Contractor in Madison, WI

October 21, 2009 10:56 AM

Looking for a contractor in Madison, WI to get an estimate on a kitchen remodel.

I'm looking at an older house in Madison that's very nice but for a small kitchen. I'd like to get a ballpark figure on how much it would be to knock out a wall, build a breakfast bar, and move the sink.

This would be our first house, and I'm not sure where to begin. I'm hoping that the contractor can walk through with us and give us a figure that we can use to see if we can afford the place.

Can you recommend any particular contractors to hire, or to avoid?

posted by echo target to home & garden (5 comments total)

I really trust Associated Housewrights. They will treat the design of the house with great respect and taste. They've done lots of work on my house (which was built in 1925 and had a huge addition slapped on in 1970). I've been very happy with what they did.
posted by Alizaria at 11:11 AM on October 21

I've heard/seen great things about TDS. That said, (how do I say this tactfully?): both TDS and Associated Housewrights seem to do beautiful work with great craftsmanship, but if this is your first house you may wish to go with someone not quite as comprehensive and fancy. Most of the places I've seen their stuff have been mid-to-high-end remodels with hardwoods and lots of detail work. But by all means, do have them out to the house and get an estimate.

Also, when I was perusing suppliers for my parents' remodel, I was really unimpressed by Allen Kitchen and Bath. Their showroom displays cut a lot of corners (literally -- their nice curved-edge farmer sink display was just slopped into a square hole, no caulk or anything) and their sales guy was pushy and all over the place.

If you get into appliances, do check out Main.

I wish I could be more helpful! Now it's going to gnaw on me ;)
posted by Madamina at 11:40 AM on October 21

(Didn't mean to imply you could or couldn't afford them, or that you would/wouldn't want top-notch work, but there's no sense going overboard, particularly when you've likely got other things to take care of in a new house.)
posted by Madamina at 11:50 AM on October 21

No no, I think you were very tactful and have a good point. The high-end contractors are probably not what I'm looking for. I'm something of a carpenter myself, so I'd like to do most of the cabinetry & trim. We'll need a contractor to do demolition, place support beams if necessary, move the plumbing for the sink, etc. I don't need someone who does it all; I'm willing to be pretty deeply involved in the process.
posted by echo target at 12:00 PM on October 21

I have a personal contact, if you'd like to PM me. He finished our basement, and has been on-call for fix-ups in our house for some time, now. Couldn't suggest a nicer or more competent guy.
posted by thanotopsis at 1:21 PM on October 21