Twenty-two answers, none of them evasive
Grouped the way people actually ask them: before you start, what it costs, how long it takes, what it is made of, and what happens afterwards.
- 5 topics
- 22 questions
- Call us with the 23rd
Getting started
What happens before anyone signs anything.
Ninety minutes, either at our Atwood Avenue studio or in your kitchen. We talk about how you cook, what you store, what annoys you daily and what the budget needs to stay under. You leave with a realistic range for your scope and, if you want it, real door and stone samples to live with for a week. There is no charge and no obligation.
The first consultation is free. If you move forward, we charge a design retainer that covers measured drawings, elevations, a 3D view and unlimited selection appointments. That retainer is credited in full against your contract when you sign. Sample figure: the retainer runs between $1,500 and $3,500 depending on scope.
For a full remodel, start conversations 4 to 6 months before you want work to begin. Design and selections take 6 to 10 weeks, cabinetry runs about 8 weeks in the shop, and we schedule starts in order. Refacing projects move faster, usually 8 to 10 weeks from consult to install.
Yes, and we do it regularly. If your boxes are sound and your layout works, we will propose refacing instead of replacement. If you are selling within a year, we will tell you which parts of the scope you will not get back.
Cost and budget
Honest ranges, and what actually moves them.
Sample ranges for our work: cabinet refacing from about $14,500, a small or galley kitchen from about $26,000, and a full remodel from about $48,000. Larger projects with structural changes, premium stone and integrated appliances commonly land between $75,000 and $120,000. Every number here is illustrative and gets replaced by a fixed price after a measured site visit.
Usually because they are not describing the same job. Check whether the number includes permits, electrical upgrades, flooring, paint, appliance installation and the punch list. Our proposals itemize all of it so you can compare like with like.
A deposit at contract signing, then progress payments tied to completed stages rather than dates. The final payment is due after the punch list closes, not before. Everything is written into the contract and nothing changes without a signed change order.
Moving plumbing, gas or a bearing wall. Cabinetry and stone are predictable. Structural and mechanical changes inside walls and floors are where budgets move, which is why we identify them during design rather than during demolition.
We work with third-party lenders who handle home improvement financing, and we show sample monthly figures on our financing page. We are not a lender and we do not receive a commission on the rate you are offered.
Schedule and living through it
How long, how loud, and what daily life looks like.
A full remodel runs 9 to 12 weeks on site, with roughly 7 weeks without a working sink. Refacing is 8 to 12 days and the kitchen is usually usable in the evenings. Small kitchens run 6 to 9 weeks. Sample timing, confirmed in your contract schedule.
Almost no one does. On day one we set up a temporary kitchen in a nearby room with your fridge, microwave, kettle and a folding counter. We seal the work area with dust walls at every opening and run a negative-air machine so the rest of the house stays livable.
Generally 7:30 am to 4:00 pm, Monday through Friday. In condo buildings we work to the association's quiet hours instead. We do not work weekends unless you ask and we agree it in advance.
The same small crew, led by a named project lead who is on site most days and is your single point of contact. Subcontractors are the same licensed electricians, plumbers and tile setters we have used for years, not a rotating list.
We stop, photograph it, price the fix and get your written approval before continuing. Contracts carry a stated concealed-conditions allowance so a surprise does not stall the schedule while paperwork catches up.
Materials and craft
What we build, where we build it and what it is made of.
In our shop on Atwood Avenue in Madison. Plywood boxes, dovetailed solid-wood drawers, soft-close hardware, finished in our own spray booth. Nothing is drop-shipped from a catalog line with our name on the door.
Quartz is non-porous, consistent and forgiving, which suits busy family kitchens. Natural stone has movement no manufactured surface reproduces and asks for sealing and a little care. We keep full slabs available for viewing so you decide in front of the real material.
Usually. Most pre-1950 Madison homes used 2.25-inch red oak strip flooring. We source the same width, weave new boards into the existing field and sand the area together so the seam disappears.
Full-extension undermount soft-close slides on every drawer, soft-close hinges on every door, and adjustable shelf pins rather than fixed shelves. These are standard in every kitchen we build, not upgrades.
After the build
Warranty, care and what happens in year three.
Sample terms: a lifetime warranty on cabinetry we build, 5 years on installation workmanship, and manufacturer terms on appliances, stone and plumbing fixtures, which we register on your behalf. Exact terms are attached to your contract.
Yes. We schedule a 60-day visit to adjust doors and drawers after the house has gone through a humidity swing, and we return once more at the one-year mark if you want us to.
Your handover binder includes care notes specific to your cabinet finish, stone, grout and floor, written in plain language. Most of it comes down to a soft cloth, warm water and not letting standing water sit.
Call us. Hinge and drawer adjustments on cabinetry we built are covered and we do not charge a trip fee inside our service area.
Ask us the awkward one
Bring us a competitor's proposal, a number that does not add up or a contractor story that ended badly. We will read it with you and tell you what we see. No charge and no obligation to use us afterwards.
Bring a photo of your kitchen. Leave with a real number.
Ninety minutes, no charge, no obligation. Door samples go home with you the same day.
Showroom on Atwood Avenue, Tue to Fri 9 to 5 and Sat 10 to 3.