*FAQ UPDATED AS OF 08/24*

Q: What are the details of your installation services?

A: As an FCI for Wolf, SubZero and Cove, installations are our main focus. A good installation requires each unit to be leveled, connected—and if possible—tested before we leave. Despite those requirements being “the basics,” we put extra care into getting it right. We’re always aware of our surroundings: No scratched floors or cabinets. If anything ends up damaged in the event of an accident, we’ll work with you to resolve it.

Q: What about repairs and refurbishing?

A: The same goes for our repair and refurbishing services if we conduct them in your home. If it’s a repair or refurbishing job, we can take your unit into our shop to work on it. When we repair or refurbish a unit, we always make sure to test them before we leave, when they arrive at our shop, or before they leave our shop. If the appliance cools, we use hygrometers to measure the average temperature that the unit is holding at over multiple weeks, and if it heats, we use a high-temperature thermal probe to ensure it’s reaching and holding at the right temperature over an extended period of time.

Q: How about the units you have listed for sale?

A: Those require the most work from us: First, we find and purchase a unit we’re interested in. The exact history of each unit we buy is different every time, but generally they come from homes just looking to upgrade, or showrooms. We get as much information as we can about the unit in its current condition, and log it in our inventory system; being sure to run diagnostics and other small tests to get an idea of what we’re working with. We also have additional systems in place to track exactly what a unit goes through while it’s in our hands. Then, we get to repairing and refurbishing! We strip units down to the chassis and make sure everything's up to par. If not, we fix it. If we need a new replacement part, we work with an official part distributors: They provide us with brand new Wolf, SubZero and Cove parts. If the unit has a cosmetic defect, depending on its severity, we’re able to fix it ourselves. We polish stainless steel, remove yellowing on acrylic and much more. Once a unit is functionally good to go, we clean it up, sanitize it, and make it look pretty. We run diagnostics, and throw in our hygrometers or thermal probes to triple-check that everything’s functioning properly. Finally, we take some pictures and a video of it running, and we list it! If you’d like to see what we have listed, check out our Facebook Marketplace page.

Q: Are you willing to do work for larger projects in partnership with other companies?

A: Of course! We love working with dealers and restoration companies. If you’d like to request any of our services as a business, please reach out by email or phone. We’ll get the job done professionally, and we’re always willing to build up a new partnership.

Q: What brands do your services cover?

A: For installations, we can do just about any brand! For repairs, refurbishing, and our own listings though, we like to stick with Wolf, SubZero and Cove. As we’ve mentioned earlier, since we work through official part distributors, we can easily get our hands on brand new Wolf, SubZero and Cove parts. We don’t have a resource like that for any other brand, so finding replacement parts for those other brands can be next to impossible. We’d hate to take in a customers unit just to find out that we can’t find the part to fix it. With that being said, we can still complete most cosmetic work on other appliance brands like Viking and Thermador.

Q: Can you take my old unit?

A: If we’d already be there for a delivery or install, we can remove your old unit for you for a small additional fee. If we’re just removing the unit though, it depends on the unit itself. If you just want it out and aren’t selling it, we can remove it if you’re in our range. If you are selling it, we’d be willing to consider buying it off of you, but we prefer units manufactured after the year 2000, and we stick to Wolf, SubZero, and Cove.

Q: How large is the distance you’re willing to cover?

A: We’re based out of Lake in the Hills, Illinois. With that in mind, we’d drive up to 25 miles for a repair or refurbishing job, and 150 miles if we’re delivering, picking up, or installing units. If you’re outside of that range, we offer shipping through LTL freight services that we hand-pick if you purchase a unit from us, but we cannot offer our other services to you at this time. It depends on the job itself: For example, driving all the way down to St. Louis to run basic maintenance on a range would cost more in gas than the job’s worth.

Q: What does your warehouse look like?

A: Our warehouse is divided into two halves. The primary one is where our office resides, and where the majority of the completed units are organized and ready to be shown off and sold. The other half is dedicated entirely to our repair and refurbishing work. If you’d like to check it out in person, please contact us and we can schedule a date and time! We also have a bunch of pictures of it in our gallery.

Q: What about payment methods, deposits, financing and warranties?

