The questions, including the awkward ones

No. Lumen designs and builds kitchens only, and that has been true since 2011. If your project includes a bathroom or an addition we will happily recommend a firm that specialises in it, but we will not take it on ourselves.

Yes. Every kitchen we build is one we drew. The plan set, the elevations, the electrical layout and the stone shop drawing are what make a fixed date possible, and we will not build from someone else's incomplete set.

Ninety minutes at your kitchen or at the studio. We measure, photograph, talk about how you actually cook, and leave you with a written scope direction and an investment band. The design fee is credited against the project if you proceed.

Often, and it usually goes well. We ask for one point of decision-making authority, because a kitchen with two clients and two consultants changing selections is how schedules slip.

As a sample band: refacing from about $21,500, a mid-scope remodel around $92,000, and a structural project with custom joinery from $165,000. The plan set gives you a fixed number before any demolition, not a range that moves.

Firm enough that we publish our record: 91 percent of projects finished on the contract date last year (sample figure). Dates slip for two reasons, client selections made late and materials that stop existing, and we manage both by closing every selection before demolition.

We work with two third-party lenders and show illustrative terms on the financing page. All rates and monthly figures shown on this site are samples for comparison, not offers, and approval is between you and the lender.

A design fee at the start, then a deposit at contract, a cabinetry release payment, a stone template payment and a final payment at punch-list closure. Every milestone is dated in the contract.

If plumbing, gas or electrical circuits move, yes. A like-for-like refacing job does not. We pull permits under our own licence and meet every inspector on site, in Scottsdale, Phoenix, Paradise Valley, Fountain Hills and Cave Creek.

Negative-air machine with HEPA filtration, zip wall at the kitchen opening, taped return vents in adjacent rooms, floor protection on the route to the truck and a wipe-down at the end of each working day.

One site supervisor, on your project, who you have met before the first day. Trades rotate; the supervisor does not.

We return at 30 days to re-align doors and drawers as everything settles, which is normal in any new cabinetry. Beyond that, our sample workmanship warranty runs 5 years and the cabinetry warranty is per the manufacturer.

Yes, and many clients do. We need the exact model numbers before the cabinetry is released so that rough openings, services and panel requirements are drawn correctly. A model change after release is a cabinetry change order.

For most households, yes: faster, cooler kitchen, easier to clean, and far better for a room with a high ceiling that is hard to ventilate. It needs a dedicated 240V circuit and the right pans, and it is not the answer if you cook over a flame by preference.

Cabinetry is typically 7 to 10 weeks from release. Stone is 10 to 18 days from template. Specialty appliances and imported hardware vary widely, which is why we confirm lead times before the selection is signed rather than after.

Painted finishes are mixed to a formula we keep on file with your project record, so a future touch-up or an extra door matches. Wood tones vary with age and light, and we tell you that in advance.