Keil Construction
About us
Keil Construction is a Washington, D.C. based full-service residential and commercial renovation and remodeling company, offering design solutions for kitchens, bathrooms, basements and additions. We specialize in renovating and preserving historic homes, solving problems with creative design solutions, and providing complete service from design to permits and inspections to construction. We have the knowledge-base, craftsmanship and experience needed to maintain the inherent character of your home while enhancing its value. We answer all design related questions internally, assessing the following elements: structure, architecture, historical features, environment, materials, and timeframe. Preserving integrity and building value, the hallmark of a Keil Construction project is a creative design built on the touchstone of trust.
Business highlights
Services we offer
Remodeling, basements, bathrooms, home renovations., kitchens
Amenities
Free Estimates
Yes
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Once we began the kitchen changes, it became clear that the whole house needed extensive improvements literally from top to bottom. These changes included a new roof, new central air conditioning, floor sanding throughout, a new master bathroom, a new concrete slab in the basement with perimeter drain, and a new paint job throughout.
The unforeseen conditions put a strain on my budget. Keil Construction was sensitive to these changes and provided great value by using salvage items and creative solutions throughout the project. In addition, Jeff Keil provided creative insights that gave my project a unique style that I truly love. He built a beautiful custom vanity and salvage wood cabinet for my bathroom to my specifications. He made some of the cabinets in my kitchen, using salvage windows and doors. The open shelves he made using old floor joists give me the rustic charm I was looking for. He donated an old tin ceiling from another project for my kitchen.
Another benefit of using Keil Construction is that they not only are willing to work with you to implement your creative ideas, but they welcome the challenge. Many contractors out there look for the easiest solution. I had a salvage farm sink that I wanted to include in my kitchen design. Other contractors told me it was too difficult, but Jeff figured out a way to incorporate the sink into my design, having a carpenter build a custom cabinet to house the sink. It was his idea to use my antique license plate collection about the face of the kitchen bulkhead, and this final touch is very charming and enhances the warmth of my kitchen. l would highly recommend Keil Construction to any homeowner interested in creating a home with personality and interest, without sacrificing quality.
While the underlying quality of the workmanship is great, Jeff distinguishes himself in two respects: first, he has enormous appreciation for and knowledge of old houses. And second, he has a substantial inventory of salvaged pieces from old houses that he brings to the project often at no cost. He is also all around a really good guy which is not a trivial issue on extended renovations.
Our project was not small. We had a 70s kitchen, a dilapidated addition in the back, and a very closed layout in the house. We obtained proper architectural drawings for a new open kitchen, new addition and alot of other upgrades. Jeff analyzed and tweaked in areas where the layout could be improved or to ensure the renovation fits with the house which is over 100 years old. His team went to work, completely gutting much of the house, and the bulk of the work was finished in four months.
Some of my favorite parts of the work include 1) open shelves and a breakfast table made from 100 year old joists that he had from another home 2) salvaged super tall doors for the new bathroom and closet to blend in with the current doors in the house 3) re-purposed tin ceiling from the old kitchen in to the bathroom and 4) we turned an old larder into a cool drinks cabinet on Jeff's suggestion.
I would make one caveat: Jeff is not there everyday and there were mistakes at times. I needed to be on top of the project and point things out. However, to Jeff's credit, they were always promptly corrected, even when costly or time consuming to Jeff. My confidence that he adjusts to ensure the customer is happy is ultimately why I am very comfortable recommending him.
Jeff and his crew started in the bathroom first. A previous owner with a penchant for arches had installed arches in an already small bathroom, making it feel dark and crowded. Jeff recommended tearing out the arches which would give us more space for a full size double vanity, and make full use of the existing skylight. Since all five of us use this bath and towels are everywhere, Jeff recommended installing wainscoting to support the heavier weight of the wet towels. He also recommended a lovely dusky blue gray and quot;penny roundand quot; tile for the floor which he felt would be a nice update to the older hexagon tiles so often found in old Capitol Hill rowhouses like ours. Keil Construction made quick work of the bathroom, finding and repairing pipe issues along the way. The tile installer was excellent and did a beautiful job. The carpentry was likewise superb. Jeff was somehow able to find a vanity to my exact specifications and recommended several other design details that make this bathroom stand out. We have a marble vanity top, undermount sinks, beautiful faucets and light fixtures that are updated, but still in character with the age of my house. We love it.
