TekBuild -Tampa

IKEA cabinets are perfect for medical offices

2011-02-10T21:23:00.013-05:00

I'm often asked how well IKEA cabinets hold up and do many people put them in their businesses. I'm frequently surprised by this because since I work with them daily I often assume everyone knows the quality of IKEA cabinets for daily use. I encourage everyone I speak with to visit the IKEA showroom and thoroughly examine and play with the product. Take your time and inspect the drawers, the doors, the hardware, the boxes, the finish. etc. Notice how well they are taking the abuse of thousands of shoppers every week and you will see how perfect they are for a business application.

Here are a few reasons they are ideally suited for medical offices.

The cabinet design is simple and not overly ornate. This allows them to integrate in many different decors.

The boxes are frameless and entirely covered in melamine inside and out. This makes them easy to keep clean with no hidden inside corners and the melemine is easy to disinfect.

There are many varieties of slab doors for ease of cleaning in wood veneer, foil, stainless and glass.

If you happen to damage them, or just want to change your decor, the various part that make up a cabinet are sold separately. Doors, hinges, toe kicks, end cover panels, drawers, draw fronts, etc can all be easily replaced.

They are very affordable.

You can easily match office storage and desks to the cabinets.

They are simple and quick to obtain.

As you can see, IKEA cabinets are a perfect choice for a medical office. If you are thinking about new cabinets for your office, contact Tekbuild and let me assist you with the perfect solution for your office needs. From planning and initial measuring, to meeting at IKEA and installing the cabinets, I'm there for you.

Jamie McDaniels
tekbuild.com

813.388.7091 begin_of_the_skype_highlighting 813.388.7091 end_of_the_skype_highlighting

Country feel in a city condo.

2010-10-02T22:28:00.004-04:00

IKEA Stat cabinets were the perfect choice for a country feel in a city condo. This kitchen is size appropriate a 3 bedroom condo and many features and upgrades needed to be incorporated. No utilities we moved so the new cabinets and appliances needed to be installed in roughly the same locations. Since the first thing you see when entering the kitchen is the stove area, the microwave was move to the left side to make room for a stainless steel exhaust hood. This simple change along with the Kraus stainless steel farm house sink gives a more upscale, gourmet feel to the space. Both the upper and lower corner cabinets feature Rationell rotating shelves for extra convenience. An eating space for counter height stools is directly beneath the glass front display cabinet for a more open feel. Open shelves finish the cabinets sides flanking the extra large window. IKEA solid wood counters, the ever classic subway tiles and brick effect tile floors radiate a classic warmth that will last for years.

Whether your tastes are classic country or ultra modern, Tekbuild.LLC can plan and install your perfect IKEA kitchen. Visit our website for more details and give a call to get your project started.

www.tekbuild.com

Limited space with color

2010-09-23T00:20:00.002-04:00

Limited space does not have to equal
b o r i n g ! ! !

Spice it up and live a little. Small spaces benefit from a bold canvas. This condo has a kitchen that is a miniscule 55 square feet. It is 5x10, plus the frig alcove. That is it ! But the bold color in a high gloss finish reflects light and makes the space appear bigger. The open stainless steel shelves above the sink keep the open feeling all the way to the corner. The kitchen was only 8.5' long before the remodel. But, in that small space is a hot water heater, built in oven, sink, dishwasher and drawer space. How is that possible, by miniaturizing everything. The sink base and the dishwasher are both 18" wide, the built-in oven and cooktop are both 24", and the water heater fits behind a 24" door. An 18" sink base? Isn't that too small? NO. A single bowl 18" sink is no smaller than 1/2 of a double bowl 36" sink. An 18" dishwasher, are you nuts? No, this space efficient dishwasher is only 25% smaller than the standard 24". Just because you have a small space doesn't mean you can't have a designer kitchen. IKEA products are perfect for tight spaces with their well designed storage solutions. Plus the prices for the quality are unmatched. Call Tekbuild and let us help you design and build the kitchen that is right for your space. Even small spaces deserve a large presence.

