Craftmasters Remodeling, Inc.

Craftmasters - they did a great work!!! I love how my kitchen turned out it is beautiful!!! They were efficient, they did quality work they did it with care and professionalism. Their communication was great!! Always making sure everything was fine, if I had any questions and they were able to fulfill my requests.

Craftmasters was professional, responsive, and pretty fast with our kitchen renovation. We are thrilled with our new kitchen and are excited to start using it! Their in-house custom cabinetry is amazing and produced beautiful work. We worked closely with them on the issues that arose and they were able to address them in a timely fashion.

The job was quoted by the salesman and then the person doing the work didnt do what the salesman had quoted. I had to go up and check the work in order to get the invoice adjusted. MAKE SURE YOU CHECK THEIR WORK . then the salesman came back out and noticed the installer didnt do some things , so in the end they have bad communication between sales and installers. Make a list of things they said they were going to do and then verify that they did them because they wont tell you and then just send the bill.

Everything delivered as promised. All employees where professional and pleasant to work with

Craftmasters responded promptly to our initial contact and had us on the calendar for an estimate within a few weeks. During the estimate, they caught a number of potential needs that other estimates missed. This included a missing vent pipe to the roof for our bathroom fan and caps on our kitchen can lights. The final estimate ended up being rather close to another that had simply suggested insulation and a roof fan. Craftmasters didn't recommend a fan, focusing instead on proper venting and sealing. It was this that eventually lead us to select them for our project.

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Craftmasters Remodeling was a great company to work with for this project.  I had multiple visits from a representative to make sure that I would be satisfied with the design.  They met me at the tile store to pick out tile and gave me their contractor discount (25%)!!  Dale was my project manager, and did a nice job..  He was always available to answer any questions, either in person or on his cell phone. I did expect dirt, dust and noise, but the installers always did their best to keep it clean, or at least contained!!  I was told that the job would take two-three weeks, there were some delays due to an electrical issue, so it took a bit longer than I planned for, but in the end everything was fixed and I was very happy with the end result.  One thing I really liked was that Craftmasters used their employees for installing the majority of the project ( except for the plumbing and electrical). I also liked the fact that they offer financing as a small,  manageable monthly payment was best for me. 

I cannot stress enough!!!! DO NOT BUY THESE WINDOWS OR TRUST ANYTHING THESE PEOPLE TELL YOU. Do I sound bitter? YOU BET!!! Read on to read my review and my opinion of the work done!!!!! 

Started out fine, windows seemed to go in with no issues. But then it went downhill. First time I opened the window in my daughter's room, the weather stripping fell off. Upon opening the other 11, most of the weather stripping fell off. They were out right away to "reglue it". Still happens and continues to happen. I watched how they "fixed" it and now am able to do it myself. Windows in the kitchen was constantly full off ice on the sill. They came out and blew some filler in. Now that my trim is on God only knows what's happening underneath. Windows most days have some sort of condensation, today they were dripping. I have called a couple of time, they came out immediately with the initial problems (concluded that was because they were not paid in full yet) Since paying in full, when I call, nothing happens. Really wonder how they are still doing business. My initial thoughts were not to go with a big name, big mistake. If you need windows go with the big guys, the ones made in Minnesota, they are big for a reason. Will never recommend these windows to anyone. Still waiting for a return call/visit. Big, expensive error with no one to blame but myself. They were not that much cheaper then the big guys.!

UPDATE: It's amazing how fast someone will contact you after they get a bad review! Anyway, I got a call within 2 weeks of placing my original review, LOL. I had to call them back. My return contact was Juan, great guy, seemed very concerned with my many window issues, I sent many photos of the frozen windows and within 2 days my original sales guy was out as well as another gentleman. They assessed my windows, not really taking any responsibility. They place the blame on my window trim and decorative frame work, "did they foam, did they insulate" those types of questions. I guess they don't realize that window sills and moldings are really cosmetic, I could leave them off, but unfortunately I need them to slow the air that continually leaks through. They then proceeded to tell me that "it's Minnesota, these things happen", when the warm air from the inside meets the cold air on the windows you will get some condensation and icing". Really? so much icing that the windows can't be open as they are frozen shut, resulting in me breaking the entire system they use to raise the window. They say they will replace that, Really? So if you want to open your windows at all in the winter months, for sure, don't buy these. As for the warm air/cold window statement, it's amazing that my brand new, Marvin Sliding Door, which sits right over a heat register has no icing or condensation (Marvin, because this company never called back with my request to get a sliding door, thank God, as that would have been frozen shut as well.) Another suggestion from this company was to lower my humidity to 10%!!!!! Seriously, we would shrivel up and start fires walking through the house at that percentage. Called my furnace guy, just to confirm and was told no, definitely not. Also did some online research and again, no, never that low.

