Orland Park family upgrades first floor, compliments of Distinctive Remodelers

Most people make New Year’s resolutions and never stick to them. But Mary Kay and John Entsminger made a turn-of-the-year promise that resulted in a fantastic new kitchen and bath plus other upgrades on the main floor of their two-story Orland Park home.

Driving to visit a relative last New Year’s Day, Mary Kay suggested to her husband that it would be nice to redo the outdated kitchen in their 20-year-old home.

“I said I thought it was a good idea, so long as we were going to stay put and not move,” said John, who, like his spouse, enjoys their neighborhood and relishes spending time in their scenic backyard.

It had been eight years since the couple made any improvements to the residence, which they purchased from its original owner back in 1997.

“It was time for a fresh look and a modernized kitchen, which is really the heart of our house,” said Mary Kay, whose two young adult sons, John Jr. and Anthony, still live at home. “The cabinets, countertops, tile floor and appliances were all showing their age. We do quite a bit of entertaining in our home, so it made sense to invest in a new and better kitchen.”

While hunting for reputable remodelers, she noticed a newspaper advertisement one day for Distinctive Remodelers—an Orland Park-based renovation firm. Before long, Mary Kay contacted the firm, who sent a team to visit the Entsmingers and survey the scope of their project.

“Mary Kay was well organized with what she wanted to do, and she gave us several pictures and ideas to work from,” said Bryan Nooner, Chairman of Distinctive Remodelers. “Her husband simply told us, with a smile, ‘just make her happy.’”

Bryan’s staff offered several recommendations that the Entsmingers liked. They suggested making the kitchen island two-tiered to create a high buffet area accessible by stools, extending the island a bit further into the adjacent family room (which would be open to the kitchen after a separating wall was removed), and incorporating more storage space into the island. They also proposed installing a warming drawer underneath the double oven to keep freshly cooked foods warm prior to meals, as well as implementing a microwave drawer in the island for quick, easy access.

The Entsmingers gave Distinctive the green light with the plan, which also included installing custom two-toned cabinets, new appliances, a decorative mantel over the cooktop, gold-and-black-toned granite countertops, hardwood oak floors, new can and pendant lights, and a snazzy new backsplash.

“This originally was just going to be a kitchen remodel project, but it soon trickled into the first-floor bathroom and the hallway floor,” said Mary Kay. “The bath had this hideous flamingo wallpaper and fake marble countertop on the vanity. We figured it was time to make more of our living space efficient and updated, so we decided to gut the bathroom and install new hardwood oak floors in there as well as the hallway bridging the bath and kitchen.”

Today, Mary Kay’s main floor bath features an eye-catching dark wood vanity, granite countertops, new toilet and plumbing, and a handsome mirror.

“We didn’t’ stop there, though. We also decided to have Distinctive remove a few wood railings in our entryway that were dated and which confined our living space,” she said.

The major challenge on this project “was removing the wall between the family room and kitchen, which we weren’t sure was a load-bearing wall or not. We had to rearrange quite a bit of plumbing originally in that wall,” said Bryan. “But the end result looks fantastic, and the kitchen is much more spacious and efficiently designed.”

What helped, Bryan added, was that Mary Kay and John allowed his crew to start extra early and accommodated Distinctive’s schedule, which enabled them to finish the job within 21 days—at least two weeks sooner than originally anticipated.

“I go home every night and kiss my beautiful new kitchen. It’s such a pleasure to cook in there. And my husband says, so long as I’m happy, he’s happy,” Mary Kay said. “I know that if we ever need any further renovation work done, we can call Distinctive Remodelers and be confident that their work will be excellent.”

Distinctive Remodelers specializes in a wide assortment of renovation projects, from room build-outs, second-level additions, and home theater room installations to basement finishing, kitchen makeovers, and roofing, siding and window replacements — with no residential job too large for the firm to tackle. Additionally, all work is backed by a full warranty.

“We draw on the built-in advantages of being a part of Distinctive Companies — a successful, established area business with over 20 years of collective experience,” Bryan said.

Bryan launched Distinctive Remodelers based in large part on growing demand from past home buyer clients eager to upgrade and expand their existing residences.

“We have a large base of loyal, satisfied customers from over the years who often call us for future projects,” said Bryan. “We know these homeowners and what they’re looking for, and we’re familiar with the territory we cover. We would often get calls from many of these past home buyers who sought to hire us for jobs such as adding a room, finishing a basement or rethinking a kitchen. Instead of turning down these requests, we initiated Distinctive Remodelers, which offers partial or whole-house renovation services throughout the suburbs.”

In addition to having a highly skilled crew in place, the firm has an unparalleled reputation for outstanding quality and value. Plus, Distinctive Companies has a 3,000-square-foot, full-service design studio, making it simple and convenient for remodeling customers to choose their exterior and interior product, finish and material selections. From cabinet pulls and plumbing fixtures to flooring options, door handles, appliances and trim packages, everything is there under one roof. Homeowners can browse through plentiful wall and floor displays, samples and swatches.

Distinctive Remodelers also relies on the parent company’s skilled architectural design team and its computer-aided design (CAD) resources to ensure that the conceptualizing and planning of every home project goes smoothly and efficiently.

“When you enlist our services, you can rely on experienced, courteous professionals. Everyone on our crew has been carefully screened, and they will treat you and your property with the utmost respect,” said Bryan. “And you can count on punctual responses to your questions and requests.”

Moreover, he added, “you can rest assured that you’ll receive the highest level of customer service from a project manager specifically assigned to your home who will supervise your job from start to finish.”