Classic Lindingo for a classic ranch style home

2010-07-30T22:27:00.009-04:00

This is a great open kitchen featuring Lindingo fronts in a 1960's Florida ranch style house. Before this remodel, this kitchen was the typical closed off kitchens of the mid 60's. There was a small pass through in the middle, but the kitchen was still dark and isolated from the family room. The new homeowners wanted the home updated prior to moving in and the old kitchen had to go.

The customer wanted plenty of storage and was losing some cabinets by removing the wall separating the two rooms. By selecting Rationell drawers for most cabinets they were able to maximize the storage potential and utilize the convenience of drawers rather than bending over and digging in the back of cabinets. The large island is a great gathering place and has an extended overhang making for a deep and very functional work surface.

Hagwood Construction and Restoration, hagwoodconstruction.com, handled the details of the remodel while Tekbuild focused on installing the cabinets. Tekbuild specializes in only IKEA kitchen cabinets and our expertise and experience can greatly enhance the final result. Even if you have a great general contractor or are handy yourself, nothing is a substitute for specific knowledge of the IKEA system. All remodeling projects are different, homes are not build with the same dimensions, and IKEA does not offer as many sizes as a "traditional" cabinet manufacturer. But with creativity and planning, IKEA kitchens are a perfect match for most situations and we can help you make them work for you. Our expertise can ensure your project turns out to be worthy of a magazine cover shot.

The small investment of involving Tekbuild in the beginning of your planning can pay off greatly in the end. Call or email to find out how we can assist you with your vision of the perfect kitchen.

813.388.7091
info@tekbuild.com
www.tekbuild.com

Before pictures

Thinking outside the box

2010-04-11T11:18:00.015-04:00

In planning a new kitchen, think outside the box. Your kitchen does not have to be the same shape, layout or even be in the same location. If changing the layout or moving the kitchen makes better use of the overall space in the house, the small incremental costs associated with making that change can be well worth the investment.

In this particular instance, the home was being prepped for resale. The current kitchen made an awkward shaped living room and a small dining area. But about 15 feet away was a great L shaped addition that was too narrow for a family room and not conducive for a bedroom due to the traffic flow into the utility room. But it was great for a kitchen and dining area. Plus it was bright, and afforded great views into the back and side yard.

Since electrical and plumbing updates were planned for the home, moving the kitchen made sense and was a viable option. Selecting the Nexus series helped keep the overall costs down and still allowed granite in the budget.

In addition the to affordable kitchen, IKEA products were used in bath bathrooms and the utility room. Godmorgan in the master, Lillangen in the hall bath, and Akurum in the utility.

In planning your new spaces, give Tekbuild a call. We can plan your space and help you navigate the remodeling process. We can help you sort through the possibilities and make your kitchen an affordable reality. This kitchen features cashmere white granite and the ever classic subway tiles for the back splash. Assembly and installation of the IKEA kitchen cabinets was $1822.00.

Visit our website for more details and pricing.

Gallery

Adel cabinets for Florida lakefront living

2010-03-12T13:53:00.007-05:00

" I feel like I'm standing in the middle of a magazine whenever I go in my beautiful new kitchen."

That is what the happy homeowner had to say about her new kitchen with IKEA Adel brown cabinets when it was finished. Comments like that are a true testament to the quality and excellent design of IKEA cabinets. Of course it takes more than cabinets to make a great kitchen. It takes vision, planning and craftsmanship to pull all the elements together. You have paint, tile, counters, appliances, sinks, lighting, wall textures, ventilation, etc. to combine like a great recipe. Great cooks know the end result is only as good as the ingredients and the skill of the cook.

In this case, there were many cooks for this kitchen. The home owner had a vision and wanted to stay on a reasonable budget. Together with sweat equity, help from the family and skilled labor used only where necessary, it all came together. The layout was basically left unchanged, but more counter space was one goal along with increased storage, and it could not be all about function, there had to be some style.

