Grand Kitchen + Bath

Grand Kitchen and Bath: My HORRIBLE Experience (abbreviated version) First, I have no ill will toward Grand Kitchen (GK), or Richard Valmain and Julia, the owners. Judging from the numerous positive reviews for GK, the odds are in your favor for a good outcome. What I believe was different in my situation was that unanticipated bad results occurred with my kitchen remodeling (defective quartz counters installed and improper installation of vinyl floor product leading to warping). Any job can have unexpected bad outcomes. But what I consider the worst part of this was Richard’s behavior in response to these unfortunate events. If all goes well, you are fortunate and lucky. If GK makes a mistake, you will likely have to deal with what I consider and judge to be incredibly unprofessional treatment and lack of responsibility from Richard, (IMHO). I’m a 61yo M.D living in Tampa Bay for over 32yrs. This was the first major renovation project I've done. My project with GK involved renovating a 30-year-old kitchen in a Gulfport house: new cabinetry, new quartz countertops and replacing existing tile flooring with vinyl flooring. (My full-description was too long for total inclusion here, so I will just summarize) After 5 months complaining to GK re: the quartz countertops, they eventually realized that the quartz was defective. Out of frustration, I finally bought & installed a new counter on my own in March '20. 9M after vinyl floor installation, it started warping. Richard initially blamed me for not running my AC enough & possible exterior water exposure. It would take months & me hiring a Flooring Expert to determine that GK had installed it incorrectly (not enough expansion room as required by manufacture). My biggest complaint re: GK is that for both Flooring & Quartz problems, Richard persisted in blaming me for the problems for months and accepted no responsibility or blame, as I perceived it. As resolution has not occurred yet (now 8.9.20) re: my flooring, I'm writing this review, retaining an attorney and complaining to Pinellas and FLA State licensing boards, as well as Better Business Bureau.. While it would be much more affordable for me to just replace my floor myself (which is what I’m doing now) & merely move on; I’m willing to spend a significant amount of money to make it difficult for Richard to repeat the quality, or lack of it, on anyone else’s remodeling job. In a 2nd project begun Jan2020, Moore Creative Construction is doing a much bigger renovation. & they are delivering excellence! So here is the gist. If you hire GK and everything goes smoothly, there is a good chance you will be satisfied with the job. But I don’t think it is just how good a Contractor is that is important… it is also, if things don’t work out right, do they have your back, do they correct it quickly and graciously… or do they simply ‘throw you under the bus’ and leave it to you to find a solution? If you use GK and anything goes wrong, I believe you will get to experience firsthand what happens when a contractor denies culpability and puts the blame on YOU (… or their hired help). My own skewed perspective is that Richard may be someone who just doesn’t think he’s likely wrong. Perhaps he’s convinced he’s as smart and unfailing as he wants to believe he is? I’m relatively new to Online Reviews—if owners can write a rebuttal, I’m pretty confident that Richard would again blame me and deny his shortcomings. So: I would highly advise you to shop around and consider hiring someone else who might be more responsive, professional and responsible than i ever saw GK (specifically, Richard) being. If you are going to spend a chunk of money on something important (your house and yourself), you deserve to have someone at the helm, working to do both a great job and providing and STANDING BEHIND, a final product that you are 100% pleased with. I constantly hear and see this new company (MCC) working to keep me happy and striving for my total satisfaction. I don’t recall ever sensing or experiencing that from Richard. ~Stuart

Design discussions with their office manager were very helpful. After making all design decisions & developing specifications for the job, we got an estimate from the owner but were surprised that it didn't follow/include all of our specifications and that the estimate (which included us purchasing some of the fixtures ourselves) was about twice as high as the contractor we chose (who's work we are very pleased with). The job was demolishing an existing 1990s master bathroom and designing/installing a new bathroom that reflects the character of our 1920s home.

The woman in the showroom treated my husband and me like the unwashed masses. She asked us about budget in the first minute we walked in, told us that HGTV has "ruined" the industry because people expect to renovate for too little money, intimated that if we went with someone else we would get shoddy work and plumbing problems and her facial expression was one of disdain when we mentioned we attended a home show to get ideas for our project.

