Get Rid of Your Outdated Kitchen With New Custom Cabinets

If you have an ugly kitchen, custom cabinets can help to transform it.  Let’s face it, not everyone loves their house or their kitchen.  In fact, after you have put a fresh coat of paint on the walls and laid down new flooring, the main area of the house can usually look much improved.  These simple and affordable solutions work well for giving your home a fresh feel.  It doesn’t do much, however, for the kitchen, and if you don’t like yours – it is time for a makeover.

We can turn the most boring, ugly, and outdated kitchen into a dream space.  Whether you are stuck with old cabinets and appliance from the 70s or medium oak from the early 90s, we can take you into the next century.  While doing so, you can have the opportunity to customize your kitchen to fit your every need.  From how many sinks that you have to where each type of cabinet is placed, you can become as creative and as detailed as you like when planning for how to renovate your space. 

One of the reasons you can be so creative with your kitchen is that with custom cabinets, everything can be made to your exact requests and specifications.  Custom cabinetry goes far beyond selecting the height, width and depth of each cabinet.  You can select the color and the hardware for a customized appearance that matches your personality and that’s just getting started.  We invite you also to consider how you use your space, what your most used pots and pans are, how many spices you need to access, etc. Think about what meals you like to cook, how you like to cook them, and what tools and ingredients you need in order to do so.  Make a list so that we can learn about your style and incorporate features into your remodel that make it faster and easier to cook your favorite meals. 

We understand how critical it is for a kitchen to have optimal functionality and do our best to incorporate that into every design that we do.  For example, we may suggest wider drawers in place of several cupboards so that you can have a clean and organized space for your pots. What we do will be based on our conversations, learning about your concerns, and how you like to use the space.  All of this can then come together without an issue. 

If you love to make choices, you will love your new custom cabinets. Seeing something that you selected come to life is always a ton of fun, and we will work to ensure that you are completely satisfied with the material that you select, even the shade and hardware.  While creating a plan with you, we will also point out some amazing features that you can have incorporated.  Things like hidden compartments and a slide out cutting board can make cooking that much better. 

Hire a General Contractor to Create a New Space In Time For Summer

As a general contractor, we are in the business of creating beautiful spaces.  Whether you want a new home built, are looking to build an extension or simply want to remodel – we can help.  It is important that you hire someone with a contractor’s license because, in order to get one, you must be bonded and insured. This means that if you hire a contractor and they don’t finish the job, you can go after their bond or insurance policy.  That’s a good thing because a contractor doesn’t want that ever to happen and, therefore, is motivated to ensure that the job is done right.  However, if you hire someone that doesn’t have these credentials, they won’t have the same motivation, and you will have fewer protections, as a result. 

If you don’t like your home, now is an excellent time to create a new space just in time for summer.  We understand that for many of our clients, the way that their home looks and functions is beyond important.  This is especially true if you have a family and spend a lot of your time at home.  We can be sure that your home reflects the changing needs of your family and that it looks amazing.  

As a general contractor, we have a lot of creative ways to give you more space, including:

• Building a sunroom.  This is an ideal solution that can be used year-round.  With a wall full of windows, a sunroom gets a lot of natural light and can be an excellent place to read a good book or have lunch with your friends.  We recommend that your sunroom be as comfortable as your family room, only light and airy. 
• Create a screened porch.  If you want to extend your living space and have an indoor/outdoor feel, create a screened in porch.  We can build one next to the kitchen with cathedral ceilings for aesthetics, a ceiling fan for comfort, a tile floor for practicality, etc.  Your screened porch can be an extension of your living space and a beautiful addition to any home.
• Create a master retreat.  If you aren’t using all of the bedrooms in your home, consider what you would do with a master retreat.  It is unnecessary to have a bunch of room sitting unused and waiting for a guest.  You use your bedroom every day so you should be comfortable and enjoy it. By combining more than one room, we can expand the footprint of your master before turning it into a little paradise.  Once that is done, we can also expand your master bathroom to create a luxurious space.
• Finish your basement.  One of the easiest way to transform your home is to hire a general contractor to finish your basement.  We are always looking for creative ways to make your home more functional, and your basement is a prime way for doing so.  The footprint already exists, so it is a simple matter or finishing the interior as you like.

