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Message |
    
Jay060
Citizen
Username: Jay060
Post Number: 1
Registered: 8-2003
| | Posted on Wednesday, August 20, 2003 - 10:58 am: |     |
Has anyone ever used Home Depot for demolition/installation? They are very inexpensive and was wondering if anyone has had any experience using them. We are gutting our kitchen and they are a fraction of the cost of a general contractor. |
Andy Black
Citizen
Username: Njbrit
Post Number: 1
Registered: 8-2003
| | Posted on Wednesday, August 20, 2003 - 1:31 pm: | |
You have to ask yourself why they're cheap, and what kind of contractor has so little work that he needs to sub-contract to HD (who will take a percentage also), for sub-market rates. Also, your contract would be with HD -- pro= }they need to support their reputation, con= you don't know who they will send.
If you are only using them for the demolition, you may want to risk it. |
bobk
Supporter
Username: Bobk
Post Number: 3318
Registered: 5-2001
| | Posted on Wednesday, August 20, 2003 - 3:22 pm: | |
We had HD install a new water heater. The plumber and his assistant (out of Livingston) showed up on time, were neat and quick and we are very happy with the result. The cost was maybe ½ to 2/3rds of what others have posted here a local plumber would charge for a similar quality water heater. The plumber indicated that HD gets a volume discount because of the amount of business they provide. They will install just about any plumbing item HD sells, according to the plumber.
I didn’t know they would do a whole kitchen, including demolition, sheetrock, electric, plumbing, etc. Do they have a GC or do you have to schedule all the trades?
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Jay060
Citizen
Username: Jay060
Post Number: 2
Registered: 8-2003
| | Posted on Wednesday, August 20, 2003 - 3:53 pm: | |
HD will coordinate everything for you, including demolition. They have a sq. ft. cost for floor demolition and installation. To gut the kitchen, including floors and replace the flooring and cabinets would run about 15K with HD. Contractors were quoting 30K. I'm just not sure about the quality of the work, though. |
1-2many
Citizen
Username: Wbg69
Post Number: 251
Registered: 6-2002
| | Posted on Wednesday, August 20, 2003 - 4:32 pm: | |
Excel quoted me $15k to $20k for a kitchen, RGH quoted me $15k. the HD estimate does not sound like a bargain, based on the quotes I have gotten.
who quoted you $30k just for labor? |
Jay060
Citizen
Username: Jay060
Post Number: 3
Registered: 8-2003
| | Posted on Wednesday, August 20, 2003 - 5:36 pm: | |
30K included the cost of the new cabinets and countertop. BTW, this was HD on Rt. 10 (the Union store is a nightmare). |
jdh118
Citizen
Username: Jdh118
Post Number: 23
Registered: 6-2001
| | Posted on Wednesday, August 20, 2003 - 11:12 pm: | |
Home Depot carpet - worst experience ever.
Home Expo, OTOH; contractors templated and installed granite counter and couldn't be happier. ....now if only they'd get the message that hiring a few more people on the sales floor would actually get their customers some timely help, the everpresent customer boil-overs would go way down, and they might just be on to something! |
Jackie Day
Citizen
Username: Zoesky1
Post Number: 72
Registered: 6-2003
| | Posted on Wednesday, August 20, 2003 - 11:15 pm: | |
Personally, I would never use HD as a general contractor. A few years ago we chose to use Expo (HD's sister company) to be the GC on a new master bathroom. After eight months (!) it was STILL not finished. The bureaucracy, the back-and-forth between designers, expediters, cashiers, etc., the layers of details...it was stupefyingly ridiculous. We were not naive to home renovations, having already done two kitchens (in two different houses) and numerous smaller projects with contractors. Anyway, we ended up firing Expo and bringing in the same contractor who'd done our kitchen a year before. He picked up where Expo left off and did a great job. If HD is anything like Expo, STAY AWAY. I think you're better off hiring an experienced contractor who knows his subcontractors, deals with you directly, and doesn't jerk you around. |
bobk
Supporter
Username: Bobk
Post Number: 3319
Registered: 5-2001
| | Posted on Thursday, August 21, 2003 - 3:56 am: | |
I will bet you dollars to doughnuts that HD and Expo use the same contractors.
