From Site Visit to Final Walkthrough
How a Benchmark Project Works
Five steps, from your first visit to the finished room. Here’s exactly what happens at each one, and who you’ll be working with.
The Five Steps
From First Visit to Final Walkthrough
Scroll for the detail, or jump straight to a step.
- 1
In Your Home · Free
Free Site Visit
The founder, not a salesperson, measures the space and learns how you actually use it.
Read more → - 2
At the Showroom
Design + Selections
See your kitchen in 3D and choose your cabinets, countertops, tile, and finishes against full displays.
Read more → - 3
One Clear Price
Fixed-Price Proposal
One clear price for the whole project, sent to you to review and sign electronically.
Read more → - 4
On Site · Regular Updates
Build + Regular Updates
Our in-house crew builds it (cabinets, counters, tile, and finishes) and keeps you in the loop as the work moves.
Read more → - 5
The Final 10%
Walkthrough + Sign-Off
We walk every detail with you. You don’t pay in full until you sign off as satisfied.
Read more →
Step 1 · In Your Home · Free
Your Free In-Home Visit
With Lee Sr., the founder
Lee Sr. handles the first visit himself, the founder, not a salesperson working a commission. He measures the room and digs into how you live in it: what you cook, who’s in the house, where the current layout fights you, and what you need the finished space to do.
It’s a conversation, not a pitch. He leaves understanding the project well enough for our design team to start turning it into something you can see and stand in.
- Lee Sr., the founder, not a commissioned salesperson
- 60–90 minutes in your home
- Free, with no obligation
- Exact measurements and a clear read on your goals
- A sense of which level, Quality or Premium, fits what you want
Step 2 · At the Newmarket Showroom
Design + Selections
With our design team and Lee Sr.
At the Newmarket showroom, your designer turns the measurements from the visit into a 3D rendering of your actual room, not a stock template. You see the finished layout before a single cabinet is ordered.
Then you make the selections that decide both the look and the price: cabinets, countertop slabs, tile, hardware, and paint, against full displays. A finish on a screen and the real slab in front of you are different decisions, and this is the one that ends up in your house.
- A 3D rendering of your actual space
- Cabinets, countertops, tile, and finishes chosen in person
- Real materials in hand, not swatches off a screen
- Bring your spouse or decision-making partner
Step 3 · One Clear Price
Your Fixed-Price Proposal
Reviewed and signed electronically
Your design and selections become one fixed-price proposal: the full scope, one price, the number that holds unless you change the scope. No "starting at," no line-item guessing game, no surprises once the work starts.
You review it on your own time and sign electronically. That signature is the moment your project goes on our calendar.
- One fixed price for the whole project
- Built from the design and selections you chose
- Reviewed on your time, signed electronically
- No "starting at" range, no line-item estimate
Step 4 · On Site · Regular Updates
Build + Regular Updates
With your project manager, Ian or Johnny, and the crew
Your project manager, Ian or Johnny, leads field production. Our in-house crew handles cabinets, countertops, tile, and finishes (the trades we built our reputation on). Licensed electricians and licensed plumbers handle their specialties; we don’t pretend we’re licensed where we aren’t.
Your project manager keeps you in the loop as the work moves: what got done, what’s next, and what (if anything) hit a snag. We don’t disappear for three weeks and reappear with surprises.
On any home built before 1978 we work as an EPA Lead-Safe Certified Firm: RRP containment plastic, HEPA filtration, and dedicated cleanup that add 2–3 days to the schedule but keep your family safe through demo.
Crew hours are 8 a.m. to 4 p.m., Monday through Friday. We don’t work weekends. Before demo starts we help you set up a temporary kitchen station (coffee maker, microwave, mini-fridge, paper plates) so you’re not eating takeout for six weeks.
- Your project manager (Ian or Johnny) on site; Lee Sr. checks in
- In-house crew on cabinets, countertops, tile, finishes
- Licensed electricians and plumbers for specialties
- Regular updates from your project manager
- EPA Lead-Safe Certified Firm: RRP practices on pre-1978 homes
- 8–4 weekdays, no weekends
Step 5 · The Final Walkthrough · 10% Held Until You Sign Off
Walkthrough + the Final 10%
With your project manager, and sometimes Lee Sr.
Your project manager walks through the finished project with you: every cabinet door, every drawer pull, every grout line, every electrical outlet. If anything needs touch-up, it goes on the punch list. The punch list is usually short. After 25 years and 400+ projects, the crew knows what gets flagged at this stage and handles it first.
The final 10% of the project releases only when you sign off as satisfied. We don’t get paid in full until you say we earned it. We’ve run every project this way since 2001.
You also get your warranty packet: workmanship coverage from Benchmark, plus manufacturer pass-through on cabinetry, countertops, fixtures, and appliances.
The 10% Retention Policy
We hold back the final 10% of every project until you’ve signed off as satisfied. No exceptions.
Inside the Build
The Craft Behind the Finish
The part you don’t see in the after photos. Our in-house crew, on real Seacoast job sites, from rough-in to the last tile.
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Rough-In
Framing, plumbing, and wiring opened up and squared away before anything gets closed in.
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Waterproofing + Prep
Walls and the shower pan prepped and waterproofed, the step that decides whether tile lasts.
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Setting the Slab
Book-matched porcelain slabs set so the veining mirrors across the shower wall.
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Finish Tile
The bench and floor tiled and detailed by hand before the glass and fixtures go in.
Process Questions
What People Ask Before Signing
What’s the typical timeline from first call to finished kitchen?
Design and selections run a few weeks, depending on how fast decisions come together. Build runs 4–6 weeks on site for most projects; larger or structural builds run longer and get a custom timeline during design. Most kitchens land between 10 and 14 weeks from first site visit to final walkthrough.
Can I live in my house during construction?
Yes. Before demo starts we help you set up a temporary kitchen station (coffee maker, microwave, mini-fridge, paper plates, a card table somewhere that isn’t under construction). Bathrooms are trickier; if it’s your only bathroom, we’ll talk through a plan during design.
How do change orders work?
In writing, signed by you before any work changes. Every change order shows the cost impact and the timeline impact. The faster you lock decisions in design, the fewer change orders the build needs. Change orders during construction are the single biggest cost-overrun cause in the industry.
What if I find something I don’t like during the build?
Tell us immediately. Don’t wait. The regular updates and the 10% retention policy exist so issues get caught early and resolved before final payment. Your project manager is on site and Lee Sr. checks in; flag it and we’ll address it.
What about permits?
We pull every permit and coordinate every inspection. Permit costs run $500–$2,500 depending on the town and the scope, and they’re accounted for in your fixed-price proposal, no surprise add-ons mid-project.
What about lead paint on older homes?
Any home built before 1978 gets EPA Lead-Safe (RRP) work practices during demo. Benchmark is an EPA Lead-Safe Certified Firm. Containment plastic, HEPA filtration, and dedicated cleanup add 2–3 days to the build, but it’s not optional and we don’t cut corners on it.
How often do you communicate during the project?
Your project manager keeps you updated as the work moves, plus regular Lee Sr. check-ins. Anytime you have a question, your project manager answers it on site or by phone. You’re never wondering what’s happening at your house.
Ready When You Are
Two Ways to Start
Get your custom estimate online in 2 minutes, or leave us a message. Our team will connect with you within 24 hours.