The Big Austin Home Improvement Thread 2013 (Cedar Park, Bee Cave: house, neighborhood, general contractor)

[Eastcoasting]

We recently closed on a house in the Bee Cave area that will require some updating and I now find myself in need of some recommendations for tradesmen and sources for materials.

I'll list a few of the projects that we are in need of contractors for but please feel free to post about any exceptional contractors and businesses that you have had the pleasure of working with.

Thanks in advance!

-Tile: I have about 1200 sq ft of white builder grade white tile that has to be removed from the concrete slab and replaced with more tile.

Materials: What are the go to tile showroom locations?


-Garage door: Two car door, interested in learning about the fiberglass faux wood doors and their performance in the Texas sun (west facing house). Who are the big names in the area for garage door replacement.


-Garage floors: Epoxy coating, to be honest I'll probably do this myself unless someone recommends the end all be all of garage floor coating companies.


-Kitchen counters: Granite, marble, soapstone possibly quartz...who's the best. Large but uncomplicated kitchen.


-Gutters


-Carpet: Any mega showrooms out there? Top notch installers?

[10scoachrick]

Just a couple of thoughts...I'd go with Cedar Park Overhead Door for the garage doors. Many neighbors have had the same great experience with them as we have. Bit of a haul to Bee Cave; but they work all over the area.

On the garage floor, take a look at this site for more than you ever wanted to know:
The Garage - The Garage Journal Board
There are reps for various flooring materials as well as many, MANY pics of DIY projects.

[Moonlady]

All of my friends from my old neighborhood near Bee Cave recommend Cedar Park Overhead as well.

We have used Empire Granite for a few projects. They don't have a nice showroom. They have a fabricating facility with a "sales" office upstairs. You have to walk around the granite yard a bit to figure it out, but they have really competitive pricing. Just to give you an idea- we got two quotes for our bathroom project. One was ~$1300 and theirs was $750. Big difference, same quality.

For carpets, we use Floor King. Good carpet selection and good prices.

For tile, I like The Tile Guy on Anderson Ln.

I have some good recommendations for plumbing and electrical if you end up needing any of that. DM me.

[CarnivalGal]

I would find a good general contractor first. Contractors usually have relationships with showrooms / stores and will get a better price than you can. Also, many of the best marble/granite places will only sell slabs to fabricators, not individuals. There are also showrooms and companies that only deal with contractors. In other words, you can't even go in and look yourself. Your contractor can also coordinate delivery dates based on what work is being done at what time.

Of course you can do all of this yourself, but you will probably save some time and money doing it this way.

[Moonlady]

Originally Posted by mm57553

I would find a good general contractor first. Contractors usually have relationships with showrooms / stores and will get a better price than you can. Also, many of the best marble/granite places will only sell slabs to fabricators, not individuals. There are also showrooms and companies that only deal with contractors. In other words, you can't even go in and look yourself. Your contractor can also coordinate delivery dates based on what work is being done at what time.

Of course you can do all of this yourself, but you will probably save some time and money doing it this way.

That has not been my experience. Empire used to be part of Tileworks and split off on their own. They have been doing granite in Austin since 1989. To say they don't work with individuals is not true. SW Marble and Granite and Moe Fried are two other companies that work directly with the public.

We have used contractors and also managed some small projects on our own. It depends on the individual needs and comfort level. For a large bathroom remodel, we used a contractor, but smaller jobs we prefer to manage on our own.

[scm53]

Originally Posted by Eastcoasting

-Tile: I have about 1200 sq ft of white builder grade white tile that has to be removed from the concrete slab and replaced with more tile.

Materials: What are the go to tile showroom locations?

Go see Julian at Castle Floorings, S Lamar @ Oltorf. Knowledgeable and as trustworthy as the day is long. I've looked and haven't found one better. He can help you with the carpet, too.

[Eastcoasting]

Great stuff, Thanks!

I'll start making calls tomorrow and setting up for estimates.

I have always sourced my own materials, I enjoy it and I really, really enjoy haggling!

[sloppymeg]

We used Empire for our outdoor kitchen earlier this year. They were easy to work with, showed me lots of options, and followed up after the install. The ONLY issue I had with them was the wait between choosing the granite, the on-site measuring, and the install. All-in-all, it was about 2 weeks. We were hoping for quicker turnaround.

[RooCeleste]

For gutters, contact Dale at Austin Affordable Gutters Austin Affordable Gutters,Rain gutters Austin Tx.,Gutters Austin tx., Seamless gutters Austin. He did ours and subsequently quite a few of our neighbors, and we've all be very, very pleased! I got several quotes and his was, by far, the best!