A large part of our General Contractor's work is in the demolition phase. The actual remodel started with demolition of existing cabinetry and drywall.

When you rip out cabinetry there will always be a lot of drywall patching to do. After the patching is done, Thistle repainted the entire kitchen. The next step was relocating appliances. This means relocating the electric and plumbing hook ups.

During the demolition phase when moving wiring and plumbing, a home inspector should be called in to examine the work and document the procedure. A homeowner would typically enlist the inspector's services after repairing the electrical and plumbing and prior to repairing the drywall.

Inspectors Observe & Report
The Home Inspector needs to step in when wiring and wall contents are exposed. According to Richard Farkas of Design Consulting Services, Inc., inspectors "observe and report in a non-intrusive manner," so contrary to most assumptions by consumers, inspectors are not responsible for any problems lurking behind finished drywall. File the inspector's documentation with all of your home related documents that come in handy at resale time.

After the cabinetry was installed Thistle Construction's team came back in to complete setting the sinks and faucets, hooking up all appliances and completing the final painting touch up.

The joy of working with a professional .. Thistle Construction, our general contractors for this makeover were great examples of how smooth a renovation can be when you use dedicated, experienced professionals. They were very hands on and required very little project management. They were clean, and communicated with Dana, our homeowner to coordinate the work schedule.

Check Licenses and References:
Never trust your project to unlicensed contractors. Always be sure your contractor is licensed and ideally, has an established local history, like Thistle Construction, since 1987. Ask for references.