The sink, and dishwasher were left in place to avoid the expense of moving plumbing, and the stove and exhaust were pushed over a few inches to move the stove out of the corner and accommodate drawers in the base cabinet. The refrigerator was the only major appliance relocation. The original kitchen layout accommodated a small table on one wall, but with a semi-casual dining area with a view to the lake right outside the kitchen door, it was not needed and that wall was perfect for the refrigerator and pantry.

The homeowner with help from family members, removed the old cabinets, tiled the floor, painted the walls, installed new lights and had a perfectly open space for us to install the new cabinets. This made our job easy and saved money that could be invested in higher grade appliances, and granite counters.

The basic cabinet assembly and installation for this project was $1703.00. That included modifying the length of the blind corner to fit the narrow space and cutting and installing the frig panel at the end of a cabinet run.

If your are considering a new kitchen, visit our website, Tekbuild.com ,or give Tekbuild a call. IKEA kitchen cabinets are our specialty. You can count on our expertise for assistance with your kitchen planning to get the right cabinets for your space, and you can equally count on our workmanship for the installation. We have an itemized list of assembly and installation services with prices so you can choose our level of involvement and know exactly what it will cost. From planning and initial measurements, to installation, let us make your new kitchen an affordable reality.

High style in Hyde Park

2010-02-26T20:16:00.010-05:00

We had the privilege to install a new kitchen in a Hyde Park Village town home for a previous client. Working closely with the homeowner and their interior design consultant, we were able to take a drab, outdated kitchen and turn it into a stunning show piece of style and functionality.

The square footage and footprint of the kitchen and nook were not changed. To make this galley kitchen seem more spacious, the doorway into the dining room was enlarged to give the visual impression of a wider space, and the cabinets and counters were installed along the walls rather than protruding into the room as before, and the coat closet was utilized to house 2 pantries with the doors flush to the wall.

Many subtle design elements were carefully planned to make this space visually stunning without sacrificing function:

-The tile back splash spans the wall from counter to cabinet to eliminate the extra horizontal line of a 4” back splash out of the counter material.

-Built in appliances and a counter depth refrigerator with glass fronts were used to keep the continuity of the highly reflective surfaces.

-Wall receptacles were minimized and the disposal switch was installed in the counter top.

-Appliance handles and cabinet hardware are the same design.

-The cabinets were placed against the ceiling eliminating additional trim and providing and extra inch or so of open space between the upper cabinets and the counter top.

-The dated porcelain tile floor was removed and Brazilian cherry flooring was extended from the rest of the home adding both warmth and contrast to the kitchen.

Some fun touches are the mirror behind the sink integrated into the glass mosaic tiles, a Besta Burs 71” cabinet mounted above the French doors for storage and book shelf, and the always classic, cut crystal chandelier juxtaposed against the sleek, Italian style cabinetry.

Other uses of IKEA products in the house are the red Abstrakt shelves and cabinet in the laundry area, the white Abstract sink base in the hall bath topped with carrera marble and a glass vessel sink, and the 12“ deep Akurum wall cabinet with drawers for additional bathroom storage with Lindingo fronts, and marble top in the master suite.

Whether you are looking for a major kitchen makeover or a simple update using the IKEA cabinetry, we can help refine your design ideas and make them an affordable reality. This project was $2626.00 for basic IKEA cabinet assembly and installation.

Give us a call, or visit our website for more details.

813.388.7091

Tekbuild.com

BEFORE PICTURES :

Classic Mid-Century Modern with Nexus Brown

2009-10-29T17:42:00.002-04:00

These are pictures of IKEA cabinets installed in the kitchen and laundry room of a classic mid-century modern. The home has many original period touches and the kitchen needed to be both modern and yet blend perfectly with the rest of the home.

Tekbuild.LLC was enlisted to figure out how to use the IKEA Nexus brown cabinets for a very custom appearance while utilizing, and not moving existing elements such as the large exhaust hood, a 1950’s metal sink, (that was larger than any IKEA sink bases), and conceal a hot water heater. All utilities remained in their original location.

Some of the specifics that are not readily apparent in the photographs are:

The sink base is actually 2-24” cabinets combined to accommodate the large metal sink.

