Melton Design Build

We were new to Boulder and it was our first remodel. We had no idea what we were doing. We were comforted by the 95% Guild rating and the generally positive reviews, so we executed a contract and paid Melton around $7,500 for design work in preparation for the larger project of around $150,000. Ty and his team are very nice. We enjoyed going to their showroom and working with them. Before we got to the actual remodel stage, we hit a couple issues that forced us to walk away. The first was the initial cost estimate. After we signed the contract, the $150,000 estimate started creeping up. Please note that the cost started rising before any work was done. Even before the design was completed. We did not do any changes to warrant the increase, and they would not provide detail to support the fee or the increase. The second is that the design work was sub par. They admitted that it was not good and apologized, which we very much appreciated. THE UPDATE -- Two years has past since we split from Melton Design and Build. For $150,000 Melton was going to remodel about half my house. I ended up getting my entire 3,400 sq ft house done for $160,000 and it looks stunning. Completely new kitchen with a massive 8X5 marble topped island, wood floors, stone floors, finished basement, marble counters, 8 new huge windows, 15 new doors, Wedgewood cabinets, custom stair posts. My new contractor and his team moved walls, put in support beams, painted the entire house in and out, new roof, etc.. and it was all done for a fixed fee. No cost overruns. Perfection! By contrast, we paid Melton $7,500 for the design and since we spent 2 months working with Melton, we had to scramble to find another contractor. We ended-up having to lease for 2 extra months which cost an additional $6,000. To this day Melton has done nothing to try and remedy the situation. I am surprised and disappointed that they did not try and do something. In any event, I hope this helps anyone looking to remodel. Best regards, D

Their cost was way too far high. We were looking for the lesser amount they were estimating. They were very pleasant and very friendly. Their estimate were out there compared to some of the other bidders. We didn't have their official bids as well. They were very nice. They would do a very competent job. They are very popular in the area where we live. When they work in the house, they are one of the cool companies to work in the house. We are paying for the brand. They do a very good job, but they are very costly. They were responsive. We would not have any problem recommending them to someone who doesn't have a budget.

Everything was excellent. It was a great experience and they did a great job on a really big kitchen remodel. They provided great all around service, kept the job site extremely clean and cared about the job site. They finished on time and worked great with us individually. All the members of their team were really good.

It wasn't all that great. It took a long time to get an initial callback because we had a small project. They kind of turned their noses up against that but finally they developed a small project department so somebody called us back. His name was Steven Phoenix and he was an awesome guy. He took really good care of us. The quality of work was good. They are the general contractor and they subcontracted out to smaller guys so we didn't really have to worry about anything, which was nice.

We cannot say enough good things about Melton. They are expensive, but the price is reflected in the quality of their work and materials. Their crew is knowledgeable, competent and professional. All the work has been performed in an extremely timely and efficient fashion, with no wasted time, no surprises, and the job site is cleaned up every evening. They were doing an excellent job on our project with a tight schedule. Then the Great Flood hit Boulder, and we ended up with a flooded basement. Despite the bad timing during a very busy time, they agreed to stay on an additional two weeks to squeeze in carpet removal, demolition of the floors and walls and rebuild. They even helped us move all our personal belongings to the garage. For this service we are eternally grateful, as all the other local qualified contractors had been taken. When we accidently ordered the wrong window - a very pricey mistake - Melton was extraordinarily flexible and generous in rectifying the situation without a lot of extra expense to us. This is great customer service! We think the entire staff at Melton is terrific: professional, pragmatic,and just plain nice. The crew works hard with few breaks, a cheerful attitude and a sense of humor, and the management team is sharp, attentive and efficient. We also like their "green" approach to construction, such as recycling windows and wood. All in all, it has been a real pleasure working with Melton, and we highly recommend this company. Their word, like their work, is level, plumb and true.

They have too much work to really provide consistent service. Furthermore, if you are details person, you will be discouraged. "We'll get to that later." "Don't worry about it." They were unfamiliar with building codes and "had to check" with other people in their company all the time. After checking with the city personally, some of their answers were wrong. Design could have been a simple "napkin drawing" until things had solidified but the entire process took forever as computer drawings went to and from whoever does that in their department. They were unable to provide a range of options, but rather took the "what would you like to do?" approach. They did not provide us with the options to build kits. Cost management was non-existent, other than "that will be more expensive". When asked how much they weren't sure. Toward the end of the design phase, the new building cost double what was originally projected. They would not share their estimate spread-sheet. They said "It probably won't cost this much" but couldn't really explain why or why not. So I terminated the project. They billed me for 80% of the design process, even though I had no final drawings, absolutely nothing of value. I asked them to produce drawings that I could build from and I would let them keep the remaining 20%. They provided the wrong building. When they did provide the correct building, there was a note saying that they made no guarantees unless they built it. So, all in all it was an expensive process to get drawings that I will not end up using. UPDATE: After writing this review, they contacted me and have refunded the money I paid them. Thank you!

