It is possible that they give you an estimate but after realize that it is too much work for that price. A gut remodel for a kitchen would definitely exceed 10k. Check out this report, it lists the different project types and costs for the New England +Boston area.. A major kitchen remodel goes from 66-130k. If you cannot find anyone, give home depot or Lowe's a call. It might take a week or two for them to come out, but they would definitely do it.

https://s3.amazonaws.com/HW_Assets/CVV_Assets/2015/Consumer/bostonma.pdf

Where are you located? Most of my (better) tile guys are booked about 4 months out. (I'm in NJ)

Im in NY .. in the hudson Valley area. and there's no way in hell 66k for a gut remodel is the going rate. my kitchen is small and we already bought everything. we aren't changing floor layouts or moving walls. Plumbing is also staying where it is.

THIS is the kitchen ....

like i said ... not big...

oh AND .. we are not doing any tile at all.

Ask friends and neighbors for additional contractor references. Or a very active local real estate agent.

It may be that by the time a contractor has to arrange the tradepeople and oversee, it's not worth it to them and they have larger jobs in which they have more of a say and/or control over the plan as well. We did not use a contractor, but worked with our cupboard supplier (who did the measurements and design) and they recommended the tradespeople and we dealth with each one on our own.

Sorry but it really doesn’t matter that the kitchen is small there is a lot of work in gutting a kitchen stuff you can’t even imagine did you have a designer design the kitchen for you or are the contractors now expected to fix all the little things that can go wrong with a client designed space I don’t mean to be rude but i would not want a job where there is no clear plan in place . You don’t mention cabinets is this something you have and just did not mention or are they part of the stuff the contractor has to supply. I really don’t know how you buy counter tops without a kitchen in place so maybe they are just running away before they end up in a big mess

Hello, Tanya,

We are in the Hudson Valley area as well, and $10K still seems a tad low to do the work that you are describing. In any event, you're probably not getting a response because the project is a very small one as far as contractors go, and most will not find it worth it for them financially to be involved. For this reason, sometimes the smaller the project, the more difficult it is to accomplish and find someone reputable willing to take on the work.

If you'd like, send me an email, and maybe I contact a couple of contractors that we've worked with in the area to see if they may be willing to take on the project. Include some additional information on your location (town), as well as maybe a couple more photos and scope of work to be performed, including what you've already purchased to be installed. My email is amy@roamdesignllc.com.

Good luck!

Best,

Amy M. Nowak-Palmerini, AIA

Interesting ,national dilemma. We live in a small town in Maine, we restored a 1700 house historically. When we began my husband had barely held a hammer. The First project was mortise and tenon small paned casement windows,no glue,no nails. Huge learning curve. I liked the necessary details, he learned how. Many years later, now that we can afford a bit of help,whether it is chimney,roof,siding, etc. we do the plumbing..there is no one,if Mason's are not working on a mc mansion,forget it,a simple repair does not get you a mason. If you need cabinets built, agreement, months later nothing. A friend recommended, contractor finally came after begging, explaining,if we could not have his help,we might as well sell our house.
Promises broken, calls never answered, agreements for dates,out the window. It is upsetting and frightening,we are reaching retirement. We can only do so much and if the current situation continues,the place will fall in while we are in it. The good guys are now retiring as well. The prices quoted here for what I consider a simple job, means I am in the wrong business.
We have done all that you mention, not a big deal. Messy yes, high skill,no.

There is a floor plan. We had this professionally planned out with blue prints and pictures. And yes we bought the cabinets. We bought everything actually. All the contractor would have to bring along is sheetrock, nails, tools and himself. We can do electrical but if they rather hire their own electrician and plumber then so be it. But we didn't cap at 10k ... thats just the highest price we're getting so far. So if that's low then why are they undercutting themselves on purpose?

The reason everything was already planned and purchased was because we thought we had a contractor secured.... He did all the preliminary work then vanished (?!?!?!?!?) Why even do volunteer work if you dont want to be paid? sorry if i seem short in all this but we've been dealing with this almost 5 months ... we're so frustrated at this point. This has been going on since August. :(

So it sounds like i need to find a contractor that's looking for "small jobs?" how would i go about that? and thank you Amy .. i will email you. :)

It's not because the job is small. It's because the OP thinks the job is small and doesn't realize the actual scope that goes into a kitchen redo. And hasn't properly addressed the full scope of the job.

Contractors prefer to work with a professional plan in place, that they developed, and with materials that they have personally bought and vetted for quality. It's a recipe for disaster for a contractor to show up on a job with no written description of the work, amateur measured plans, and homeowner purchased crap quality materials purchased off of Craigslist. 10K wouldn't remotely be enough to take on the risk of starting a job with those circumstances. Even if you are at half the national average for a kitchen redo, you'd still be around 30K. You don't have a realistic idea of the project costs, nor the planning needed to make it work successfully.