The blind corner base to the right of the sink has been modified to be less than 47” long to but still retain the pullout shelves. This was necessary to have matching cabinets on both sides of the wide range and not relocate the exhaust hood a few inches to the right.

The above refrigerator cabinet is actually built out from the wall to give a more built-in appearance to the deep refrigerator.

The pantry cabinet to the left of the washer and dryer was modified to conceal the hot water heater.

As you can see, with a few modifications, the IKEA cabinets were a perfect solution at a fraction of the price of custom cabinets. If you are considering a new kitchen, give us a call so your project can turn out as beautiful as this one.

Nexus brown in 900 sq' home

2009-09-17T09:35:00.009-04:00

Tekbuild offers a la carte services, from planning and measuring, to assembly and installation. Because of this pick and choose service menu, you can easily control costs by deciding what exact services you need and what you would like to tackle on your own. We just replaced a kitchen in a cute 900 sq' ranch home in Tampa that is being updated to attract new owners. This particular kitchen, while not real small, was not very functional. The stove protruded into one of the three door ways and was sans a work surface on one side, the frig partially hindered cooking with it's placement between the 2 door ways, there was no dishwasher, and the cabinets were a hodgepodge of quality, age and style that needed to go. Since the home is small we wanted to maximize storage and counter space but bot over crowd the kitchen with too many cabinets. We placed a pantry to the left of the frig which in turn allowed us to minimize the amount of wall cabinets to keep an open and bright feel to the narrow space.

The cabinets are Nexus brown, the counters are a beige mottled laminate, the back splash classic white subway tiles complimented with SS appliances and sink.

Demolition of the old kitchen and installation of these new IKEA cabinets was only $1369.00 in labor. With this type of value, there is no reason to settle for a non-fuctional, outdated kitchen.

2009-08-31T23:57:00.000-04:00

Why hire Tekbuild for planning assistance?

2009-07-17T20:43:00.012-04:00

Shopping IKEA for your new kitchen can be productive and rewarding, but often times it can be very frustrating and seem impossible to accomplish your task at hand. The IKEA shopping experience is structured around the customer being self sufficient, knowledgeable and ready to work. There are computers around so you can do your own planning and carts in the warehouse so you can pull your own products. Similar to fast food restaurants giving you a cup and sending you on your merry way to fill your own beverages, only on a much bigger and complicated scale. It is not geared towards in depth, 1 on 1 consulting. It is all about volume sales and low prices.

I’ve seen numerous people walk away from the kitchen department or the BESTA wall unit area with looks of dismay. It is just impossible for a retail store to staff for absolute, dedicated 1 on 1 consulting for any length of time . IKEA employees have to juggle the many customers and their needs all at once. If you have ever shopped on a weekend, you know what I’m saying.

It is part of Kitchen Co-worker's job responsibilities to encourage and steer you to help yourself and use the computers to plan your own kitchen. Here are a couple quotes from an IKEA help wanted ad from July 09 posted on Career Builder.

" The IKEA sales concept is based on self-choice and self-service. These sales concepts are an important part of delivering low prices. However, people shopping for an entire kitchen often require extra services at some point of their buying process. "

" Assist customers in the self-planning process or provide accurate designs and detailed layouts at the proper time in the customer’s buying process. "

" Qualify customers and provide more detailed plans when the customer needs this and is ready to buy. "

(The complete ad can be viewed on this blog.)

Clearly, to get the planning that is required for a well designed kitchen, you need to have in depth product knowledge and, be proficient with IKEA planning tools. This is where hiring Tekbuild to assist with your kitchen planning can make the most of your time. We can meet at IKEA and walk you through the displays with attention on your needs and wants. Since we don’t work for IKEA, the other people needing assistance are not our focus. People on occasion do “hang close” to listen and ask the occasional question, but you are our focus! Having this attention insures your questions get answered and you receive an accurate kitchen plan you deserve with minimal interruption.

Once the planning is complete and we have the list of items needed, we can approach the staff for availability and get your order entered for delivery or pick up. Hiring Tekbuild can save you multiple trips to the store and get you a more professional result than relying on the staff to assist you while juggling the needs of other shoppers. The expense to hire a professional to assist with your planning is a vary small percentage of the overall project cost and one that will pay for itself many times over.

