KC Star
About us
KC Star is a small family oriented company owned and operated by Ken Carman. I am hands on and involved in every project. I have a very broad spectrum of experience with over 18 years in comercial and residential construction, Large and small project management and coordination, repair and maintenance there is very little that I have not handled. I take pride that my company only exists on referrals. I offer creative project planning and the utilize most current technology for efficent functional upgrades,repair and maintenance. I also offer the most proper disposal and environmentally responsible recycling for our project demolition and debris. I am happy to offer ideas and estimates for large or small projects. I offer top quality craftsmanship along with midwestern work ethic that won't prevent me from getting my hands dirty and provide a finish that you can be proud of. My pricing is competive and our workmanship and attention to customers requirements is one of our highest priorities. You may be surprised by the spectrum of services that I, cover so please ask. I excel and specialize in unique and creative finishing and remodeling of basements, kitchens and bathrooms but really there is no part of any work or living space that I am unfamiliar with so please ask. Thanks for your consideration in selecting me as your service company. Ken, KC
Business highlights
Emergency services offered
29 years of experience
Services we offer
Ceramic tile, Commercial residential construction remodeling Large small project management repair and maintence Cabinetry, Custom carpentry, Laminate, engine modifications and suspension remodel restore Damage emergency help, exhaust, hardwood Bathrooms Kitchens basements Decks Fences Windows Doors Trim work Drywall Retaining walls Tree, shrub landscaping removal planting Jungle Gyms Painting for interior exterior Out buildings Sheds, wheels, yard barns. Auto repair & performance upgrades Tires
Amenities
Emergency Services
Yes
Free Estimates
Yes
Accepted Payment Methods
- CreditCard
Reviews
4.316 Reviews
| Number of Stars | Image of Distribution | Number of Ratings |
|---|---|---|
| 69% | ||
| 13% | ||
| 6% | ||
| 6% | ||
| 6% |
Showing 1-16 of 16 reviews
Jeong-Heon L.
Jan 2022
1. Did not bring anything to cover shozes or old/wet water heater. Requested the customer to provide towels or something to cover the bottom of old water heater, mentioning the carpet will be dirty without it. 2. Had difficuties to ignite the starter/new water heater. Broke a gas nozzle part of the ignite by drilling. Even broken, put the part into the water heater. Somehow, the starter worked. 3. Paid $1,000 for installation of water heater. Requested the receipt but they said it will be avaiable after 3 weeks (will be updated). 4. Broken part will be replaced by other service provider,
Response from KC Star
"With good prior communication I scheduled an installation of customer purchased product. This involved pickup and delivery, parts acquisition, physical installation and disposal of two old non-working water heaters. Upon initial arrival the customer asked that I take my shoes off which was no problem. The instal is typically performed in a utility room of some sort and are usually unfinished without flooring. This was the case at this customers house. Each of the times I needed parts,to move the new units in or the two old out I took off my shoes. The customer was by my side watching every step I took and carried my shoes on many of the trips in and out of the basement. This was for the best because it alleviated any claim that the existing significant staining, or soiled areas were from me or wet shoes. I wanted to ensure that the old unit's also did not leave any areas of question also so I did request an old towel for protection but instead we bagged the wet unit up and prevented any drips. No towels were made available. I provided the plastic we utilized. As I mentioned the customer was watching each and every step of the process. The original install was far from professional and little was installed to code. I walked him through the needed changes and made a plan for repair that he and his wife approved. I fully removed the old units,installed the new one, cleaned up and disposed of the original units also. I did this with good communication, on time, with explanation of all of the work and a professional installation. At the conclusion of the install naturally I led him through the process to light the new unit he purchased. It would not light. I began troubleshooting the unit to determine the lack of function. After disassembly and checking parts over I was able to diagnose the problem and safely get the unit working so they hade hot water. It would still need replacement parts for long term consistent function. At this point an hour and a half beyond the completed install we had a plan for repair."
Margaret Y.
Apr 2015
Ken did an overall great job of replacing an interior door; picked it up from the company from which I had ordered it, delivered it and within a week, installed it. The door looks amazing.
He also noticed that a handle I had installed on my screen door could use a little work. He took it off, refitted it and didn't charge me a thing. I was totally impressed with his professionalism and his personality won me over. I plan to remodel a bathroom and will use his services.
Michelle H.
