VKB Kitchen & Bath
Serving Westphalia, MD and surrounding areas
Approved
In business since 2002
Free estimates
Emergency services offered
"The master bathroom renovation process we experienced was frustrating and plagued with many unnecessary delays and quality control breakdowns. Having gone through numerous home improvement projects, we carefully researched companies and selected VKB Kitchen and Bath in large part because of the overwhelmingly positive reviews we read on numerous websites, including Angie’s List. Unfortunately, the company we worked with bore little resemblance to the glowing reviews we read. While we are ultimately happy with the finished product, we do not feel anyone should experience the frustrating ordeal we went through to have a bathroom renovated. Consequently, we cannot recommend VKB Kitchen and Bath. We signed a contract with VKB on March 17, 2016, to perform a complete renovation of our master bath. The project was to follow the VKB designer’s specifications, and was to be substantially completed in 2 weeks—their estimate, not ours—with minor items to be addressed in a final third week. The actual renovation began on April 19th, a week later than originally planned. From the beginning, we experienced problems. VKB gave us access to an automated project management tool to check on the job’s status, see what work was scheduled each day, see any change orders for modifications made during the renovation, and communicate any questions or concerns through its message board. VKB was to use the tool to communicate progress, work schedules, and responses to our questions. If actually used and kept current, it would have been a helpful resource to monitor the job’s status and any slippages. However, VKB rarely used it, and when it was used, it presented grossly inaccurate information (ex., noting tasks as “completed” when they had not been started or were well behind). Toward the end of the job, after numerous delays and a turnover in the subcontractor VKB hired to perform the work and the reassignment of the project manager, the lead designer—Joe—used the messaging feature more frequently to timely respond to our questions or concerns and to better inform us as to the new sub-contractor’s work schedule. Demolition of the old master bathroom took several days, primarily because most of the work was done by one worker. This pattern continued during construction of the new bathroom. Each day, several workers would show up to unload equipment, but then typically most would go to another job site, leaving just one person to handle much of the work. We were told that the crew would begin work between 8 a.m. and 9 a.m. and would work full days as long as there was work to be done, yet for the vast majority of the time the initial subcontractor was involved, the crew would not show up until 10 a.m. or later, and would usually leave between 3 and 4 p.m. There were days when no one showed up and we were not notified that no one would be coming that day, despite there being ample work. The lack of sufficient workers and erratic work hours were major factors in the job quickly falling behind schedule. When we raised concerns about job slippages to VKB’s project manager, he dismissed our concerns. Serious communication issues existed between the subcontractor and VKB’s project manager which led to mistakes and delays. For example, one key design decision prior to commencement of the renovation was the removal of a ceiling and wall bulkhead to allow for more open space. The bulkhead wall contained a ventilation register which had to be removed and rerouted through a toe-kick in one of the new vanities. Due to miscommunications, the subcontractor tiled over the ventilation opening on the floor. The crew had to subsequently pull up newly-installed tile to create a ventilation path and install a new vent. However, because of the manner in which this ventilation path was constructed, the floor register did not fit properly flush with the tile floor. It still does not fit properly to this day. To be fair, issues arose which contributed to delays in the job that were not originally anticipated. For example, when the subcontractor finished the demolition, he noted that the floor was not completely level. To his credit, he took steps to fully level the floor, which took a day to complete. Additionally, in designing the new bathroom, the designer envisioned shifting the position of the toilet. As the job progressed, the subcontractor and project manager realized this would not work without extending a wall. We agreed with this change, which added another day to the project. Finally, we were scheduled to be out of town beginning in mid-May, which resulted in the crew not being able to work on the job for 10 days. Yet, had the job met the original contracted timeframes, it should have been completed nearly 2 weeks prior to our trip. When little additional progress had been made 2 weeks after our return, VKB reassigned the project manager and Joe, our lead designer, fired the subcontractor and brought in a new subcontractor to complete the bathroom renovation. However, this subcontractor had to work us into his existing jobs, putting a strain on his crew. To further complicate the new subcontractor’s job, there were numerous instances in which materials delivered were either defective or incomplete. For example, a large wood linen cabinet was unfinished on one side, resulting in VKB having to order a piece to finish the side. Additionally, the cabinet, and two vanities that were to be installed were supposed to have two side-by-side doors. When we inspected the delivered cabinet and vanities, we found that they had single doors. After noting this to VKB, we were told that the manufacturer did not make vanities that had two side-by-side doors, though they were in VKB’s design and the contract specified them. When we noted this would be problematic with respect to the linen cabinet given its placement in the bathroom, VKB said the cabinet could have side-by-side doors but it would require re-ordering them. We later found out that any re-ordering of items would require 2-to-3 weeks from the time of ordering until the items would arrive. While a 2-to-3 week delay was bad enough given the significant slippages already incurred, it turned out that VKB also misjudged other wood materials needed from this same manufacturer to complete the cabinet and vanity installation–such as trim and crown molding we had requested prior to commencement of the renovation–which resulted in another several weeks of delays. The end result of these missteps was that the new subcontractor had to pull out on two occasions for a period of 2 weeks each to allow time for new and/or replacement parts to arrive. Additionally, VKB twice sent out a separate crew to install the shower door and glass, and each time, the crew had to leave without performing the installation because work on the shower was not sufficiently complete for them to install the glass. When they were finally able to attempt the installation, they discovered an error in the manufacturing of one side of the glass. They had to reorder the side, resulting in yet another delay. Perhaps most disturbing is that the door and glass had been ready for weeks, yet no one checked them to ensure the manufacturer had completed them to specification. Other examples of this abound, including delivery of bathroom sinks and countertops which were not properly made and hardware for the cabinet and vanities, which were missing handles. Many of these problems could have been prevented or at least detected and addressed earlier had VKB had an effective process in place to ensure all materials ordered from vendors were inspected for both quantity and quality as soon as they were received. As a result of these problems, our master bathroom renovation—which was to have taken at most 3 weeks—took nearly 4 months to complete. Final work was completed on August 8th. Even at that, we ultimately settled for certain things simply to end the ordeal and move on. For example, the floor register that had been improperly installed by the initial subcontractor was never properly resolved by VKB—its solution was to cut the register bottom"
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