After the bathroom, they moved on to our back bedroom, which at one point had been an office for a previous owner. Because it was directly above an open walled porch, it was the coldest room in the house in the winter, and the hottest in the summer. This previous owner installed french doors and a small juliet balcony, which no one ever felt safe standing on. The french doors took up valuable wall space making furniture placement difficult, if not impossible., and further exacerbated the temperature issues. Jeff tore out the doors and balcony, replacing the opening with new windows and with salvaged brick to match the outside of our house.
In addition, since the bedroom had been a former sleeping porch, there was no real floor. When Jeff's crew tore out the tile in our kitchen, he found original heart pine flooring underneath. This wood was salvaged, refinished and installed in the bedroom to complete the floor. The floor had a terrible slope that Jeff didn't just leave, though other contractors I am sure would not have been so thorough. He had his worker completely tear up and level the floor joists, then installed and refinished the wood flooring. They painted and fixed poorly installed recessed lighting in the ceiling too. The room looks amazing and is a total transformation.
The kitchen was the main job and it was a major operation. From the first 15 minutes of our consultation, Jeff recommended and sketched out a new layout, including a peninsula island and small sitting room off the main work area of the kitchen. He also recommended moving the powder room bath in order to capture a small window there as well as to make it less obtrusive, being so close to the kitchen. Once again, Jeff's eye inspired a design that continues to impress. As I mentioned above, one element to our house was a lot of arches, installed sometime in the mid-70s. While they did not work in the upstairs bath, they did work in a very nicely done brick porch with wide, open, arches. Not wanting to completely lose this interesting design feature, Jeff suggested that we center new sliding doors and window directly in the arches. New glass would be ordered to fit the shapes on either side of the new doors and window, in the shape of the arch. While ordering and measuring the glass for a perfect fit took longer, it's such a showstopper that I am so glad we agreed. (But at this point, after already seeing how gorgeous the bathroom and bedroom was, honestly, we were ready to follow Jeff's lead anywhere!)
Jeff tore out our kitchen down to the studs. He repaired and removed compromised joists and notched out beams which attempted to make way for pipes from previous renovations. In all aspects he was thorough and conscientious. He left no stone unturned. While I chose the carrera marble subway tile for the walls and backsplash, he recommended honed black granite for the counters which would mimic the soapstone that I initially wanted until I learned of it's maintenance issues. I chose basic white shaker style cabinets and a white Rohl's fireclay sink, which I adore. For a space next to the refrigerator where the cabinets ended, Jeff remembered how much I hated a total and quot;cabinet canyonand quot; with everything matchy-matchy and no special touches. So he mentioned that he had salvaged doors and would make me a new/old and quot;hutchand quot; complete with marble counter and painted wainscoting in back. At first I was worried at how it would look, but once again, we left it to Jeff's judgement and what I have now is a centerpiece that everyone comments on the minute they walk in the kitchen. It looks like it has been there forever, but then again, it doesn't. It's AMAZING!
Along the way, we decided to replace our front door and Jeff suggested we paint it yellow-done! Looks great. He also insisted on a metal railing for the new, small deck out back. He didn't want to and quot;spoil the viewand quot; out the back through our stunning windows with door. Done! Of course, it was the absolute right thing to do, and it definitely makes an impact. Finally, knowing that our bikes were always being stored in the dining room, Jeff created a secure bike storage area underneath the new porch, installing a thick chain into the brick which we can run through our bikes to secure. (And not even here did Jeff find a detail too small: he installed corrugated plastic underneath the porch but above the bikes, so that rainwater would run over and to the side, keeping the bikes out of the rain. Genius!
We also opened a wall down to the basement because Jeff said it was a pinch point in the hallway (it was). He custom built a railing and newel post that again is reminiscent of the old style baluster in the front of the house. New, but very respectful of the character of the house.
My kitchen is so beautiful, I now refer to it constantly as and quot;my beautiful kitchenand quot;. It really makes me feel like I should be in a magazine spread. The cabinets are wonderful (thank you Montgomery Kitchen and Bath) and so well-thought out that I feel like I am in heaven. Jeff was truly a pleasure to work with and was always thinking of ways to make us happier. In addition to the thoughtful custom made hutch, he also took time to think of my husband, who only wanted a pull out trash can at the sink. Jeff said, how about a sound system? Wouldn't he like that? A sound system with speakers in the ceiling had not even occurred to me, but I knew my husband would love it, and he did. It's another of our favorite things about Jeff. He thinks about things that are barely, if at all, on your radar.
