
IKITCHENS ETC LLC
About us
We specialize in affordable kitchen and bathroom remodeling along with general contracting. As a design-build company, we can handle your entire project from start to finish including design, construction, plumbing, electrical, flooring and everything in between! We utilize a cloud-based project management software so you know exactly who is showing up when and what they will be doing. The information for your project is at your fingertips. It also allows you to keep track of your project budget. IKitchens Etc is an Angie's List Super Service Award winner for 2015, 2014 and 2012 and won the prestigious 2013 NARI Contractor of the Year Award for the Northeast for the Best Kitchen Remodel under $40,000. We typically use IKEA cabinets for our kitchen projects although we also represent a very cost-effective custom cabinet line out of Canada. We are also the only NARI Certified Kitchen and Bath Remodeler on Cape Cod. And lastly and most importantly, we are extremely clean and treat your home like our own. We look forward to hearing from you! Please call us today to schedule your appointment - (508) 457-1530 or visit our website at www.ikitcehnsetc.com
Business highlights
Services we offer
Affordable kitchen and bath remodeling, Basement Remodeling, Complete project management, Cuisine Modernes Cabinetry, Custom Cabinetry, General contracting, IKEA Kitchen Assembly/Installation, IKEA Kitchen Design, Laundry Room Remodeling., Mudroom Remodeling, Universal Design
Accepted Payment Methods
- CreditCard
Number of Stars | Image of Distribution | Number of Ratings |
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90% | ||
3% | ||
8% | ||
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"Thank you very much. You and [Member Name Removed] were a pleasure to work with. Your kitchen and adjoining rooms look so awesome!"
"Thanks! We enjoyed doing your bathroom refresh. Definitely a nice improvement!"
"Thank you for the review. Replacing existing counters without cabinet replacement can be a little tricky. I'm glad we were able to take care of the issues that came up. Enjoy your new countertops!"
"[Member Name Removed], Thanks for the review. It was a pleasure working with you. Definitely a nice upgrade to your kitchen."
Design phase: I had specific ideas about what I wanted but difficulty explaining it. Lou Ann was able to design a perfect suite of the Ikea cabinets I wanted and build in the right type of drawers in the right spots so everything is very easy to use, well lit and spacious. I trusted her experience in materials and design on a lot of things like lighting, plumbing fixtures in kitchen and bath, advice on flooring and counter, etc. and am very happy with her selections.
Demolition phase: We had a wall taken down, carpet and vinyl flooring removed, old cabinetry, plumbing fixtures, appliances and a gas fireplace removed and hauled away. It was noisey, but their plastic barrier wall held up and we suffered no dust issues. They vacuumed well daily and kept a clean job site. Every evening as they left, we were left with a safe and clean first floor site. The outdoor area around their hauler was neat and we had no complaints from our neighbors.
Building phase: Throughout, the carpenters, plumber, electrician and painter were very skilled and professional. We did run into some surprises: They found very uneven floor joists and had to take up bad underflooring then sister the joists throughout to make a flat underfloor for our new wood flooring. Also, after taking out the old gas fireplace we found the old chimney chase was leaking and we had to have roofing done (not by iKitchens, though they did coordinate and worked along on other things while waiting for roofing to complete. Because they were able to adjust and work on other parts of the project while waiting for roofers, we stayed on schedule despite having to do a lot of unanticipated joist work and arrange for a new roof.
At certain points we turned to the lead carpenter for a little artistic work, asking him to put together boards for the woodwork around our doors to match what I found in a photo - and are extremely happy with what he came up with. His skilled solutions and eye for design were perfect for our project.
The first part of thenkitchen I knew I had to have was a specific artsy stained glass tile for the backsplash. The tiles weren't consistent, would show any bubble that might be behind them and wouldn't be easy to install, but sometimes you just fall in love with a design. iKitchens has meticulous master tilers who installed those tiles so well they make my heart sing every time I walk in the door.