The area looks great and the quality of construction was top rate. The French doors recommended by Ty really enhanced the overall result. I loved that they started the project by asking what our greatest concern was (damage to our beautiful stairway taking materials downstairs) and then went way out of their way to bring materials in through the window. When we had problems with the carpet company (we purchased the carpet ourselves and arranged for installation) they stepped in and helped us get a refund for an unauthorized charge to our credit card. There were a few items that had to be added to the project after it was underway, including Melton not noticing the need for another electrical panel which added $2400 onto the estimate. Seeing an already high bid go up in increments can be very unsettling, not knowing when it will stop. After adding this item and one or two other minor ones, they worked with the budgeted amount, adding or subtracting services and $ via change orders. The project manager was a bit harried due to an excessive workload and so occasionally forgot to bring info needed to weekly meetings, but this was fairly insignificant in the overall experience. Perhaps due to this, he didn't order the doors far enough in advance, delaying the completion of the project by about a month, and causing us to have to house our holiday guests in a less convenient spot. Nonetheless, he was professional and very pleasant to work with. I wouldn't mention any of these glitches if the price was less, but for this price, perhaps we expected something closer to perfection. We would have used Melton for our bathroom remodel which we did the following year, but their ballpark estimate was $18-24,000 for a bathroom. Ours was very simple situation, small in size and not involving relocating any of the fixtures. Even after we made a few compromises on material, when the actual bid came in at close to the top of the range, we decided to get other bids. If it had come in below the midpoint, we would have gone ahead without more bids because of how pleased we were with our first experience. Since we got a bid for $11,000 for the bathroom with all of the high quality materials we wanted, we went with a handyman instead. He did a beautiful job, although we had more glitches than with Melton (none with financial implications). We knew that Melton would be the easier way to go, but the additional cost was not worth it for the bathroom job. We have 2 other bathrooms and could afford to have that one out of commission.

It was a painful experience working with Melton. They were supposed to make the process of a major renovation easier. Their actions and omissions made the job much more stressful and expensive than necessary. The job became more expensive as the project progressed. It was very difficult to get them to stick to a budget. I was also disappointed with the quality of their work. The only reason we didn't fire them was because of the time constraint they caused due to their delays. They did a bit of design work for us. It was not good, so we did it ourselves and had Melton implement our design. We thought the actual work was something they could handle. The work was also disappointing. Many elements of the project had to be reworked. We eventually hired another contractor to complete aspects of the project, and fix the issues with Melton's work.. There are many contractors around Boulder. Just ask the paint and flooring companies for recommendations. They know the good ones.

They were fabulous. I liked their timeliness. They got things done within the time they had told us they would. They were really upfront. They were quick to let us know about any changes that they have to make. They didn’t ever do anything that we haven’t said without running it by us first. We had issues with the subcontractors and we didn’t have to do anything. We just told them and they were on it.

This is the second major home project for which I've used Melton ... and I will absolutely use them again. They are not the least expensive and our project, for reasons not entirely of Melton's making, took longer than planned but their work is absolutely the highest quality, their workmen were neat, orderly and very respectful and when somenting isn't right, Melton fixes it ... no questions asked.

Melton made it easy. They handled the Professional Engineering stamped designs that were necessary for permitting. They took care of ordering the six panel custom door and worked with the manufacturer when one of the pieces arrived damaged. When the time for construction began, they were always on time and actually sealed off the construction area with plastic to prevent dust from migrating throughout the house. They recommended a tile company in town for me to pick out the floor tile, who was also great to work with. The Melton construction manager listened to precisely what I wanted, and also made helpful suggestions along the way that further improved the results of the project. Melton may charge a little more than other contractors, but their responsiveness, professionalism, and resources make it worthwhile. This was my home so I wanted the best. I couldn’t be more delighted with how the project was handled during construction and how it turned out at the end.