We renovated our home in 2013 and picked Grand Kitchen and Bath for the kitchen. It was such a bad experience that it took me until last year to write a review on Houzz and now that I am a member of Angie's List, this review needs to go here as well. The positives: we chose high end cabinetry and quartz countertops and the contract cabinet installer was very good. The negatives: the owner of this business, Richard Valmain and his lack of professionalism and follow through. His communication with us was poor and got worse throughout the timeframe of the job. There were numerous issues which he treated with nonchalance. Some issues remained (and remain) outstanding as we held back some funds until (or if) he decided to fix them. He chose NOT to finish the job. As a result, the cabinet company, Elmwood, did not honor their warranty because they chose not to get in the middle of their customer's (Grand Kitchen and Bath) issue. Unless you want to court grief, steer clear of this company. There are other choices out there.

unknown

I had high hopes for this place based on reviews and their website.  We were thoroughly disappointed with the service, or lack of, that we received when we visited the showroom this weekend.  We are starting 4 bathroom renovations and this place looked great for being able to help with design ideas to final product.  I told the lady we spoke with - (don't know her name because she didn't introduce herself or ask our names) - what we were doing and what we needed.  She was not the least bit helpful, didn't ask us any questions, sort of followed us around, I think... she stayed distant.  We could immediately tell when we walked in here that this place seems to be one that caters to high end homes, and I guess "high end" customers.  My husband and I both felt like we were in a scene from Pretty Woman, and were being judged in some way and disregarded as serious (or worthy) shoppers.   I guess our $65,000 car that we parked right in front of the store didn't qualify us as high end enough.  Left the place without so much as a thanks for coming in, and vowed that we'd never do business with them.  Happened on a place a few miles away and have already placed deposits for our 4 bathrooms.

unknown

unknown

Visited showroom and met Julie who I liked.  Made an appointment for a designer to come out.  She showed up and spent quite a bit of time measuring the present layout.  She said she would consultant with their senior designer.  Got a call from them a few days later and they said at first he would be there on Wed.  Then they called back and said it would be Thurs or Fri and he would
lcall to give one hour notice.  Basically waited around those days and never heard anything.  I called the following Wed to see what happened.  They called him and then told me he had scheduling problems.  Why didn't he call and tell me that.  Why didn't he call to set up a follow-up?  Why did I have to call?  Decided then I did not want to use them.  Not even the courtesy of a call.  
I gave them higher marks for professionalism because of Julie and Amy the designer.  They lost a $40,000 because of the lack of a phone call.

I had been looking for a different kind of outdoor kitchen rather than the typical metal studs, covered with cement board and stucco. Online, I found these great looking, durable cabinets at www.naturekast.com. So I contacted the manufacturer then contacted their dealer in Pinellas County, Grand Kitchen and Bath. They have small samples in the showroom, but no real live cabinets which is a disadvantage in making a decision. They gave us a bid based on the design I laid out. It was slightly more than the traditional custom build, but the cabinets are incredible; indestructible, waterproof, lifetime stuff. We topped it with entry level granite which looks great. Grand Kitchen and Bath did the following: * Removed siding on house where new cabinets and granite were installed for a flush fit * Installed all cabinets, secured to wall and floor, (travertine tile over concrete) * Installed 10' aluminum beams for the bar counter * Installed Granite over all surfaces * Connected electric and plumbing to existing service

.

Our experience with Grand Kitchen and Baths was outstanding. We gutted a 3700 house and selected Grand Kitchen to do the kitchen and baths. They were the only kitchen/bath company that we interviewed that understood the look we wanted and had excellent cabinet selections for a contemporary design. Owner Richard Valmain immediately grasped our concept and did an outstanding job at designing our spaces. The final product exceeded our expectations. We have created additional value in our home because of the excellent design, quality cabinetry and expert installation from Grand Kitchen.
 The other challenge was that we did this long distance, but we had no issues. Everything was handled to our complete satisfaction and Richard, Julie and staff were on top of everything. They worked seamlessly with and through our Builder and his subcontractors when needed.
Richard even suggested, designed and built a large custom console from exotic wood veneers for our dining room. His ideas were cutting edge but always so right on. He helped us at every turn with advice and options. After I realized what a "find" Grand Kitchens was I basically turned everything over to them and was never disappointed.
Then there was the cost which we felt was more than fair and reasonable. Kitchens and baths are costly and something we rarely do so it is hard as a consumer to relate to the expense. It is not like buying a car. But we did as much research as possible and feel that we could not have found a better price/value anywhere else.  The personal attention from the entire staff was awesome.
But the bottom line is most important: we have a stunningly beautiful kitchen and master bath! Even the guest baths are extra special! Grand Kitchen is the total package of good stuff!