I told these guys that there was not enough insulation put in when they put these windows in. I was told that of course they were, they take pictures of every job when they are done. They did remind me that they came out, at my request, after they were finished and put in some more foam insulation. (they had too, the frost was so thick they must have missed something). Other contractors here at the time noticed when they sprayed the foam from the inside, that it oozed right through to the outside of the house, proving that they were never finished properly, and they had left gaps. I am certain that every window has the same issue, never properly finished and are leaking constantly. My husband can't even put his coffee on the window sill as it will get cold way too fast!

Also, I have found out that I have purchased replacement windows, that was never my intention, I wanted new construction windows and I thought I was clear with my salesman on that fact. That is my fault for not reading the fine print. Those windows are installed poorly and can't stress enough, for anyone thinking of Sunrise Windows, turn, and run as fast as you can!

UPDATE: 6/2016
replace one sash in on room, as the piece you grad to lift the window pulled off. It pulled off because the windows froze shut due to poor windows and attempting to open them pulled off the "handle". They said they would come out and fix the poor install.....AS OF TODAY.....NOTHING!!!!!

UPDATE JULY 20016 Read this before you hire Craftmasters! Would you want to do business with a company that will sue you if you don't like their work? Please be careful! Instead of contacting me directly in an attempt to develop a solution for my problem windows, Craftmasters has now had their lawyer contact me and "demand" that I retract my review. If I do not do so by 16JUL they will initiate an action for defamation against me. Really, defamation, against my opinion, of the problems I experienced with the windows and the resulting service? Their website has "100 per cent satisfaction guaranteed", false advertising. Never ending saga with this company.

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The sales pitch was great, thought I was going to get a great product and great service, had very high expectations.  This company was the first company that was willing to brainstorm about my very unique window project.  They brought out the installers even before I signed a contract to determine what could be done.  They came up with a plan and design and then I signed the contract.  Given how the sales process went, I was very excited about the install.  The product itself and the installers were great.  Very professional, showed up when they said they would and worked on the project until completion including a change order that was found while working on the project.  I was told I was going to have a project manager to contact with any questions and would have an initial meeting to discuss the project before it started and would have daily contact, this did not happen.  Any questions I had were answered by the installers though.  I did have to call the company a few times myself to follow up on things before the install took place.  A few details were missed when ordering/setting up my installation with the sales rep.

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We needed to have a complete bathroom renovation down to the studs and concrete floor in our downstairs bathroom because we had a shower that was leaking and it appeared that we were starting to have a mold problem. We knew we needed to gut it to make sure there wouldn't be a mold problem hiding in the walls.
We went with Craftmasters because it gave us a lot more flexibility with what we wanted in the bathroom. We got to go out and choose exactly what we wanted in it. They told us 6 weeks and they should be out of our hair. And they would clean up all of their messes.
The first 3-4 days went well. The came in and gutted it without problem and removed any mold and used a prescribed mold killer in any areas that looked like mold may be starting. The electrician came in and moved the outlet and light switches to the areas we wanted them at. The dry wall guy came in and got that all taken care and put on the first coat of paint. Then we waited.
The first coat of paint went on on Friday. It would be Wednesday before we would see anyone again. He put on another coat of paint and it wasn't until a week later he came back and put on the third coat of paint. Meanwhile, we didn't have any other work done between coats of paint.
On Tuesday of the fourth week I called the project manager to find out what was going on. No call back that week. The paint guy came in and put on what was supposed to be the final coat of paint. Of course, the new shower still hadn't been installed and neither had the toilet or any cabinets or flooring.
Week five: They installed the shower, but damaged the walls so the drywall guy/painter had to come back out and fix it.
Week six: The flooring guy came in.
Week seven: They finished installing the shower and had the dry wall guy come back in to fix the ceiling.
Week eight: No response to emails, text messages or calls.
Week nine: Cabinets are finally put in, but not secured to the wall.
Week ten: Cabinets are secured to the wall and sink is put in. But not the faucet.
Week eleven: I was informed that the project manager had been fired and the new guy is getting caught up on what needs to be done.
Weeks twelve and thirteen: The bathroom is finally finished.
It wasn't until the end of week twelve that we could start using the bathroom for washing hands and using the toilet.
In the end, the bathroom looks great. A few minor things that I have noticed, but otherwise it looks a lot better that before the work. But for 13 weeks, it was a difficult time. 5 people in a house with one bathroom, four of which are adults makes for a very busy shower schedule.
We are currently doing our upstairs bathroom. We decided after the last time to use a different company. Not as extensive, but after 5 days they are almost done.
I've been told that Craftmasters doesn't do bathroom remodels anymore. Probably a good idea.

