We got bids from three contractors, I think. I called around, and when North Star came out I liked their presentation and the recommendations we received from past customers.

We didn't have an architect's plans but had done lots of drawings on our own, some of them based on pictures we'd seen in remodeling magazines. North Star came back to us with their own design, which of course was better than ours because they were pros. Their design was very good: it worked well, the traffic flow was good, and so was the eye appeal. The kitchen now is set at an angle within the addition, for example, so we could have a larger family room and a smaller, more cozy eating area in the kitchen, which communicates with the family room.

North Star gutted the old kitchen, put in the new kitchen, added the family room. The old kitchen was both small and outmoded. The family room bay windows, which face south, let in lots of light.

The work went very well. The men were very efficient, here at seven every morning, and they tidied up every evening. They were very nice to work with. The whole project took about three months.