Distinctive Design Remodeling, LLC

Bottom line, we contracted an addition to the garage to be used for storage/exercise room. Each part of the project had different type crews: Excavation/slab; Framing; Roofing/Siding. The framing contractors were awesome - they showed up on time (most days) and got their part of the job done. |We signed a contract with Distinctive Design November 24, 2014. From the beginning, with the salesman (Jesse) and then with both the salesman and the owner (Jon) 2 days after signing the contract, made it PAINFULLY aware that we had 2 existing French Drains in that area that was to be excavated. On the contract, the salesman even wrote "Handle 2 existing French drains (for proper drainage)". |When selling us the addition, the salesman asked us how much $$ we had to spend (NEVER tell ANY ONE how much $$ you have to spend! Lesson learned) and we let him know we had $30k (My husband had pulled out his 401K, and that was ALL the $$ we had - he's retired and disabled, so there is no "extra" income) He said he'd talk with the owner and went outside for a few minutes. When he came back in he said he had good news, and that they could do the addition for $28k - for $2k more we opted for a PTAC (wall ac/heater unit like you see in hotels, which is actually a nice thing to have in the addition) - which brought our total to the $30k we had. At signing, we paid $7,500, with agreements to pay $7,500 at each part of the project. $1k was to be paid upon "completion and satisfaction by customer. In the end, almost 8 months later, I paid the final $1, although I am not 100% satisfied. |When the excavating contractor (Kevin) came out I made sure he knew that there were 2 French Drains in the area. His reply was that he wasn't told about it. When I called the (1st) Project Manager (Chris) about this, he said that he had emailed the specs to the excavator, and that he must not have read all the email. I showed the excavator whereabouts the French Drains began. Long story short, almost 8 months later (2nd) Project Manager had the back of my house dug out and laid out grass seed. I still have standing water, but am hoping that it will recede once the grass grows in. I have been assured that they will stand by their 5 year warranty. |The "man door" to the addition (the door leading from outside) has water coming in. Not a lot, but it's still coming in, which is not good. Project Manager #2 said we should get a storm door to help keep the water from coming in. I don't think I should spend more $$ on this addition. $30k was way too high - my insurance company assessed it's value at $18k. |The addition itself is lovely. The French Door (it's actually an exterior door) threshold is 2-1/2" higher than the first step into the garage and into the addition, which would seem to be a trip hazard - their fix was to install a piece of quarter-round - the carpenter used a larger cut of wood (trim). IMHO I think that there needs to be a larger piece of wood in a wedge shape, 4"-6" wide. |Anyway, would I use this company again? Most likely not. We were told that someone would be out "tomorrow" or "later this week" or "early next week" on SEVERAL different occasions, and most of the time "tomorrow", "later this week" and "early next week" never came, to where I had to call/email asking when someone would be out. |In fairness, this was begun in the winter time, and, yes, through the spring rains. However, there were MANY weeks that it was dry and these issues could have been addressed. |The things that really distressed us about this project was finding out that the value was $12k less than what we paid, having to patiently wait for someone to come out, and the French Drain not being addressed "properly" (as per contract). I am posting pictures of their "fix" to the drain - not at all happy with what they did, but so so tired of them coming out and making more of a mess of things.
|I am not in the habit of writing bad reviews - I am a patient person and give people the benefit of the doubt. I went above and beyond my role in this project. |There is much more I could say, and I do have pictures of every step of this project, as well as email communications, but it's just too much to put into a "review". I'm sure I will get slack from the owner/project manager on my review as well.

Job was superb, good work by foreman & crew

Very professional. High quality work

Start to finish work was well done

unknown

I worked very closely with the designer to create a plan that met my exact specifications.  There was a delay in building because obtaining permits took an exceptionally long time.  Whether this was because of the county taking their time or lack of initiative on the part of DDR is anyone's guess.  Once building started, work progressed at a fast pace.  Unfortunately, the crew overlooked some key details on the plans.  We had to point out these mistakes ourselves.  At this point, the pr
oject manager paid some extra attention while the crew tore down the incorrect portion of the structure and started over with closer attention to the plan.  From that point, the project went smoothly, and our project manager even made some suggestions that gave our deck a more finished look. We are very pleased with the finished product.  The deck is an impressive addition to our home, earning compliments from all who see it.  We are especially pleased because DDR gave us the most economical estimate that we had received while hunting for a builder, yet delivered a striking piece of workmanship.  Our project manager, Tom Garrisson was very easy to work with.  He stayed closely in touch with us throughout the process, making sure we were pleased with the project throughout the building phase.  We got exactly what we wanted, at a fair price, and are very happy with the finished product.

Throughout the design process and construction, there was always good communication and the guys were very friendly. DDR was very accommodating and responsive to our change requests and we felt like they really listened to our expectations of quality. As with any job of this size, there are bound to be bumps along the way and our bumps were resolved to our satisfaction. We love our new garage.