Having contacted this company over 2 weeks ago and responded to them by email with details of the job they managed to lose my correspondence. I ended up calling them to set up an appt. The day of the appt they were no show - apparently the time had been put into the computer wrong - they had the appt set up for a time when I wouldn't be home. Clay was unable to come out immediately as he had another meeting set up. My details werer handed off to another sales person who took over 30 mins to drive from Gunbarrel to Niwot (15 mins on traffic). He wore no identifying shirt/id tag etc and thought that the fact he just got given this job was funny! He wanted to take photos of the project without any explanation nor did he have a tape measure with him. Some of the questions were stupid, point in case 1. why do you want a fan in the bathroom?????? My teenage daughter was at home at the time and was creeped out by him.... He left after I wouldn't allow him to take photos....

They were punctual and friendly. Their prices were more expensive than other estimates. They weren't comfortable letting us purchase the materials from a wholesaler.

Melton was very responsive to our calls, initially and as work progressed. We were put in touch with Aaryn, one of their senior folks in the area of home efficiency. He came to look around and make the bid, and he was also here doing the work with one other worker, Pete. (Pete also seemed very knowledgeable and was easy to work with.) The bid was higher than the other estimate we received, but Aaryn took the time to explain the differences in the services offered, and I got the feeling this was the right person to work with -- he took the time to listen and respond accurately to my questions, he understood my concerns without minimizing them, and he was willing to break his bid down in detail so we could choose which services to pay Melton for and which to do ourselves. There was some wicked traffic both days that Aaryn and/or Pete were coming to do the work, so they arrived 30 minutes later than expected, but they kept me posted on the situation, so I was never left wondering what was going on. They did the work we requested quickly and dealt well with the fact that we (including our two kids and two indoor cats) were in the house for much of the work time. Where there were choices to make, they explained them clearly and accepted our choices, even when they didn't seem like the ones they might have chosen themselves. They cleaned up after themselves. They were friendly; our shy kids even got to like them. And our home tested out as it should. We have yet to see whether the insulation will have a long-term effect on our energy bills, but I have high hopes, given what I've seen. For example, in the winter we re-duct our electric clothes dryer to exhaust the warm, damp air inside the house; this helps offset some of our heating and humidifying costs. Before this work, we'd feel the humidity and smell the damp clothes; now in addition to those, our windows fog up! Clearly our house is a lot tighter than before. At test-out time, Aaryn worked with me in detail about what a tighter house would mean for our water heater, which does not have sealed combustion (meaning that if we run too many exhaust fans and/or the dryer at the same time, the water heater may not exhaust properly and may create a carbon monoxide hazard). Through several tests, we determined exactly what could be running and still have safe conditions. We're planning on replacing the water heater as our next priority, but this information will help us stay safe in the interim. I really appreciated many aspects of the experience of working with Melton, and I would definitely hire them again or recommend them to others.

From the moment we called Melton for an estimate, to when they finished the job, we found them to be extremely professional and quick to respond to questions. Melton does charge more for their work, but they do high-quality work from start to finish and pride themselves on this. They were careful to clean up after themselves, and to check in to make sure we were happy with the existing work. The new window they installed made an amazing difference in the amount of heat coming in. We noticed a temperature drop of almost 7 degree fahrenheit. The window had special frame, and Melton rebuilt this frame exactly as it had been before. They were very careful to repaint both the inner and outer walls where necessary, so we couldn't even tell that work had been done. Melton did go over on the time estimate of their work, partly because they were taking great care to install the new window. As an apology, they sent us a gift certificate for a restaurant, which I thought was a nice gesture. I was impressed with Melton all around, and if you want high-quality work with attention to detail, I recommend them.

From start to finish the Melton team made us feel like our project was a priority. They helped us make the best choices within our budget and worked with us. The work that was to be done was well-planned and well-executed. They met with us weekly and responded to phone calls or queries in a timely fashion. Meetings were on time. Melton personnel and the subcontractors they engaged were polite and respectful of our property. Everything and everyone was supervised by Melton. At one time we counted at least six trades working and they weren’t tripping over each other. Everyone was punctual. If they said someone would be at the home at a certain time, that’s when they would arrive. Our Melton project team was friendly, genuine, competent, and a joy to have in our home.

We worked with them and we found them too expensive. We had a plan and got an estimate and they tried to rework the estimate as it was too much money to do the work. The design service was good, but the pricing was too high. They were responsive, punctual and professional. They don't itemize what things cost and it's very hard to work with them in terms of the pricing.

Full service contractor. On-site supervisors from Melton were very responsive and professional. All the subcontractors did an excellent job, except for the painters.

Excellent company all the way arounf.