Kitchen Remodeling in New Orleans: Ways to Save Money

We provide kitchen remodeling in New Orleans for discerning homeowners that want their kitchen to look absolutely stunning.  We love what we do and enjoy both the design and build process.  Since we work with clients that have both small and large budgets, we are often asked what aspects of the remodel a homeowner can do on their own in order to save money.  If you want the kitchen of your dreams, it may be possible to get there sooner by hiring us to do the major work while you handle the small details.  We still advise that you hire a contractor to deal with any electrical or plumbing issues along with installing the cabinetry.  However, with that in mind, here are some kitchen remodeling hacks that you can try:

• Backsplash ideas.  There are new products on the market that make it incredibly easy to get a beautiful backsplash without a lot of work.  For gorgeous subway tile, we can install it for a finished look.  If, however, you want something more earthy or rustic, we suggest trying Airstone.  This is a product that can be purchased at the local hardware store. It looks like interesting, natural stone tiles, but they are fake and can be easily applied to your walls using a simple adhesive.  This way if you have the budget for your main kitchen remodel, but not the backsplash, you can create your own for $100 or less. 
• Refinishing cabinetry.  When conducting kitchen remodeling in New Orleans, we sometimes find homeowners that want to keep their existing cabinetry because they like the layout, or the cabinets are original to the home.  If this is the case, it is possible to refinish the cabinets and preserve them for future use.  We recommend having a professional (us) refinish them for you since it can be complicated and challenging to get them to look perfect.  Still, this can be a good way to keep your original materials and decrease your waste.
• Hardware.  This is an excellent and easy way to improve the appearance of your kitchen.  If your cabinets are the right color and in great shape, but look dated, change your hardware.  Purchase some modern or funky knobs and drawer pulls then replace your old ones.  This will make your kitchen look like you updated it, even if you only screwed in a few knobs.
• Paint. If you don’t mind getting dirty, you can save money on your remodel by painting the kitchen yourself.  This is one of the easiest parts of the job but will still shave off several hundred dollars in labor.  The nice thing about paint is that you can change the color as often as you like in order to improve the look of your home. 
• Faucet.  While conducting kitchen remodeling in New Orleans, we have found that by switching out a dated faucet for a new and beautiful one, an entire sink can look new, even if it’s not.  This is one hack that can save you money.

To learn more about how to remodel your kitchen, schedule an appointment so that we can view your space and discuss ideas. 

Kitchen Cabinet Installation is Not for the Faint of Heart

We provide professional kitchen cabinet installation so that you don’t have to worry about a kitchen nightmare.  While many people are interested in learning how to do things around the house, installing kitchen cabinets is more complicated that it initially appears.  This is due to several factors including challenges lining them up correctly and ensuring that they are properly secured to the wall.  In this situation, making a simple mistake can have costly consequences.

Instead of trying your hand at cabinet installation, we recommend working with an expert.  We can help you to design your cabinetry, build custom cabinets so that your home is beautifully unique, and install them to perfection.  Designing custom cabinets can be a lot of fun and gives you the opportunity to really let your creative side flourish.  Just like “there’s an app for that”… well there’s a cabinet for that too.  Regardless of what you are trying to store, a custom cabinet can help.  This allows for you to consider every way that your kitchen is used and have cabinetry designed for it.  For example, if you like to bake your own bread using a bread maker, we can design a “house” for it so that your machine is always plugged in and ready to go, without being visible when it isn’t in use.  The same is true for the toaster, coffee pot, rice maker and any other small appliances that you regularly use.

Simultaneously, interesting features can be incorporated into your custom cabinetry such as having plugins for your iPad built into the center island.  Though these features are small, they can make a big difference.  We can even install a hidden garbage shoot so that you can wipe the counter crumbs directly into the can instead of your hand first.  When you combine a lot of time-saving measures into your kitchen cabinet installation, life gets just a little bit easier.

