Your four options for a cosmetic remodel installation
The remodel landscape has changed. Budget-minded homeowners don't hire designers anymore — they watch remodel shows, scour the internet, and find great deals on materials they choose themselves. What they often can't do is install it. So who should?
Four ways to get it installed
Your four options, rated honestly.
Each option is scored on five things: cost, wait (how soon work starts), continuity (whether it gets done without stops and starts), quality, and trust.
Do it yourself
Depending on the job and your skill level, you may be able to do it yourself.
- CostLow
- WaitShort
- ContinuityVaries
- QualityLow*
- TrustHigh
Countertops and cabinets aren't something inexperienced installers should try. That said, plenty of handy people have successfully put in engineered or vinyl plank flooring, or outdoor pavers. Tile is hit or miss: it takes costly tools to do right, and over a large area it's a heavy, dirty job. *There are exceptions — and trust is high, because it's you.
Hire a general contractor
Often paired with a designer, and perfectly legitimate — if you have the time and money.
- CostHigh
- WaitLong
- ContinuityVaries
- QualityHigh
- TrustHigh
A general contractor usually isn't necessary for a non-structural, cosmetic remodel. Good ones are expensive and, in many areas, simply hard to find. Even with a great one, demand means you'll pay a premium, wait a long time to start, and work around their schedule rather than yours.
Hire a handyman
Outcomes vary widely. Some are former pro installers; some aren't.
- CostLow
- WaitVaries
- ContinuityVaries
- QualityVaries
- TrustVaries
A good handyman is a lot of bang for the buck. They're mechanically minded and often able to fix working systems, so installation isn't a big stretch. The catch is how much skill and tool kits vary from one to the next. It really depends on who you find.
Professional work, without the GC
A finished installation from one of our jobs.
Work that professionals recognize as professionally done — tile set flat, cabinets level and scribed, clean lines at every edge — doesn't require a general contractor's overhead. It requires the right skills, the right tools, and someone who stays until it's finished.
You design and buy. We install.
You choose the look and the materials, act as your own general contractor, and hire a cross-functional crew like Remodel Carpenters for the installation.
- CostLow
- WaitShort
- ContinuityHigh
- QualityHigh
- TrustHigh
We're not general contractors, and that's the point. Our installations run about half the cost of going through a GC, with results professionals recognize as professional work.
- You save money — no markup on your materials and no general-contractor fee.
- You save time — our work has no outside dependencies, and one cross-functional lead handles the trades.
- You save headaches — our work comes last, we work continuously until it's done, and there are only a few simple touchpoints.
At a glance
| Option | Cost | Wait | Continuity | Quality | Trust |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Do it yourself | Low | Short | Varies | Low | High |
| General contractor | High | Long | Varies | High | High |
| Handyman | Low | Varies | Varies | Varies | Varies |
| You design, we install | Low | Short | High | High | High |
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