Kitchen Rennovation

We are contemplating a complete kitchen renovation. Removing walls, relocating plumbing. completely new cabinetry, new countertops, flooring, lighting and so on.

North of the border I would need a;

1. Kitchen designer who specialized in overall layout. drawings, cabinetry design and specifications, kitchen convenience features, etc.
2. General contractor to acquire and supervise the trades and
3. Tradespeople - demolition, constructions, plumbing, electricians, tillers etc..

Are there recommendations for either the Kitchen Designer specialist or a General Contractor??

Any sage advice?

TIA

SunFan

Good post.....I would interested also in what people have to say regarding this type of project.

The best in this area IMO is:

ALEJANDRO (ALEX) SALAZAR GUTIERREZ (Written estimates) (Speaks English) (Work guaranteed)
Calle Paseo de los Veleros #26A, Ajijic
Tel: 045-334-593-6417

He is also a structural engineer. He is not the cheapest but his work is top quality and he guarantees everything. He has built multi million dollar homes around here and has been involved in some very high end renovations.

slainte39 wrote:
Good post.....I would interested also in what people have to say regarding this type of project.

If I'm not divorced or in jail for murder (or both) I'll let everyone know what not to do with a kitchen reno.

SunFan

As an aside I need to purchase a wall oven,  cook top and dishwasher BUT I will not buy another product engineered and built for the
Mexican market. Absolute crap.  I've had Io Maybe, Admiral, Toshiba and Whirlpool (stove, fridge, fridge, washing machine respectively) requiring extensive repairs or replacement soon after the ridiculous one year warrenty  expires.

I haven't been successful in finding a transporter who would deliver these from say Laredo.

Are there companies in Guad who can source American made or engineered appliances?

And thanks to Bob for the contractor suggestion. He's coming tomorrow.

Tell Alex you are friends of ours. He has done work for us too. He is a great guy.

We purchased an Acrost brand refrigerator over 20 yrs ago... used it inside for maybe 8 yrs, then put it outside on our covered patio...it's still there, working just fine in hot, humid (wet) Mazatlan. We also have used LG brand with great experience. Good luck to you.

When we renovated our kitchen we put in top of the line GE fridge, Whirlpool dishwasher and Whirlpool cook top. We purchased it from Tio Sam's. We haven't had a problem with any of it. I believe they do import some of their stuff from Canada as the cook top (and the Frigidaire dryer I also bought) had to be converted from NG to propane prior to installation. Tio Sam's included this conversion in their price.

The only problems I have had are with the dryer. The dirty power cooked several motherboards. Since I installed a proper voltage regulator I have had no problems.

Get GE Signature, some you can get here, others from Home Depot in the USA an have Hugh Roberts bring them down. We got our Dual Fuel Kitchen range that way.

I didn't want to take the thread off topic but others have so I'm gonna jump in. In twenty-one years of using Mexican appliances, I have NEVER had a problem with appliances bought new... not in San Miguel de Allende, not in San Pancho and not here. Many appliances are made here for sale NOB and it would totally crack me up if the OP went to all the trouble of importing a NOB appliance only to find that it had originated here.
I do make a point of buying non digital appliances though... those mother boards can be mothers all right.

Well actually I believe appliances (and many other things) made for export are made with a much higher quality. They make them as cheaply as possible for the Mexican market. This includes automobiles that look the same but don't have nearly the same accessories or even meet DOT standards up north.

Concerning kitchen appliances, many are simply not available here. Case in point is our Dual Fuel Stove; Gas cook top, electric convection oven. The only such model one can buy here is commercial grade and costs nearly $7500 US. We got the GE Profile in the USA for $2400.

Both excellent arguments guys.
I will be in the market for an 18 inch wide undercounter dishwasher in the next year. I want it to be stainless steel inside and out so I have a sneaking suspicion that I'm going to have to import it.

Check with Tio Sam's. They have the highest quality appliances in this area IMO. They may be able to order it in.

Thanks.

CanuckBob wrote:When we renovated our kitchen we put in top of the line GE fridge, Whirlpool dishwasher and Whirlpool cook top. We purchased it from Tio Sam's. We haven't had a problem with any of it. I believe they do import some of their stuff from Canada as the cook top (and the Frigidaire dryer I also bought) had to be converted from NG to propane prior to installation. Tio Sam's included this conversion in their price.

The only problems I have had are with the dryer. The dirty power cooked several motherboards. Since I installed a proper voltage regulator I have had no problems.

Just to expand on one Mexican appliance experience........

WHIRLPOOL top of the line Duet front loading clothes washer. Purchased then a little over three years before from Tio Sams.
It tows an F01 error code and is completely dead. Google tells me it's the circuit board and it's going to be expensive.

We called Tio Sam.. No warrenty of course. A Technician (actually two, right) arrives a week later from Guadalajara.

He looks at the machine. Says he doesn't know the problem, takes a photo of the error display and leaves.

A week later he's  back. This time he removes a part and leaves.

A week later he's back and says he didn't get the circuit board that was defective. Takes another part and leaves.

Two weeks later he's back. He was on vacation. Puts in the part and.....NOTHING. same problem.

A week later he's  back again. Still won't  work. He explains it's the computer. His assistant helpfully recommends we buy a new washer. I had to restrain my wife.

Through Tio Sam we reach a supervisor at Whirlpool in Guadalajara. He explains the circuit board has failed ( maybe he uses Google) and there is no replacement part in all of Mexico!! They are available in the USA but the US office can't /won't send it to them!!

No problem he says. They have a board from a similar model they can use.

A week later they're back and wonder of wonders the washer works. Cost is over $5,000 pesos. When I enquired I  was informed there was NO warrenty. This time my wife had to restrain me.

The next day we discover there are two fairly important wash cycles that no longer work - gentle and bulky items.

WHIRPOOL and Tio Sam's don't want to speak to us any more. They've done all they can. Now if I like I can get the proper circuit board from th US  myself at my cost and pay Whirlpool to install it.

I  had to laugh. The laundromat we went to for the two months plus used Amiral appliances.

SunFan

That totally sucks SunFan. But, I learned my lesson early and that's why I don't buy appliances with digital readouts. Manual dials work just fine. And, if a maid turns them the wrong way, the dials can be fixed with elastic bands and a glue gun. Viva Mexico.