Budget Right Kitchens

Here are my 3 "C"'s for this contractor: 1. Craftsmanship; BR's craftsmanship and attention to detail were excellent. This is also true for their subcontractors (electrical and plumbing work 25%+ of budget). As with any project, there were a couple of technical issues that cropped up during construction, but the BR team found good alternatives. 2. Communication. Dirk met with us to listen to our ideas and was helpful in determining what was realistic and affordable. BR was responsive to us when we changed our minds on a few things, and appreciative when we caught a couple of mistakes that would have been difficult to fix later on. Dirk/Dan/Mario/Adam were very pleasant to work with. The "daily" crew was punctual and even worked on Saturdays to get the work done faster. 3. Cost: Their estimate was lower than a competitor's, but our final decision was largely based on our comfort level with Dirk. We simply trusted him. Project finished slightly under budget.

Diana, the designer, was very good. They workers were so patient with the bathroom tiles. They did beautiful work. They painted the ceiling and did all of the cabinets also. They also put in a heater. They did everything very well, and I like it very much. They put the shower and all of the accessories in as well. They installed an over mount sink. I was amazed at the patience of the workers. They also gave me a discount. I wish I could give an A- or a B+ overall to reflect my true experience with the company. The price was good. The owner was on the ball with returning phone calls. The owner reviewed the job after it was completed. There were some minor glitches, but no job is perfect.

I am very pleased with the work. I was out of town for the entire project, so trusted them to be in my home when I wasn't. From the first appointment with the estimator, Jim, staff were punctual, pleasant and helpful. I really appreciated that they treated my home respectfully. There were no nicks or damages to deal with after the fact. Because of the age of my building, a pipe on the second floor broke as a result of the water being turned off. This was discovered late on a Friday night. Three men were there within 30 minutes to repair the damage which included replacing a bathtub pipe and touch up painting. Jim was diligent in following up with my two neighbors to make sure there was no unrepaired damage in either of their apartments. When I returned home to a beautiful new bathroom, there were three or four very minor things that needed attention. These were taken care of promptly. I am totally thrilled with my new bathroom and would hire Budget Right again in a minute.

My neighbor used Budget Right and after seeing the hard work being done by them and hearing of their integrity, I hired them. I met with Dirk Hoerr, the owner, who approached the job as a professional business person who had obviously taken a lot of time to put his business together properly and with great care for the customer. Dirk sat down with me and asked about my wishes for the kitchen and from that conversation, was able to produce a design which was something I could not have developed on my own. Then I signed a contract, which spelled out every detail, leaving room for absolutely no surprises, and they got to work. His men were on time, were there every day they said they would be there, and did had few delays. They were professional and respectful. And best of all, very talented. Dirk hires only the best and the quality of the workmanship shows up in my kitchen. I made steady progress payments and at the end, actually came in under budget! They are fantastic!

There was an enormous amount of leg work that I had to do. I had to select and purchase much of the hardware myself, i.e. sinks, faucets, toilet, tile, countertop, glass showerstall. This required spare time (weekends) used for searching and purchasing. In fairness, I was informed of this in advance by Budget Right. They advised me what to do and where to go in advance of their work. The bathroom looks better than I imagined. The work was done efficiently and within the general anticipated budget. It was done within the anticipated timeframe. Everyone was professional and courteous. I was given the flexibility to meet around my schedule. I would recommend Budget Right to others.

Dirk met with us, listened to what we wanted from our kitchen, and designed a plan that we liked. Gave us a start date and actually was able to start 2 weeks prior. The demolition took less than 3 days, and went smoothly. Communication was pretty consistent start to finish. The price was actually in the neighborhood of 26K, but the extensive electrical work needed to get this old kitchen up to code pushed the overall price up. But we were prepared for that, as Dirk was clear about that likely possibility up front. Crew was very considerate of our personal space, cleaning the work area after every day, even putting down protective sheets on our back deck whenever they needed to move a lot of material out or into the work space. Unasked, the crew set up our old microwave and fridge in an adjoining room so that we could still eat and store food and drink. Overall, a very positive experience. I have, recommended them to neighbors, and would certainly use them again.

We recently bought a 2-bedroom condo in the city and decided to renovate the entire unit. We went with Budget Right and are very satisfied. Dirk was consistently flexible in meeting with us. We made a list of the work we wanted done, and Dirk provided thorough, fixed-bid estimates for each. He also pointed out items that could cause structural complications and where we needed to consult with our building engineer. Through the construction phase of the project, we worked with the project coordinator, Dan. His crew worked quickly, courteously, and with excellent craftsmanship. Dan and the crew also have great design ideas and came up with excellent layouts for flooring, soffits, and counters. Where there was a snag, Dan worked with us to make it right. He was never hesitant to redo something or come up with a clever way to make an item work so that it was visually beautiful. Our goal was to finish in 2 months, and we only needed to extend that period by about 1 week.