We talked about a February/early March installation, but I assumed it would be weather dependent.  On the coldest stretch of winter in February, they did 3/4ths of the work.  They being a crew of very friendly, hardworking, polite workers.  I could not believe their work ethic.  They started on a Wednesday and worked 4 days, had Sunday off and came back to finish as much as they could before they ran out of my dormer siding, which was added to my order later.  They came back to finish the dormers maybe a week later and my house is now the nicest color and finish on the block.  There was very minimal debris and the dumpster was removed pronto upon the first completion.

They were prompt, and friendly, and we are satisfied with the work completed. 

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I had signed up for a siding estimate at the state fair.  Mac was the salesman who came to my house and gave a well planned sales pitch for their product and installation.  He was very knowledgeable, explained things very well, and answered all my questions.  There was one point where he used a tactic that I'm not too thrilled with, saying he would give me a discount if I promise to do 3 things: provide 3 referrals, let them put advertising sign in my yard, & I forget what the 3rd thing was (when Mac reads this, I'm sure he will remind me).  To me, if the product and service is as great as what Mac says it was, then there's no need to entice me with a discount in that matter, because those are ways that force me to give references instead of just automatically giving good references.  But keep reading, because the crew that did the work was AWESOME and FAST, and we watched their precision while they did the work, which pretty much makes up for the bad sales tactic that Mac used (when Mac reads this, I hope he learns something from my comments here).
I work from home so was able to watch the crew, and the project manager - which was Mac the salesman - and I was very impressed with the speed, care, and work ethics of this crew!  Mac had said it was a great crew, and being the skeptic I am of sales people (plus sales people talking to a woman), I was greatly surprised that Mac had indeed told me the truth!!  There were 3-4 guys on the crew, mostly the same 3 guys were here all week, worked hard to take off the old wood siding & plywood, keeping the area impressively clean the whole time, and had a great attitude!  They started every morning at 8:00 am and stopped when it was dark (about 4:30-5:00 pm) when they couldn't see anymore.  There was the "lead" guy, Cesar, who was very meticulous about the details - I watched him several times and felt he was working as if on his own house.  The other two guys were great too, it was just that Cesar was doing the more detailed work of wrapping & installing flashing, etc. 
It rained lightly off & on, on one of the days towards end of week.  The crew still came and worked in the rain!  Mac would call every day or stop by to see how things were going.  They installed the house wrap, 3/4" insulation panels over top the existing buffalo board sheathing, and then siding & trim around windows, dryer vent, electrical outlets, and added vinyl wrap (I think that's what is called) around the garage frame where trim would go.  After the work was completed, the outside walls were warmer than usual coldness due to no existing insulation.  But then we got that 20 degree cold weather, and all the outside walls were cold and our dishes in cupboard on outside wall are still cold, butter in cupboard stays hard as if in refrigerator, so that means the outside insulation didn't do all that I had hoped it would.  This house doesn't have any insulation in the walls, plus I need to spray foam between foundation & joists yet to see if this will help as well. 
An electrician came by to ask where I wanted garage lights installed (on outside), front door light (outside), and a flood light installed in back yard.  I also asked if another light switch could be installed, not thinking of it as part of contract, but if I could pay them separately for light switch since they were there.  Mac didn't like that too much - he didn't get mad, just kind of perturbed - and I am new at this, so I didn't think it was such a big deal.  Idea just popped into my head while talking to electrician about light switches.  So I've learned a few things myself in this project and despite these hic-cups, I am quite satisfied with the experience, my new siding, and that it was done so quickly and so well.  Inspection passed by Roseville Code Enforcement Officer.  
There was an additional charge to remove double thickness of plywood, which I thought was kind of an odd charge, since the whole house siding was supposed to be removed as part of the estimate, so a change order had to be done for additional $655.  Made note for self on next project is to ask about hidden costs such as when contract is to "remove old siding" - there isn't an extra charge because there was 2 sheets of plywood instead of one.  There went my discount for referrals and free advertising.  Also, they couldn't add insulation into 3-season porch but they did replace some sheathing and added the siding.  I had new gutters and downspouts installed by a different company the week before.  Craftmasters Remodeling crew was very careful not to damage aluminum when removing, placing on ground, and re-installing back the way all had been installed.
I was able to finance this through a local bank which I applied through Craftmasters Remodeling.  Was a fairly decent APR for myself.  This allows Craftmasters Remodeling to get paid and hassle-free for both of us, in my opinion.  The local bank was one I had credit with before, which is a good thing.  The original contract was $15,385 with $2000 down payment (I could make any down payment amount), and $655 change order, for total charge of $14.040.  Against my better judgement, I did sign form to waive 3-day MN law where I can cancel contract but since I knew I was going to hire them anyway, I signed the form so the process could get started to beat 'old man winter' on its way.  The estimate, finance process, and job took about 8-9 days, which I was very impressed by, with no major glitches.  Even the dumpster was delivered and removed in a timely way, by another company, and placed in correct position where I had asked it to be placed.  I had asked that no one park in driveway, and no one did, except the electrician but it made his work easier when it was 20 degrees and bitter cold.  He borrowed my ladder & put it back when done, cleaned up after himself, and did a great job.
Yes, despite these things, I would hire Craftmasters Remodeling for my next project.  I did do my research on this company and found many positive things on another website, Home Advisor, plus MAC had a huge book of positives from other customers.  BBB had a couple reviews, nothing that bothered me from hiring them to reside my house.  The reason for the 'B' rating in price is because I think it was still a little expensive over other people I had talked to, but they had the materials in stock, great finance APR, and ability to start right away that influenced me to hire them.

