Aging in Place FAQ
I thought Welling only did kitchen & bath remodel projects. What is this about?
We do a lot of wonderful things! Providing a service specific to aging in place in our community is something that is important to all of us at WKBF.
We will continue to work on large kitchen and bath remodel projects and residential & commercial flooring projects while adding home modifications for aging in place! We know that it’s hard to find a trusted contractor or handy-person to come and do work at your home. Our team has the experience and skills to complete projects in your home, especially those specific to aging in place.
We are really excited about this additional focus of our work and can’t wait to work more with our community and customers!
I would like to try to stay in my home, but I'm not sure what kinds of things I will need. Can you help me figure that out?
We would be happy to talk with you about your needs and your home and help you find some ideas for modifications that can be made to your home so you can stay there safely.
Can you give me an estimate of what my project will cost before we move forward?
Yes.
If your project has a small scale and scope, you’ll start working with one of our team members on your project. We’ll provide you with an estimate, which will include pricing for products and an estimate for labor and installation/job materials. Your final bill would be calculated based on the actual cost of materials and hours of work done.
If your project has a large scale and scope, such as a full room remodel, we’ll talk to you about our Waiting List and provide you with a Budget Estimator after adding your project to our Waiting List. A more precise estimate for larger remodels will be available after you reach the top of the Waiting List and begin working with one of our designers.
What's the cost of home modifications for aging in place?
The scale and scope of the project will have a great impact on the overall budget for your project.
From switching out cabinet hardware to a complete home remodel, the budget could range from $150 – $100,000+.
Please contact us with your ideas, needs, and questions, and we will help put together a budget range for your project.
I want to remodel my kitchen so it's ready and safe for me to age in place.
We’d love to help! Please contact us and talk with us about your project and your ideas.
If you are looking for a full kitchen remodel, we will talk with you about our Waiting List.
I want to remodel my bathroom so it's ready and safe for me to age in place.
We’d love to help! Please contact us and talk with us about your project and your ideas.
If you are looking for a full bathroom remodel, we will talk with you about our Waiting List.
What geographical area does Welling Kitchen, Bath & Floor serve?
Our full-service area is within a 20 minute drive of our office, meaning that we will serve as general contractor for installs and projects within this radius.
For jobsites over 20 minutes from our office, we may be able to work with you on your Aging in Place related project, but our availability will depend on the input of our project manager and our current schedule capacity. Please contact us to discuss your project and location. Jobsites that over 20 minutes from our office will have an additional charge for travel time.
We use Google Maps to determine the distance from our office to your home and welcome you to do the same as a preliminary check prior to moving forward with your inquiry. Click here to check.
Do you accept credit cards?
While we do accept credit card payments, payments made by credit card incur a 3.5% service charge. To avoid the extra charge, we recommend you be prepared to pay with cash, check, or money order.
When are payments due?
We’ll propose a plan for your desired end-result and tell you an estimate for about how much we think it will cost. Your final bill will be calculated based on the actual cost of materials and hours of work done. Once your design, project scope, material selections, and budget are all just right, it’s time to sign your contract.
If long-lead materials are needed, you’ll also submit a down payment for 60% the estimated contract value.
Your second invoice for 20% of your project value will be issued upon substantial completion of your project. Your final invoice for the remaining 20% of your project value will be issued once the original scope of your contract is completed.
Some projects are charged at Time & Materials and will be invoiced upon substantial completion or completion of your project.
All payments due upon invoice. Invoices that remain unpaid after 30 days will incur a finance charge.
What sort of things could result in charges for my project above and beyond the value of my signed contract?
- Paying with Credit or Debit Card: 3.5% processing charge. You can avoid this charge by paying with check, money order, or cash
- Uncommunicated changes to your floor plan or utility locations after your Design Consultation: If the floor plan used to design your project is different from the floor plan at the time of your technical site measure, your design will need to be updated and your pricing may change. If you signed your contract prior to your technical site measure, there will be a change order contract for these changes. You can avoid additional charges by informing your designer as soon as you are aware of any changes to your floor plan or utility locations, so that they can adjust your preliminary design and pricing to accommodate the new plan.
- Changes requested after signing your contract: Any post-contract changes require that you sign a change-order contract addendum and will likely result in additional charges. Any change order resulting in a defined increase in the value of your project will be invoiced immediately (not at the time of contraction completion billing). Any time and materials changes will be invoiced upon completion of the time and materials work. Any change resulting in a lower contract value will be issued as a credit, and deducted from the final invoice value.
- Other: We do our best to account for all of the costs of your project in your original contract, but there are expenses that may arise in areas that cannot be seen prior to the start of your project. Some examples are electrical or plumbing that is not up to code, hidden water damage, poor insulation, and floor height discrepancies.
The following will not result in charges beyond the value of your signed contract:
- Shipping damage, or damage caused by Welling Kitchen, Bath & Floor installers or subcontractors
- Warranty-eligible repairs to installation done by Welling Kitchen, Bath & Floor installers or subcontractors
- Install trips for punch list, backordered items, or warranty items
- Replacement or repair of any Welling Kitchen, Bath & Floor-supplied materials with warrantied manufacturing defects
Will Welling Kitchen, Bath & Floor coordinate all of the trades involved in my project (ie construction, electrical, plumbing, HVAC)?
Yes. Project management will be included in your contract unless you are working with your own contractor. If you choose to work with your own contractor, you will be responsible for coordinating* your contractor with the Project Management team. Otherwise, we will assign our team members and project partners to complete the work in our contract. We have a great relationship with our project partners, and we are happy to coordinate them for subcontracted labor to work along with our install team for your project. Subcontracted labor (i.e. plumbing & electrical) is charged at cost +10% for project management.
*The exception to this is if you are working with a contractor that we have an established relationship with on a new build project. Please talk to us to confirm that your contractor is one that we work with in this way.
Can I purchase design services only and source my project materials elsewhere?
No, Welling Kitchen, Bath & Floor does not supply design-only services.
Will you help me reface/repaint my cabinets?
There are 2 primary options for changing the appearance of existing cabinetry: replacing fronts, and refacing. Welling Kitchen, Bath & Floor does not provide cabinet replacement front, refacing, or repainting services.
Replacing your cabinet fronts gives you lots new options for door style, however it doesn’t allow you to change the color of your cabinetry, since your cabinet face frames will remain unchanged. The cost of the materials to do this is typically about 60% the cost of entirely new cabinetry, and installation can take nearly as long as a full cabinetry install.
Cabinetry refacing is the only way to change the color of your existing cabinetry. If you are trying to achieve a different stained finish, this involves applying wood veneer to your face frames, and any finished ends, and finishing those parts onsite. If you want to paint your cabinetry, your cabinets will need to be thoroughly cleaned, then existing face frames and finished ends will be painted onsite. Most people decide to get new doors when they are refacing their cabinetry, however existing doors can be reused for painted cabinetry. Taking shortcuts on refacing preparation can result in poor finish quality and even finish failure. If you are considering this option, we highly recommend that you get references for your painter and talk to happy clients whose projects have held up for several years.