Thinking About a New Over the Range Hood in the Kitchen?

Custom White Range Wood Hood - Ridgefield CT

If you have your sights on either upgrading or installing a new range hood as part of your kitchen update project, read our below tips to ensure a smooth remodeling experience.

1. Wood Hoods vs. Stainless Steel Hoods

  • This is the biggest choice that impacts the most factors in the process. Both choices can easily accommodate any style kitchen, however price should be a consideration. We provide a wide selection of wood hood styles to choose from that can be sized to fit your exact kitchen specifications. Due to the sourced material, construction and additional finishing work, wood hoods can be at least double the overall cost of a stainless steel model.

2. Blower/Air Vent Unit Installation

  • If you have your heart set on a wood hood, you will need to purchase a separate blower unit appliance to be installed. Most stainless steel models have the unit pre-installed. We have found that our wood hood vendor often provides better kits, which can be installed by an appliance pro.

3. Duct Work

  • Depending on the existing structure and layout of your kitchen, additional work may need to be performed to install new or modify the existing setup to accept the new hood. This may include sheet rocking or having a HVAC professional re-route the ducting to a suitable outside location.

Center Island Stainless Steel Hood - Greenwich CT

4. Lead Time

  • It is important to keep in mind wood hoods, unlike stainless steel hoods will take additional lead time for construction and finishing to blend with your kitchen cabinetry (either a paint, stain or accent color). We recommend factoring at least 4 weeks for delivery.

5. Hood Installation

  • Now that all style and factors have been determined, a meticulous installation will make a major difference! For best visual appearance, wood hoods will be hung and then will be trimmed in with molding for a polished and finished look. Oftentimes, a stainless hood can be hung by an appliance installer without the need for additional moldings.

Give us a call or contact us today to see how we can help you incorporate a new range hood into your kitchen remodeling plans!

New Neutral Kitchen Cabinet Paint Colors for 2017!

Say hello to these new sophisticated neutrals designed for 2017! As part of our classic cabinet door series, these soothing tones can easily re-fresh your kitchen space or add interest to an accent kitchen island. 

Showcased on our most popular shaker kitchen cabinet door styles, this palette can play well with transitional to traditionally styled kitchens. 

If you are looking for a design alternative to the classic white kitchen, contact us today to see these brand new samples in the comfort of your own home! Be sure to have a peek at our project gallery for even more inspiration. 

Wondering How to Hire a Home Improvement Contractor? Read These Top 3 Tips!

Ackley Cabinet - Choosing a Home Remodeling Contractor

Choosing a Qualified

Home Remodeling Contractor

With summer here, it's that time of year to start organizing your home improvement projects and getting ready to tackle those areas. You researched tirelessly online, developed a list of companies to call, gathered at least 3 estimates and now what?

Before you pull the trigger, check out our below top 3 recommended tips to ensure you hire the right contractor so your project runs smoothly without a hitch:

  1. Check for Appropriate Licenses: Nothing is worse than hiring a home improvement professional and starting work, soon after to find out they are either not licensed for their trade or it was revoked by the state. We always recommend asking the contractor/company to show you a current copy of their home improvement license with the date of expiration. You can also easily lookup licenses online now and search by name (click here for CT and here for NY). While on the topic, it would also be a good time to ask for proof of insurance to ensure you are protected. 
  2. Call Recent References: This is a biggie that separates out the true professionals. Be sure ask for at least 3 recent customers (meaning the past 2 - 6 months) you can contact. If the contractor seems uncomfortable or cannot easily give you names, that should be your red flag that their work might not be up to par. Remember: satisfied clients are usually willing to chat on the phone and detail their experiences with that professional (both good and bad), so you can make the best informed decision.
  3. Ask to Visit a Finished Project: A photo may be worth a thousand words, but we believe nothing compares to actually seeing the finished product up close in person. Contractors that are proud of their work and stand by the quality will be more happy to show it off to you. Even if the contractor can only arrange a showing of a project from a couple months/years prior, the added benefit there is that you can see how the product held up with daily usage. 

