Chicago Kitchen Center

unknown

Initial and main contact Eric Emery who assisted with design concepts and choices in collaboration with interior designer. End product - new kitchen and front room came out beautifully but process was challenging with considerable amount of miscommunications including no shows and necessity of close inspection of work in order to maintain high quality. Company seems to lack sufficient staff/workers to cover and complete work in the time promised and will pull workers off job site in order to complete another work site or will send one worker to complete task that needs two. Some faulty supplies (cracked stone) not their fault but served as an excuse to disappear instead of completing other tasks. Eric apologetic and the most professional but family team which includes him and owns and operates is unorganized and does not communicate goals and dates with each other as promised to customers. Cabinetry and electrical is their strength but I would otherwise would not hire them for all inclusive project particularly painting or specialized work such as mosaic tile.

We needed new kitchen cabinets and countertops, and as part of the remodel would be removing an exterior window as well as some minor interior work sealing a pass-through. We visited CKC and quickly made the decision to go with them. Their showroom isn't much to look at, which is fine by me because that helps us get to a lower price. The staff is very helpful and communicative. We quickly settled on cabinets and countertops from their selection, and they referred us to a showroom for tile, which they ordered for us so that we got a contractor price. Design was collaborative. We came up with a terrific solution, including a suggestion from Eric that addressed our not quite level ceiling (112 year old house). (Be sure to double check measurements.)
Once the cabinets were manufactured, CKC was ready to install immediately, and they worked speedily and very professionally. The crew was punctual and clean, and took good care to keep us informed. They consistently locked gates and set our alarm when they left, which has not usually been the case with other contractors. And with an older home, we've done a LOT of renovation and remodeling, using a lot of contractors--this team was outstanding.
Christina, our construction manager, and Eric, the designer, were superb partners. We got the kitchen that we'd dreamed about at a reasonable price.

Very well They were very detail oriented and spent a lot of time helping me to select products even though my kitchen was a small job.

These guys were great. They listened carefully to what I wanted (great cabinet insides with lots of organization) and came up with a plan within my budget. Right before signing the contract, my husband added a new set of requirements (outside appearance) -- which Jeff accepted graciously. I told them that I wanted a price that had everything in it -- that there were no possible add-ons based on what we told them. They gave us a firm price for walking in to our old kitchen and leaving with the new one ready to go. Also gave us a schedule -- which they stuck to. The crew chief was fantastic. The owner's sons worked with him. They left the house totally cleaned up everyday. At the end of the project, the owner came over to inspect. He didn't like the narrow gap next to the refrigerator we had requested for ladder storage. So he on the spot designed a new cabinet to fit the space. That was extra. But worth every penny. When they were all done, Jeff (salesman) came over to inspect -- and showed me how to put stuff away most efficiently. I can't say enough good things about them. One of the sons even got to be quite expert at finding my always lost keys for me. I was actually somewhat sorry to see them go.

Initial estimate of time was changed from 1-2 weeks to 6 weeks, then the order went incorrectly and the day they were supposed to be here they didn't show and when I called thirty minutes after they were supposed to be here, they said they had the wrong cabinets. They hadn't bothered to check the order and it had been in the showroom warehouse for days. They had to reorder them! Then,before installation began I discussed my concerns about the plumming. They claimed I did not need a plummer for anything except hooking up my sink and garbage disposal. But the day they were removing and installing, they caused a leak in the kitchen under the sink and they didn't tell me about. IN the middle of the night we hear gushing from the kitchen and it had started leaking in the middle of the night. The head maintenence man of my building told me they had had the leak earlier that day and run to Home Depot, putting some temporary fix that obviously was a disaster. Upon confronting them they said, "We knew you'd have a cow so we didn't tell you." The son was awful once in difficult situations. He yelled, screamed, claimed that his father told him we'd "be trouble" and not want to pay our bill. I was astounded. The job itself wouldn't be characterized as bad, but the experience itself was horrific. It was really a terrible experience

A little way from the downtown area, but definitely worth it. Better prices. Tanja and Jack are helpful and always willing to work with you. They made several trips as needed.

Their service was fast and friendly. They are a very reliable and trustworthy company. They show up when they say they will and do a great job. The workers are courteous, efficient and professional. They did exactly what I wanted done with my kitchen.