Kitchen remodeling services

Most homeowners hire one of three ways. A general contractor runs the whole job and subcontracts the trades — simplest, and you pay a management margin for it. A design-build firm handles design and construction under one contract, which removes the classic 'the designer drew something the builder can't build' fight but narrows your product choices to their lines. Or you self-manage and hire the cabinet installer, countertop fabricator, electrician, plumber, and tile setter yourself. Self-managing saves the margin and costs you your evenings; it goes badly when the sequence slips, because trades who lose their slot do not come back quickly.

Some tasks are genuinely not handyman work. Anything that adds or moves a circuit falls under electrical code — the National Electrical Code requires at least two 20-amp small-appliance branch circuits serving kitchen receptacle outlets, per NEC 210.11(C)(1). Gas line work, drain and vent modifications, and structural changes to a load-bearing wall are all licensed trades. If a contractor offers to do these without pulling a permit or bringing in the licensed trade, that is a reason to walk, not a discount.

Countertop fabrication is its own service and it happens after cabinets are installed, not before. The fabricator templates the actual installed boxes, then cuts. Anyone promising to have stone counters ready on cabinet-install day is either using a prefab slab or guessing at your dimensions.

Licensing rules for contractors are set by your state and sometimes your city, and they differ enormously. Verify the license and the insurance yourself with the issuing state board rather than accepting a photo of a card. Ask for a certificate of insurance sent directly from the insurer, not forwarded by the contractor.

How to choose

Match the hire to the scope

Refacing cabinets and swapping counters does not need a general contractor's margin. Moving a wall does. Paying GC overhead on a cosmetic job is money burned.

Verify the license at the source

Look the contractor up on your state's licensing board site yourself. Requirements vary by state and by trade, so check what your state actually requires for this kind of work.

Get the insurance certificate from the insurer

Ask for general liability and workers' compensation certificates emailed to you by the insurance agency. If an uninsured worker is hurt in your kitchen, that can land on you.

Insist on a written scope with exclusions

Inclusion lists are marketing. The exclusion list — drywall repair, painting, permit fees, appliance hookup, hauling, code upgrades — is where change orders come from.

Confirm who templates and installs the counters

Fabrication is usually a separate company. Know who is responsible if the sink cutout is wrong, and get it in the contract before demo.