Bottom line there was absolutely NOTHING that Jeff recommended that didn't dramatically improve our home, even though it might have seemed like a small thing at the time. He has the design eye of an architect, and the sense of space and respect for history of someone who has lived in and loved old houses for a very long time-because he has!
The project from beginning (the bathroom) to the end (kitchen) took from late April to late September. It took somewhat longer than our original estimate, but I never felt like it unreasonable. All in all we feel very strongly that we had an extremely cost effective renovation that was well worth the money, ti
The only caveats we would offer about Keil Construction is that the job usually takes longer than the initial estimate, and we had to work harder that we'd like to maintain continuous, effective lines of communications. Given that Keil focuses on historic homes - with all their quirks - delays are to be expected. We've offered constructive criticism to Jeff on the communications issue, and he has been receptive to our comments.
That said, I'd like to focus on all the positive aspects of our experience:
1) Jeff Keil is a great guy who is passionate about his work and about saving/updating the old homes on the Hill. Given his experience, he had many creative ideas, yet was still responsive to our requests. (e.g. We love that he has a collection of old doors, windows, etc and is always trying to find a spot for them in the homes he is renovating. We were especially happy with the old doors that Jeff pulled from his warehouse to reuse in our home.)
2) While not the least expensive bid, it was very competitive, and Jeff never and quot;nickle-and-dimedand quot; us as the project unfolded. The price he quoted us is the price we paid. The only additions were the result of change orders we requested. The job was not without surprises, so he could have easily tried to jack up the price, but didn't. Additionally, we can be very particular about how we want things, and when we pointed out something that wasn't quite and quot;rightand quot; Jeff had it fixed without a single grumble. In fact, he found his own and quot;nitsand quot; to pick and had them fixed. (Sure, it would have been ideal if there were no issues that needed to be fixed...but this is the real world, and in a complicated renovation of a 100+ year old home, there will be glitches and/or the realization that what was in the plans isn't the best approach.)
3) As best we can tell, Jeff has a core crew that as been with him for years and that does the bulk of the work. The only subcontractors we saw were electrical and HVAC, and both those subs were very professional. We never felt uncomfortable with the workers...they were always very courteous and helpful. I suspect that this and quot;positiveand quot; is a big part of why things can take longer to complete. Jeff could speed things up if he went out and hired temporary workers, but I'd much rather have him stick with a core team than have strangers tromping through our house.
At the end of the day, we are overjoyed with the final product. It has dramatically improved the way we live in our home, and everyone who sees the renovations has nothing but complements. As we said earlier, we're going back to Jeff to do more work...not certain there is a better endorsement than that.
Jeff Keil is also great at creative re-use of material, and excellent at on the spot problem-solving during construction. He brought over a beautiful old mirror which he recessed into the front hall, and worked with us to build a custom kitchen island wrapped in old porch ceiling boards and a custom kitchen banquette area with a built-in TV stand and a lovely natural wood counter. When we had to re-locate the A/C return, and wound up with some space to fill, his carpenter, Carlos, built a beautiful linen closet in the upstairs hall. Jeff was also very helpful in executing my vision for a luxury master bath vanity made from a dresser found at Eastern Market. It was re-painted and fitted into the wall with a beautiful marble countertop.
I will say that if you hire Keil Construction, you should be comfortable with changes to your initial plans. It was our experience that Jeff views plans as a jumping-off point for the work which was a good thing most of the time, resulting in unique solutions that we were happy with. It also meant that communication was essential. Email, which I'm used to using, was a mixed bag. In the end, I texted him more often than not (sometimes to remind him to read an email!) and relied on our weekly in-person meetings to talk about the progress of the renovation. Occasionally, we had to ask for clarification on change orders, or more detail about billing, but in all, Jeff was very generous with his time and resources, even providing unique ceiling lights out of his personal collection.
