Get matched with top subcontractors in Hillandale, MD

"We chose VKB mainly on its reviews on this website. Overall the experience was very positive. We were pleased to learn that VBK did not charge a fee upfront to design the kitchen. Calvin (kitchen designer) made excellent suggestions to improve our original vision and was responsive to changes to the design. Calvin convinced us to choose wood floor and crown molding, and the type of range hood, and he was right on all counts! Because of the smooth design process with Calvin and reasonable price, we decided to sign on with VBK over other companies. The implementation phase had some bumps: the design drawings that Jason (project manager) and Ismar (crew leader) started with were not the updated version, but thankfully that was quickly rectified. In addition there were some misunderstanding on the scope of the painting area, but Calvin agreed to honor what we had discussed verbally, even though it was not spelled out in the contract. Jason listened and patiently explained the project process, and kept asking to make sure that we were happy with the progress. For example, he agreed to redo the placement of the undercabinet lights. He also accommodated our desire to donate our old cabinets to Habitat for Humanity, and Ismar and his crew carefully took the down the cabinets and stored them in our garage for pickup later in the week. Ismar, Luis, and the rest of the crew did a fantastic job installing and painting everything, and their experience showed in disguising the fact that our walls were not straight and the floor was not even. We were also impressed with the laser tools that they used to guide cabinet and light placements. The crew was careful, meticulous, and respectful, and they cleaned up throughly every day. There were other crews handling the flooring and countertops, who also did top notch work, and all were coordinated like clockwork by Jason. Along the way, we learned some lessons and offer the following advice: if you are particular about the placement of your celling lights, electrical outlets and switches, let the crew know, and they will do their best to accommodate. Also, pay attention to every single detail in the contract; if not specified, there can be a misunderstanding, and a deviation may require a change order and extra expense. Overall, we were extremely pleased with the excellent quality of the work, and even though there was a delay in the backsplash order, the job finished as projected. We definitely recommend VKB, and we love our new kitchen. Jason -- we are happy!"

"Repair of framing was done quickly and professionally. Window pane teplacent was outsourced to a subcontractor who took much longer than I was told to comete i stallation. When finally finished, the work was very satisfactory"

"We hired Matthew and his team to completely gut and renovate our small master bathroom. Very generally, the experience was a positive one. The good: - Matthew and his subcontractor were extremely responsive to emails, texts, and calls - If we pointed out something that we thought wasn't quite perfect, they were happy to fix it - trash was removed fairly regularly and they would always tidy up the work/ storage area if asked (mostly when it was spilling into our walkway) - They always called to ask before adding extra work to the contract, even if it was clearly necessary (i.e. sistering some beams that had dry rot) - bills and itemized receipts were produced promptly and regularly - the estimate for labor was spot-on and we didn't feel like we were upsold - the additional costs came from things we had either anticipated or agreed were necessary (some beam sistering, replacing the ceiling, finding an alternate way to vent a new fan) The bad: - our project manager was only on-site a couple times a week and not for very long, which meant there was no direct supervision of the guys doing the work - it felt like every day or every other day we had to point out stuff that needed to be fixed - a crooked tile, missing waterproofing, regular tile used where there should have been bullnose - which was frustrating - they frequently ran out of things or discovered new supplies they needed that had to be ordered (shower valves, more tile, etc.), leading to delays - the work took about twice as long as they had first estimated Overall, I understand that some of these frustrations and difficulties are just part of dealing with a renovation. While I would have preferred not to have to nudge them about items so frequently, I certainly felt like they were treating us fairly in terms of cost and appreciated the responsiveness."

"Dreamville Remodeling did an excellent job.Seamless communication, They crew was amazing! I would highly recommend hiring this company! All crew members were polite and efficient. They kept work site very clean during the whole construction process."

"This contractor offers good service at reasonable rates. They provide the service with care and respect for the customer."

"Work was completed. Contractor did an estimate to replace planks and return to do refinishing. The new planks were installed with labels face up. Not sure if that was a lack of attention to detail or not. I do not know how much that matters once the project is complete. Contractor also left behind his blower. After I called the company to let them know, they said they would have someone contact me to arrange to pick it up but no one ever did. It's still in my backyard sitting there under the tarp."

