Questions to Ask When Hiring a Professional Kitchen and Bath Designer

Kitchen remodel, renovation and why you need professional guidance.

If you are among the multitude of Americans that are dreaming of renovating their homes right now and you are beginning to realize the magnitude of work involved; you are not alone. Thanks to home improvement shows and social media, the do it yourself approach when modernizing or updating your home is increasingly popular these days. Folks are rolling their sleeves up and tackling projects around the house themselves in attempts to save money; however, a kitchen remodeling project is the number one area of the home where doing it yourself oftentimes leads to spending more money to fix big mistakes or struggling with project completion due to unforeseen items or skills that are crucial and were not accounted for in the self-planned budget.

Attempting to complete a home remodel yourself is admirable, but when it comes to the kitchen, often regretted and forfeited mid-process. It is imperative to hire a professional Certified Kitchen and Bath Designer and contractor for a kitchen remodel project due to the enormity of work, skill and project planning that is involved and required. This article is written for those who have decided against attempting to renovate their kitchen by themselves and are ready to let the job be done timely, precisely, and professionally and with the intention of guiding you in the hiring process of obtaining a professional residential contractor. 

Asking the right questions.

At Hampton Kitchens we believe that it is incumbent on all professions to offer genuine value for the pricing and services offered. Occasionally, we have come across a few businesses that may not operate according to such beliefs. The residential construction business is an easy profession to enter and can be fairly easy to get by functioning as a local business for years without obtaining a license or without any substantial training/education.

Think about the number of people who watch home improvement shows on cable and then will claim to their spouse; “Honey, we can do that!”  Likewise, just as many construction businesses have begun a business with the same line of thought. Even worse, a number of these businesses talk a smooth sales game about how much they can do, how quickly they can do it; only to the dismay of the unsuspecting homeowner to discover deep into a project that the contractor they hired was not as capable as they touted themselves to be. This sticky situation can easily be avoided in your home remodeling project by asking some important questions during the research phase of the hiring process.  

The Top 10: Separate the Professionals from the Questionable

1. Contractor License 

“Is a license required to do the job I need to have done?” 

In North Carolina, any project over $30,000 requires a contractor to be licensed. Oftentimes, new contractors think that they can skirt around having a license by dividing the contract into sections. 

2. Industry Certifications 

“Are certifications available in your area of expertise and, if so, which do you have?”

Certifications are important in many industries, including kitchen and bath design. We have a lot of experience with Kitchen and Bath Design Certifications, so please see more about industry certifications below this section. 

3. Current Certificate of Insurance

“May I see your Certificate of Insurance and when does it expire?” 

Unfortunately, we frequently come across instances of companies operating under expired certificates. Insurance is often omitted because it is costly in the construction industry, mostly due to workman’s compensation. While proof of insurance does not insure the quality of work, it insures against damage to your personal property during the work and insures that the health and safety of employees that are hired to work in your home is a priority.

4. Safety

“What safety measures do your employees take while working on the job site?” A good answer here will likely involve a written policy and standard operating procedures regarding job site/employee safety. 

At Hampton Kitchens, we are fully insured for any damage we may do to your existing surroundings or personal possessions. Any workers on the job site carry the same insurance and we will not allow them on site without a valid and current Certificate of Insurance on file with us. 

In order to protect the family that may be near the job site, we cordon off the work area and request the site be left so until the end of the work day.  We clean the site daily to ensure there is no harmful construction remnants in the area.  Our workers are asked to use an onsite portable toilet (which we furnish) in order to avoid using the owners’ facilities.  While children and curious pets are oftentimes more excited about our work than the owners, we request and frequently end up reminding homeowners that both be kept away from the construction for their own safety, the safety of the workers and to maintain the quality of the materials.

In acknowledgement of the current COVID-19 pandemic, safety precautions are heightened and meticulously followed. This strict safety protocol is to ensure the health of not only our clients and client families, but that of our designers, office staff and field workers alike. 

5. Trustworthiness and Respect for the Home and Family

“What will be done to protect our privacy and show respect for my home during the renovation?” 

