It's just better to use common sense and keep yourself protected by going with someone who is licensed. It's usually easy to tell the unlicensed contractors or scam artist or possibly someone who is just trying to get in your home. Use wisdom and do your homework to avoid the following pitfalls. 1. Unlicensed contractors often go door-to-door claiming they "just finished a job down the street and we're in the neighborhood and noticed your roof needs patching. Today's Kitchens Contemporary kitchens are full of energy-efficient appliances and state-of-the-art flooring and countertops. With interest in gourmet cooking high, today's kitchens are well-thought out and extremely useable spaces. Not only that, they are beautiful to behold. If you are performing nightly cooking chores in an outdated kitchen, rocket yourself into the new millennium and consider a kitchen remodel project. Though most old stoves are white, some occasionally turn up in cream, green, or cobalt blue. Hoods are more difficult to find to match your stove since they were not around one hundred years ago. Try buying wood and blending it into the upper cabinetry. Vintage style hardware is the icing on the cake for the finishing touch on your period look kitchen. If you've applied for a loan to get the work done, this is something you can begin right away, while you are waiting for the money to fund. It has the added benefit of creating inspiration and determination to see the job through-once you have visualized how your kitchen will look, you'll never be satisfied until it is a reality. Your next step is to get bids from all the remodel contractors you've talked to. Then compare those bids, but there are considerations beyond just price. Did you feel the contractor understood the goals of your remodel? Are your design ideas similar? Do you feel comfortable personally with the contractor? If you are a more casual cook, this might be someplace you can save some money. Next think about cabinets. Will you need to replace the ones you have or can you perhaps do a cabinet refacing? If you are happy with the way your current cabinets are situated, cabinet refacing can be a good budgetary alternative.