Kitchen Design Services
Kitchen Design at Riverside Millwork Center
Introduction
Before your first scheduled meeting (the initial consultation), please complete ourKitchen Design Questionnaire (as much as possible.)
If you are building a new house or adding a major addition you will most likely have scaled blueprints or drawings from your architect or builder. Make sure to bring those along. If you are remodeling, we ask that you take some basic measurements to allow us to prepare a preliminary quote. The lengths of the major walls, locations of doors and windows (don’t forget to include the trim in your measurements), ceiling height, and any other major features are most helpful.
Budget
This is also a good time to think about your budget. Many people are hesitant to talk about it, but it’s a vital piece of information for us to help you get the kitchen you want at a price you are comfortable with.
If you have no idea how much a kitchen should cost, you are not alone! There is no “average” kitchen but, in general, semi-custom cabinets (not including installation) for a medium sized kitchen (10’ x 12’ with a 6’ island) will start in the range of $8,000 to $14,000; custom cabinetry, special finishes, storage accessories and decorative details will, of course, increase the price accordingly.
Initial Consultation
You should plan on around 1- 2 hours for this first meeting. Your designer will give you a tour of the showroom, tell you about the cabinet lines we carry, and go over some basic cabinet construction details.
We will review all of the information you brought and ask lots of questions about you, your household and how you use the kitchen and surrounding areas. We will also talk about scheduling; how long your cabinets will take to arrive, and approximately how long the installation might take. (Note: always budget some extra time for the unexpected.) By the end, we should have enough information to prepare a preliminary proposal for you.
Preliminary Design Presentation
At our second meeting, we will present our Preliminary Design Proposal. This will usually consist of an estimated price (or price range) for cabinets and countertops, along with several computerized perspective drawings to help you visualize your new kitchen. Your designer will go over the proposed design with you in detail, and will take notes about what you like and don’t like about this preliminary design. We will discuss your appliance choices and encourage you to finalize your list with specific models.
The Design Retainer
At this point, we usually ask for a design retainer of $250 in order to continue the process. The amount will be applied to the purchase of your cabinets.
Measure and Refine
Upon your acceptance of our Design Retainer Agreement, we can begin to refine your design. This starts with a site visit, which we will schedule at your earliest convenience. We will take accurate field measurements and look at mechanical systems and structural elements that could affect the design.
All of this information will be combined with our previous notes to allow us to revise your design. Now is also a good time to talk about installation. If you have your own contractor, we would be happy to meet with him or her in person to go over the design so they can provide you with an installation estimate. Or we can arrange to provide installation services (including plumbing and electrical) for you.
Comprehensive Design Proposal
At this meeting we will go over our revised design and present our Comprehensive Design Proposal. If you are happy with the design at this point, or if only minor changes need to be made, we are ready to finalize the sale and will be asking for a deposit of 50% to order cabinets and other materials.
It is your responsibility to read and understand all documents and drawings. Please take the time to look everything over again at home and call us within 24 hours if there is anything incorrect, missing, or that you don’t understand. After that, any changes will require a signed change order and possibly additional charges.
Cabinet Delivery and Installation:
Our designer is available to visit the job site as often as needed to assure a smooth installation process. Kitchen remodeling is messy! Expect the unexpected but rest assured that we will be there to address whatever issues come up during and after installation. Final payment is due when cabinets are delivered.
