Doug Mottershead C.K.D 
Expertise: Kitchen and Baths

Every remodeler can offer cabinets, countertops, tile, faucets etc., but typically from different manufacturers, thus making the shopping experience almost impossible. The real differences between remodeling contractors is in their “process,” and how the company decides to keep you informed and satisfied.

“We believe we have perfected the best ‘process.’ We have all of our kitchen and bath customers visit our showroom in Lower Bucks County to see and hear this ‘process’ in action,” says Doug Mottershead, a certified kitchen and bathroom designer with over 40 years’ experience in the industry.

House & Home Magazine was able to speak with Mottershead to learn more about their process and what customers are to expect when working with McHales.

 What do you mean by the “process”?
Getting a major remodeling project done can be a long and complex journey. Who gets the permits? What is included and, just as importantly, what is not? Where will the materials be stored? How will your home be protected? How will the different trades involved be coordinated? The way these questions are handled by the contractor should be part of an established “process.”

How does your process begin?
After the client’s initial showroom visit, I visit their home to inspect the jobsite. By asking the necessary questions of the client, I can configure the appropriate design and establish the corresponding budgeting range. Then the client comes to the showroom where we’ll examine my computer-aided drawing of their design, scope out the details and procedure of the project, and select the materials to be used.

This first part of the process can seem rather daunting to the client, so we make it easier by: 1) using a procedural template to create the “scope of work” which keeps us from missing any critical steps, 2) using a “binary selection” process to logically guide the clients in picking their materials, 3) using a dedicated space in our showroom to assemble all the samples together in a visual pallete, and 4) using various lighting scenarios to ensure our clients will like their selections in any color light. My job is to manage regrets; the fewer and smaller the regrets, the happier the client will be in the end.

What comes next?
The clients come back to review and sign a detailed contract and view the drawings of the project. It is here that we add a very crucial step which separates us from the competition. We refer to this step as the preview, which is when I return to the jobsite with my project manager/carpenter, plumber and electrician, and I review the project with the tradesmen and the clients, thereby getting everyone on the same page. This communication is where we succeed, while so many others fail.

What makes your “process” unique?
First, we bring a trailer to the jobsite containing all the materials, rather than turning the client’s home into a warehouse. Then we bring a dump trailer for all the debris, which is removed at the end of the day, rather than dropping a huge dumpster on site for weeks. During the course of the job, our mechanics protect the home with floor coverings, curtain walls, electronic air purifiers, and by wearing shoe coverings, all to keep the jobsite as clean as possible.

How does your “process” bring the project to a close?
Our project manager creates a pre-completion punchlist with the clients, so he has a complete list of the items to be finished so the client will be happy.

Once done, he will give our client the “completion warranty” form, thus beginning the full warranty period. I know that discussing the “process” can seem very mundane, and the exciting part is in creating the dream, but it is the process that will turn the “dream” into reality.

McHales Kitchens & Bathrooms
2450 Trenton Road, Levittown, Pa.
(215) 949-3333

Published (and copyrighted) in House & Home, Volume 23, Issue 1 (October 2022). 
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