I will start off saying at no time were our concerns ignored and or our issues with the quality of work dismissed, however they were numerous.  In the end, even after final payment had been made, they came back and did their best to fix the remaining issues and were professional at all times during the process.
The project started out with the salesman ensuing us "we will be in and out in 2 weeks" as this was a "simple" job.  I have finished basements 2 other times and knew this would be at least a 4 week ordeal even if they were anywhere near as quick as they advertised.   Since we insisted the project be permitted and inspected, that added (and I'm being generous here) 10 business days time.  The project kicked off the week of November 17th and was not wrapped up until the week of January 12th, so approximately 9 weeks.    9 weeks, less 3 for inspections, Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Years = 6 weeks of work days to do the job.  As the project continuously missed deadlines, it was frustrating as the project manager Chris kept insisting it was the fault of the inspector's causing the delays.  Instead, it was due mainly to their being unorganized, their subcontractor's not showing on time and gaps between the various crews showing up to start the next phase.  Being based out of Lexington, this often times resulted in the work day starting after 10 am as the subcontractor's had to make the hour drive to Louisville.
Major issue #1, and a large factor in the lower overall ratings was the Plumber.   Unreliable, was not punctual, was not professional (was a nice guy), unorganized, helped himself to tools from my garage (shovels, ladder and hand tools which he did not bring with).  Had to go to Home Deopt or Lowes sometimes more than once a day for pvc fittings, pipe and other standard items any plumber should have a truck stocked with or at least know enough to buy what he needed for the job he was doing.  He left a mess of broken concrete that sat for weeks where they had to jack hammer the floor to install the drains for bathroom.  He did poor quality work that had to be redone installing the shower head arm and toilet water line shutoff.
Framers:  Absolutely the best crew they brought in.   5 Guys, one day and the entire job was done
Electrical:  Overall very good job - crew came in and had the rough electrical done in one day and after inspections and drywall one day to finish.  Electrician did have an unreliable vehicle that broke down on way here the first day, so a delay and was still having issues with it when he came to do final work.   Shannon was a very nice guy and professional.
Drywall:   Mike and crew showed up on time, worked very hard when here and did decent quality work.  There were some areas that had to be reworked by the painting crew I hired once DDI was done (they do not do carpet or painting), but much better than I have experienced with others in previous remodels.
Bathroom tile floor:   I should have hired it done myself instead of having DDI do it.   They had their clean up and general laborer do it and he is not qualified.   Grout lines are not even as tile is not square and even.
Damage to the home:
  

• 1)  The new bathtub they installed - someone along the way decided to use the tub as their workbench or as a sawhorse. There were several gouges in the fiberglass/plastic, some of which are not repairable  (some were repaired by sanding and buffing the tub).   No form of compensation for the damage was offered by DDI, only the sanding and buffing to make it look better.   The toilet seat suffered the same damage which a repair was also attempted, but it was not successful

2)  The egress window in the basement DDI used to insert and remove material from the basement was broken.  We were not informed of this and happened to find it one evening when we also saw a pile of scrap material that was removed from the basement and simply left laying in the side yard.  The initial suggestion by DDI was to simply place a tint film over the window as that would seal the crack.  Excuse me, you broke my window glass and think you don't need to fix it properly???   I was dubmfounded by this.   It was removed and taken for repair.
They will typically let you know Sunday afternoon who will be showing up Monday (or wahtever day of the week they will show up).   There are gaps of several days at times between the various crews, depending on what other jobs they are doing at the same time as yours. 
Cleanup:   Do not expect them to clean up after themselves at the end of the day or end of a phase even (like after framing or after drywall rough in).   They will send in their general laborer every once in  while to clean up scraps, but not much more.  Most disappointing was the final clean up.   Our new bathtub/shower unit was covered in drywall compound that was slopped on it as it was not draped and the bottom of the tub was caked in the stuff where they washed out their mud trays and cleaned up their tools.  I was very disappointed in the filthy condition things were left.
If you hire these guys, be prepared to babysit your project, be prepared for delays, expect to be frustrated; but that will happen to some extent regardless of who you hire.  I personally would chose someone else next time as I had a frustrating experience, but will say they are honest, do acceptable average quality work and did ultimately address all issues we raised. 

The folks at DDR were open to our ideas, professional, courteous and attentive to our needs. In particular, Tom G., project manager, went above and beyond with communication throughout the process. Jon P. worked with Tom in the final stages of the project and couldn't have been more accommodating. Overall, we are pleased with the final product.

DDR handled the production professionally and with good communication. We made a couple of changes and they were reasonable and took it all in stride. I would recommend them to anyone looking to build a garage.

Was given a estimated schedule from the beginning and it went as planned. Most of work completed in 2 weeks and Chris notified

me before each day of work. No surprises!