This is a personal opinion, so take it for what it is worth. $15,000 is a lot of money. I would be very tempted because I am both cheap and arrogant. I think I know enough to be able to monitor the construction process to make sure it is done correctly. Plumbing and electrical have to be inspected as does insullation, so that should not be a problem. For all the jokes about "Lawn Police", the Building Department does a good job.
My wife can spot a wavy drywall seam at 20 yards without her glasses.  Making sure that the cabinets are instaled plumb and level with the face frames even and the doors lined up isn't rocket science. If you are not comfortable with doing this yourself get a knowledgeable friend or neigbor to look things over for you or hire of the poster on this board who does this sort of thing to do it for you.
Everyone I know has stories about bad contracting jobs that run over time and over budget. The big issue for me, as Jackie points out, is how well they coordinate the trades on the job. Still the inconvenience of a job possibly taking an extra week or so vs. $15,000 is something you have to decide for yourself.
Also, make sure that the quotes include materials, especially cabinets and countertops of like kind and quality.
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Musetta
Citizen
Username: Musetta
Post Number: 14
Registered: 6-2003
| | Posted on Thursday, August 21, 2003 - 7:52 am: | |
The only time I used HD was for carpet...and they did a great job...fast, efficient, etc. Turned out well....of course I really didn't care anyway (which is why I went ahead and used them)- we were putting in the new carpet when we put our house on the market. |
Andy Black
Citizen
Username: Njbrit
Post Number: 3
Registered: 8-2003
| | Posted on Thursday, August 21, 2003 - 9:45 am: | |
Bobk is right -- you have to compare apples to apples. There is such a vast range of cabinet quality and prices, that you need the labor itemized, so you can do a direct comparison. When we had our kitchen done, the installation of the cabinets (24 linear feet, only 5 upper cabs) and "appliances" (dishwasher, two sinks and faucets, stove top and wall oven) cost $1800. If you go with granite,soapstone,marble etc. the quotes usually include measuring, delivery and installation.
GOOD LUCK |
hello
Citizen
Username: Hello
Post Number: 66
Registered: 7-2003
| | Posted on Thursday, August 21, 2003 - 11:56 am: | |
personally, i would not hesitate to use HD as a GC on a job. i would agree to pay them only with a credit card, *i would not sign anything permitting them a contractor's lien as recourse*, and i would not hesiate to deny payment if they didn't do the work to satisfaction. all "tough love" crap you probably can't get away with with a normal GC.
things HD gives you:
1) you know the contractors are insured. a BIG deal.
2) you get access to contractors who work at plainfield hourly rates, not millburn ones. another BIG deal.
i'm frustrated by a lack of locals looking for work in maplewood. i need some mechanism to access hard-working reasinably priced contractors nearby. HD gives me an option for that. |
1-2many
Citizen
Username: Wbg69
Post Number: 256
Registered: 6-2002
| | Posted on Thursday, August 21, 2003 - 1:02 pm: | |
Jay, it really depends on what cabinets/countertop you are getting in your quote, as to whether $15k is a good price. The cost of each of these components can vary wildly. I would guess a laminate countertop would be less than $1k, whereas granite or silestone would be $5k to $10k. Same is true with cabinetry: a range of $4k to $30k (and up of course) is not unreasonable, covering the spectrum of stock to custom.
Bobk makes good points about being your own GC, but this also assumes you know or can find the subs yourself to do the work you'll be GC'ing. it also means you'll have to get quotes from all of them, that are fairly accurate, to be able to forecast what you might actually save, and in turn make your "to GC or not to GC" decision based on that potential savings. |
magmasystems
Citizen
Username: Magmasystems
Post Number: 129
Registered: 1-2002
| | Posted on Thursday, August 21, 2003 - 9:58 pm: | |
Several people have posted that they used HD for carpeting. We went to the Union store the other day, and it seems that the installation charge for carpet comes out to about $1 per square foot (so, we are talking about $1.90 total per square foot if the carpet alone is 90 cents a sq foot).
Does this sound like a fair price???
We have a 24 x 22 basement, which is 528 square feet. So, we are talking about $500 just for installation.
Thanks. |
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