With any home improvement or remodeling project, you always want to make sure you are contracting with licensed professionals to avoid any hiccups with quality or service.

If remodeling the kitchen or updating your cabinets is on your summer "To-Do" list, give us a call today or click here to get started! We would be happy to stop by and show you our offerings to completely transform your kitchen space. 

What is Kitchen Cabinet Remodeling and How is it Different from New Cabinets & Cabinet Refacing?

In general, people know they can rip-out and replace all their kitchen cabinets, or reface/resurface or paint them if they just want to “spruce them up”. However, many people are falling somewhere in the middle, where they don’t see the need to tear-out their good cabinets, but they want a completely new look with high-quality custom products.

Ackley Cabinet of Ridgefield CT - Awarded Best Of Houzz 2016

Best of Houzz 2016 - Ackley Cabinet LLC | Ridgefield CT

January 12, 2016 – Ackley Cabinet LLC of Ridgefield CT has won “Best Of Service” on Houzz®, the leading platform for home remodeling and design. The family owned kitchen remodeling and custom cabinet firm was chosen by the more than 35 million monthly unique users that comprise the Houzz community from among more than one million active home building, remodeling and design industry professionals.

The Best Of Houzz is awarded annually in three categories: Design, Customer Service and Photography. Design award winners’ work was the most popular among the more than 35 million monthly users on Houzz. Customer Service honors are based on several factors, including the number and quality of client reviews a professional received in 2015. Architecture and interior design photographers whose images were most popular are recognized with the Photography award. A “Best Of Houzz 2016” badge will appear on winners’ profiles, as a sign oftheir commitment to excellence. These badges help homeowners identify popular and top-rated home professionals in every metro area on Houzz.

“Anyone building, remodeling or decorating looks to Houzz for the most talented and service-oriented professionals” said Liza Hausman, vice president of Industry Marketing for Houzz. “We’re so pleased to recognize Ackley Cabinet LLC, voted one of our “Best Of Houzz” professionals by our enormous community of homeowners and design enthusiasts actively remodeling and decorating their homes.”

Follow Ackley Cabinet on Houzz to keep up to date on recent projects and completed kitchens. 


Getting a Handle on It!

White Shaker Kitchen Cabinet Door - Bronze Pewter Knob | Danbury CT

So you’ve finally settled on your cabinet layout, wood specie, door style and finish. Now onto the handles!

When thinking about the many possibilities for your cabinetry, it’s easy to get overwhelmed (oil-rubbed bronze, antique pewter, chrome…oh my!) One way to think about hardware is as the “jewelry” of the kitchen, with the power to enhance or completely transform a style. With this in mind, remember our 4 C’s of hardware selection – Class, Color, Cost, and Comfort.

Class: There are generally 2 primary classifications: Knobs and Pulls. Knobs are the classic choice, with a multitude of shapes and finishes. Pulls can create variation and interest, and can range from cup shaped pulls to the more contemporary bar pull. Mixing hardware classes (knobs on doors with pulls on drawers) is a popular option to have the best of both worlds.

Color: Kitchen appliance color (microwave, refrigerator, stove, etc.) is an important consideration when choosing the metallic finish for your hardware. Black and stainless steel typically modernizes a space, while white crisp appliances creating a more classic style. Are you planning on upgrading to a matching set, keeping existing pieces, or mixing in appliance fronts that match your cabinetry? All should play nicely with your hardware selection.

Cost: Similar to jewelry, hardware can range from minimalist to ornate, with matching prices typically between $4 to $12 per piece. If your heart is set on a style that might be a bit pricier than your budget, it might be worth the jump, as it’s a one-time investment that you’ll see and use everyday.

Comfort: Since you’ll be actually using your kitchen, you will want to choose handles that are comfortable for you and your family. This is a secondary feature, but might tip the scales after the above criteria.

Transitional White Kitchen - Custom Cabinets | Fairfield CT

Bottomline: While we generally advise our customers to gather pictures of the overall style they want to achieve, we are more than happy to lend our design expertise to your decision-making process.