1

    redon1 aka Aphioni

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    clickconstruction- Ashburn owned- beautiful work and pricing guarantee- tell the owner Alan Greenberg that Gino's mom sent you. definitely worth getting a quote- he's quite well connected in the industry with an excellent team!

    http://www.clickconstructionllc.com/
     
  3. bgirl

    bgirl New Member

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    image.jpg

    We had our Miller and Smith town home kitchen renovated last summer. We love it, and our GC, Greg Hastings (http://hastings-contracting.com/) was wonderful. He's local, was on-site for all of it, and paid painstaking attention to detail. Our cabs were from Tart Lumber and countertops (Cambria and soapstone) from Dominion Granite. We also had hardwood flooring installed throughout. We continue to be very pleased with the results.
     
    KTdid likes this.
  4. lauralynne

    lauralynne Member

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    Wow, Bgirl, that looks incredible! :)
     
    bgirl likes this.
  5. bgirl

    bgirl New Member

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    Thanks, lauralynne! We love spending time in our "new" kitchen. I enjoy cooking so much more now that there's lots more space and functionality.
     
  6. Kevin Jackson

    Kevin Jackson New Member

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  7. KTdid

    KTdid Well-Known Member

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    bgirl, was your sink always located on the island or was it moved from a wall location?
     
  8. bgirl

    bgirl New Member

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    image.jpg image.jpg image.jpg image.jpg
    Hi, KTdid. We moved the sink from the corner to the island. We also relocated the dishwasher to the island, closed the pass-through and relocated the fridge there. Here are a couple more pics showing before and after. HTH.
     
  9. KTdid

    KTdid Well-Known Member

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    I have the same Miller & Smith model. Our light exposure though is northeast/west so closing the pass through would limit our light passing front to back. We considered flipping the layout so the sink was at the back window, gutting the 2-door pantry but that would mean major plumbing and pipes now located at the outside wall. Another plan was to install a new cooktop on the island thus gaining a full length countertop from the fridge (where yours used to be) to the sink. In the end...it seemed like too big an investment for a starter home but boy it sure is tempting after seeing your upgrade - much more functional layout and pretty!
     
  10. tideland

    tideland Resident Since 1998

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    I also have the same model Miller & Smith and have been looking at options for remodel. Never thought about closing in the pass through but would miss the 'open' feeling I think. bgirl - did you keep the 2 door pantry? Could you post a picture from the other direction showing the pantry and island?

    Your remodel does look great!
     
  11. bgirl

    bgirl New Member

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    Hi, tideland. I understand your thinking about not closing the pass-through, and I too worried that it would seem closed off and dark. But honestly, we haven't missed it at all. Our kitchen seems so much bigger and lighter now; I know the white cabinets and new lights help with that.

    We kept our 2-door pantry. We debated replacing it with pantry cabinets, but we opted to put a beverage center on the other wall. We did replace the doors so they fit better with the cabinet style. Here are some pics. Please let me know if you have any other questions. Good luck!

    image.jpg

    image.jpg image.jpg
     
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  12. tideland

    tideland Resident Since 1998

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    Thanks for the additional info and pictures; looks great!
     
  13. Loudounite

    Loudounite Member

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    Beautiful kitchen. Just wondering why you chose to use two different surfaces for the countertop. Was the soapstone more expensive than the quartz?
     
  14. bgirl

    bgirl New Member

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    Hi, Loudounite. Thanks for the compliment. We chose two countertops for their functions. The soapstone near the stove absorbs heat and there is no danger in putting a pot or pan straight from the stove or oven onto the countertop. We chose quartz on the island and beverage center because it's more durable and requires no maintenance.

    The quartz was more expensive, although the soapstone was not inexpensive, as it was Albarene, VA soapstone (the only soapstone quarried in the USA). As a natural material, there is a lot more variation and style (and therefore, price points) with the soapstone. The quartz is natural but essentially a manufactured product, and the price is pretty standardized depending on the manufacturer you prefer. We liked the look of Cambria better than others, such as Silestone.

    Dominion Granite (http://www.beautifulgranite.com/) was really fabulous to work with, and they were highly recommended from contractors and stone yards.
     
  15. Lisa

    Lisa New Member

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    Question on choosing counter top, I went to Dominion Granite and they said you go to a tile place to select and then let them know that Dominion is the fabricator. They gave list of various companies, but I was uncertain if there is one place that is better than another. Any recommendations?
     
  16. hokie'81

    hokie'81 Member

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    Dominion Granite is awesome... I wouldn't use anyone else....
     
  17. Twinmama

    Twinmama Member

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  18. bgirl

    bgirl New Member

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    Hi, Lisa. That's right -- Dominion is the fabricator, so they don't have any stone, except remnants, on-site. If you are looking for something in particular, I think the folks at Dominion can recommend particular stone suppliers. If you're not sure and just want to browse, I liked Europa Stone in Sterling. I went there for something in particular, but they seemed to have a nice selection and were helpful. Plus it's close. We also went to Marble Systems in Fairfax. I wasn't expecting much based on the internet reviews, but we thought they were nice and helpful when we were browsing. In the end, our soapstone was sourced from Europa, not Marble Systems.

    We did learn to call before visiting, to be patient, and to realize that looking at large slabs of stone is dangerous and time-consuming and therefore, you may need to return to the shop at another time to look at particular slabs (as they have to move them with an overhead crane system). I brought along a sponge and water bottle so that I could wet the stone that I was interested in to see what it would look like once it was fabricated.

    I think there are options of "all-in-one" shops, where the stone is stocked and fabricated at the same place. We preferred going with Dominion as fabricators who are well-known in the industry and who went above and beyond with their laser measurement, shop fabrication, and professional delivery and installation. Although it wasn't easy, Dominion was able to provide all our countertops without seams. They let me come to the shop and layout the templates on the slabs to ensure I got the look I wanted.

    Good luck!
     
  19. penny

    penny New Member

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    Hi bgirl, your kitchen looks great!

    Do you mind sharing the brand (and level) of cabinets you bought? I'm getting ready to do a kitchen remodel and I'm pulling my hair out because all the info on cabinetry is overwhelming. I'm finding out that buying kitchen cabinets is like buying a car: the purpose is the same, but the mechanics, bells and whistles are all different and there's a ton of different ways to spend what is going to amount to a big chunk of the budget.

    Thank you!
     
  20. 6moore

    6moore New Member

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    Chris with Bella Homes 703-926-7181. He's licensed contractor and can provide Broadlands references for Kitchen and master bath remodel.
    www.bellahomesllc.com
     

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