Dan and his assistants came 2 times to scope the work out before beginning the demolition. I thought this was very wise and helpful as the project scope was being worked out. We did have change orders for additional work and I would advise trying to avoid these and get what you want done in the contract at the beginning. The work crew was outstanding and professional. I was very pleased with the quality of the installation and plumbing. We have had no problems and no reworks. The ceramic and stone back splash installation was meticulously done with careful attention to the detail. The integration of the white cabinets, stainless appliances, Cambria counter and back splash looks seamless. They were on time and we were fully informed of what was happening from day to day. No mysterious disappearing acts as work back logged. Dan was readily available and always returned calls. They worked well with my electrician and heating installer. Our kitchen was an outdated dud is now a WOW!!

Dirk was the most professional contractor, with the highest level of customer service we interviewed. As a young couple, many of the others didn't take us seriously, but Dirk set up an appointment at Advanced Cabinets and helped us with our plan before we even signed the contract. I was disappointed that we didn't get to work much with Dirk, as Dan and Mario led the project team. Both were very competent and available, especially Dan, who I called almost every day, but neither had Dirk's level of professionalism. The project moved very quickly. We saw progress on a daily basis with the crew working from 8-6, Monday-Saturday. However, 1/2-way through, we hit a snag when the crew installed 2 of our cabinets upside-down. We had to re-order new cabinets, one of which was ordered incorrectly, so this added roughly 6 weeks of waiting time. They would have finished 2 weeks early, but instead finished 1 month late. Dirk compensated us for this error and the final product is excellent!

If you do not know any better, you will probably be happy with their work. If you are an experienced "do it yourself" person and understand some basics about construction, do not use these people. Dan Ahmer, the field manager expects you to believe that.... It is not necessary to seek out and use a stud (if one is available) as a primary attachment point when hanging a wall cabinet. It is also ok to start drilling or cutting holes in walls without determining what may be behind them. I quote, "I have never used a stud finder, they don't work." Grout lines on ceramic floor tile don't have to be consistent. Some look noticeably wider than others and that is ok. Using cardboard to shim a base cabinet against a wall is ok. I'm sorry Dan, that is what wood shims are made for. Ignoring WRITTEN orders on how to install the screen door is unacceptable. Dan tells you he can "do it all". Maybe he can, but how "it gets done" is just as important. Dan is full of short cuts, excuses and...

1. I heard about how they don't do this and don't do that. Problem 1. I want a soup to nuts contractor. Not a situation where I still have to hire and coordinate others to do part of the work. 2. They told me that if I want to use my own contractor, it has to go through them and they will mark up the labor rate yet again. 3. In order to give me a waiver of lien at final payment of the job, they wanted not only a day's pay in addition, but insisted on their own form. (mine has a legal description of my house on it and frankly, a waiver of lien is standard requirement in the industry. 4. It was very clear to me repeatedly that my time was disrespected. I work from home and needed to be working - not dealing for 3 hours with this guy. Then, he called me several times during working hours the next day - never leaving a message. This was highly disruptive to my work day not to mention noisy with the ringing phone which I finally muted. Homeowner has only one cat.

The rep was extremely quick in responding to my initial call. He was empathetic with my situation, called to confirm the appointment, showed up on time, wrote the estimate right there and gave me his honest opinion even though it was to not fix my floor (which could have been business for him). Because of that, I would highly recommend him and will myself be calling if a problem arises. Fantastic.

The project was conducted smoothly with perfection. The quality of work was exceptional. Budget Right Kitchens understood exactly what I was looking for, and offered great recommendations and ideas as well. Budget Right Kitchens has a lot of experience in this field, and the end result proves it. They were always available whenever I called them, and was always on time with respect to the project and work schedule.

Our experience was fantastic. Eric's attention to detail was amazing; he really has an amazing eye for the fine quality details I was looking at, and the skill level to make this an amazing project. He is great to work with and was fantastic at appeasing and accommodating my 2 1/2 and 4 year old little ones. They LOVED watching him work. Overall, this was the best experience I have ever had on a remodel and am now looking forward to the next project.

When have you ever heard someone say they LOVE their contractor? Well, we LOVE Budget Right! Everyone associated with Budget Right was nice, polite, professional, reliable and did fabulous, detailed work. They kept to the original reasonably-priced budget and timetable and were an absolute pleasure to do business with. They are currently finishing up another, larger condo remodeling project for us, and we plan to use them for a project in another house within the next year. I cannot think of anything that was negative about our experience with Dirk, Dan and their crew. I have worked with other contractors before and none of them were even in the same league as Budget Right.

They did amazingly well. They were very honest. I left them keys to my house and often was not home during the work. They were very meticulous and focused on doing it correctly, not just fast. They actually redid some of the tiling because they were not happy with it, before I even noticed. Work was very well done, on time, and under budget. I would hire them again in a heartbeat.

Dirk Hoerr promptly returned my call and came to do estimate. He had a portfolio to show us, and provided guidance to help us make choices that worked with out space. We shopped for and purchased everything that is visible. When work started, his crew meticulously covered all floors in their path, applied zipper doors to nearby rooms, and they also cleaned up after the plumbers and electrician. Communication was outstanding; whenever there was an opportunity for me to have input, they asked me my opinion, which I loved. At one point we had a misunderstanding resulting in an undesired outcome. When I pointed it out, it was immediately corrected, with absolutely no fuss. The quality of the work is outstanding, and my bathroom is absolutely beautiful. When they replaced the plumbing, the cutout was done in such a way as to make repairing the drywall as easy and cosmetically desirable as possible. I can't even tell it was removed. All the guys were great - we actually miss them!

