One would argue the kitchen is the heart of every home as the stomach is the door to a person’s heart. While that is debatable, the importance of a good setting, appealing appearance and utmost hygiene of your kitchen is not – these factors determine the quality and hygiene of your everyday meals, and consequently the health of you and your loved ones.
To this end, it is always important to hire the ideal kitchen cabinet contractor when looking for the ideal kitchen. Here are six setbacks to look for and avoid when soliciting the ideal contractor for the job:
1. Hiring uncertified and unauthorized contractors
A comprehensive kitchen renovation project is not your everyday DIY task – it requires a lot of expertise and skills. However, some contractors tend to undermine the importance of these virtues so long as they have the basic skills and knowledge. To this end, they will easily pose as professionals but do not guarantee the levels of quality, beauty, and hygiene offered by certified professionals. Besides, they are not bound to you or their work legally and as such will easily jump ship should things go wrong.
For this reason, check to see that the contractor you intend to hire is fully certified and credited with all the relevant documents by the Singapore government. This will be proof enough of their expertise and responsibility for their work.
2. Performing a narrow search
There are numerous kitchen cabinet contractors in Singapore. As such, you have numerous options to choose from when looking for the ideal one for your project. Consequently, there are many features to enjoy, such as creativity, personality in the work, diverse services, and even binding terms are conditions.
Unfortunately, most people consider performing thorough research tiring and as such tend to go with the very first kitchen cabinet contractor they find. This consequently limits their options and makes them miss the benefits that would come with a better contractor.
As such, ensure that you perform a comprehensive research of different contractors around your area in Singapore. Unlike what most people think, this is fast, easy, and can be performed from the comfort of your computer, as most contractors have also set up websites and other online platforms.
3. Disregarding experience
Getting the relevant training and certification as a kitchen cabinet contractor is only one-half of the requirements to become an accomplished professional. Most of the hands-on skills come from experience gathered working on other projects. To this end, inexperienced contractors tend to make more mistakes and take more time as compared to seasoned ones.
Most contractors realize this too and to this end tend to exaggerate their level of experience in the market. However, it is just as easy to tell who is lying by checking the government database of registered contractors based on their year of registration. Alternatively, you can consult with other clients like yourself on forums and other platforms to determine the most popular and consequently most experienced contractors.
Unless you are willing to let novice contractors learn from your project and compromise the quality of the kitchen, ensure that you check first to see that they are experienced and successful in their past projects.
4. Soliciting cheap services
While it is true that kitchen renovation services can be somewhat costly, it is also true that soliciting cheap services eventually causes problems, which require expensive repairs and replacements.
However, most people do not realize this and tend to hire the cheapest contractor the find in a bid to save some money. It is important to realize that just as is the case with everything else, you get what you pay for in terms of quality. To this end, cheap contractors may lack the motivation to perform impeccable work or even use equally cheap materials. This will not only give your kitchen a fake appearance, it will give way to damages that will cost you much more in repairs.
While this does not imply that you go for the highest bidder in the market, ensure that you look for a contractor who is affordable and capable of offering quality services for long-lasting results.
5. Failure to consult first
While the appearance of your desired kitchen cabinet contractor matters a lot, it may be deceiving. Hence, it is always advised that clients consult with the contractor and get a quote for their project before making any commitments. Nowadays, with the ease of communication, this is easy as it can be done via telephone, email or even straight from the contractor’s website. At the end of the consultation, you will have developed a better and deeper perception of the contractor from the quality of services offered. However, most people disregard this as a waste of time and airtime and tend to go with the most appealing contractor. Avoid this to prevent future disappointment in case the contractor you choose is good only on paper.
6. Disregarding insurance
Every kitchen cabinet contractor is required to take insurance on the business by the Singapore government. However, the insurance policies vary and while some only cover the contractor, others cover their clients too from damages and faults that may arise in the project. Most clients do not know this and as such tend to fall for irresponsible contractors focused on getting the work done.
Before soliciting a contractor’s services, check to see that they indeed cover damages that may arise in the project later. This will ensure that the contractor offers quality services for an appealing and durable kitchen while also saving you from unprecedented future repair and replacement expenses.
Conclusion
These common mistakes often cause greater inconveniences that compromise not only the look and safety of the kitchen but also its level of satisfaction for you. Unfortunately, even the keenest of clients have been shown to make some leading to future disappointment.
However, you can avoid these mistakes and many more by consulting your preferred kitchen cabinet contractor before hiring them. Ensure that you inquire about all the relevant and crucial factors mentioned above during the consultation to avoid making uninformed decisions.