Communication and scheduling: The project manager planned out and tracked the schedule, decisions, conversations all in a central system which we had login access to online. We could and did reach out with any questions or requests through this system and always got a good answer or solution quickly. They also answered phones or returned all calls promptly. The onsite workers arrived early and reached the day's goal, we knew exactly what to expect for the coming week and while they were able to flex plans if we needed they stuck to schedule and met every goal. The office stays on top of every small detail, all we had to do was choose material and write checks. Easy!
It was a long 10 weeks but I'd do it again easily and wouldn't change anything - especially our choice to bring in iKitchens.
"We really enjoyed working with you also. We appreciate your patience when the flooring that you chosen was delayed in arriving. You gave us one of the greatest compliments we have even received by saying that you thought you were our only customer. We strive to achieve this for every client but you are the first person to ever verbalize it! Thank you very much for your generous review!"
"We were saddened that this client was not satisfied with the service we provided. However, as clearly stated on our website and in the design contract that was signed by the homeowner, the $500 design fee goes towards the production of the kitchen design and assistance with specification of products. This contracted service included travel time, on-site measurement of the existing kitchen, multiple meetings, phone calls, e-mails, and production of a design. In this particular case, we actually produced three distinct designs (plus a couple of variations) in an attempt to meet the client’s expectations. We spent 25 hours on the design phase of the project without any additional fees even though we were only contracted for 8 hours. According to the review, we “produced a nice design”. We were actually told by the client that she liked two of the designs very much and found us very creative in solving certain challenges in her space. Sometimes, a client’s vision for their project and their budget aren’t in sync. This is often the case with an older home, where the infrastructure needs to be updated to meet current building code. Of course, the cost for a project is also very dependent on the scope of work. In this case, the scope extended past the kitchen remodel to include new windows, changes to an adjacent bathroom, and addition of space to the kitchen from an adjacent hall way, and the many code upgrades that are required by law. Some of these investments make a home safer and are hidden away in the infrastructure. These are not the exciting aspects of a new kitchen, such as cabinetry, appliances, counter tops. None the less, they are necessary when a remodel is tackled. After the design phase was complete, we worked on producing an estimate for the project. We put together three different estimates but were unable to meet the budgetary constraints. In a separate e-mail, the client communicated that they had six different contractors put together estimates for their project (presumably based on the design we supplied). In the same e-mail to us, it was stated “You were definitely second place and I enjoyed working with you. The first choice was considerably less and included the closet removal and floor. Hope it turns out OK.” In conclusion, it appears that we provided a good design which was the service that was paid for. A good design is the foundation of a successful remodeling project. It is the starting point for the next phase of a remodel which is building an estimate for the actual project. Unfortunately, we weren’t able to meet the customer’s budget for the construction portion of the project. We believe we charge a fair price for the high quality services we provide. After three Angie’s List Super Service awards and multiple A-ratings, it seems like the majority of Angie’s List members who have worked with iKitchens agree."
The project went well. We weren't making any radical changes in the footprint of the room, due to budgetary constraints, so it was fairly straightforward. For the most part, communication was very good and we knew when workers would be coming and going, and for the most part they kept to their schedule that was presented at the beginning. We were generally pleased with the quality of the work and the professionalism of the workers. There were a few "oops" moments along the way, but those were quickly rectified. Rich and Lou Ann were very easy to work with and very responsive to our questions and concerns. Even though I was a bit of a pain in the neck with some questions and concerns, they were always very polite and professional.
Work was completed on time and with the contracted budget. Most importantly, we are very happy with our new kitchen. If you are looking to use Ikea for your kitchen and you don't want to deal with the hassle of ordering parts, assembling and hanging cabinets, then definitely I'd recommend them.
Everyone I worked with was super. Tracy is on top of everything and very responsive through the iKitchens website interface. Rich is also great to work with. Chuck, who is their main carpenter/installer, is very conscientious and knows the products inside and out. Lou Ann really worked h****** the design and walked me through all the cabinet choices. I really relied on her knowledge of IKEA so I gave her suggestions a lot of weight and trusted her experience. We were going for a retro/mid century look, which she totally adhered to.
