# Kitchen renovations



## Johnny Cash (Apr 21, 2012)

We would like to get our kitchen renovated, including some modifications. I am just terrified of contacting random contractors since I have heard/read a wide variety of opinions - some are good and some are bad. How to find a reliable contractor in GTA or specifically in Mississauga/Brampton? I have walked around my neighbourhood to find if somebody is getting their kitchen done but did not find any. There was a contractor, who was liked by a lot of people, but he has moved away. Is there any website or forum, where people express their opinions about Kitchen contractors? I have already read opinions on redflagdeals but did not anything important. Thanks, Johnny


----------



## OnlyMyOpinion (Sep 1, 2013)

Where do you plan to purchase cabinets or counters for example? That business might have the names of some contracters they recommend or even prefer to have you use.


----------



## Johnny Cash (Apr 21, 2012)

Sorry, I should have mentioned that I am also looking for a place to buy cabinets and counters. Any recommendations where should I buy them? Thanks, Johnny


----------



## heyjude (May 16, 2009)

Kitchen removations are some of the most expensive investments you can make and it is easy to make bad decisions you will regret later (like the person whose kitchen had no drawers at all). My recommendation would be to look for a kitchen designer. Many years ago I went this route when planning a remodel on a very small, awkward kitchen space. We worked together on it and the results were spectacular. Furthermore, she knew all the good craftspeople in the industry, all the latest innovations and materials, and was able to get discounts on materials for me. The investment in her fees paid off handsomely.


----------



## Johnny Cash (Apr 21, 2012)

How do you find good kitchen designers in GTA?


----------



## dotnet_nerd (Jul 1, 2009)

Try IKEA (serious, don't laugh). They have good designers in-house with software tools to help you customize your kitchen and visualize it on screen. And the end product is actually quite good.

You'll still need an installer though if you can put the cabinetry in yourself.

http://www.ikea.com/ca/en/catalog/categories/departments/kitchen/


----------



## Koogie (Dec 15, 2014)

heyjude said:


> Kitchen removations are some of the most expensive investments you can make and it is easy to make bad decisions you will regret later (like the person whose kitchen had no drawers at all). My recommendation would be to look for a kitchen designer. Many years ago I went this route when planning a remodel on a very small, awkward kitchen space. We worked together on it and the results were soectacular. Furthermore, she knew all the good craftspeople in the industry, all the latest innovations and materials, and was able to get discounts on materials for me. The investment in her fees paid off handsomely.


+1 That is what we did about 7 years ago when we remodeled the kitchen of a house we owned in Georgetown in order to get it ready to sell. The kitchen designer was more expensive (marginally) than doing it all yourself as your own GC but she had some very good ideas and we let her order in all the subtrades. When a couple weren't up to snuff we complained to her and she took care of it. To save a little money though, I did do all the demo by myself. It is hard but easy (and satisfying).


----------



## new dog (Jun 21, 2016)

You can also save by putting together your own cabinets out of the box.

If your looking for a contractor or anyone doing work I check the BBB and also a number of reviews from different sites. I chose someone to do my bathroom who had a number of very good reviews. One person who seemed good didn't have any reviews good or bad and also was not on the BBB so I didn't choose him.

My kitchen when I did it I found someone to hire that I paid and worked alongside them saving a lot of money.


----------



## heyjude (May 16, 2009)

Johnny Cash said:


> How do you find good kitchen designers in GTA?


I'm not in the GTA, but when I was looking for one, I attended a home design fair, visited kitchen cabinet makers and got recommendations. This was a long time ago. Nowadays I would start my research on the Web.


----------



## Spudd (Oct 11, 2011)

Homestars.ca is a site that lists local contractors with reviews, you could take a look there. Personally we're planning a kitchen reno soon and are going with IKEA, hopefully it will turn out well.


----------



## new dog (Jun 21, 2016)

I did the IKEA route for cabinets. First you plan your kitchen on their web site or page and then the IKEA planner will put together your cabinet order. Then I had the cabinets delivered to my house and I put them together myself. The most important thing you need to do is make sure your cabinets are as level as possible for putting on the counter top.


----------



## nathan7884 (May 25, 2018)

Thanks for sharing.


----------



## fireseeker (Jul 24, 2017)

Spudd said:


> Homestars.ca is a site that lists local contractors with reviews, you could take a look there. Personally we're planning a kitchen reno soon and are going with IKEA, hopefully it will turn out well.


Don't count on Homestars providing unbiased reviews. Contractors pay HS a monthly listing fee, and HS has been accused of letting those contractors edit/delete critical posts.
I spent some time looking at the site when seeking a roofer. The number of roofers with perfect or near-perfect rating scores made no sense.


----------



## Jimmy (May 19, 2017)

Hi, 

I just did a kitchen reno 2 yr ago and compared the big box and specialty stores in my area. I found Rona to be the best for for price of installation and they have good quality cabinets. They do all the measurements, design work and plans too w your input. Would recommend this route too vs DIY. The Rona designer was really helpful w ideas in designing the layout to be the most functional and organized. Rona designs in all the related trim and moldings too. 


The cabinets I would recommend are the semi custom category. Semi-custom means preset sizes but custom built. Fully custom is too expensive and the installers warned against cheaper stock cabinets - you always get some that are defective and you don't need the delays and interruption in the work.

Rona deals w Orchard Park Cabinetry - a Canadian subsidiary of Masterbrand which is one of the largest kitchen cabinet manufacturers in North America. Very good quality 1/2 " cabinets , solid wood doors and drawers, Soft close , dovetail joins, and lifetime warranty. 
https://www.orchardparkcabinets.ca/

They also deal w Belanger laminates who are a large Canadian distributor of laminate styles and countertops. Same w Richelieu for pulls and knobs. Make sure you get pulls w sufficient clearance to prevent wear on door and drawer panels. 

Their installers are all fully licenced. One was actually a master plumber. What is good is you deal through your contact at Rona for everything including warranty issues for the cabinets and the install which is warrantied for a year. 

Rona is now owned by Lowe's and they are very well administered for booking delivery, install times etc too. Anyway, do a comparison w Home Hardware and HD in your area for due diligence but I found Rona very good.
Keep an eye on their ads. They have cabinets on sale from time to time. You can get up to 15% off depending on the size of your install.


----------

