apartment therapy changing the world, one room at a time

Hi, Nancy here, I am the one that recommended James Lee.

We installed what one would consider a high-end kitchen including: Italian cabinetry by Valcucine, great appliances: Miele cooktop, Miele oven, Sub Zero, Bosch, Franke sink, Pietra di Cardoza countertop, etc. etc., the whole nine yards.

Including the labor, I would guess-timate that the kitchen itself was easily 85K plus. This is not a huge suburban kitchen. I started off with a galley kitchen that during the reno, was opened up into the dining room making it much more spacious in feeling.

I insisted on a fantastic kitchen because I am a serious cook. We entertain a fair bit as well. We also see this as our long-term home, where we are raising our 2 young chldren - so we really want to enjoy our space - which we definitely are! It was absolutely worth it for us to sink a large chunk of cash in the kitchen.

I researched the kitchen market for a year and would say though that one could put together a terrific kitchen using Ikea cabinets, GE profile appliances etc.,for a fraction of the price that we did.

In determining your kitchen reno budget, you need to consider how long you plan to live in the apt. Are you renovating just to sell? If so, definitely go for the less expensive cabinets and moderate, but not cheap appliances. Cheap appliances spell second-rate apartment when you are wanting to sell your home.

Are you a serious cook? If so,this is an important place to put your money because cooking in a great kitchen makes the whole process infinitely more pleasurable.

Keep in mind, no matter if you put in deluxe appliances, cabinets etc. versus the cheap stuff, the labor costs stay the same. So what I'm saying is if you are planning on staying in your apt, try to put in the nicest stuff that you can possibly afford (or not afford) cause once it's in - it's in and you're gonna be lookin' and using that stuff for a looooong time.

Nancy

That's good to know. Sort of on topic--what kinds of questions should one be asking a contractor when interviewing? I am totally clueless, and really, really need to start a kitchen renovation.

questions - what is the completion time frame, ask for the price of the individual components of the project, and make sure you tell the contractor *exactly* what you want, down to the placement of the outlets, light switches, etc. if you don't have an architect managing your project. Nothing is too trivial.

Otherwise you'll end up with the contractor making his own decisions which are rarely if ever aligned with what you would like.

Everybody has a contractor horror story, but clear communication helps to manage expectations on both sides.

Hi. I did a gut renovation of a two-bedroom apartment on Grand Street and had an awesome contractor (I told AT about him last year, but a good contractor is hard to find...Nestor Kalogrias [creativ.concepts@verizon.net]was a pleasure to work with, and did a great job on time and on budget. I was lucky enough to hire him when he was just getting into doing full apartments (he specializes in kitchens and baths, and is a fantastic carpenter), so he was less expensive than the other contractors who bid on the job...now he may be pricier. But, I couldn't recommend anyone more highly. He did a beautiful job!
Nadine

Recently I read a book by Alan J. Heavens, "What no One Ever Tells You About Renovating Your Home" While it's geared more for houses than apartments, I found the section about negotiating with contractors to be very enlightening and useful. I wonder if there's a similar book aimed specifically at people contemplating apartment renovations.

James (Jimmy) Lee also did a spectacular renovation of a friend's duplex. ALL of the finishing details are perfect.
He's the best contractor I have ever known, and I have known all sorts over the years.
You get what you pay for in this case.
Complete satisfaction.

Have I never mentioned 9J before? Oops! Maybe I emailed someone from AT about them because I'm sure I have waxed rhapsodic about them to someone related to the apartmenttherapy. Come to think of it I think it was to someone asking a question on craigslist fixit forum.

OK, here's what I wrote:
"I can recommend 9J builders highly because they did a lot of work in our new place (new ceiling light fixtures by drilling channels in the concrete ceilings, installing large sliding doors in front of an office alcove, repositioning recessed lights, fabricating and installing a large stainless steel grate to replace the unsightly grates for the a/c and heating ducts) and they were quick, very neat, and cleaned up perfectly afterwards".


