KURT OLMSTEAD & CO

It went better than could ever be expected. When we initially met with Kurt, we could tell he was an absolute expert in this area.  We really wanted to get it done as soon as possible, but he was totally booked up.  However, when one of his customers dropped out at the last minute, he thought of us and contacted us to see if we could slide into the opening.  The timing was fantastic and we really appreciated his attention to the details of our timing needs.  Our second meeting with Kurt was so that we could pick out the exact details of the handrail, box newels and balusters to be installed.  He had loads of examples for us to look through and he was very knowledgable about what changes needed to be made to meet current code.  Once installation began, Kurt and his team were onsite every day and were great to work with - they even were kind to our dog, nicknaming her their "shop dog" as she liked to hang around them as they worked.   They worked quickly, efficiently and always cleaned up at night to ensure the safety of our children during a home remodel (ie. replaced the railings they took down each night so that the stairway would be safe for my girls.)

From the first visit at our house all the way to the finishing touches of this project, Kurt and his team did a wonderful job.  Kurt is very professional, knowledgeable and his pricing is transparent and reasonable. The quality of the workmanship is outstanding. Kurt, who owns this company does a lot of the work himself, which makes a big difference. He is an expert in what he does and once he and his team starts working you can see that they love what they do.  They are very passionate and want to make things right for their customers.

I highly recommend Kurt and his crew! Kurt is an expert. He will take the time required to help you chose materials and explain the process. Kurt and his crew are excellent craftsmen! It's been a few months and I still smile when I look at my new stairs, they are gorgeous! Kurt did a great job protecting flooring and surrounding areas with thick pads and creating dust barriers to prevent damage and keep other adjacent areas clean. A+++

We called, he returned calls. He came out a couple of times to go over details. He was great to work with.
He was prompt, his estimate of how long the job would take was right on and his work was fabulous!

Kurt was great to deal with. He was able to swing by our home for a quick look at our staircase and prepare a rough estimate. He returned another time with samples of the balusters and newel posts. The completed project looks great.The stain matches very well with our hardwood floors.

Excellent work!Took out the 41 old oak balusters and replaced with iron balusters in one day.Great quality and service.

In late January, I emailed Kurt a bid request for remodeling our stairs. He promptly emailed me a rough estimate, and responded quickly to every question I had by email or telephone. Kurt then met us at our house for a detailed estimate, bringing a large binder of past work-reference photos, stair-parts catalogs, plus an entire truckload of sample materials (spindles, mouldings, hardwoods, stains, newel posts, handrails...). Of the several carpenters we interviewed, Kurt had some of the best ideas, and anticipated solutions to possible problems (such as the floor tile cracking when the newel posts are secured tightly to the floor). He had no goofy or questionable ideas of improving our odd-looking staircase - everything he presented was well conceived, creative and practical. Kurt did the estimate *and* acted as lead carpenter and foreman for the entire job, including the wood finishing process. Thus, we had absolutely no communication problems or issues with anyone trying to do something that we didn't request, or not doing absolutely everything we did request. Kurt and his crew of 2 arrived promptly each day. They moved our furniture and covered the floors & furniture with tarps and plastic. Each day, they completely cleaned up the area for us. They worked non-stop for 4 days, staggering their lunches so someone was working at all times. Kurt transformed our mid-70's, rough-looking, Brady-Bunch-tract-home stairs into a wonderful, furniture-quality work of art. The dangerous wrought-iron balustrades and oddly hard-to-climb steps were all brought up to safety code, and now walking up and down the staircase is a breeze. Plus, the understair storage cabinets are disguised as a fancy wall with moulding. What an immense difference in our home's entryway! The place is gorgeous now. Kurt has been in business as a CSLB-licensed pro for almost 25 years, and it shows. He was a perfect gentleman throughout the whole process, never badgering us, never asking about other bids we'd received, never bad-mouthing his competitors and never pressuring us to make a decision.

Kurt Olmstead met us at our home for an estimate. He showed us his portfolio of photos. He was a great help to us for making decisions regarding the types of railings, styles, and wood finishes. He, along with 2 workers started on the date agreed upon. They always arrived on time each morning and worked full time non-stop for 3 consecutive work days. They covered all nearby furniture with plastic and put blankets on the floors. They completely cleaned up the work area after each day's work. Kurt and his employees were exceptionally polite and courteous at all times. The quality of work is exceptional and beyond our expectations. We felt the cost was quite reasonable considering the quality of work and the workmanship. Kurt also kept in touch and coordinated his work with the owner of A&B Flooring (Fountain Valley) who installed the upstairs laminate floors (by the way, A&B Flooring did an outstanding job). Kurt came highly recommended and lived up to the recomendations given to us. This is his specialty. He only works on staircases as far as we know.

KURT'S WORK IS ABSOLUTELY IMPRESSIVE. IT IMMEDIATELY UPGRADED THE ENTRY OF OUR HOME AND INCREASED OUR VALUE AS WELL. HIS CRAFTSMANSHIP AND DETAIL IS SECOND TO NONE.