CHOOSING A REMODELER
Full Service Remodeling
Choosing a full service remodeler to handle an entire project is often the hardest part of deciding to remodel your kitchen. Empire uses a whole project concept that enables you to see the big picture and final price before you make the commitment to move forward. It includes everything you will need. One big benefit is that once you have established your budget, you can commit and stick to it, avoiding the costly overruns that plague so many remodeling projects.
Avoiding Common Mistakes
Homeowners face so many decisions when they attempt to plan a kitchen remodel, there are so many choices, and such little guidance available. Overwhelmed and discouraged, some homeowners decide the best thing to do is take any small step, thinking the rest will just fall into place. Ordering cabinets to set the project in motion is a common first step and can be very hazardous to your home and budget. At Empire we call it: putting the “shopping”cart before the “saw”horse. 
Sometimes this happens because a store is giving away a free sink cabinet or free knobs if you order your cabinets right now. Being anxious to take advantage of the in store special and filling a need to take a first step, folks jump in and immediately lose control over their budget, just to save $300, this mistake can lead to huge cost overruns, thousands of extra dollars. Here are some reasons why…
Beware of ordering cabinets early it may lock you into a layout which requires:
• Structural changes
• Moving plumbing
• Electrical upgrades
• Window relocation
• Exterior restoration work, siding etc.
• Flooring transitions
• Appliance changes
All this work left to do, and at what cost? Now you are stuck running around looking for the rest of the pieces to your puzzle and qualified people who can make everything you ordered fit properly, and as the estimates come in you are looking for things to cut back on. You generally won’t know how much you have overspent until you have to keep your old appliances, give up your tiled backsplash, and choose laminate counter top instead of the granite you always wanted, or worse yet, you could end up storing your kitchen cabinets in your garage until you can afford the costs associated with installing your new kitchen. Believe it or not, this happens all the time! All of a sudden this isn’t the remodeled kitchen you dreamed of.
Our Approach
This approach doesn’t make any sense to us, so at Empire we have taken our years of experience and developed a better way, one that puts the big decisions, and costs on the table first. When you meet with us we will ask the important questions that help us plan your kitchen remodeling project to best meet your needs:
• Does your room maintain proper temperature?
• Do you have adequate overhead lighting?
• Do you currently have any task lighting?
• Do you ever blow fuses?
• Do you have problems with your sink drain?
• Do you fry a lot of food?
• Do you bake?
• When was the last time you had an electrician or plumber in, what did they do?
• Do you have enough natural light?
• Do you like the view from your current window?
• Are there any other views you would like to see from your kitchen?
• Do you have leftover exterior siding?
• Do you have cold floors or walls, or any drafts?
Getting What You Want
Helping the client to prioritize their wish list, and asking so many important questions up front, we establish the scope of work first and outline the costs clearly. By doing so, we can honestly say, we have never had a client give up granite at the end of a project to cut cost. We have had a quite a few folks who didn’t think they would be able to afford granite or other solid surface, switch to solid surface counter top to the project before we finished. After realizing at the end of our process, they had saved so much by avoiding cost overruns, they had leftover money to spend on the project.
It’s a sign to us that our formula works, customers getting what they want and staying within their budget. At Empire, we think any contractor who takes a “we’ll see” attitude towards your projects, doesn’t know or doesn’t want you to know your costs up front, is that someone you want to trust your home to?
Choosing Empire
Choose Empire to handle your remodeling project and we will give you peace of mind to know that everything is considered before your project begins. Once you remodel with Empire, you will see for yourself the benefits of the service we provide, uniquely tailored to you, you’ll never want to go anywhere else for your remodeling needs.
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