Dec 2013
We had removed a large picture window in our sunroom that was leaking on the inside and decided to fill in the hole with a wall. Our "amateur" drywall didn't look too good, so I looked up companies on Angie's List to redo the drywall, tape and mud the wall. When we called Ken Carmen, he was able to come in to give us an estimate within a day or two. He was very professional and obviously knew what he was talking about. It took us a few weeks to decide to start the project and he was able to start soon after we told him we were ready. It took several visits since several layers of tape and mud needs to be used and needs to dry well in between the layers. The only complaint that I would have would be on some visits I wasn't sure what time he was coming and I wanted to make sure I was home to let him in. But to be fair he was communicating with my husband who would tell me, so it is hard to know where the communication was lacking :) When the job was completed, the wall was flawless. I cannot see any evidence that drywall was inserted in the middle of our wall, it is completely smooth. I was very impressed and very happy that we didn't do it ourselves. The bill ended up being less than his estimate, which is always a pleasant surprise. I will definately call him when it's time for our next project!
Kelly B.
Aug 2013
It was a great experience working with Ken....what you would hope to find in a contractor. He did what he said he would do when he said he would for the price quoted. He and his crew are very conscientious; they were careful not to damage finished portions of the home during the project and cleaned up daily. Ken is very creative and is willing to collaboratively discuss ideas. Ken offers good "best practices" tips as well. Ken is flexible with respect to job scope....meaning if you as the homeowner want to do some of the work yourself. I had originally planned on laying the tile myself as a "weekend warrior", but ran out of time at the end of summer. The living room and one of the bathrooms were torn apart, We wanted to have the house put back together before school started back up for everyone. KC Star competed the job in 3 days. It was a good balance Ken & crew got the floor down, we are tackling some of the lesser finish oriented projects such as painting and trimming, The quality is outstanding; Ken pays close attention to detail. We would definitely recommend and use KC Star again!
Patrick S.
Jul 2013
Very professional
Kathy V.
Jun 2013
One thing I liked about working with him was he was really creative and was willing to implement my ideas. He also gave me some suggestions on things that I would've never thought of myself.
Matt J.
May 2013
They are good overall and did the quality work that was promised.
Clifford E.
Apr 2013
I contacted Ken Carmen from KC Star to put in a new tile
floor, countertop and backsplash in my Kitchen.
Ken contacted me right away; we spoke about what I wanted and he brought
me samples. Once I saw the samples it
was easy to make a decision; Ken seemed to know exactly what I wanted. I told Ken I wanted the work to be completed
by April 12, 2012. Ken brought in his
colleague, Nick Greenwood to do the work - Nick completed all the work I
requested on time. The craftsmanship was
excellent, Nick did a really fantastic job and the kitchen is perfect.
floor, countertop and backsplash in my Kitchen.
Ken contacted me right away; we spoke about what I wanted and he brought
me samples. Once I saw the samples it
was easy to make a decision; Ken seemed to know exactly what I wanted. I told Ken I wanted the work to be completed
by April 12, 2012. Ken brought in his
colleague, Nick Greenwood to do the work - Nick completed all the work I
requested on time. The craftsmanship was
excellent, Nick did a really fantastic job and the kitchen is perfect.
Korene S.
Jan 2013
Ken was great to work with, he was prompt in responding for our request for a bid and then again very accomodating with his schedule when the work was completed. He was very professional, did an exceptional job and left my home clean and tidy with a beautiful new kitchen countertop. He explained his work along the way and there was no suprises or delays when it came to the work he did nor the price. I would definitely recommend him to anyone needed work done around their home.
Ginger H.
Dec 2012
Wonderful! I tried to do the painting on my own which turned out to be a
mess! I called for help and they came the next day! They helped pick
out a better paint color for the bathroom than what I had used! The
rest I asked questions on to see if they new what was wrong! My softener
seemed to eat salt! Ken said he could put a new one in that used way
less salt! I also inquired about the light switches not working
together. The next day I had the info and estimate on the water
softener and switches. Then I asked about the storm door. Ken could do
that to! I gave him the specific info of what type of door I could
have. I had it installed a week later! I felt like I had a handyman
for the day to just ask all kinds of questions on things i thought were a
problem!! I will contact him again to do more painting and flooring. Excellent work and very nice!
mess! I called for help and they came the next day! They helped pick
out a better paint color for the bathroom than what I had used! The
rest I asked questions on to see if they new what was wrong! My softener
seemed to eat salt! Ken said he could put a new one in that used way
less salt! I also inquired about the light switches not working
together. The next day I had the info and estimate on the water
softener and switches. Then I asked about the storm door. Ken could do
that to! I gave him the specific info of what type of door I could
have. I had it installed a week later! I felt like I had a handyman
for the day to just ask all kinds of questions on things i thought were a
problem!! I will contact him again to do more painting and flooring. Excellent work and very nice!
Charles S.
Dec 2012
We purchased the door on April 26, 2012, and told the store we would be expecting him to pick it up. We had no communication with him for about three weeks and then I ran into him in a gas station. He said he had the door (don't know exactly when he picked it up) and would soon be painting it.
And here is where things started to come apart. I think maybe Ken got too much work suddenly, possibly through Angie's List, and he just was not able to keep up. We had occasional contacts over the summer months but with his "busyness" and the hot humid weather, we didn't press the issue. Until fall.
