MAINSTREET KITCHENS

We went with Mainstreet Kitchens because Gary seemed confident that he could work within our budget, finish the job in two weeks, and that his cabinet installers and subcontractors were the best we would find anywhere. A few things were unsettling up front (the initial deposit amount that he originally quoted us doubled when it came time to sign the contract and pay; his initial cabinet quote increased by 13% from one meeting to the next even though we downgraded many things and only upgraded one, etc.), but we gave him the benefit of the doubt and contracted him anyway. There were two very friendly and personable guys who did all of the work on the project other than the work that was subcontracted out. They were very efficient at first (with demolition), but then things slowed way down. It soon became apparent that even though Gary was telling us how great they were, these two guys had almost no experience remodeling kitchens. It was obvious from their very slow work and apparent confusion about many things that (to us) seemed basic to kitchen remodeling that they were doing their best but just didn't have the experience to work efficiently. Unfortunately, our project took much longer than two weeks (about 7 weeks) even though the only legitimate delays were one extra day of electrical work because of unforeseen difficulties and one day of snow that prevented work from continuing. Throughout the process we were happy with the quality of the work that the subcontractors provided. Our only problems were with Gary (Mainstreet Kitchens) and the inexperience of the workers he put in charge of our remodel. Even though we provided Gary with accurate measurements of our kitchen from the outset and he later came to our home to measure himself, he made an error in producing our plan that wasn't realized until my husband and I called to inform him that it just didn't look like all of the cabinets would fit in our space. Unfortunately, his two installers spent a whole day moving them all in and didn't notice it themselves. Instead of placing a new order and further delaying the project, we opted to order a different, smaller refrigerator - something we would never have chosen otherwise. I don't recall whether or not Gary ever apologized (though I don't think he did), but I do remember him breezing in and assuring us that it was a small problem. That was his general attitude toward the whole project. No problem or concern was ever really a big deal - because it wasn't his own kitchen. It became clear to us as the project went on that he was not interested in getting us the best price (or even a price that fit in our budget) and really didn't care about the quality of the work as long as it looked good on the surface at the end of the day. In the end, this turned out to be exactly the kind of experience we initially looked for a contractor on Angie's List to avoid.

Work crew was wonderful. The kitchen remodel was done timely, and professionally.

I was extremely pleased by the competitive pricing. The job was completed on time and in a very professional way. I have never been more pleased about work being done for me in my home. I have also recommended them to all of my family and many of my friends.