Crescendo Builders

Phyllis went above and beyond to earn our business and I sincerely appreciate all the help and information she gave us. Crescendo was one of two finalist out of approximately 10 different companies we talked with. In the end we decided to go with the other company but it was a very difficult decision and basically came down to my wife and I's odd personality quirks and who we thought was a better personality match. I would definitely recommend talking with Phyllis before finalizing your remodel decision.

We were her first remodel (she had exclusively been building custom houses prior to that) and she said we'd get a break on her percentage, and we'd get the advantage of her strong relationships with quality subcontractors. It turns out that because a remodel is much smaller than a whole house build, she had to find new subcontractors and chose the lowest bid subcontractors who did a pretty poor job. -The granite folks miscalculated our needs for the center island, and we landed up having to redo that part of the design because Phyllis told us we'd otherwise have to pay for all new granite and installation (the counters were already completed); she said that he had done her a favor by selling us the granite at a good price, and that she couldn't ask for any more favors from him. -The windows were not installed carefully, and because they couldn't close all the way, they had to be shaved - - thus eliminating the energy efficiency that we paid for because now they are very drafty. Note that it was a monumental effort to get her to admit that the windows didn't close and then her initial response was, "Well, this is an old house built in the 60s and the window frames aren't plumb. So, of course the windows don't fit." When I said "But windows are installed in old houses all the time and the installer have methods to make them fit correctly," she then said, condescendingly, "Sorry sweetie, it doesn't work like that." -The basement had a bad flood (after never having a flood in the 11 years I have owned the house) with the spring rains, directly after the remodel was finished. She said she'd pay to have it fixed and then tried to reneg when the flood remediation cost came in at about $2000. She told us that it was our fault it flooded because the gutters were not clear enough, and water from the roof came into the basement. The sump pump she installed initially poured the water back directly against the house, and she tried to tell us that this was fine (despite the flood!); we had to insist that she have a pipe installed to bring the water out through the yard. -The handyman that she hired to do the punch list, which did not get completed until about 10 months later, was sloppy unless he was watched constantly (and she wasn't around). She told us she's been working with him for at least 10 years; he did nothing but complain about her and when I asked him how he's been working with her for so long, he said, "What are you talking about? I never worked with her before, and I never will again." - Her bookkeeping was very sloppy and she never landed up providing us with the reciepts we asked for, nor did she provide the reciepts for the new windows for which we could have gotten a tax credit. -She consistently would call us at work to say, "You must decide upon [something like paint color, or some sturcture decisiont] by tomorrow or it can't be done on time and you will have to pay more to keep the subcontractors around longer..." This usually came as a surprise to us and we had to make quick decisions without much knowledge, often. She was, however, great with steering us to good colors and we are happy with the colors of the walls. -The powder room she remodeled is now leaking into the basement - - less than 18 months after it was supposedly brand new. We do not wish to deal with her again, so we instead are having someone else fix it. -She was very unprofessional - - except for when she was "courting" us, she was fairly condescending whenever we questioned anything, and got very emotional, and she consistently denied that there were ever any problems. At one point, when the handyman installed threshholds between the wood floors and tile floor that were about an inch higher than the floor, she tried to tell me that this was how a threshhold worked so that they could be seen. After checking with an architect, who told us that the threshholds as they were installed were trip hazards, and that the threshholds should be practically flush to the floor, we insisted that she have the handyman fix them - - she did, but not without a lot of grousing about the extra money it was costing her. Now, with all that said - - the design that she came up with for our first floor was terrific. And the minor facelift that she gave the front of the house made it look brand new. But it wasn't worth the headaches and it is certain that we overpaid for mediocre materials and poor quality work.

Having initially interviewed several candidates I selected Crescendo Builders, LLC because they imparted a certain confidence that reflected their many talents and skills. They not only brought design expertise to the table but they were able to do this in a cost effective way. My 25 year old three bedroom luxury condo in Bethesda was completely gutted and with Phyllis' expertise, talent and knowledgeable skills I am living in the home of my dreams. Thanks to Phyllis' and her outstanding subcontractors, my condo has truly been turned into a model home. I am very pleased with the outcome which has been confirmed by all my friends and family.

The owner, Phylis Michaels, did an outstanding job of listening to our desires for the two bathrooms to be remodeled. She gave advice on what she thought would work and what would not work. Of the companies that we had considered using, she provided the best combination of cost control, schedule and ability to work to our schedule needs. We were pleased with her knowledge of the needed fixtures and where to purchase them. She has a very good sense of colors and what works well together. I definitely recommend that you accept the option to have her accompany you for the selection of fixtures, tile, cabinets, sinks, counter tops etc. The project took longer than anticipated since some of the fixtures we had selected were out of stock. I really like both bathrooms, the master bathroom turned out to be fabulous, and the overall cost was reasonable.

Overall they did a fantastic job. The walked us through every phase of the process. They explained every detail and really held our hand through the process. We're very pleased with the quality for work they gave us. I shopped around for price and they were the best I found. I would recommend this company highly and hope to use them again ourselves.