Amazing attention to my needs (even though I didn't know what I needed) and great analysis of how I would use the kitchen.  I never realized that appliance and cabinet location as well as design was so important.  

 Also, Richard and Julie were very astute in observing that I have decision paralysis so they fine tuned the choices so I did not have to stress over the huge number of choices.  The design was only finished after careful understanding of how I use the kitchen.  They observed so much looking at my old kitchen (like I am a gadget freak) and incorporated their observations into the new design. 

They were wonderful every step of the way and the results were awesome.

Grand Kitchen and Bath really cares about their customers but also cares about designing and putting together something that the purchaser will enjoy very much.

A week does not go by that I don't think "I love my kitchen!".

We were late in ordering the cabinets for our bathroom addition and were looking for a company to provide a quick turnaround.  Amy at Grand Kitchen was able to meet with us to review our options and to measure the space for us the same day.  The staff was very helpful.  When our primary contact wasn't available, the rest of the staff was able to assist us and had all the information on our account available to keep the process moving forward.  The install went very smoothly and the installer was courteous and did an excellent job. 
Overall, we are very happy with the whole process, but especially the final product.

The Grand Kitchen and Bath team did an outstanding job from the very begining.  They helped me with redesigning both the kitchen and master bath.  They were able to create more storage and counter space in a challenging kitchen and helped me to visualize the design.  They were excellent at helping me to pick out the right materials and stay within budget.  The quality of the materials and workmanship was outstanding and I would highly recommend them for any kitchen and bath remodel.  I trusted them completely.

Their installer Don is the best you’ve ever seen.  They’re very professional.  Richard and Amy do an outstanding job.  Our kitchen is showcase quality.

Grand Kitchen & Bath had remodeled two of our bathrooms before. We were happy on every level. They worked with us with regarding the budget because they were very good at taking what we wanted and finding a way to work it into our budget so they did very well to get us what we wanted with the budget that we had. Some of their subcontractors were harder to line up stuff with but that doesn't really reflect on Grand Kitchen & Bath per say because they tried. They got the project done in less time than they quoted and they are hands down professional. I've referred several people to them.

When the owner of the company, Richard, came to our home he noted there was a difference in width between the old top and the material they would use for the new top. The new top being more narrow in width. Richard indicated that this would not be a problem. In fact, he indicated, it might be an advantage.  We contracted to have the work done by his company.

The counter was installed by the subcontractor and the company owner, Richard, was not present while the work was being done. As the counter was being installed,  I saw there was a 1/2 inch gap between the new counter and the tile back splash.
When I realized the problem, I called the store.  Richard was not available there but his wife, Julie, gave me his cell number.
When I contacted him, he  spoke to the workers directing them to shim up the counter to decrease the space between the counter top and the tile.  I asked him about this process.  He said there would be a gap but they could put a bead of silicone in to cover the gap. 

Intuitively , I was not comfortable with this as a solution so I rejected it as an option.   In retrospect I am glad I did as there would have been a gap between the dishwasher and another area of the cabinet under the sink where no silicone could have been applied.

Richard denies any responsibility for this problem--the gap between counter and back splash tile. He did offer a solution to repair the gap but is not one we like. In his solution, he would supply the material at cost and have it installed. We want our original look in the kitchen back.   I want to retile at a cost of $500.  Ive told him I do not expect him to pay the full amount but I would like him to share in part of the cost.  After several back and forth conversation, he continues to deny any responsibility for the problem and, because we wont accept his solution, washes his hands of the whole affair.

We feel this company has not acted ethically.   We contracted with a company that installs kitchens and baths as a full time business.  Supposedly they have expertise and we felt we were hiring them, in part, for this experience and expertise.