Twice As Nice

Kitchen Remodel | Santa Cruz

Unlike fine wine, a kitchen does not get better over time. Our client had an old, worn-out kitchen that had served its purpose well, but was begging for a facelift. After months of talking to friends, reading blogs, and browsing pictures on Houzz, they were ready for a full-scale kitchen remodel. The results? A beautiful, brand-new kitchen with twice as much storage space as before.

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I enjoy research. So, when embarking on a complete kitchen remodel, removal of a wall which separated our kitchen/dining area from our living room, and replacement of floors in our entire home, it took a few months to do some homework. I spent hours reading reviews, forums, and website articles. I asked friends and acquaintances for recommendations, visited some of their newly remodeled homes, and invited a few designers and contractors into our home to hear what they had to say and recommend as well. I was referred to Jared Lewis by a friend, and after meeting him and hearing how he works and who his sub contractors were, he moved up to the top of our list. He comes from a family of contractors with many local connections. Jared has a strong work ethic, a team of experienced and competent subs, and a great eye for details. What impressed us most was his communication style. He is very responsive to emails, texts, and phone calls, and was good at keeping us in the loop regarding what was going to happen next. Having contractors in and out of our home on a daily basis, and having no kitchen for weeks was certainly disruptive to our family's life, but knowing we had dependable, friendly, responsive professionals working for us made it easier. Jared knows this. He would offer encouragement as each phase of the project began, or when he correctly sensed that I was growing weary of washing dishes in a bathroom sink! "Are you getting excited?" he'd ask with a smile, "Were getting there." And we did. In the end, the entire process was finished within the time frame he initially estimated. Finally, I will say that we opted to order our custom cabinets from a local cabinet builder with whom Jared had never worked. I wasn't sure how that would go, but it was fine. We ended up buying our flooring from someone he had recommended. It worked in our favor that the subs had a history of working together, in that it made the construction process go more smoothly. Jared's bid was neither the highest nor the lowest, but paying a bit more for peace of mind is worth it. Highly recommend.