Why you shouldn’t try kitchen cabinet installation on your own….

We say that this is not for the faint of heart due to the massive amounts of frustration that first-time DIY couples get when trying to remodel a kitchen.  Tearing out the existing cabinetry is a job in and of itself.  Once done, you have to make sure that the floor is flat, and the walls are prepared before installing any of the cabinetry.  Those that don’t check the floor may find that their cabinets and counters have a slant once in place.

Another common, and more costly, mistake is hanging the cabinets without finding the studs.  Drywall is incredibly thin, so thin, in fact, that you can snap off a piece without a tool, you can punch a hole through it…. the list goes on.  This becomes incredibly challenging if you are trying to hang cabinets.  Screwing a heavy cabinet that is supposed to hold equally heavy dishes into drywall is not safe.  You need to find the 2x4 studs behind the drywall and use them as an anchor for your cabinets so that you don’t find yourself in a kitchen full of broken dishes, or call to have us complete the job for you.

Cabinetry Facts for Your Kitchen Remodeling in New Orleans

If you are planning a kitchen remodeling in New Orleans, it is important to put thought towards your cabinets and how you will need them to both look and function. Your cabinetry can be one of the largest investments you make in your kitchen, and it will have a dramatic impact on how the entire space looks, perhaps the largest impact, in fact.  Additionally, your cabinets need to be uber functional, making your life easier rather than simply enhancing the clutter.  As such, here are some things to keep in mind when creating your dream kitchen:

• Layout matters. In order for your kitchen cabinets to make your life easier, they need to do more than help you to stay organized.  In this vein, layout is extremely important.  You must consider the foods you like to cook and how you cook so that what you need is readily available without having to leave your cooking space.  For example, do you bake on a frequent basis?  If so, your cabinets should be designed so that your measuring cups and spoons are stored near your mixing bowls, baking trays and baking supplies like sugar and spices.  This is all possible by planning ahead for how you want your kitchen to function. 
• Interior features are important.  When planning a kitchen remodeling in New Orleans, keep in mind that a cabinet is no longer an open hole with a shelf in it.  They are now incredibly detailed and can include the type of storage solutions that you may have only dreamed of. Things like built in silverware organizers and a pull out spice storage are all possible.  Let us know about the type of features you are interested in, regardless of how complex they seem, and we will look for a way to produce it. 
• There are multiple design options.  Kitchen cabinets are a design feature just like the type of flooring you select and the paint color you put on the walls.  They should be selected to enhance the overall design and décor of your home, rather than stand out as an isolated object.  With so many options to choose from, there is no need to settle for cookie-cutter or boring cabinetry.
• Buy hardware that pops.  The hardware you place on your cabinets will make a major impact on how your entire kitchen looks.  Your hardware is the finishing touch that screams country kitchen or minimalist space.  Regardless of what your taste are, we can suggest hardware that matches it. 
• High-tech features.  We can now incorporate high-tech features in your space.  When thinking about your kitchen remodeling in New Orleans, consider what electronics you use and how many people are in the family.  We can do things like include a charging station for smartphones and tablets in the kitchen island.  This makes it possible to look up your favorite recipe while cooking dinner or listen to music while helping kids with homework.  We can also install electrical outlets into your cabinets so that things like a toaster can be hidden and out of view. 

We encourage our clients to have fun with their remodeling projects and let their creative side out.  We are here to provide design guidance and to turn your dreams into a beautiful reality. 

Surprises You Don’t Want to Find in a Bath Remodel

We work with homeowners on their bath remodel and can create spa-like, storage-filled, glamorous spaces.  At times, we run into a homeowner that is interested in completing their bathroom remodel themselves.  It is normal to get the DIY bug from time to time, but we do want to point out that when remodeling something that is used as much as a bathroom, and involves plumbing, working with a professional is ideal for ensuring that your important space is not out of commission for a prolonged period of time.  Unfortunately, the bathroom is one of those spaces that you can’t live without but is often full of surprises during a remodel, surprises that can cause delays.

Here is what you don’t want to find in the middle of your project.

