How has business been?
We’re very busy for a couple of reasons. One, the pandemic last year forced a lot of people to stay home. And as a result, we’re getting a lot of requests, now that people have stayed home, that they want to make their homes more functional. ... It’s also driven by new construction. There’s a big boom in new construction, but it’s also a problem that people can’t find the homes that they want to move to or build, and they’ve decided to stay in their own homes and renovate them, so one, they’re more aesthetic, and two, they’re more functional for them for the next five to 10 years.
What are some of your more popular projects?
Over the past couple of years, it’s primarily tearing out the old kitchen and putting in a completely new kitchen, so taking it down to the foundation, the studs, reconfiguring, the layout, all new cabinets, countertops, backsplash, flooring, appliances, lighting, all of those kinds of things. I’d say over the past five, seven years we’ve seen the size of our projects grow. And I think it’s just a reflection that homeowners are wanting to stay in their homes. They like their homes; they like their school districts; they like their friends and their neighborhoods.
How long does the typical project take?
For a full kitchen, it’s probably four months. And what that means is the first step in that process is kind of what we call the preliminary design and sales part. And that’s two, three weeks, and then we get a contract and now we go into all the physical selections and materials and final layout of all those materials, and that takes probably a good six to eight weeks on a typical customer. And then the construction of the new kitchen is generally eight to 10 weeks. So a couple of months. So if somebody walked in my front door today, I would tell them on a full kitchen we’re probably four to five months from today being done. [Bathrooms] are a little bit shorter of a time frame, but compared to a kitchen there are so many moving parts in a bathroom from running the electrical, drains, lighting changes, things like that.
Should homeowners be thinking about trends before they start a remodeling project?
I would say no on a general response because it really comes down to the style of the homeowner. More importantly, their own personal style, what the rest of the house looks like, and, quite frankly, how long they plan to stay in the house.
What sort of projects require permits from the city?
Anything that requires plumbing changes, electrical changes or HVAC type changes. ... Then, of course, anything that you’re doing structurally, flooring, foundation, concrete, framing, roofing, things like that. I generally tell homeowners that if we’re adding, modifying or moving plumbing or electric, we get permits. If a permit is needed from a city, we get the permits, and we bring all the different crews to the table to complete the job.
John Todd
Owner
Elite Home & Kitchen Remodeling
2930 Preston Road, Ste. 980, Frisco
972-573-4973
www.elitehomeremodeling.com