They started by making suggestions for what we could do to accomplish our goal of a more modern, more comfortable home. This included showing us how just moving one interior wall would give us room to build a large, luxurious master bath. Before we even signed any papers or put down a deposit, they had finished a previously roughed-in small storage room so we could start clearing out the house. We moved into an apartment for three months, and at the end of that period, as promised, the house was finished enough to move into. For that three months, our two cats lived in the empty house, well loved by the Melton employees and subcontractors. Our project manager was very accessible and determined that we be satisfied in every way. He often pointed out small things that had been done wrong before we had even noticed them, and then had them fixed very quickly. He met with us weekly for the entire job. For a relatively small fee, we used Melton's designer to design our kitchen and master bath. We were extremely pleased with her ideas and sense of style. The project involved at least six subcontractors, all of whom were as responsible and pleasant to deal with as the Melton employees. We couldn't rate this company any higher. Our house is beautiful, and all the materials and workmanship are excellent.

We needed to have our 100 year old porch replaced. Unfortunately the contractor we chose, who is not associated with Melton, made costly mistakes (this is an $8,000 project so far.) We needed to figure out all of the problems before we approached the contractor to ask him to fix them or ask for a partial refund. We didn't know where to turn to get help. We talked to flooring companies, home inspectors, ect. but they kept telling us they weren't the people to talk to. Then I called Melton. I spoke with Stuart Phillips and asked him if we could pay him to assess the project. He refused payment and spent the time necessary to look at our porch, even coming back the next day to double check something on the porch he wasn't sure of the day before. The next day we received a letter from him which stated his findings. He even made copies of articles that stated an important detail we'd spoken to other professionals about and couldn't find the answer to. The next day he called us to check-in.

Melton provided top notch consulting for us. They met regularly and lines of communication were always open. When obstacles were encountered, Melton's experts always found at least one acceptable way to proceed that did not overly compromise the desired endpoint. Melton maintained accountability from all the subcontractors and used only the most professional ones on our project. The tile work was outstanding and I recommended that firm to my daughter for her project. She was most impressed. Melton is was not the lowest bidder. We knew that there were others who could and did provide us with lower bids. In the end, having experienced other projects, we are thankful that Melton did the work. There was no friction in or relationship and they work was that which we envisioned. Melton has extraordinary talent on board and they provide an outstanding service. I would recommend them without any hesitation.

See above.

We were referred to Melton by a friend (who know 2 other people that used them, but didn't actually use them herself). Our first meeting was with Rick Houghtaling to tell him our needs and desires for the remodel. Our house was built in 1908 and is in fantastic condition, but needed major updating. The next step was the fun part with meeting with the designer to draw the new layout of our dream kitchen. We were guided by the designer in what type of cabinets, counter tops and flooring to go with to keep it in the same style of our craftsman house, but all the while moving forward with a functional and updated kitchen. About half way through the design process we switched to a new designer within the firm and the transition was flawless. Carrie Hilborn (that's her maiden name, anyway) is an amazing designer with fabulous "out of the box" tile layout ideas. She and I seemed to be on the same page with almost everything, and she never seemed rushed or annoyed with my millions of phone calls. She followed through with everything she said she would and spent many hours researching the perfect tile, light fixtures, sinks, custom hood for the kitchen, and concrete counter tops. She shopped around to find the best price for tile and ended up saving me a bundle. We replaced all the windows on the 2nd level to the fantastic European tilt windows. This was costly and my husband was a bit hesitant to spend the dough, but we are so incredibly happy with the outcome, especially now that the weather is getting cooler and we will in turn save on our energy bill. We had almost all of the wood trim replaced on the 2nd level (around the windows, doors, and added picture rails and crown molding) to match the rest of the house. Cliff Alsop is an amazing carpenter. We were not living in the house during the remodel, so I was very glad to have Cliff on-site every day working and overseeing what was going on in the rest of the house. There were several times when Cliff accepted deliveries for me and would call me if something wasn't quite right with one of the other contractors that I independently hired for other work. Cliff is a true craftsman and artist in all the work he does and we feel extremely fortunate to have had him on this job. I finally have to praise our project manager, Stuart Phillips. Stuart always answered his phone and was very willing and patient with my questions. He was willing to meet my husband and I after hours and on weekends (the only time that would work sometimes for us) to discuss any issues or changes. If there were any problems that needed to be fixed, they were remedied in a timely fashion without much inconvenience to us. Stuart went above and beyond and never made me feel like I was a nuisance with my questions or concerns. Stuart kept everyone in line (including myself!) with keeping within budget. I have so much more to say but I am running out of room here. Please feel free to contact me for anything. I'm happy to discuss further!

The process was very smooth. The project was on time and on budget, just as they promised. They have a great system and employees and use great sub-contractors. The only extra things we did were things we added on to after signing the contract, heating/cooling items. Our project manager was very responsive and accommodating.