There should be numerous precautions or even a policy discussed here when this question is answered. Our main take away here would be to notice how the answers provided speak to your comfort level.

6. Experience 

“How long have you been doing projects like this? How long have you been in business?” 

If I have learned anything as a business owner in the residential construction industry, it is to not be the first one of anything if you can avoid it. Yes, Hampton Kitchens had to start out somewhere but I began with the help and guidance of someone who had been in the business for years. Hire experience. As I like to say, “been there, done that, and got the t-shirt to prove it!”

7. Flexibility and Demonstrated Experience Dealing Unforeseen Events

“How did you deal with big surprises in the past?” “How do you handle change orders?” 

Stuff happens and quite frequently, unforeseen circumstances arise with large renovation projects. We suggest that you get examples here because every experienced contractor has had these types of occurrences.  

8. Financial Stability

“Are you financially stable?” Or, if you dare: “May I contact your banker to ask if he/she would hire you to do work for them?”

This one question would likely put a slew of people out of business if clients would be brave enough to ask it. In my experience, a fantastic indication that a business has their stuff together is a business that handles their finances well. 

9. Recommendations, References, and Reviews

“Can you provide me with references for projects like mine?” 

• Look for experiences in the same price and scope of work as your project. Deck builders don’t necessarily do kitchens well and vice versa. 

• After you have the references in hand, be sure to follow up and check out the references the company provides you. I am amazed at the number of people who do not check out references. I’ll never forget of a time when I had a job applicant provide references to come work with me. Upon calling the references, I discovered that the information they provided me about the applicant was less than stellar. When I asked the applicant why he gave me the bad references, he simply said; “Nobody ever calls them.” 

• As far as Internet reviews go, we suggest that you dig a bit more than simply skimming first page search results. 

• If you happen to uncover a bad Internet review, directly ask about the review and pay attention to your comfort level when your question is being answered.

10. Warranty Work 

“How do you warranty your work and can you provide references for whom you have done the warranty work?” 

Hampton Kitchens offers a lifetime service work guarantee regarding any cabinetry we install. For example, a cabinet vendor we partnered with about 35 years ago closed their business. To this day, we continue to correct any issue that may arise with these cabinets, and will continue to do so (as long as the client needs us to) in order to honor not only our side of the warranty but the closed cabinet company’s warranty as well. 

More About Certifications

A certification does NOT mean someone is better than anyone else at designing or producing a project (I am risking some people being a little perturbed at me). That being said, assuming a certification is granted through an accredited agency and is not just a matter of paying a fee, becoming certified with a legitimate certificate does ensure that the certified individual  is more authoritative regarding the particular subject matter due to the initial requirements to attain the certification and through the continuing education that is required to keep the certificate by most agencies.

From my personal experience, obtaining a certificate or a license means that I care enough to have something at risk if I do not continue to do the things that are required for me to keep my certification. My profession matters to me exponentially and I want to be the absolute best at what I do. Non-certified folks can have just as much passion and capability as we certified ones are. It’s just that the odds of a successful and professional project outcome are dramatically increased with someone who has spent the time, energy, and resources to become certified and maintained that certification.

A massive positive result of obtaining a certification, which directly benefits the client, is the building of a large professional and industry specific network. Finding the “tips of the trade” requires networking and involves the questioning of, listening to and learning from other professional experiences in the Kitchen and Bath Design industry. Situations are easier to navigate with a trusted network. Knowing where to avoid taking chances is important but it is just as important to be willing to take those chances when it is well advised to do so.

My training and certifications have all been voluntary and are not required to do what I do.  I have learned every day of my 46 year career a lot more by experience than any book or classroom situation can teach. However, I stay certified to stay current with the latest trends in kitchen design, to ensure that I continue to stay abreast of industry and local regulations and legalities; ultimately, I want to know all there is to know and to be the very best I can be in the ever-changing industry of Kitchen and Bath Design.

For more information regarding Kitchen and Bath Design Certifications or to view the criteria required to become a Certified Master Kitchen & Bath Designer (CMKBD) please visit National Kitchen and Bath Association (NKBA)

Visit More About Max for detailed information regarding Max’s certifications, awards, and achievements.