We started around the end of August to seriously press as to installation schedule. And he kept putting us off for various reasons. Finally, on October 11 he said he would come the following Sunday. No show and no contact. Following week, same thing...said he would come on Saturday, again no show and no contact. However, a curious thing happened. When I went to retrieve our morning paper from the driveway, there was a lovely painted door leaning against a wall. Following week, promised to come on Saturday but no show again. At this point I told him he was released and that I would hire someone through the store where we purchased the door. He accepted this with no comment, merely delivered (quietly) the hinges and weatherstripping that had come with the door.
I have now hired someone else and the door is installed.
Bottom line --- much stress and no installation, but nice paint job. So far I've paid Ken nothing but I plan to pay him what he wanted for the paint job -- $220.
And here is where things started to come apart. I think maybe Ken got too much work suddenly, possibly through Angie's List, and he just was not able to keep up. We had occasional contacts over the summer months but with his "busyness" and the hot humid weather, we didn't press the issue. Until fall.
We started around the end of August to seriously press as to installation schedule. And he kept putting us off for various reasons. Finally, on October 11 he said he would come the following Sunday. No show and no contact. Following week, same thing...said he would come on Saturday, again no show and no contact. However, a curious thing happened. When I went to retrieve our morning paper from the driveway, there was a lovely painted door leaning against a wall. Following week, promised to come on Saturday but no show again. At this point I told him he was released and that I would hire someone through the store where we purchased the door. He accepted this with no comment, merely delivered (quietly) the hinges and weatherstripping that had come with the door.
I have now hired someone else and the door is installed.
Bottom line --- much stress and no installation, but nice paint job. So far I've paid Ken nothing but I plan to pay him what he wanted for the paint job -- $220.
Charles S.
Dec 2012
In general the work went well even though it may seem upon examination to have dragged. But this is because Ken typically made many trips in order to finish the work properly. In the very beginning I became a bit put out because when Ken first came to assess the work he said he would email his estimate that very evening. After some days went by and no phone response (I didn't yet have his email address), when I finally reached him he said that he had sent it but that he must have had my email address wrong.
But after that hiccup things went along pretty well. The small patch job was finished promptly when we needed it done as we were entertaining soon after. The rest of the work was done off and over a period of several months and completed in late April. I guess the price was fair although I had nothing to compare with. I certainly wouldn't call it a low price.
One of the most trying things about this experience was his apparent lack of concern for schedules and keeping us informed as to just when he would be coming again. He might say he would come first thing in the morning and then arrive around lunch time. Or occasionally not at all.
As the painting of the dining area was being completed we began discussing replacing the rear entry door out of the dining room. So we discussed options, he presented a bid we and decided to go ahead with it. We were to buy the door, he would pick it up and take it to his residence where he has painting facilities, and then come back and install it. That's a whole different story -- look for that review elsewhere.
But after that hiccup things went along pretty well. The small patch job was finished promptly when we needed it done as we were entertaining soon after. The rest of the work was done off and over a period of several months and completed in late April. I guess the price was fair although I had nothing to compare with. I certainly wouldn't call it a low price.
One of the most trying things about this experience was his apparent lack of concern for schedules and keeping us informed as to just when he would be coming again. He might say he would come first thing in the morning and then arrive around lunch time. Or occasionally not at all.
As the painting of the dining area was being completed we began discussing replacing the rear entry door out of the dining room. So we discussed options, he presented a bid we and decided to go ahead with it. We were to buy the door, he would pick it up and take it to his residence where he has painting facilities, and then come back and install it. That's a whole different story -- look for that review elsewhere.
Kelly M.
May 2012
The deck looked great. The house looked much better. The concrete/ caulk work were well done. Ken paid great attention to detail and pointed out things I was unaware of and will keep an eye on for future.
Carolyn A.
Dec 2011
He has done several projects for us and has great ideas. He is willing to let us do some of the work ourselves and worked with us to organize that. He did a really great job and there have been no complications. I will use him again in the future.
Janet K.
Jul 2011
He was extremely responsive and professional, gave us a very exact estimate for how much the work would cost, and finished the project in a timely manner. Great work!
Patricia A.
Feb 2011
KC Star was professional and knowledgeable. After meeting Ken, we were confident he would provide a good service and he did. We are very pleased with the quick and excellent work that was done and plan to have Ken bid future jobs for us.
Licensing
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FAQ
KC Star is currently rated 4.3 overall out of 5.
KC Star accepts the following forms of payment: CreditCard
Yes, KC Star offers free project estimates.
No, KC Star does not offer eco-friendly accreditations.
No, KC Star does not offer a senior discount.
Yes, KC Star offers emergency services.
No, KC Star does not offer warranties.