What's your electrical panel capacity and your plan to bring the kitchen up to code? How old are those plumbing supply lines and drains? What's your plan to deal with them? What's you plan when removing those cabinets leads to damaged plaster? And exposes the fact that there is no insulation in the walls behind them? What if your cheepchinese cabinets that you bought off the internet don't fit because you mismeasured?

When you plan a remodel, your contractor knows the answers to all of those issues because he was part of the planning and purchasing process from the beginning. You have a professionally developed plan of attack, with the measured drawings to support that plan. And you, the homeowner, have realistic funds allocated to accomplish that plan.

If you have bought your cabinets from a local cabinet shop ask them if they know of someone that would be suited to a job like yours. Local lumber/building supply places are also a possibility. I know of someone in my area that gets work from a posting board at a church he belongs to. Obviously you are frustrated, but just keep asking around and it will fall in place for you.

Yeah, contractors *hate* having to implement somebody else's plan. I'm so sorry that your original contract fell through and left you with a garage full of supplies. I hope you find a great local tradesman to get it all finished for you!

If i went along with every contractor that came through my door then i'd have 2 holes punched into my walls and a seperate fan for "venting" and a range hood that blew everything back into the kitchen .... Nope. Next!

So, post your written Scope of Work, and the architectural plans. Who is pulling the permit? Who is renting the dumpster? Who is providing the workman's comp? You are approaching the job as the General Contractor yourself by developing the plan and hiring the labor to work to a plan that you accept responsibility for. You may not realize the full implications that you are shouldering with that approach.

You've have also made the mistake of 'purchasing' everything. Contractors do not like this either because if they 'fall apart' while installing then what? Another 3 week wait? There goes the profit margin. I agree with @sophie double your budget or attempt it yourself.

Sorry but in my world a contractor follows my plan they are not allowed to plan a space My contractors work from my plans all the time they are not designers even though many of them think they are. but i do agree that if you are having this much trouble maybe time to test your DIY skills and I also agree lets see the plans

It also begs to be pointed out that "winter" is the "indoor" season for building. Once the snow flies, the GCs and their trades head in doors where there is PLENTY of work to be had. That's why building envelopes (the exterior) are thrown up in summer and the inside is "finished" in winter. Most people plan INDOOR projects for the winter and OUTDOOR projects for the summer.

In today's market, the good GCs are booked every day and have turned down projects like these. The bad GCs (like the one you have already run into) are available "next week", go through the motions and then evaporate as soon as they find something else with bigger profit margin.

What may have to happen is this: you will need to subcontract everything out yourself. Contact the cabinet suppliers and have them suggest installers in your area (finishing carpenters can do this work). Then contact the counter top manufacturer and find out who is in your area. Now seek out plumbers and electricians. It would be great if you could find a certified plumber who is also an electrician. Per hour, s/he will be more expensive but will turn out to be a snick cheaper than two trades people hired independently. While the seal on a pipe is setting up (20-30 minutes of down time) s/he can be wiring something in. You get the picture.

If you need new flooring, you may have to find a flooring contractor yourself. Have them come in and scope the job and they will tell you when they want to "come in" and do the job (before or after cabs/counters/etc).

I think you may have to subcontract this stuff out yourself. If GCs aren't coming forward, then you may have to go ahead and become the GC yourself. Listen to your trades people (ask them what is needed to bring it up to "code" and then tell them to go ahead) and then let them do their jobs.

It will take 30%-50% longer but it will get done.

Just when i thought all hope was lost! .... One of the contractors finally called back earlier today... he's ready for us to sign but not til i call the insurance company and confirm his insurance is actually active and valid, licensing, etc.... According to angies list and local reviews, he's one of the best so ...lets hope this is it.. fingers crossed.

Yeah!

We had the same problem

i had a CG come to our house and tell me my kitchen vent had to be "internally vented" ... in other words .. my range hood HAD TO blow the air back in the kitchen and then i had to get a separate exhaust fan put in the wall .... If i listened to every single contractor that blew in and out of here, i'd have a butt backwards kitchen. :P Cancork Floor ... thank you for the details. You make alot of sense. Wish the man would want to tackle this ourselves but he rather not deal with the hassle. (He hasn't much patience.)

Thank you again ... we'll see what next week brings.

Sometimes when contractors know that you are getting many quotes, they aren't sure if you really want them. You should not wait for them to call you back. Get on the phone and call them back to show you are serious about wanting them to do the work. Also, ask around your friend and co workers for a good carpenter. I started out with a carpenter and my cabinets. The carpenter knew a plumber. I just had old cabinets pulled out and new put in, new countertop and a new sink. I find church is a good place to find people in the trades I can trust - I know where to find them if something doesn't go well:)