unknown

Craftmasters was great throughout the entire process. They had done our neighbor's roof, siding and windows so we were already confident they 'd do a good job. They were knowledgeable about the products they offered and meticulously walked us through the whole process the first night we met. We wanted to get the new roof installed quickly and they accommodated. They were out 1 week after the contract was signed and got our entire roof replaced in one day which was awesome because we were dodging rainy days. It's a very large roof but they managed to get it done in one day. Mac, the project manager, was on site the whole day ensuring everything was done correctly and followed up with us a few days after the job was done to make sure we were still happy with the roof and that there were no issues. As far as the install goes, it looks great. Great service. We'll definitely use them again in the future.
Rob

They did a good job and did what they said they were going to do. I was watching them and chatting with them the whole time. They were definitely polite and courteous, explaining things as needed.

Knowing the prices of other places around, I was comparatively happy with their pricing.

The quality of the installed roof was great. I am happy with the outcome. The process of executing the project, however, provided challenges such that I would not re-hire the same company again in the future. The project was sold to me at 1-2 days, but took 4 days to complete, and when I asked what was going on, I got different stories from the project manager and the actual crew. Even though I disclosed to them that there were 3 layers of existing roofing up front, everyone still acted surprised to find that to be the case when they started the work, for some reason. The crew also generated waste beyond the capacity of the dumpster that they provided, and instead of hauling it away, they used MY dumpster, which cost me additional money to haul. Waste removal was supposed to be included in the price. The project manager and crew were pointing fingers at each other as to how the decision was made to use my dumpster rather than dispose of their own waste. Again, while the installed product seems to be great, the experience was not one that I care to repeat.

unknown

They showed all of the options, the types of windows, the colors. They performed heat lamp tests on window samples to show us how the heat and cold air from the outside will not affect the inside temperature.
They appear to enlarge the rooms and really improve visibility to the outside.They brighten the rooms.
We are totally satisified.

They were on time and courteous from start to finish, answered all of my questions. Their office kept me up-to-date on process and scheduling. Install team was on time (they give you a 2-hour window) they installed the windows, installation went well. I have asthma and they put up plastic on walls and on the floor to contain any dust. A project manager came and did a follow-up inspection after the job was done.