Jeff delivered the house as promised by the requested move-in deadline (although work continued after we moved in.) His core crew was respectful, polite and helpful. For most of the renovation, we didn't live in the house, but after we moved in, the workers used a lockbox and cleaned up after themselves each day. My only complaint was that, on occasion, I didn't know they were coming to work, and was surprised to see them. I was also not thrilled with the slow manner and haphazard finish work of the sub-contractor who handled the electric work (I shared this with Jeff, and he worked to resolve the issue by using his own crew as needed.) But on the whole, I was happy to have Jeff's workers in the house, and they worked diligently and professionally, helping with everything from assembling a chandelier to building closet shelves.
If you are unsure about whom to hire, I recommend viewing several houses that Jeff has renovated and seeing the quality of the work. If his and quot;old made newand quot; style is a good match for your vision (as it was for us!) I think you will be very pleased with Keil Construction.
We then bought a house in Forest Hills, settling in January 2012, which needed renovation. Jeffrey Keil knew that we were on a tight timeline and had to get the work done quickly. The house was vacant so we were able to get in it with Jeffrey while we were in the loan process to plan what we wanted to get done. We settled on the house on a Thursday, he had his crew in there that following Monday. The work was impeccable. The place was a diamond in the rough and it is literally back to its full glory and then some. We could not be happier. The work included 3 new bathrooms and a spectacular kitchen that consists of industrial strength stainless steel cabinets that I found online that were said to have come out of an airplane hangar. Jeffrey Keil made them work in our kitchen, incorporating them with the stainless steel appliances we purchased and retro-fitting one of the cabinets to accommodate the under counter dishwasher and sink. It was not an easy task, by any means, but they did it. It is the greatest kitchen ever (in our opinion!) and we would not have it if Jeffrey and his crew were not as flexible and as willing to help as they are.
It just so happens, we also have a crew outside our house right now that Jeffrey Keil found for us to put in a slate terrace in the back yard of our Forest Hills home. It is almost done and it looks beautiful. We can't wait to be out there enjoying it.
If you like quality work at a good price you will not be sorry. Jeffrey Keil's team is professional, talented and knowledgeable, not to mention, some of the most honest guys we have ever met.
"She is right! It took longer than expected. That was because the house hid a host of unforeseen conditions. This included extensive termite damage to framing and a buried oil tank below the porch. We also waited months for the exterior work permit to be issued due to the fact that the home was in a historic district. So we stopped work and pulled off. Bless their hearts, but they had no clue of what a pre-1900's wood framed restoration involved. We took the time to solve a lot of serious issues, some of which we had to charge for. Hence, the billing complaint. We delivered a beautiful finished product however, which added value in every room."
This was our very first experience with a contractor and it has been purely awful from start to finish. In the interest of fairness, his finished work looks to be good quality, and he is still working on our neighbor's house. He estimated 2 months to finish their basement and took just over 7 months - so he is incredibly slow and unresponsive, even to them, who have a contract for over $200K. His company wasn't on Angie's List when we were researching, but we liked his finished work, so we chose him anyway. That's the last time we'll ever do that. Since last year, I have met over ten people who had similar (most of them much much worse) stories of doing business with him and I wanted to save other people from ending up a victim of his unethical business practices.
"MALICIOUS LIES! We were working next door, its true. We pulled permits for them, as contracted. My contract documents included the following description: "By signing this letter, and submitting a $6000.00 deposit, we will be able to develop architectural drawings, and begin the permit process. Final design details will be determined in consultation with the owners and contractor. We recognize that the development of the space is personalized and we will remain flexible as the conditions of the basement or aesthetic interest warrants. We expect this process to take approximately one month. During this time, Keil Construction will meet weekly with owners at an agreed upon time to finalize discussions pertaining to basement work." The house was a "mirror image" to the one next door, so we used those plans to get permits. We were ready to begin work and reached out on numerous occasions to no response. The contract sum was for over $200! The deposit, which was $6k was meant to cover plans and building permits. We got those as contracted and the clients wanted their money back. They breached our contract. We returned returned half the deposit, which was more than fair, since we HAD performed our obligations. But, it gets better. They then went on to use our plans to get to get their trade permits! Whats more, they toured our work with a new architect and builder to steal our ideas! They then proceeded to perform illegal construction, which resulted in a stop work order. The home next to theirs has been finished beautifully and was just featured on the Capitol Hill Home Renovator's house tour this past Fall. The owners are extremely pleased, and offer to show to our perspective clients, their home frequently. the home, itself, is featured on our website keilconstruction.com. Its the kitchen with the stove tacked into an existing masonary chimney. Nice Work!"
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