"Devin Nasvaderani (Marel Homes) is, without a doubt, the best contractor with whom I have ever worked. He came into a job that had been royally screwed up by a prior contractor (see review of Stevenson & Sons). He thoroughly inspected the property, prepared a detailed bid, gave us advice on the most important items and delivered a bid that could work with our budget and the existing lender requirements. His entire crew were professional and consciencious. Devin delivered on time, on budget with high quality work. He kept us informed throughout the process. The portico he built is frequently the subject of compliments by our neighbors (and people just driving by). We will use Devin to continue improving our home. He took a nightmare and turned it into the dream home we had hoped for. If you need a great contractor to remodel your home, call Devin at Marvel Homes (the name says it all).
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"This was our first major remodeling project so we didn't really know what to expect from a contractor. We relied on the reviews and were nervous going into this project. As it turned out, we are so glad that we selected Chevy Chase Remodeling for our project. Steve - the owner was very professional and knowledgeable. He offered some great suggestions and ideas that saved us money and yielded stunning results. Steve is very responsive and easy to work with throughout the entire project. When we saw there were some some small issues that need to be fixed, he responded promptly. We now have a beautiful kitchen, master bathroom and new flooring - all thanks to Steve and his team! We would definitely use them again for future project."

"Omar and his team built a beautiful, high quality shed in our yard.  They were very easy to work with from the very start and made the process quick and easy. The only location in our yard for a shed has a bit of a slope, but they were able to work with that without difficulty.  We were given honest assessment of the cost/benefits of having a prefabricated shed vs. one that they constructed and decided to go with the latter.  We are so glad that we did!  The shed adds much needed outdoor storage space to our garage-less yard while being sturdy, and attractive.  I feel like we got a great deal!  I am so glad we chose to work with Omar and his team and would work with them again in a heartbeat!"

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After reading the glowing reviews on Angie's list and meeting with Francisco I had very high hopes for this company.  There were too many ups and downs in our remodel to even go into all of them, but I will do my best to highlight the most important.  I don't know if they were just going through a rough patch during our renovation, but the prior reviews did not at all reflect our experience.    Lets start with the positives.

Pros:

1. The final product of our bathroom is beautiful

2. The subcontractors who did the tile work and drywall/painting were excellent.  I LOVE our tile work. 

3. When mistakes were made they seemed to genuinely be sorry and tried to make things right

4.  They were neat and conscientious about cleaning up

Cons:

1. Project cost twice as much as original estimate--we were expecting to spend around 12k for this and ended up costing 24k (probably more because I stopped counting small charges from home depot on my card after a certain point).  There were some changes to the plan along the way which we agreed to and some unexpected things that came up--that happens.  Just way more than we were expecting to spend. 

2.  Project took 4 months to be completed.  We were quoted 2-3 weeks.  This was for various reasons--some of which were out of their control (vendor issues--but vendors they recommended) and some were within their control (i.e. ordering the wrong thing, installing things wrong, not realizing the wrong thing had been ordered even though it was sitting there for weeks).  Even at the end when there was just a few things to be done, it kept getting put off.  It felt like the remodel that would not end. 

3.  Lack of design ahead of time.  There was no clear design ahead of time which led to scrambling on the back end.  For example, we ordered  toilet topper and then they tell me at the end that the wall cannot support one and acted like I should have known this.  There was no place for towel racks. We eventually found work arounds for these issues, but a design would have been hugely helpful.  I should have known better, but I thought that Francisco was the designer and would have planned for this.  I take 50% responsibility for this one.

4. Things done wrong, sometimes more than once.  I'll just give the most egregious example here.  OK, so the first time they installed our shower door it was not correct and the pieces came unglued within days.  I notified them of this--they were planning to come fix it, but not urgently bc they were busy. Fast forward several days--the glass shower door falls off the track while I'm in the shower and shatters in a million pieces resulting in some minor cuts on my legs and feet.  To their credit, they cleaned up the glass that morning and were extremely apologetic.  I forgave them because they so quickly tried to make it right.  Then several weeks later once the new door comes, they install it wrong--again!  I can tell this just by looking at it.  I call Francisco and he explained that the person who installed it had never done it before--WHAT???!! This was a shower door that THEY recommended and it had already broken once and they send someone who has never done it to install it?  This is inexcusable to me.  So came a third time and installed it right. 

I personally would not use them again, only because the thought of going through all that again gives me palpitations.  But the final product was good, so I would not say that no one should use them.  Again, I got the impression that it was a busy and tumultuous time for their business so this may not be typical.   I would recommend getting a clear design ahead of time, be flexible on time and money (which probably is true for any job like this) and double check things yourself.  

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