The perfect kitchen island can make your space a paradise
Kitchen islands have many benefits, but installing one can be a big undertaking, and you want to be sure you hire the right pro to do the job. Here are some guidelines for hiring a kitchen island contractor to design and build your new space so you’ll be cooking with ease in no time.
For a kitchen island job, your best bet will be to hire a general contractor or a company that focuses specifically on kitchen remodels. When looking into hiring a pro to work on your home, asking for recommendations from friends, family, and neighbors is a good way to find a reliable company whose work you can see for yourself.
Doing research online, such as running a search for local general contractors, is also a good way to find companies near you. Make sure you read any online reviews available and check out before and after photos, if they’re available, to see samples of the company’s work.
Kitchen islands cost an average of $4,800 to install, and custom models can run $10,000 or more, so it’s essential to find the right pro for the job. Before hiring your general contractor/kitchen remodeler, there are a few steps you should take to get prepared for the process.
You can design a kitchen island in a number of ways, so make sure you make a list of all the relevant details that your pro will need to know. Some things to think about are:
Square footage of the island
If you want a custom or prefab island
If you want cabinets
Paint color palette
Number of outlets needed
If you want your island to include plumbing
Countertop materials
Once you have your list together, you’ll want to get quotes from at least three different contractors. Talk to them about what goes into their pricing model and include any details or must-have aspects on your list.
Most states require that contractors obtain a license and carry insurance. Research your contractor to ensure they have the appropriate licensing and insurance. You should also ask your pro for references. Talking to previous clients can tell you a lot about the company, and you may even be able to visit a site or see some of their finished work for yourself.
To narrow down your list of pros and choose one to hire, you should put together some questions to ask your potential candidates. These questions include:
How long has their business been in operation? What is the company’s permanent address?
What type of licensing/insurance do they have? When did they get licensed?
Have they worked on similar jobs in the past? How many similar types of projects have they completed in the past year? Ask for examples.
Do they have references?
When could they potentially start?
Will this project require permits?
Can they give you a written quote and break down the pricing?
Once you’ve narrowed down a few companies you’re interested in, you can start the hiring process.
It’s important to research and interview more than one contractor before you decide on someone for the job. This step is not just for pricing comparison purposes, but also to get different viewpoints on what might work best for your project. You may meet with a kitchen designer who has a great idea you haven’t even considered, like installing a skylight over your kitchen island.
Timing is also a factor when interviewing your contractors. You may find a good contractor who can’t start your project for six months, then interview a great contractor who can start right away. Take your time with the interview process.
Putting everything in writing is essential for every construction job, big or small. Read your contract carefully before you sign anything. Be sure the contract covers the full scope of the work, and ask any questions on your mind before signing.
Get a payment schedule put down on paper, including a down payment, any installment payments that you will make, and final payment once the job is over and you’ve inspected the work. Also, make sure the dates on the contract make sense for your project—you don’t want to leave the dates open and have your kitchen under construction for longer than it needs to be.
As your contractor works on your kitchen island, keep track of everything, including hours worked, progress and schedule, plumbing and electrical work, and so on. The more detailed your records are, the easier time you’ll have if there happens to be a problem down the road.
To ensure that you hire the right person the first time, be on the lookout for red flags during your research and interview process. Some red flags to look for include:
Refusing to provide references
Asking you to pay cash only
Providing a really low, unrealistic estimate
Asking you to pay in full before the job is through
A good way to protect yourself against problems down the road is to make sure that remedies for issues and disagreements are outlined fairly in the contract before you start the job.
Once your kitchen island project is complete, your contractor should walk through the job and let you inspect their work. After you’ve done that, if you’re satisfied, you can complete your final payment according to what you worked out in your contract.
If you’re impressed with your contractor’s work, leaving them a review online or offering to be a reference for them can help out their business. Make sure you keep all your paperwork from the project, just in case something goes wrong in the future.
You hire a handyperson to install a mostly prefabricated kitchen island, which costs $50 to $150 per hour. However, custom jobs will require a general contractor and their team of subcontractors to handle electrical systems and plumbing. General contractors charge 10% to 20% of the total project cost. Alternatively, some contractors charge $300 to $500 per day, and each additional laborer costs $150 to $250 per day.
You may be able to DIY a straightforward prefabricated kitchen island, so long as you have some basic contracting chops. This will save on labor costs, but you must still purchase the island and any necessary tools. This could cost as little as $100, in the case of simple rolling designs, or as much as $2,000.
However, if you want a custom build, go with a contractor. They’ll be able to navigate any unforeseen hurdles during the job, and they can outsource some of the more finicky parts of the installation, like adding electric, gas, or water lines—which you should never attempt to DIY. Additionally, a pro will be able to source permits and ensure everything is up to code.
Installing a kitchen island costs anywhere from $900 to $6,500, and even more in the case of complicated builds. The average price for most homeowners is around $4,800. The cost fluctuates according to materials, unique design components, accessibility concerns, size, and more. Prefabricated kitchen islands tend to cost much less than custom jobs.
It is much cheaper to buy and install a prefabricated kitchen island than to build one from scratch. The most budget-friendly option is something called a prefabricated cart, which can be placed instead of installed. These units cost anywhere from $150 to $900. Prefabricated stationery islands are permanent fixtures and cost $900 to $5,000. Custom-built kitchen islands cost an average of $4,800 but can cost $10,000 or more.
Just as a kitchen remodel can increase home value, so can a new kitchen island. A kitchen island provides extra counter space, increased eye candy, and improved functionality that will likely impress prospective home buyers. You can expect an ROI of about 60% to 80% of the cost of your kitchen island installation, though this depends on the overall design of the fixture.