A: For payment methods, we can take just about anything except for American Express. If you prefer ACH, it comes with a $20 fee, and there’s a 3% fee if you use a credit card. We’re able to take a deposit for a unit, but keep in mind the amount we request for a deposit scales with the price of the unit(s) you’re purchasing. As for financing, we don’t offer anything at this time. Lastly, warranties: Our Wolf, SubZero and Cove units—if they’re new—come with a one-year manufacturer warranty. Although, most of our units are ones we’ve refurbished, and they don’t have their manufacturer warranty in tact. For those, we currently don’t have an alternative, but we’re looking into it and will have a third-party service soon. For now, we can provide our own services for repairs if you’re nearby, or refer you to a tech closer to you if not.

Q: What factor determines the price that a unit is listed at?

A: When it comes to the listed price for one of our units, for one; each unit has a year and month in which it was made. This is the unit’s MFG. It’s the most important factor for customers when they’re purchasing a unit from us. That being said, we’d like to discuss an important fact about it: When customers are looking for appliances, they want to ensure they’re getting the features they want, and these features are usually based on the MFG due to design revisions. Most appliances experience design revisions every 1 to 5 years, but Wolf, SubZero and Cove operate differently. For example, Wolf revised their dual-fuel range design in 2021. The last time they had revised that design was in 2002. In short, the MFG of one of our units actually matters much less than the average appliance, because you’re looking at the same features included in units that could have MFGs over a decade apart. All of this is compounded by the fact that once we’re done with it, it’s near impossible to tell the difference between two units in the same design generation even if there’s a decade gap in-between the dates that they were manufactured. Despite all of this, it’s still the most important factor in how we price our units, because the customer is always right!

Q: What are some of the major differences between the new and old Wolf, SubZero, and Cove designs?

A: As mentioned previously, design revisions are a rarity with Wolf, and SubZero appliances. Cove-branded appliances are so new that they haven’t even had one yet! That being said, their most recent design revision doesn’t change as many things as you’d think. For example, with SubZero, their refrigerant has been swapped to R600A from R134A. While better for the environment, R600A is also flammable, and makes maintenance more of a hassle. In addition—in combination with the lines being made of a different material—the R600A refrigerant degrades the new material quicker. However, the MSRP of their new units are generally lower than the last iteration, and the cosmetic changes they’ve made are arguably an improvement. Those same sort of changes go for Wolf. Overall, we prefer the previous design generation for both SubZero and Wolf, which encompasses most of our stock. We don’t want to discourage considering their new generation though: Wolf, SubZero and Cove make great units through and through no matter which revision you’re interested in.

Q: What factor determines the price of a repair or refurbishing job?

A: The repairs and general labor a unit requires is a factor in both the units that we list, and the units we repair and refurbish for customers. If a unit needs a lot of work or new replacement parts, we’ll increase the price of the service. Everything we do to it, including the parts we may have to purchase, will be documented on the estimate(s) and invoice(s) for the project.

Q: Do you have any package deals or sales?

A: At the moment, no. However, we’re working on getting something drawn up for both. Sometimes we reduce the price of the units we have listed depending on how many inquiries we’re getting on them.

Q: In terms of a sale, what units do you recommend?

A: Everyone’s situation is different, so it’s hard to give a general recommendation. However, there are a few things to keep in mind: For one, if you rely on your appliances for every-day use and especially if you host large events, it doesn’t get better than Wolf, SubZero and Cove. Considering their support of legacy parts, as well as a design that’s conducive to long-lasting performance, they’re the brand to go with despite the elevated price point. As mentioned in a previous answer, we recommend Wolf and SubZero’s previous design generation. While there isn’t much wrong with the new designs, we found that it’s generally beneficial to go with one of our older refurbished units, considering the quality of our work. With ranges in particular, we recommend a 48” unit: The utility of having another, smaller oven for side-dishes, and the choice of having a griddle or char-broiler without losing too much burner space makes it a great option if you have the space for it. In addition, units with a gas range-top and electric oven—a dual fuel unit—make up the majority of our stock and what we generally recommend. An electric oven is better for baking, so if you’re putting more meats in the oven, an all-gas unit may work better for you. Also, induction by design is the most efficient way to cook, but you lose the visual of an open flame, and it requires specific pots and pans to function properly, so we prefer a gas range-top. Lastly on ranges, if you’re looking at BTUs, older models like an R304 have higher BTU values than a newer unit for a cheaper price. Although, the higher BTUs are due to going with an open-burner design as apposed to the newer units’ closed burners, which means you’ll have a crumb tray. For refrigerators, freezers, and other appliances we carry, it’s mostly down to personal preference, kitchen aesthetic, and space restrictions: Out of the units we carry, you can’t really make a “wrong” choice, and we’ll work with you to find what works best for you for your dream kitchen!