Case Design/Remodeling

unknown

This is a fine group of professionals.  They were a little more expensive than the next bid BUT they offered a designer and were aware and told us up front that our municipality would require hard wiring of smoke detectors, since our home was older and didn't meet present requirements.  No one else seemed to know that or at least didn't add that into their bids.  Their designer was worth every penny extra as she saved us much time and effort and guided us to what we needed and really tried to find things within our budgeted amount that we would like.  She was also quick to help when some tile arrived that was not what we ordered and we were immediately able to go and pick out a replacement that would work with the rest of the design. We ended up very happy with the results.  The Case people were all professional and neat and respectful of our home and of us.  The project mgr worked hard to make our project what we wanted.  Our only issue was a lack of communication as to scheduling.  We started out like a house afire and then it bogged down at times and we didn't know what was happening (or if it would).  He always responded to our calls, but calls wouldn't have been necessary with a weekly update.  He did his job, though, and was always courteous and helpful and even when we made last minute changes - not many, but we made them - he worked with us without complaint .  The subs used also showed the same professionalism and care in the house.  They made every effort to clean up daily as much as possible - carpet was covered, plastic shields to hold down plaster dust were placed, and when done they sent in a cleaning person who did a good job.  No one who came into our house from their group was anything but courteous and helpful and respectful of our home.  Having strangers in the home tearing it up even in a good cause is like being invaded - Case made it as painless as possible.  If you know exactly what you want and where to get it and how to do it , you may not need the extra help they provide and that you pay for, but if you are like the average person, having a design in place and a person who keeps you on track can save time and money, and that is what is provided with this company. Would use them again and recommend them to anyone who wants a job well done by nice people.

Found Case on Angie's List. Contacted and set up first appointment. Case was very helpful with an extraordinary attention to detail. Ensuing appointments and meetings led to signing a contract today to finish large room with a kitchenette in the basement along with finishing an additional portion of the basement (dog room, hallway and doors to all other unfinished rooms). Also, replacing and enlarging deck area, and replacing two fireplaces in the house. The entire Case staff provided us with retro courtesy whereas customer service was their number one priority. It has been a long time since we have witnessed such a caring yet professional attitude with each proposed task. Their recommendations and alternative suggestions were always valid and welcomed as this was our first such experience. We look forward to providing "progress reports and statuses" when construction begins.

unknown

They were really good. The countertop we got from them was good. They had a piece of countertop that was let over from a previous job, but it was in really good shape. They did a great job. They're outstanding. They're very careful about details. They put stuff down on our floor, to make sure they don't damage the carpet or the entryway. They're very painstaking about that. Anything we saw that they were doing, if we had a question about it or if we didn't like what they were doing, they would say okay and fix it. They were really responsive to anything that we saw that we raised a question about. The quality of their work is outstanding. It was about cleanliness, and that was very important to us. They did a great job with that. They might be a little bit more expensive, but you get what you pay for. They're worth it. They're also punctual. If they tell you they're going to be here, they're here, or they're ten minutes early. They are really good about that.

Stepped through upstairs bath ceiling into living room. They repaired.. Damaged front door during demo. They repaired. Very good designer. Work was acceptable but not great for price. Hard to get a schedule from them. They followed though on all commitments.

unknown

They're very professional and they helped me on budget. They gave accurate estimate, after that they came to the time when they promised. I would use them again in the future.

They did a good job, but the estimate was a lot more than we were expecting. Everything else was fine.  We decided to go with a different company that was able to do it for less.

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They were very kind and professional in getting an estimate, but their price was a little more than we were ready to spend.  The design was decent and I was satisfied with the quality of the work.  Overall it was an excellent experience and we would most likely call them again in the future.

Most awful experience I've ever had with a contractor.  Contracted the work out to someone else with almost no supervision.  We seldom saw a supervisor, and the workers did not speak English and could not communicate with us about problems.  Very poor job of prepping buildings for painting.  When we complained, the representative from Case (Tom Coan) was rude and sexist, referring to me as "sister," as in "Well sister..."  Left spots without paint and left paint on the windows.  Used spray guns despite the fact that they said that they would brush.  Would never recommend them or use them again.  Did not stick with estimate, and price continually escalated.  This review is not a mistake (as suggested below).  I have since moved from my former address, a condo in Forest Park.  Just to confirm again--my worst experience ever.  I would never, ever hire Case or recommend them to anyone.

The goal of the work was to "open" the basement to give us as large of a single room as possible.  This was accomplished by removing some closets and a doorway and carrying the loads above them with an LVL beam.  The side of the stairwell was removed which required some structural work on the adjacent floor joist.  Two doors were widened for easier access to closets.  Drywall was replaced, patched and prepped in many places.  A drop ceiling was also installed which required some electrical work, including two types of lighting and a few wall plugs were installed.
Overall, my basement turned out the way I was hoping and I feel like the work was of good quality.  It just took some hand-wringing in some places to get it there.
My main gripe was that there were a few instances of shoddy work that I caught myself and reported.  These were fixed almost instantly, so it's not like the process was difficult.  I won't go into the details of what was wrong, but in all cases it was relatively minor and was fixed to my satisfaction.  Some of the issues were caused by subcontractors, some were not.  But, although I'm not an experienced home builder, my eye is keen enough to know these are mistakes that should not have been made in the first place. 
Anyway, to end on a positive note, the company is GREAT to work with.  Payment was broken up into reasonable terms from the very beginning.  I could call the cell phone of my "production manager" and always get him.  They employees and subcontractors were punctual and, while not perfect, did clean up after themselves.  Whenever I had a complaint, it was resolved quickly.
I would definitely recommend them (and I have to others already), but it's fair to say the experience could have been improved.

