Jeff Dodd

unknown

Redid living room she was fantastic.

Judy responded promptly to my email with a note indicating that, due to distance, her charges would probably be higher, and that i should consider the information. I appreciated her response and the information provided, and decided pursue other options.

This entire process was pretty amazing.    I live in southern California while the condo is located in the northern part of the state so this was a long distance type job.   I met face to face with Judy on one occasion for approximately 1 hour.   She obviously really listened to me.   The unit had been a long term rental and needed everything done to up date it -  as one can see from the description above and yet I was on a budget.   I did not expect high end finishes but did expect it to be attractive, efficient and a welcoming space.   Judy delivered on all counts.   After  our initial meeting and my giving her a budget (which I knew in my heart was not enough for everything that needed to be done) she returned to me a well thought out and clearly presented proposal.   I decided that her proposal was a reasonable one based on the scope of the work and I decided to hire her company.   She then sent me an extremely thorough Home Improvement Contract with everything, and I do mean everything, clearly spelled out.    Judy is a very straight forward businesswoman and I appreciated the forthrightness of the contract clearly spelling out all parties responsibilities and what to expect.  We then communicated by phone but mostly via email.   Judy's assistant, Kati, was very attentive and prompt in her communications with me.    From the outset of this project I had decided I needed help with design issues as well as a general contractor.   What you get with JSDB is both.    Judy is both a designer and a licensed general contractor - the best of both worlds and thus everything could be done by one company.    The major floor plan alteration was to open up the kitchen so that it was one large room (kitchen, dining, living room) and eliminating the drop ceiling in the kitchen.   This also required moving the stove to a new location as well as switching from an electric stove to gas.   An old gas wall heater was removed as well.   I requested white kitchen appliances versus stainless steel - just my own personal preference.    They did all the research on cabinets for the best bang for the buck.    She had narrowed down the kitchen cabinets to one company and recommended 2 different styles and about 3 different finishes.   My job was to make a final selection.    I visited several stores to see as many of these choices as possible and then got back to them with my final choice.   I was pleasantly surprised at the quality of the cabinets and agreed with their recommendations - I just had to decide which one I liked best.   The majority of the materials came from Home Depot and they made arrangements for me to make the purchases with the store in Napa to limit the 10% administrative fee charged for materials which JSDB purchased.   They researched the appliances as well and made the same arrangement with the store for me to purchase directly.   I was sent a spreadsheet with items for me to review and then purchase on line.    I checked out all the items (cabinets, appliances, light fixtures, vanity, toilet, sinks, etc) looking up descriptions and reading product reviews.   I found that  I was in agreement with everything she had recommended.   The only change I made was to the kitchen sink.   I had remarked on seeing a granite composite sink at one of the demonstration kitchens and the one she had chosen was very attractive and an excellent price point but when I read all the reviews I had mixed feelings about it and was concerned that the one complaint people had about the product would also bother me.   Judy immediately sent me an alternative sink recommendation which after reviewing I thought was an excellent choice and in fact I love the kitchen sink that was installed.   Essentially, Judy has good taste and lots of experience and knows what works and what does not.   They also found a terrific deal on the flooring.   Throughout the process I was updated on the progress made and photos were sent at various intervals.   I was able to visit once during the renovations and see the cabinets partially installed and the results of the demolition, etc.   I added onto the original contract 3 changes (replacing 5 interior doors, replacing rain gutter and spout, and replacing shed door).   Each was handled via email exchange.   I simply asked Judy about each of these projects and she emailed me the specifications for costs (materials and labor).    Her contract included a schedule of invoicing as various stages of work were completed.   Each invoice that I received included a description of the work completed for that invoicing, any change order items and reimbursable expenses (as specified in the contract).   Attached to the invoice were copies of all receipts.    After the renovation project was completed I also had Judy install window treatments.   The condo was left in spotless condition and she even had all the windows washed.   In addition all the manuals, etc. for the appliances, etc. were left in one of the kitchen drawers.   
   The final photos that Judy sent looked great but it was even better when I saw it in person.   I am extremely satisfied with Judy Schindler Design and Building and highly recommend her.   I am still in awe that this project was done with such ease.   Judy is a true professional as are the folks who work for her.

The project overall went very well. The timing of the project worked perfectly for all of us, so they were able to start right away, and completed the job in less than 4 weeks (from initial design consultation to final inspection). We spent about 3 days selecting and ordering materials, and then the construction started. Judy's team (Felix and Hermes) was very polite and respectful, and answered any questions I had. Judy and her assistant Kati were onsite every day checking out the progress of the work, providing me with updates, and answering my questions. The communication throughout the project was wonderful. We came in a little over budget (which was fairly small to begin with), but part of that was due to the materials we selected. We had 5-6 estimates on the bathroom before we selected JS Design and Build, and they were not the lowest, but they weren't the highest either. We found them to be a good value, but slightly on the pricier end. The bathroom looks beautiful and the only reason why I indicated a B rating for quality is that we ran into a few hiccups during the construction process that were resolved to my satisfaction, but the project wasn't completely seamless. The design is beautiful, but is just slightly flawed in that the center stripe of tile running behind the shower fixture appears to be just a little off center. Otherwise everything looks fabulous. I would absolutely recommend using JS Design and Build.

She was very excellent. She was outstanding. It was absolutely easy to get her to come out. It turned out excellently. The price was excellent. We would absolutely use her again.

I had prior working experience with Judy in 1990 when she was doing only interior designing.  Her design work was colorful but restfull, and timeless; my house was beautiful.    So naturally when I got my new house I called her again.  She is very prompt, always prepared, and the work easy and efficent.  Kitchen and bathrooms are her speciallity, and I again got that beautiful but timeless quality.  With minimal fuss, and no clean up afterward.

Design took several weeks to work out.  We were trying to maintain a budget and had to make modifications to the original design to bring costs down.  Judy did a good job finding materials that better fit our budget.

The labor costs were high, but you are paying for professionalism and the comfort that everyone working in your home has the right credentials and is covered by insurance. 

Remodel took approximately two weeks.  There were a few hiccups waiting for materials, but these were minor issues.

We are very pleased with the end result and would consider Judy and her crew again.

Judy visited us several times to ensure she captured what we wanted. Her guys arrived every day thereafter to work, including weekends, until the job was done. They brought in extra help to finish additional aspects of the job that we added after they started. We communicated every day and because we wanted to reduce the overall cost of the project we were involved in buying some parts from our local Home Depot. Judy and her guys worked with us to make sure we were comfortable while they tore our house apart and replaced every single scrap of wiring in the walls. Judy's guys are great. Felix in particular stands out for going above and beyond what we asked him to do. For example, while crawling around in the basement he noticed our central air heating ducts weren't connecting properly with our vents, so he fixed the problem. How awesome is that?