Communication during the project was fine. They set you up on their website interface, which works very well. Tracy or Rich always
responded right away. If I wasn't at home and an issue came up, Rich or Tracy would call me and send me texts or photos if something needed my attention. We did have a local carpenter who we have a relationship with do the structural work. We had some doorways moved and walls moved/built so iKitchens did not do that work for us. We also had local electricians and plumbers, instead of the iKitchens subs, but I'm sure it would have worked out fine either way.
This was my first remodel and I was terrified. I had heard so many horror stories of contractors not showing up, wrong things installed, delays, etc. But, I was so pleasantly surprised at how things all came together. From demo to completion, it was just under 2 months but a few weeks of that was due to the structural work and inspections that had to be done before iKitchens could start their work. I absolutely LOVE my kitchen and would use iKitchens again in a second. The cabinets are very functional and look amazing.
From the design thru to the final "punch list", the iKitchens team was wonderful to work with. Lou Ann came up with a great design, and worked with me to refine and make changes so I had exactly what I wanted and needed. Jim was fantastic as the on-site coordinator and Rich kept everything running smoothly. Everyone who stepped thru my door was great to work with. There were challenges, but from the electrician to the finishing touches, everyone had wonderful attention to detail. I especially liked the iKitchens Web page where Rich and the team kept track of every step and we could communicate any schedule changes or concerns with the project.
I chose iKitchens after I decided that the iKea Scandanavian style was what I wanted (after a trip to Iceland). Although people think of iKea as a DIY project, having design and installation specialists means a much more efficient and polished result. The folks from iKitchens understand the iKea products so well and can figure out just how everything should fit together and how to finish those tricky places where a DIYer might not know what to do. Also, they recommended many slight design changes that I wouldn't have thought of that make a world of difference during regular use.
These guys are great, and I would highly recommend them. I just wish I had another project to work on so I could have them back!
In brief, iKitchens is an outstanding design and build company because they are highly skilled technicians and designers, strong communicators and project managers, and ethical?a rare trifecta in the design and build world. I?ll discuss each of these in turn. I think it?s fair to say that our kitchen project was quite ambitious; we were basically trying to emulate a high-end Italian cabinet design with low cost Ikea Abstrakt White cabinets. The design we were going for required incredibly tight tolerances and careful craftsmanship; there was little margin for error and the standard trims and moldings that obfuscate errors and exist in more traditional kitchen designs weren?t part of this design. On top of that, as is the case with many Boston dwellings, our home was built over a century ago, so the walls and ceiling are anything but square and plumb. Furthermore, we wanted a number of custom elements that required taking Ikea components and changing them to accommodate the design (something they aren?t really made to do). iKitchens had an extremely ?can do? attitude, and even seemed excited for the challenge of implementing this design. iKitchens also did some custom carpentry, such as a floating shelf that is a key feature of the kitchen and can hold hundreds of pounds. One step at a time, iKitchens worked through the inevitable challenges and kept making progress until we achieved our design. I?m extremely appreciative of iKitchens? patience, can-do attitude, and extremely high level of craftsmanship. The master carpenters they had on the job (Jim and Tony) are true masters of their craft, and seemingly can make anything a reality.
Secondly, having done a number of renovations in the past, and especially given the complexity of the project, we appreciated the strong communication and project management both before the project started and throughout. I always felt like I knew what was going on, and what the next steps were. Renovation projects as a rule take longer than expected in most cases, but in this case, Rich laid out a detailed plan, and the project ended up coming in on schedule.
Finally, as evidenced in a number of situations, iKitchens clearly cares about creating long-term happy customers, and acted with a strong sense of ethics throughout the project. I always felt like I was part of project tradeoffs and decisions, and costs were clearly articulated beforehand. Having worked with other contractors in the past, I really appreciate this unfortunately rare level of transparency and ethics.
Overall, we are thrilled with both our experience working with iKitchens, and the amazing kitchen they created. It?s really a work of art, and a true testament to a great company. We wish iKitchens the best of luck, and applaud any homeowners who are lucky enough to work with them.
Thanks again, Rich, Lou Anne, and Jim.
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