Designing a new layout is fundamental when renovating a kitchen, but one of the most important key roles in any renovation project is the contractor. Kitchen Encounters partners with various contractors from the Annapolis area on our projects, and though we have several that we regularly recommend, we are always open to working with whomever our client prefers. Having a good relationship with your contractor is very important, not only because they will be in your home for long days for weeks on end, but you also want to be able to trust that the time and expense you put into a great design is going to be supported on the back end with the proper installation.

Mike and Alex found out about their contractor through their realtors, Mike Hamby and Scott Schuetter. The day after the house went on the market, the couple met their realtors and Aaron Drummond, of Tailor Craft Builders, at the house to do a complete walk thru. Knowing that a good amount of work would need to be done before Mike and Alex were able to call it home, it was very helpful to have an expert there before even putting a contract down. They openly talked about what projects could be done, and bounced around numbers of the cost and duration of each of them.  Mike and Alex heard all good things from friends who previously worked with Aaron, and their first impression of meeting him backed it all up. They did not feel the need to ask around or interview anyone else before deciding that he was their guy.  With confidence that the projects they had in mind could be completed, Alex and Mike put an offer in on the home almost immediately, and upon acceptance of their offer, the redesigning began!

A couple things that stand out about working with Aaron are that he’s been easy to get in touch with; it never takes long to get a response; he’s open to discussion with the couple’s ever-changing ideas; and he seems to have their best interest in mind. He uses a program called Co-Construct, which is an on-line site used to store and file all of their discussions and project documents. It also keeps everything organized in the way of selections and floor plans, so you can easily picture how the room(s) will be coming together. He has also shown them helpful tips to save money throughout the whole process!

The demo is underway- More progress photos coming later this week!