Kurtis Dodge Remodeling & Renovation

In the 2013-15 timeframe, Kurtis Dodge did three projects for us: 1) he custom-designed & built a kitchen pantry, 2) did a (3) window replacement in our Master Bedroom and 3) a complete remodel of our master bathroom. Each job was fairly priced and superbly accomplished without issue. In 2016, Kurt also did a major renovation to my daughter’s house (they aren’t Angie’s List members, so no review). The job entailed a full kitchen re-do, a breezeway upgrade to heated living space with closets, turning one upstairs bedroom into 2, adding a sizeable bathroom to the master bedroom and a full powder room do over. He also installed new hardwood on the entire first floor and breezeway and replaced their entire electrical wiring system. My daughter and son-in-law were thrilled with his work and the end result. As is usual with Kurt, it was done correctly and the craftsmanship/detail work was excellent. And he was his usual uncommonly creative self. I mention the job at me daughter’s house because my wife and I watched the entire project unfold. We had decided to stay in our home rather than move/downsize. Based on the end result at my daughter’s, we also decided to have Kurt do a major renovation for us, as well. The job encompassed full hardwood floors to replace carpeting in the kitchen, dining room and great room, a full kitchen replacement (with some clever changes to the layout suggested by Kurt), significant revisions/additions to lighting and renovation of the powder room and laundry room. Along the way, we added a re-facing of the fireplace and a new slate hearth. Kurt also orchestrated the timing and use of subcontracting resources flawlessly during the 2 month project, often navigating through various issues with timing and circumstances and never missed a beat. I know this is redundant, both here and in other reviews on Angie’s List for Kurt, but the quality, creativeness, attitude, attention to detail, willingness to be flexible and going the extra mile are things that Kurt does at a high level. Add his easy going personality, sense of humor and dedication to assuring satisfaction and the whole package he brings is exceptional. The pricing is more than competitive as well. Said another way, Kurt manifests all of the things you would list as being desirable/required with nothing on the list that would be a drawback. This is why my wife & I, my daughter and several friends we have recommended to Kurt have all been extremely pleased with his work and have each had him return for multiple projects. I could get into great detail and provide anecdotal input to underscore the myriad things he did as part of the project, but I will leave it at this; I am difficult to please and Kurt has won me over 100%, multiple times. For remodeling jobs of any size, there is no risk or downside in trusting him to do an impressive job and absolutely no reason to look any further than Kurtis Dodge Remodeling & Renovation. NOTE: Of the 58,000 cost for everything, Kurt's labor was a reasonable $17,800.

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Consistent with  previous work I had Kurt do, the job was superbly accomplished.  Full attention to small details.  The end result was perfect and much less expensive than the local big window stores.  Kurt came out and measured, helped with the choice of windows and even had discussions with the folks where I ordered them to assure that everything worked correctly.  Perfect job and his usual "over and above" approach to make sure everything was satisfactory.

Kurtis was kind enough to perform the work on Saturday AM and on short notice.  He arrived when he said he would and did a very nice job.  He also did a great job cleaning up after the installation of the grab bars.  Although the price was fair I wish it had been just a bit lower; however, I am totally satisfied with his work and definitely would recommend him to anyone needing a general contractor.

It went very well.

There were a few issues that popped up near the closet that Kurtis built (not because of what he did or how he did it, but because of a leak in our roof). Kurtis had an idea of what the problem might be before even looking at the damage. Once he inspected the area, he figured out what was wrong and even repaired it free of charge. Would not hesitate to hire Kurtis again for any remodeling projects.

I hired Kurtis Dodge to work on a bedroom remodel where I needed closet space added to the existing framework. I had spoken with several different contractors and found that not only was he the most accessible and responsive, but he was affordable as well. On top of that, I can't say enough about the quality of work. Kurtis really goes the extra mile to make sure everything is done properly and that the finished product looks good. He made our satisfaction a priority and was willing to redo things when it they didn't quite turn out as we envisioned. He arrived when he said he would and even worked later in the day, and on Saturday, to try and accommodate my family's schedule. He was up front and honest about what he would be able to do and what our options would be for the things we wanted. I have no regrets about hiring him for the job and wouldn't hesitate to hire him again for any future projects.