overall pleased with result but had significant difficulty interacting with the project manager.Subs were generally very good except for granite prep and install

Overall, I was disappointed with the plan Case presented.  They are supposed to be the best in town, but I found the plan to be flat and unimaginitive, as well as hugely costly for the amount of work proposed.  The design focused primarily on fit and finish, and did nothing to address the functionality problems with the floor plan.  The toilet is currently squeezed in touching both the shower and a dividing wall in the bathroom. We really wanted the toilet moved some, but the designer was hung up on the fact that it was already not centered under the bathroom window.  Since I had also asked that a bigger window be installed, the whole problem could be fixed by sliding the toilet away from the shower, and installing a larger window that could be centered over the toilet!! The designer also left in a framed half-wall between toilet and vanity; while this is okay, a framed wall takes up much more space than, say, a decorative divider like a screen or a glass brick half wall.  Either of those suggestions would also have allowed the toilet more room to move away from the shower, allowing a bigger window centered over the toilet, and made the area much prettier and more functional than simply leaving half of an ugly framed wall we want removed.  The designer also suggested moving the shower head to the opposite side of the shower from the water controls.  That might be okay, but there didn't seem any good reason, though the designer said it was to keep from getting sprayed when turning on the shower.  My solution to that would be to direct the shower head away from you while turning on the water, which is what we do currently.
The designer did honor our request to add a second sink and remove the bathtub, thereby creating an adult bathroom up to current buyer expectations, and added more lighting to brighten the room.  Those things are a bare minimum change, and definitely not worth $500 of design expertise when I told the person I wanted a second sink and no tub, and really wanted a bigger window.  
Overall, it seemed like much more time and effort was spent creating a 3-D model of the bathroom than actually thinking about a way to fix the problems that we identified and really wanted fixed.  In addition, the cost to demo, install the new items, and finish everything was estimated at $25,000.  That is an awful lot of money to make a bare minimum of changes to a bathroom that is a total size of 8'x12'!!  
We do not plan to use Case to do the actual remodel work, and are considering whether we should pay the money for another designer to come in and make a real effort to address the floor plan problems.

The first phase was completed on time with one small problem. When this was pointed out to Case Design and Remodeling, they promptly corrected the problem at their expense, and to our full satisfaction.
The second phase did not go as smoothly as phase one. Time was wasted, however, this was primarily due to factors beyond the control of Case Design and Remodeling. When my wife and I registered our concern about the delays, the leadership at Case demonstrated great concern and understanding. They did everything in their power to overcome the problems facing us both and let us understand that they were concerned about us and about the need to complete the project to our full satisfaction.
Our experience with Case Design/Remodeling has been outstanding, even though we suffered the delay in the second phase. In business, words are words, explanations are explanations, promises are promises, but only performance is reality. The performance of Case Design/Remodeling leaves only room for profound satisfaction, not only with the work and services performed, but also knowing that we, as a consumers, made a wise choice when we committed to this company.
Thomas J. Watson once said: "The toughest thing about the power of trust is that it's very difficult to build and very easy to destroy. The essence of trust building is to emphasize the similarities between you and the customer." When we shook hands with Tom Coan and sealed our contract agreement, my wife and I both felt that mutual trust had been clearly established, that we embraced similar values, and we could, without hesitation, commit to the contract we negotiated, knowing that Tom Coan and Case Design/Remodeling would do the same. Our experience has amply demonstrated that Tom Coan and his company are absolutely committed to excellence and customer satisfaction. The integrity of this company and its people is beyond reproach. It is obvious that the "Golden Rule" is practiced by this honorable contractor. I highly recommend this company to others, and intend to use them again. A third major project is already in the works!

We had started the project before they came in.  They were very willing to work with us to let us do the parts we were capable of the keep the costs down.  They also let us do most of our own shopping and bargain hunting to keep the costs down.  As the project progressed, they worked with us and helped to be sure the parts we did were done correctly.  We learned quit a bit in the process.  The work crews were very professional and showed up when they said they would.  With one exception, they took great care to keep the house protected and as dust free as possible.  With the one exception, as soon as we let them know there was a problem, it was taken care of and there was no further issue.  The job took a couple of weeks longer than the projected 6 weeks, but that was due to some delay we created in getting our parts done.   They provided a lock box so that work crews could come and go as needed.  I never had a problem with anything missing or damaged.  They took great care to protect our hardwood floors and carpets from damage.  They were wonderful to work with and I would recommend them if you want to put in some of your own "sweat equity" or if you want them to handle it all.  At the end of the project, they sent a professional photographer to take pictures for their website.  She took lovely pictures and provided us digital copies.  I pleased with the way it turned out and would share the photos, but I can't figure out where to upload them to Angies List...so sorry about that.

Good, ethical, and they do top notch work. Their work isn't cheap, but you get what you pay for.

James Giles is great. Quick, professional, interested, smart. A real asset to Case.

It turned out very well. We were very pleased with them.

It was fine. They were very easy to work with.

Overall I would not recommend or use them again

The workman was knowledgeable, skilled, prompt and kept us informed on his arrival time, etc.  I was very impressed and pleased with the work.

I will be using them in the near future.

They did an excellent job. They were very professional. They showed up on time and did what they said they were going to do. The cost was exactly what they said. They were great. It was a good price; it was comparable to everybody else. We plan to use them again.