Custom Built Design & Remodeling
About us
Custom Built Design & Remodeling is a custom home remodeling contractor. We ask our customers what they want, listen closely to their answers, then design and build to the customer's specifications. Our capabilities include custom designed cabinets, custom kitchens, custom bathrooms, basements and more. Some tell us there seems to be no limits to our creativity. We like that. Custom Built Design & Remodeling will go to any length to ensure that our customers receive the level of customization they desire for their home. No custom home remodeling project is too extreme for us!
Business highlights
Services we offer
3-Season Rooms, Aging-In-Place Modifications, Basement Finishing, Basement Remodeling, Bathroom Remodeling, Deck Building, Deck Design, Deck Repair, Door Replacements, Electrical & Lighting Upgrades, Entrance Ramps, Gazebos, Hardwood Floor Refinishing, Heating & Cooling Installations, Home Additions, Home Improvement Services, Interior Painting., Kitchen Remodeling, Patios, Pergolas, Plumbing Installations, Porches, Roofing, Sunrooms, Window Replacements, Wood Fences
Amenities
Emergency Services
Yes
Free Estimates
Yes
Accepted Payment Methods
- CreditCard
| Number of Stars | Image of Distribution | Number of Ratings |
|---|---|---|
| 63% | ||
| 13% | ||
| 13% | ||
| 0% | ||
| 13% |
This was a very big job and you never expect everything to go perfectly. The primary disaster was the landscaping. With their
suggestion we had decided on Michigan boulder retaining walls. This sounds nice but the boulders we got were mostly huge and did not match the aesthetics of our yard. We raised concern that there was no landscaping cloth used to avoid erosion around and under the boulders. We were told that it was not necessary that plants would prevent this. We insisted and they willingly rebuilt the walls. But on reading we discovered that all retaining walls should have a drainage system and we indicated that the back of the house tended to collect water. They argued that this was not necessary. In reality all it takes is some inexpensive drain pipe and some trenches for tiling. We also had a paver patio partially constructed by them but the sub-materials used did not meet the specifications of the paver company. In the end, we wrote out all of the landscaping out of our contract by change-orders. This was a pain but I think by that point they were as equally annoyed with us. We guestimated the cost of doing the landscaping on our own and underestimated. We ended up hiring Stiles and the first thing the mentioned, without asking, was the need for a drainage system. All of our walls now have a drainage system meeting the paver manufacturer specs and we have a drain tile out to our pond. We had 7 inches of rain over two days last month and no puddles in the back yard. I can't imagine what would have happened if we had stuck with the boulder walls without ground cloth.
We had blown in concrete foam insulation which I believe was the first time CB had ever used this material. I think it is great but probably over kill for a sunroom as most of the heat loss is through the windows. This material is water based which meant that water started to seep through the drywall and as it was applied in winter it took forever to dry. We ended up solving the problem ourselves by putting a dehumidifer in the room. As we were having concerns we called the company that supplies the material on a Saturday and the president answered the phone! We got quite the lowdown and he suggest we have an Infrared survey of the room. We insisted on this and found several gaps in the insulation and had to have it reapplied. This was not CB's fault really but if we had not been proactive we would have ended up with a very poor job.
We had a significant issue in figuring out how to heat and deal with the exhaust pipes from two gas fireplaces. We had installed the gas fireplaces about two years prior; one on the house wall abutting where the sunroom is, the other in the basement below the sunroom. I recalled that the fireplace upstairs could have blowers put on it to heat the house and I requested that we run these vents into the sunroom. Otherwise we don't have heat to the sunroom but this works great. But the sunroon was exactly where the fireplace vents are so these had to be moved. CB wanted to have these vent to the front of the house which would have been an eyesore. I finally came up with the idea of a chase in the sunroom and installation of a chimney and it looks great; added some nice character to the house. CB had an HVAC guy out and I was not impressed. We actually brought our HVAC guy out who CB ended up hiring.
My overall assessment is that CB should stick with sunrooms and decks. Our deck is wonderful; though somehow in their design they failed to calculate the number of steps needed to land the staircase on our patio. So far the Trex decking is holding up well. The sunroom is built very solidly. I would rather have had the doors open on the yard side than the house side as the doors keep knocking the furniture... but just as much our oversight as theirs. We have triangular windows at the apex of the room and these were placed very close to the ceiling such that the frames around the window nearly touch the ceiling. These could have been dropped a few inches and it would have been perfect. So overall I would probably have given CB a and quot;Band quot; rating with the exception of the landscaping which if I scored separately would have been an and quot;Fand quot;.
Licensing
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