Tekbuild.com

View the quoted want ad

Selecting hardware for your kitchen cabinets

2009-07-14T16:50:00.001-04:00

When selecting hardware for your kitchen you should consider the style, finish, ease of use, durability and budget. Often, hardware is a last minute thought with the idea that “I’ll just get something better later” thinking, when really it should be part of the overall design process. Handles and pulls have many different hole spacing and future replacement with a specific style may be limited or non existent.

Knobs, handles and pulls should not only compliment the cabinets, but their style should compliment and accent other items in view, such as appliances, faucets, door and window hardware or any furniture in the room. The style should match the cabinetry in size, finish and style: modern, traditional, transitional, rustic, etc. You can mix both handles and knobs, drawers get one style, and doors another. Or divide them by upper and lower cabinets. All upper cabinets can be knobs and all lower doors and drawers can be handles.

Think durability and longevity when choosing a finish. Yes you want the finish to compliment the sink, faucet, other household hardware or appliances, but always have the durability factor in your mind. Painted finishes eventually get scratched., brass finishes can oxidize once their protective layer is breached, aluminum can lose it luster, and wood pulls and handles wear and develop a rustic patina over time. Even stainless steel can sometimes betray you. Stainless steel comes in many different grades and some rust easier than you would expect for “stainless” steel. Give stainless steel the magnet test. If it is attracted to a magnet, move along. More rust resistant stainless alloy has nickel and is not attracted to a magnet.

When selecting your handles and knobs, consider the ease of use. Is the knob or handle easy to grip? Are the edges finished and not sharp? (Many poorly cast pulls have sharp edges on the back side.) Is it big enough for the largest hands in the family and user friendly to manicured nails? Are they sturdy enough to stand up to the daily use of kids and adults alike? Spend a few minutes when selecting hardware and get a good feel for how they will be positioned. Grab them from up high and down low to simulate opening an upper cabinet and a lower drawer.

Obviously the better designed, quality knobs and pulls will cost more. Plan this into your initial budget. A simple kitchen with 25 cabinets can easily have over 50 pieces of hardware. Even at only $5 - $20 each, you are looking at $250-$1000. Many people forget to include this to their budget and end up with low quality, or “temporary” pulls that will be replaced in the future. Don’t be one of these people. It’s much better to include your cabinet hardware into the kitchen plan from the start. These are items you will touch daily for many years and a little planning and foresight will go a long way.

About TekBuild in Tampa

2009-07-11T20:01:00.001-04:00

With over 22 years of construction experience and 15 years of furniture and lighting experience, you can count on our expertise for any size job. We do not use subcontractors to do our kitchen installation or furniture assembly. Neither will we send out hourly employees to your home or business. When you hire Tekbuild.LLC for your assembly and installation, you will get one or both of the owners at your home or business.

We first installed an IKEA kitchen in 2007, before IKEA had a store in Orlando or Tampa, and fell in love with the product. The quality of the drawers and hardware is fantastic and the selection of doors and finish options for European style frameless cabinets in the USA are second to none, especially at these prices. We specialize in installing IKEA kitchens, but we will install other brands of cabinetry. We also assemble furniture from other retailers such as Crate and Barrel, DWR, Target, Pottery Barn, J.C.Penney's, Office Max, Staples, independent furniture stores, etc.

We have been asked why we are not IKEA® certified. When IKEA® opened in Orlando, we never applied because we felt Orlando was just far enough away from Tampa that our customer service would be compromised. Now that IKEA® Tampa is open, they have elected to refer only one company for all installation and assembly. While we would have welcomed and benefited from the store referrals, this in no way diminishes our skills, the quality of our workmanship, or the level of customer service you will receive. It just means we work harder to satisfy you, our customer, to build our own referral base in the Tampa area.

Please visit our website, tekbuild.com ,for more details on our services and to read what others are saying about us. You can reach us at info@tekbuild.com or 813.388.7091