Hahka Kitchens works closely with clients to transform homes

‘WE ADD OUR EXPERTISE’

There’s a lot of problem solving that goes into kitchen design and remodeling. It is a meticulous business. Not only do you have to know your materials and get your measurements exact, you also have to make the clients envision work in the space that you’re given.

Hahka Kitchens knows how to transform homes to fit a range of beautiful classic and contemporary designs.

A client’s vision for remodeling a kitchen often requires the builder to think outside the box. A door can be in an awkward position, plumbing may be bad, or an island won’t fit. It is up to the designer to figure out how to make things work and deliver what the customer has in mind.

Randy Hahka, president and founder of Hahka Kitchens, recalled one redesign where solving one problem transformed the whole project.

Mr. Hahka was trying to fit an island into a kitchen but was having trouble with the size of the room. He realized that if there was going to be enough room for chairs around the island, a wall of the kitchen should be removed. The adjustment was made, and the entire first floor was opened to brightly lit space.

“We take a lot of walls down,” laughed Mr. Hahka.

Solving problems by knocking down walls is just one of the ways that Hahka Kitchens works with clients to rethink and reconfigure their homes. Mr. Hahka founded Hahka Kitchens in 2007, bringing decades of carpentry and contracting experience to the business.

Mr. Hahka is a fourth-generation builder. His father built quality homes across the Northeast and passed his knowledge on to his son, who got his general contractor’s license in 1996.

Mr. Hahka also works with Jan Hahka, who handles sales and marketing, and Linda Williams, the firm’s kitchen designer. In addition to local contractors and vendors, Hahka Kitchens has worked for more than a decade with the Ocampo family, who excel at framing and finish carpentry.

Located in Goleta, Hahka Kitchens serves homes all over the Santa Barbara area. Usually taking on an eight- to 10-month project every three weeks, Hahka remodels bathrooms, kitchens, and even whole houses.

Clients are offered with an array of choices while creating a project but most designs are contemporary, traditional, craftsman or transitional. Ms. Williams said the transitional style, modern features mixed with a traditional look, is the current top seller.

Most of Hahka’s clients are families and older property owners ready for a change. Often a client will decide to remodel a kitchen after receiving a large inheritance or bonus. Mr. Hahka and Ms. Williams said a lot of their business comes from university faculty.

“We work with a lot of people who are much better educated than we are, except when it comes to kitchens,” said Mr. Hahka.

A majority of Hahka’s clients are first-time customers who don’t know much about kitchen design. The first step in the project is to educate them on what the real cost of the redesign is and what it would involve, said Ms. Williams. She said they’ll know the color scheme they want.

“Usually they’re wearing it when they walk in,” laughed Mr. Hahka, “I see it over and over again.”

Hahka Kitchens specializes in getting to know the clients so they are completely satisfied with their redesign. Mr. Hahka noted that Ms. Williams, who will meet with clients for weeks at a time planning out projects, has a very personal task of gaining trust to recreate someone’s home space.

“I really feel like we collaborate. They come in with their ideas and goals for the space and then we add our expertise to help them. We just sort of go back and forth and collaborate until we end up with a design that they love. It’s not just about what we think is right,

it’s also their goals and their desires,” said Ms. Williams.

There are other home design contractors in the area, but few who will be there from start to finish. Hahka Kitchens is unique because everything is done under one umbrella, said Ms. Williams. From start to finish, Hahka is there laying out blueprints, building with the best materials, and perfecting your kitchen.

“There’s other people who do it differently and they’re successful as well with what they do, but a lot of times it’s nice to look at the builder and look at the designer and say, ‘Well … what do you mean?'” Mr. Hahka said.