This is my second review on Angie’s List for Kurtis Dodge Remodeling and Renovation. Because of our previous outstanding experience with him involving a major kitchen project, we had him back to do a renovation of our master bathroom.
For the renovation, we decided to retain the tub, cabinets and toilet. Before engaging anyone for discussions/estimates, we did some informal shopping, looking at shower bases, counter tops, tile choices, bathroom doors, faucets, lighting, etc., just to see what was out there and get a feel for what we might want to do. It was like drinking from a fire hose!
Once we decided to have Kurt do the renovation and got him involved, as with the kitchen project, he was clever and creative, and helped us focus our choices. After explaining what we thought we wanted to accomplish, he gave us suggestions about where to do our shopping (couple of places for each component) and why we would want to shop there. After checking those suggestions against Angie’s List, shopping got easier.
NOTE: The attached pictures show the just-completed job, but prior to adding any of the room decoration or pictures.
During the planning discussions, Kurt made several suggestions that we hadn’t considered:

• Heated floor – Less $$ than I had thought. The warmth of the tile on bare feet is pleasant and it will be toasty in the winter. The programmable thermostat allows for separate on/off settings for morning and evening periods.
• Put a “frame” around the 4 x 9 ft whole-wall mirror - Added “punch” to a large undefined, “blah” expanse. A note – painting the BACK of the molding should be done prior to installation because the reflection can be seen. (see attached pictures)
• Build nooks into the shower wall - “Hides” shower supplies. He also suggested a “foot nook” just off the floor of the shower for use when shaving and/or drying legs (see pictures). The nooks eliminate the need to hang things on the wall in the shower enclosure or over the door, build corner shelves or hang one of those big caddies off the shower arm. Hiding things in the wall nooks improves the
• visuals. (see attached pictures)
• Use a cultured marble shower base - No grout to clean and eliminates possible leaking from using tiles for the shower floor. More durable and better looking than acrylic or fiberglass.
• Use of a Panasonic exhaust fan – An alternative brand to the older fan that I wanted to replace. Increased power to the correct CFM rating and it is virtually silent. Great reviews for this brand that I probably wouldn’t have otherwise
• considered.

Kurt spent quite a bit of time with us working through the tile design and explained pluses and minuses to each. This was key because
the large tub is the first thing you see as you enter the bathroom and the front of the tub and ttub deck needed to look good together and also work with the transition to the shower and floor. The time spent working this paid off nicely.
Because the tile had random patterns, Kurt laid out various sections on our bedroom floor prior to installing in order to prevent visual problems (i.e., avoid putting several “busy” tiles in a grouping, etc.). Tile cuts were well thought out and well done with no mistakes or issues in the way they were placed and transition area cuts were cleverly done to be visually attractive.
In summary, Kurt once again exceeded our expectations providing us with a superbly renovated master bathroom. He is meticulous, approaches the job with well-thought out planning and pays attention to detail – all the while taking pains to do things the right way. He scheduled in some additional help/expertise when needed and managed the project well. He showed up every day and cleaned up spotlessly when the day’s work was completed. The best description/compliment I can provide is that he does the work like it was
his own house, with exceptional quality. The pricing was pretty good too! Being at that point in my life where my interest level and physical capability pretty much eliminate any chance that I would tackle these kinds of jobs myself anymore, finding Kurt has been a great solution for the projects we want to do. We already have a couple of additional jobs picked out which we will have him do in the future. Highly recommended!