I agree that they are not cheap but the work is to a high standard. Plus, to expound further, even with something as messy as finishing and painting drywall, they took great care in keeping the dust contained and cleaning up quickly along the way that you would not be able to tell that they had worked in a particular area once it was done (usually you will see drywall dust somewhere) and also before they were finished they would clean up comprehensively at the end of the day.

By neat I mean the finishing details are to a high standard. Thanks jc for the correct terminology.

when people say "high end" what do they mean? a 100K kitchen or a 30k kitchen? or what?

D.C.ATers,

Is there a double for Jimmy Lee of 9J in the DC/Maryland area?

in addition to a contractor, I am also specifically looking for a good customer cabinet maker/woodworker in nyc/bkln to build a wall unit, platform bed/headboard, built-in closets and possibly kitchen cabinets. woodworkeks seem to be a rare species indeed these days. all help is appreciated.

ana.log --
I recommend Tony Monaco in Hoboken (2 blocks from PATH station). www.tonymonaco.com
He is doing our built-ins and I love him! Great guy, returns calls promptly, shows up when he says he will.

Hi Nancy, thanks for the follow up. Your kitchen sounds fanatastic.

One of my favorite kitchens (at least in renderings) was a Valcucine kitchen in the altair lofts (altairlofts.com) that, even though I was much more into the non-wood Bulthaup and Boffi kitchens, made me want a dark cherry kitchen like that.

If you don't mind, would you be able to answer a few questions for me possibly offline? We have a Varenna kitchen with Bosch, Miele, Subzero and Pietra di Cardoza countertops and I wouldn't mind comparing notes with you if you have the time.
jammypup at gmail dot com

If you don't feel comfortable doing that, I understand.

Thanks again.

Word of advice about hiring contractors.

Your best contractors are going to come by the way of word of mouth refferals.
Chances are if you hear from a friend that the contractor does great work , then you would experiance the same from them.

Also very important to always check licensing and for insurance. Good luck with your future projects.

9J is nearing completion of our apartment renovation and we think they are great. Also, the staff in our building thinks 9J is the best that has worked there.

Hi,
after a lot of searching it seems that 9J is the way to go. We are in the process of combining two apartments and would like to work with an architect. Any recommendation of how to find someone who uses 9J as their contractor? Or do we as clients chose the contractor? We are complete novices in the renovation business...
Tom

Tom,
you as a client get to choose the contractor. The architect usually draw bids from 3-4 GCs (you can insist on having 9J included in the list at that time) and then you make the choice based on price,reputation ,schedule ... We are currently doing a loft renovation in Chelsea and are thinking about hiring 9J also. Our architect is Steve Schappacher from SchappacherWhite and I have nothing but praise for his work. He is very dedicated and spend a lot of time addressing his customer concerns. If you are combining two apartments you will get a lot of issues related to building code, electrical, plumbing... Having an architect will be money well spent.

I have worked with a great contractor. they are based in Brooklyn, NY, and again are a little on the pricey side, but are very customer orientated, and have done out loft renovation. They are Progressive General Contracting & Construction. You would have to speak with Al who is very astute, and quiet. he listens what you have to say, pays attention to detail, and addresses all your needs and questions. Their schedule, pricing, and rep is awesome. I couldn't have had a better experience. Try gving them a call 718-408-0812.

DON'T USE DON PERRONE based in Brooklyn. His company did a bathroom renovation mid-January which he said would take 6-8 days to finish. He even listed on his website that it's done, which it clearly is not. 2 months later and I'm still waiting for his plumber Doug to come replace the shower body that he broke. I call and text and email and they either don't return my calls or they don't show up when they say they're coming or they keep saying tomorrow, tomorrow. Not to mention, Doug put in my new tub not knowing how to install the trip lever (which stops the drainage), and I wound up with a really cheap push drainer because the trip lever will not function unless he removes the tub. STAY AWAY from these guys.