Tom Garrison was the project supervisor and the entire process was a joy with DDR.  Tom the electrician (Shannon and crew), Mike (Drywall) did an incredible job and I couldn't be happier with the results.  During the build I changed a couple of things from the original layout and they took care of my needs and did so at a minimal cost increase.  In the future if I have any work that needs to be done I will be sure to give them a call and if I know of anyone that needs any work done I will be sure to send them their way as well.

Everyone I spoke with on the phone at DDR was very pleasant and easy to talk with, getting me to the right person to help me effectively.  They gave me a date within a week of my call to send someone out for a property review, get an idea of what I wanted to do (new residential driveway of poured concrete and 1.5-car garage designed to be a cute, smaller replica of my small house), and provide me with an estimate.  They sent Pat Painter, a very knowledgeable guy on all the issues involved in my project ideas, who also provided me with some creative and helpful ways to finance the construction.
Pat took his time to really listen to what I want to accomplish, how I want it to look (I am VERY fussy about all and sundry details!) and how I/we could achieve my goals.
He also gave me great comfort in assuring me that the DDR team would take care of all the permit/variance/inspections issues imposed by the local government where I live -- which is at least as fussy as I am because I live in an historic district. 
Thank you again DDR for a great initial experience!  I do hope we can work together to build this driveway and garage that I so very much need!!

First I want to say that OVERALL we are satisfied. With that being said there were several issue that occurred causing a 3 week project to become a 2 month project. Personally I feel that better communication between contractors, the company and us would have prevented most problems. All contractors were professional, knowledgeable and reputable. Distinctive Design needs to have better communication between sales, supervising personnel and contractors. I can not say this enough! There are still several cosmetic issues arising and a couple of issues with rotting/bowing wood. Again I feel this could have been avoided with better communication. The sales job was rushed ( even though we had thought this through before contacting companies) and several other pieces of the project were not detailed enough to follow. Also several added expenses that we were convinced would be cheaper if we purchased on our own turned out to be 3 times the expense and hassle. If communication was better, a singlecontractor used and the major issues would have not occurred I would recommend this company. But at this time I cannot reccommend this company. One last note: I do want to point out that the company did try to make us as pleased as possible which is appreciated. But because of the delay in progress I feel several more issues will pop up causing several return visits by contractors

*****AS of 10/9/2014****** I have spoken once again concerning issues with our screen room. I feel that Distinctive Design has taken steps to correct some of my concerns and continue to do what is possible to make us happy. 
I feel comfortable now recommending this company in the future

All of the subs were polite, professional and customer oriented. No complaints.

Great! Always showed up and did a great job. The house looks like a different home. It is beautiful!

All of the subs were polite, professional and customer oriented. No Complaints.

The job went smooth and without any problems.

Overall great job by contractor. Very professional. Owners returned call and kept me informed as to progress of project. I love my new addition.

Overall the project was completed as promised with several modifications during the process that were handled reasonably well.

General cleanup could improve but overall no issues on workmanship.

They started on Jun 15 and finished by July 13. Overall, fairly well, communication could have been better, warning of what was coming and when, etc.

In my opinion this business just cares about the money and not the quality of work. 





update: The building inspector came out about two weeks ago and failed the garage that was built citing structural repairs must be made before it could be passed.  There has been no attempt by this company to meet the structural repairs that are needed to get a final inspection from the building inspector office.  That is why this rating will remain an F until something is done.  On the surface the work looks good but it is not correct or it would have passed the building inspection. 






Update. For a company that says they provide good customer service this one has not made much effort to resolve the issue of the failed building inspection. Still waiting>



We passed on the electrical inspection but have yet to hear of a building inspection. I wonder how there can be several reviews on the same day (just enough to put the F review out of the ones you see first) then nothing. As I said before customer service lacks a lot to be desired

Overall Experience was great. I would recommend Distinctive Design to anyone. Great company to deal with as they work with you on issues that arise during the project.

We are VERY happy with our basement.  From start to finish, it took approximately six weeks to complete, but there were a couple of times when they had to work around our schedule if we were out of town.  All of the teams were professional, listened to our questions and gave us helpful answers, and were willing to accommodate special requests such as setting up separate circuits for some specific electrical needs or moving around plumbing drains to change the layout of the bathroom.  Chris, our project manager, was easy to reach if something came up and very responsive.  He also helped us stay on top of the arrival times of all of the different teams so that we knew who was coming when to do what.
We worked with a separate provider for the flooring (which is not unusual for Distinctive Designs' clients) and will review them separately, but they were also excellent (Korfhage Floor Covering).
I would absolutely work with Distinctive Designs again (and hope to in the future when we're ready for another big project!) and highly recommend them.

overall Fairly well, communication could have been better ,warning of what was coming and when,etc.