First of all and most importantly ... Kurtis Dodge is the best and most creative carpenter I have ever worked with. His skills are truly excellent! And, he has the most wonderful engaging personality...he is a talented fun young man and a pleasure to work with!
To begin I contacted several carpenters and remodeling companies for estimates. Little did I know there would be such a huge variation in prices and suggested materials, and also differences of opinion on what I would need to build this shed to code in the Town of Irondequoit.
It was very important to me, that the shed appear as if it had always been part of the house. Kurtis and I sat down and discussed in great detail what I needed and WANTED. He also had a mason - Steve's Masonry and Fireplaces, that he used for concrete work and in this case it was the footers and a poured floor. When Kurtis left the house that day, our trash company had just passed through the neighborhood. Kurtis went out to the road and pulled our 2 containers back to the gate to our back yard. He then got in his truck and drove away. I was AMAZED at this spontaneous action and as he worked it became apparent that Kurtis notices EVERYTHING! I am in a wheel chair and I know beyond a doubt he knew exactly what I was doing in the house. If I dropped something Kurtis would yell: Hey you all right in there? (Grin from senior home owner.) Plus we have two Boston Terriers and Kurtis explained how he would keep an eye on them when I had to let them out back during the day. He was very aware of the concern I had for our two and quot;pupsand quot;.

In the very long wait for our uncooperative weather to break, Kurtis was in constant contact with me regarding the mason. Obviously, he had to wait for Steve to pour before he could start his carpentry work. And, all of us were becoming frustrated with the RAIN! Finally Steve poured and Kurtis began his carpentry work! He performed at least 90% of the work alone and used a helper, Gabe, for the other 10%. The shed is absolutely GREAT!
Regarding our two very active Boston Terriers. Every day Kurtis would take time to play with the and quot;girlsand quot;. (Of course, now, Nellie and Winnie just adore Kurtis.) And, he watched them constantly when they were in the backyard. He and quot;alwaysand quot; kept the gate closed and even built a temporary fence gate to allow for the masonry equipment to go in and out for 5 days.
Then the last day he was here and finishing up, the gate opened a few inches. He looked over and saw two little dogs take right off out of the backyard. I looked out the front window and saw Kurtis running across the yard. (What's that about?) Then I saw him grab Nellie and hook her up to a leash we have attached to one of our trees. Then, he had to catch Winnie and by this time she was up the street in our neighbor's yard. He called and called ... no response from Winnie. He then started yelling like my son would yell: and quot;Winn Pooh get back here right now!and quot; And back she came! He brought them to the front door and two happy Bostons came in the house, ran through the kitchen to the back door which I had mistakenly left open ... out the garage to the fence gate that was still open and escaped AGAIN! Kurtis was coming up the driveway and I heard him yell: Hey Marilu - they just went through the house and are back in the driveway. House door and gate are still open!!! and quot;Nellie Winnie to the backyard right now!and quot; Kurtis and I started laughing - two escapes in five minutes! He looked at me and said: I don't believe this...in all the time I have been here Nellie and Winnie have never gotten out of the backyard, and today - my last day ... they do it TWICE in just a couple of MINUTES!'
All in all, my son and I will have the fondest memories of Kurtis Dodge and his time working here. What more could we have asked for: An Absolutely FANTASTIC CARPENTER ... and a delightful young man! Thank you Kurtis Dodge!

Called before, arrived as expected, completed the job in less than one day as promised. The price was slightly lower than quoted. The quality is fine.

telephoned prior to arrival, completed work timely, cleaned up after work completed.

The final job is simply amazing! We have essentially doubled our pantry/storage in that space and don’t need to get down on our hands and knees to see what’s lurking in the bottom/back. We also went from a 18 cu ft. fridge to a 25 cu ft. fridge The workmanship was
impeccable, the materials are terrific and the quality of the finished job leaves nothing to be desired. Throughout all of the work, Kurt was professional, friendly, patient and kept the work area clean and neat.
I have already made arrangements for Kurt, with Dave’s help, to remove our microwave, cut down the cabinet that it sits under (need more clearance between the microwave and the stove) and re-mount all of it. He told me about kitchen, basement and bathroom renovations he has done, including a basement finishing project for my son-in-law (which is what got him here to do the work for me).
One of the questions in the review is if I would use/recommend Kurt again.Without going over board, this is the best, most refreshing experience I've had with a contractor.On time, excellent quality, superb craftsman skills and an engaging personality. This guy is absolutely a hidden gem and I recommend him without reservations.