We hired GBL to do a kitchen renovation in our 1913 house. The age of the house involved meant balloon framing and plaster/lathe. In order to achieve the renovation goals, multiple walls had to be removed. This in turn lead to the need to just gut the whole main floor walls, ceilings and floors. We couldn't save the old maple floors or many of the craftsman style windows and door trim as it was 100 year old oak.
The demolition process was very extensive and of course very messy. Jason and his crew were very diligent in making sure that each day the house and work space were left as tidy as possible given the mess that is plaster/lathe. Once that part was over it then became necessary to level the floors which was something we had not even considered as homeowners given the layers that were previously there (carpet, laminate, floor covering, 100 year old maple). It was a difficult task (2 inch drop in some areas) but again Jason and his crew did a fantastic job and the payoff was huge as the new maple floor looks incredible but best of all, they are level!
The crew worked very quickly to install the posts/beam for the opening of the load bearing wall. They were able to recreate all the original craftsman style window and door trim so precisely that you cannot tell its not original. Being able to keep some of the character of the house was one of our primary goals of this renovation. The re-creation of the trim was a difficult task as the old trim was so intricate, but the crew did such an amazing job. The kitchen we choose was Ikea and was installed by GBL. This again took some skill as we have 9+ foot ceilings so the cabinet combination we created was unique. The results again were fantastic as we blended Grey Bodbyn bottoms with High Gloss White RingHult uppers.
Overall we can't be happier with the results. We have a 1913 house that feels brand new but retains its old house charm complete with modern updates and absolutely love it. GBL demonstrated excellent workmanship, creativity and problem solving during this project and I would not hesitate to hire them again for a future project.
- Approximate cost of services:
- $50,000.00