The missing leak.  This is a big one.  Bathrooms are notorious for developing leaks in unidentified places.  Given the number of pipes and features in the bathroom this is easy to do.  For example, a five piece bathroom may have a leak in the plumbing leading to the tub but because of the location the leak may appear to be by the shower.  This can lead to many frustrated homeowners making holes and searching unsuccessfully for the missing leak.  As a contractor, we know where to look and can get to the bottom of leaks much faster. 

Mold.  Yikes!  Mold can be a major issue, and as the existing cabinetry or tub surround is removed during a bath remodel, it is fairly common to find mold behind these spaces.  Since there is so much moisture in the bathroom, there must be clear ventilation options.  Unfortunately, many older homes weren’t built with a fan or a window, and while this may seem crazy today, this common practice makes for a moldy situation.  When mold is identified, it may be possible to clean the area with bleach and treat it with a special type of paint.  In many cases, however, we recommend replacing the drywall in order to be safe.  Since mold can make your family sick, this is not something that you want to mess around with.  We also install proper ventilation to ensure that the problem won’t develop again. 

Electrical issues.  Many of the homeowners we work with have challenges with their existing electrical. When older homes were built there simply weren’t the same amount of appliances, televisions, hair dryers, machines and electronics needing constant electricity.  Our world runs on the electrical grid, and if the wiring in your home has not been updated in some time, it may not be able to support the demands that you are placing on it.  This can lead to outages at the most inconvenient of times, for example, when trying to curl your hair.  With that in mind, we recommend having a contractor complete your bath remodel so that we can update your electrical as needed.  If, however, you have started a project and see fraying or damaged wires when you open the wall up – call us immediately so that you can stay safe. 

Common Mistakes People Make On Their Kitchen Cabinet Installation

When looking for kitchen cabinet installation services, it is important to work with a professional that knows what they are doing.  Many homeowners try to do this themselves, thinking that it will be easier than it is.  Fortunately, whether you have us create customized cabinets or order them online, we can provide the kitchen cabinet installation services you need to get the job done correctly.

Here are some common mistakes people make:

• Not finding the studs.  When your home was built, the contractor would have created a frame using studs (typically 2X4 pieces of wood).  The insulation would have gone in between, with drywall secured to them.  When you look at your wall, you see the drywall and not the studs underneath.  Drywall is a thin material and should only be used to hang the lightest of picture frames.  If you try to hang cabinets without securing them to a stud, they will fall down, if not immediately, once the dishes are in place. 
• Hanging them crooked.  It is fairly easy to hang cabinets and have them come out crooked.  As the house settles, the ceiling and floors may dip slightly so you can’t do this by site alone. You need to use a level and check it frequently.  We make sure that they are straight and level when completing a kitchen cabinet installation.
• Damaging the surface or face.  If you struggle while putting your cabinets in place, it can be easy to damage their surface.  After spending money on new ones, this is a fast way to instantly make them appear old or dated. 
• Not measuring correctly.  It is important to properly measure the space so that your cabinets are the right size.  Otherwise, you could end up with a kitchen that only looks partially finished.
• Gaps.  People, that are new to installing cabinets, may find it challenging to connect them perfectly, creating gaps in between them that leads to an unprofessional or unfinished appearance. 
• Trouble opening and closing.  If the hinges are not installed correctly, your cabinets may not open and close like they should.  This is especially challenging with installing the drawers since they need to smoothly open and close.

We provide professional kitchen cabinet installation services so that you can avoid all of these common mistakes when remodeling your kitchen.  Cabinets are a significant investment into your remodel.  Whether you have them created specifically for your home, buy them online or at the hardware store, they are not cheap.  Paying money for your new cabinets then taking a shortcut with the installation is unwise.  This can lead to further damage of your cabinets or worse yet, your kitchen.  If, for example, they are hung without using a stud, you never know when the unit will fall down. When it does, someone may be hurt; your dishes broken and a hole created in your wall.  In order to avoid a situation like this, we highly recommend working with a professional that is licensed and bonded such as ourselves.