Shad D. Johnsen, CKD has spent much of his early
schooling as an artist and draftsman. Later, while attending college
for a degree in architecture, he worked for a cabinet manufacturer
assembling cabinets, then on to a finish carpenter.
He moved
to Anchorage, Alaska in August 1995 and took a job as an appliance
salesman. In June of 1996 he was moved into the kitchen department,
because, he was told, that he was very "detail oriented". He began
designing kitchen and bathroom cabinet projects by hand with the
drafting skills learned in school. After one year of selling
cabinetry, countertops, hardware, tile, and plumbing, Shad began a
correspondence course with the National Kitchen & Bath Association
(NKBA) on kitchen design. He
successfully completed the course and in September 2000 he passed
the exam to become a CKD, Certified Kitchen Designer.
In
October 1998, Shad moved to a smaller, more specialized design firm,
where he expanded his horizons into flooring, lighting, window
coverings, wall coverings, and more. He began getting involved in
complete kitchen and bathroom projects, especially remodels. He also
gained experience presenting seminars on kitchens and kitchen design
at the three different home shows held annually in Anchorage. He
went back to work for his former employer to train designers and
manage the kitchen and flooring department.
In 2001 Shad
helped to organize a new subchapter in Alaska for the NKBA. He acted
as the VP of Programs helping to facilitate association chapter
meetings. He moved down to St. George, Utah in September 2002 and
began organizing the Southwest Desert subchapter.
Currently, he is President of that chapter.
In February 2003
Shad started his own company, Distinctive Design Kitchen & Bath
to provide professional kitchen and bathroom design services for the
rapidly growing area, from Cedar City, Utah through Las Vegas,
Nevada. Shad is now providing professional kitchen & bath design
services, and materials such as: Cabinetry, lighting, countertops,
hardware, and more.
January of 2005, Shad began an S
Corporation called SS Johnsen & Associates, Inc. He renamed his
kitchen and bath business as a DBA of his corporation as Portrait
Kitchens. Now offering a complete lineup of kitchen and bathroom
products, Portrait Kitchens is quickly becoming the preferred
kitchen firm in Southern Utah. The grand opening of this showroom
was on Friday, June 3rd, 2005.
Contact Shad
for a complimentary consultation for your future project.
View my
kitchen photo
gallery
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The Proper Order of a Kitchen Project
June 30,
2006
By Shad
D. Johnsen, CKD
“What do we do next?” The order that a kitchen
remodel should go in is often a difficult one to maintain because of
natural delays in construction. Many times clients move in
haste and excitement to change the order of completion, only to be
frustrated with the results.
Like anything else in life, it takes time to make
everything work smoothly. Patience in a kitchen remodel is
either chosen or compelled. Here is a summary of the basic
order of a kitchen remodel:
Design & Planning
- Completing the layout and space
planning will insure a much smoother process.
- Make decisions on the
products and colors.
Ordering
- Finalize and order products.
- Prepare spaces by
removing dishes, cleaning out garage for storage, and getting
supplementary kitchen space for use during
remodel.
Demolition / Preparation (Remember not to begin until the
cabinetry, appliances, flooring, lighting, hardware, and plumbing
fixtures are on the jobsite).
- Removal of existing
materials.
- Run new or reroute
rough plumbing, and electrical. Move any doors, windows,
etc.
Installation (Products in chronological order after
paint)
- Flooring products
except floating wood flooring.
- Cabinetry &
Hardware
- Countertops
- Plumbing
- Lighting
- Appliances
- Finishing
touchups
The most crucial thing to
keep in mind is to communicate with the kitchen professional and
contractor to cover all of the important details and timing of the
details.
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