Al Felman’s company, Mission Kitchen & Bath, helps homeowners with their remodeling projects
Article by: Heather Swan
Are you tired of your olive green kitchen or pink-tiled bathroom? While Mission residents love their circa 1950s and 1960s homes, sometimes it’s time to say good-bye to the harvest gold kitchen motif or the leaky shower.
That’s when you may be in need of a kitchen and bath remodeling specialist.
Al Felman, owner / founder of Mission Kitchen and Bath, is a Certified Kitchen and Bath Remodeler. Although many locals have not heard of Felman’s company, Mission Kitchen & Bath will be celebrating its 20th anniversary in business – and in Mission – on Halloween this year.
It might be easy to find a remodeler, but it’s not so simple to find one with certification, two decades of experience, and a membership in the National Association of Remodeling Industry (NARI).
“It’s an easy business to get into,” said Felman, a 23-year Mission resident. “It’s also an easy business to go out of.”
Mission Kitchen & Bath (which started out as Felman Remodeling) has an office / showroom at 5845 Horton, Suite 201, and nine employees. The staff includes a carpenter who received certification as a Certified Lead Carpenter and two project managers, who meet with clients and help them to select materials and come up with a plan for their remodel.
Sonya Lange, design and project manager, said white cabinetry is coming back in style in kitchens and gray is a popular “neutral” color. A common request is for lower kitchen cabinets to have drawers instead of doors. Other popular kitchen features right now are chimney hoods over stoves, subway tiles, countertops made of quartz and rare pieces of granite, pantries, and built-in trash and recycling bins. Many homeowners are also asking for gas lines in their kitchens so they can convert from electric to gas stove, and some are choosing to take their kitchen islands out so it’s easier to move around.
For bathrooms, clients are often wanting larger titles, plank flooring, stained cabinetry and heavy glass hinged doors in their showers. In addition, homeowners are now choosing to take out their jetted tubs and replace them with large showers or soaker tubs.
Lange and Felman said many of their clients are thinking about “Universal Design” and barrier-free elements like wider doorways so they cant stay in their homes longer.
Mission Kitchen & Bath’s clients are usually located within 20 minutes of the office and have included several Mission residents over the years.
Kelly and Kathy Pinkham hired Mission Kitchen & Bath to remodel the kitchen and master bath/closet of their contemporary Mission home in 2011.
The project included everything from plumbing and wiring work to removing soffits in the kitchen and completely reconfiguring the fixtures in the master bath. Where the bathtub once was, you will find a double vanity. Space was captured in the room so the toilet could be moved to have its own “toilet closet” and large walk-in shower could be added to the room.
“We were impressed by his willingness to talk and listen to us, and we liked his method of organizing the job” said Kelly Pinkham, of their decision to hire Felman and Mission Kitchen & Bath. “….You want a firm you have a good comfort level with because ours was a big project and we knew we would have a lot of people coming and going, working throughout our home.”
In the Pinkham’s kitchen, visitors are sure to notice the hood and tile work that Mission Kitchen & Bath installed over the stove. The Pinkhams had a local artist design the tile mosaic of an elm tree (similar to the one in their front yard) over their stove. The mosaic was installed in such a way that it can be remove if they ever decide to move to a new home.
Mission Kitchen & Bath received a REMY award from the Kansas City chapter of the National Association of Remodeling Industry for its work in the Pinkham’s master bath.
“The best way to do business is to find good people and pay them a good wage,” side Felman, of his employees, who are paid hourly wages along with vacation and holiday pay.
He also believes homeowners should hire a NARI member for their remodeling projects. Felman joined the Kansas City chapter of NARI in 2002 and has been chair or co-chair of its education committee since 2010.
“I wouldn’t hesitate to hire any of the (NARI members),” he said. “The are the best of the best.”
For more information about Mission Kitchen & Bath, call 913-362-4242, or click here for our contact form.
