Cherry Wood Kitchen

Natural Cherry Cabinetry

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  1. here is the review posted on Angies List by this client….

    Last year, when my wife and I decided to completely remodel our kitchen, we started with a visit to a major retailer. We spent time with the retailer’s kitchen designer, who was experienced and competent. However, the retailer’s cabinet installer, whose job it was to recommend contractors to perform demolition, electrical work, installation of a ventilation system, and other construction activities, seemed to be ill-equipped to ensure the seamless installation and quality of work we envisioned. Eventually, we received an estimate for the non-cabinet portion of the project that appeared to be much too high. In consultation with the kitchen designer, we decided to purchase high-end cabinets made of cherry wood. Also, in our discussions with the kitchen designer, there were some features we wished to have, but were told there could be no deviations from the cabinet manufacturer’s standards. Moreover, the cabinet manufacturer was located on the east coast and could not guarantee a quick turn-around of any defective workmanship resulting from the cabinet making process.
    Concurrently, through Angie’s List, we located cabinet maker Ken Goff, owner of Unique Design Cabinet Company. By looking at pictures of Ken’s various projects at his website which is http://www.uniquedesigncabinetco.com, we were impressed with the breadth, depth, and quality of his work. I called Ken and found him to be extremely knowledgeable about cabinet building and types and qualities of various woods, as well as finishes. Also, Ken had an enthusiasm about his work that I have seldom encountered. I was concerned that Ken might be too expensive for the cabinet portion of our envisioned project. But in any event, I asked him to come to our house to discuss our proposed layout for the cabinet portion of the remodel. During Ken’s visit, he suggested several ideas that would result in additional cabinet space, and since he is a custom cabinet builder, he was able to incorporate several features that the retailer’s designer could not provide because they did not meet the standards of the cabinet manufacturer. We requested a bid from Ken, and it was competitive with that of the major retailer.
    Also, during my initial conversation with Ken, I told him that we would require the services of a general contractor. Ken suggested Kirby Fisher, owner of Fisherbuilt Construction (www.fisherbuiltconstruction.com) who came to our home with Ken during a subsequent consultation. We told Kirby about our construction requirements, and within minutes, there was no doubt in our mind that Kirby was very well qualified to perform with his own resources, the bulk of the general contractor’s portion of the project. Kirby quickly furnished his bid, which in our opinion was very reasonable.
    Based on Ken’s and Kirby’s bids, we retained Ken to build and install the cabinets (including installation of in-cabinet and under-cabinet lighting), and Kirby, who would be responsible for the demolition and removal of an existing pantry, cabinets, and flooring; installation of a ventilation system, modification of the existing electrical wiring, performance of all necessary plumbing work; removal and re-installation of the flooring for the kitchen and adjacent informal dining area; removal and replacement of the overhead lights; and repainting the kitchen ceiling. We gave Ken and Kirby three months to build the cabinets and arrange for the other work, during which time we took a long-planned trip outside the country and prepared the areas where the work would be performed.
    It took Ken and Kirby just shy of six weeks to complete all the work. So impressed we were with the quality and timeliness of the project, that we commissioned Ken to construct a custom cabinet for the television niche and a custom mantelpiece for the family room adjacent to the kitchen and informal dining area. We also engaged Kirby to paint the family room, two hallways, living room,
    formal dining area, including ceilings for each, as well as to furnish and install fully enclosed-LED lighting in multiple locations.
    In addition to recommending Kirby, Ken also suggested that we might wish to visit Standards of Excellence from whom we bought our appliances (www.kitchenandplumbing.com/standards-of-excellence). Moreover, Ken thought that Advanced Countertop Design (www.advancedcountertop.com) could provide the quality quartz countertops we had decided to purchase. A major reason for this decision is that once these kinds of countertops are installed, they never need to be resealed. This feature, in our opinion, makes them superior to granite countertops, and in addition, we had a vast range of patterns and colors to choose from.
    The total cost of the remodel was about $60,000, and this included all the work outlined in the fourth and fifth paragraphs of this review. The cost of Ken’s portion of the work was about $35,000. The remainder of the cost was for Kirby’s work; purchase of the appliances; acquisition of Italian floor tiles, lighting other than that provided by Ken; and the sink and associated hardware and garbage disposal.
    We highly recommend Ken for the following reasons:
     He is very professional and it is obvious that he is extremely knowledgeable about wood, design, and the process of applying finishes.
     He sets realistic schedules, but is quick to alert his clients if a situation adversely impacts the flow of work.
     He is a perfectionist, and even though he didn’t install any of the cabinets (except for installation of the cabinet lighting), he carefully reviewed the completed work and spent more than an adequate amount of time making sure that everything was to our satisfaction.
     There were no hidden costs and no surprises.
     He can make immediate changes or replace defects as his shop is located locally and his major cabinet vendor is in northern California.
     His recommendations for the services of Kirby Fisher and the various vendors was stellar, and their work was of the highest quality.
     He is a person of integrity!
    The accompanying pictures show the quality of the materials and products, as well as their installation.

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