The tradesmen arrived on time and worked professionally. They put their tools in order after they finished each day. They lay carpet protector before walking through our living room and dining room to get upstairs. Dan, the project manager, promptly returned calls and answered questions. He stopped by the house periodically to check the work. The project finished one week earlier than expected.

Dirk was very helpful & knowledgeable about the building details. He took the extra time at the first meeting to capture exactly what I was looking for. He gave me heads up warning & things to consider prior to starting & purchasing new kitchen items, such as the 240 stove outlet comes out of the floor & a stove with heating element in storage drawer of stove will not work. Dirk & Dan both gave me tips to help me complete items that I wanted to work on myself. On the first day, the contractor completely gutted out the kitchen and by the second the day was already laying the acoustical flooring. By third day, cabinets were hung & installed in a matter of hours. After the countertops were shipped in, the electric range, dishwasher, counter tops, & sink were finished. With this rather older building there was some issues that were run into, but they were addressed, and the kitchen was finished in great shape. I was very satisfied with their work.

Dirk is not a contractor even though that is his business. I'm convinced of that because he showed up on time, gave me a detailed correct estimate and completed the work as agreed upon. I have worked with many contractors and that has not been my experience with any of them. I will work with Dirk on many more projects as I move and my family grows. I already have him coming back to build a fence for me. He does kitchens and baths but he did neither for me and did a great job. There were some mistakes, which I expect we are all human but how he rectified them is what's important. He took a stressful process and made it much easier. He wasn't the cheapest or most expensive but I think I got a good value. Thanks guys.

We are very happy with the work that was done. Dirk made us feel very comfortable from the start, was great at communicating with us during the entire process, and stayed within our budget. The lead-man on our project was Dan and he went out of his way to make the entire process as painless as possible. They were extremely neat and clean which is hard to do when you're talking about re-doing a kitchen, extremely courteous of us and our neighbors. Dan was also great at communicating with us during the entire renovation and would call things to our attention immediately if there was a problem that needed to be addressed, or if something was holding up the project that was beyond his control. We even felt so comfortable with Dan and the crew that we had them paint three extra rooms in our house while we were away for the weekend. I can't say enough positive things about Budget Right and would not hesitate for a second to use them again for any type of work.

The whole process went extremely well. From the moment we met first met Dirk to the end of the process, we were impressed with his honesty and professionalism. He listened to our ideas and was up front in telling us what the pros and cons of various approaches were and what was involved in carrying them out. If something couldn't be done effectively, he told us. His workers were also professional, arriving at the time they said, cleaning up after themselves, and coming back promptly to take care of our punch list. Working in a high-rise building with some uneven walls and ceilings because of movement and age, limited parking, and the constraints of Condo Board rules is not easy, but Budget Right overcame the obstacles and completed the project in the estimated time frame and with outstanding results. We plan to use Budget Right Kitchens when we undertake remodeling our kitchen next year.

I am a single woman and live alone. Therefore I was extremely cautious about engaging a contractor who not only had to have experience and expertise, but was someone I could trust with my home and my pets. I had SEVERAL contractors come out. However, it took one visit from Dirk Hoer to convince me to sign with Budget Right. Dirk did a remarkable job and made the whole experience as stress-LESS as possible for me. He is a good listener and was VERY consistent with his availability and deadlines. And most importantly, the finished product is a 'work of art' I was so impressed with my new kitchen (November, 2005), that the next year I contracted for him to remodel my bathroom (March, 2006). Again, I was not disappointed. I have spoke quite favorably to my friends and neighbors about him. I am very pleased I am able to recommend Budget Right.

It could not have gone better. From the very first time Laura and I met Dirk, we were so impressed with both his professionalism and the knowledge he brought to our project. We are both very meticulous when it comes to things in our home. Dirk recognized this right away. He took that into consideration with every decision he made regarding our project. He was there with us to make suggestions throughout the project. He was present from the inception of the physical work all the way through our follow up visit to make sure we were completely satisfied with the finished product. Also, Dirk's crew of three were very conscientious of there surroundings, and impeccably clean. A personal pet peeve of mine. They were all very personable. The pride they took in there work was evident. I would recommend Dirk and his associates to anyone who wants quality work done, efficiently, but with great attention to detail.

We are extremely happy with the work that Budget Right did on our house. When we were interviewing contractors, Dirk's presentation stood out and made us confident that we were making the right choice. They were always professional, courteous and responsive. We introduced several change orders during the project, but they handled them all with minimal impact on the schedule. They went out of their way to minimize the impact of all the dust, debris and chaos on us. They answered all of our questions and took a lot of time to review progress and plans with us. We were consulted often to make sure we were happy with the work. We have very high standards for workmanship and Budget Right exceeded them. With Budget Right we always felt like they really cared about making sure we were happy with our home after the project, and we are extremely happy. We will definitely hire them for future projects in our home.