Hurst Total Home Inc

Excellent work by Hurst. Took a little longer than we thought, but very good work.

It took awhile because the steps had to be jack hammered out first to see what all the damage was and how to repair it.

It went very well.

They were excellent.  They had a written plan including a time line.  They told you when payments were needed, and what would be done and when.  They kept their schedule perfectly, they cleaned up everything afterward, and even helped me out with some other small things.  We even had a pre installation meeting with all parties.  They were extremely professional, courteous, and friendly.

I LOVE my kitchen, even 10 years later.  Jeff was very professional and easy to work with.  The work was completed 2 days ahead of schedule and right on cost.  They required a deposit for the estimate, but the estimate was very thorough including me picking my materials and appliances prior to them finalizing the estimate.  They applied my deposit to my total bill.  I asked him what we would do about an overrun and Jeff said "There is no such thing as on overrun!"  That's when I knew they were the right folks to do my work.  All people working on my job were professional.  They cleaned up every day and took care to keep me updated on progress each day.  I would definitely use them again.

It is crooked and outrageously bad. I had called people that used them before I got my project running and everybody thought they were wonderful, so I wonder how much people know about what they are getting. It was crooked, and there was supposed to be a vent in the gable end of it to vent the attic and they didn't put it in. So, they chopped a hole in there, and when I had looked at it, it has got an inch of caulking in it and it is a fixture that sits in the hole and fits the hole. That is how bad it is and it is absolutely terrible. They had several different people working on it and it was really a terrible project. I probably should have stopped it and thrown them off the property. The pricing was probably what they all were. It took them much longer than they thought. I tell everybody that I wouldn't use them to build a doghouse. It was shoddily managed, and when they were all done, I complained to the head guy, Hurst, and he was all apologetic. He took a couple of bucks off the project but it was no appeasement. I have kind of raked them over the coals. I reported them to the National Home Remodeling Association and the Better Business Bureau and some other place. I even equipped those people with pictures of the project and how bad it was. It was just unbelievably shoddy work.

The employees from Hurst were so pleasant and easy to work with and kept in great contact with us throughout the project. Any small problems were addressed quickly and without argument. Only two subcontractors, a tile person and an electrician, caused any issues and Hurst was quick to help us both times to solve those problems. The kitchen looks wonderful and is of the highest quality.

Last fall, I had attempted to install a custom size door in my home, but the house framing was wildly out of square and plumb. Frustrated and dejected, I called Hurst after seeing the great reviews here. Although my job was tiny, they responded quickly to my request. Upon arrival, the installer, Clay said that he didn't bring any lumber with him because he wasn't sure what to expect. Although I thought I had made the situation clear to the original contact at Hurst, that contact didn't refer my information to Clay. Not his fault. It just so happened that I had some well-acclimated and properly stored treated and untreated flat boards in my garage. He used those to frame out the existing opening. All I have to do is trim out the door.
I thought the price was very fair considering he was on the job for 4-1/2 hours. It worked out to be about $60/hour. Clay cleaned up the work area (I had a fair amount of construction debris on the porch from earlier that week) and I followed behind like a happy puppy with a broom and dustpan.
Thank you.

They matched the paint and repainted the entire wall. Well done: but not the way I would have done it. They did not tape it off so there was some and quot;slop overand quot; on the caulking and I had to clean off some paint from the door and molding.

They reinstalled the towel bar without using a laser guide (as I would have done) so that the towel bar is visibly higher than the existing second towel bar. The result is okay and not worth redoing but I am disappointed in the lack of attention to detail.

At the start, in mid-July, there was no response to my website request and I had to call by phone to schedule an appointment. I actually liked their practice of asking for payment for design services, allowing for a more detailed proposal and applying that amount to the project if one chooses to stay with them. Initially I was encouraged by Katie's approach but I think she's just too busy to handle all of the projects she's taken on. After I had been to the showroom and made several selections, she said she would call me in a day or two when my preferred flooring samples were available from an outside vendor. I didn't hear from her for three weeks and then she told me that flooring company was no longer in business and sent me to another vendor. Throughout the process there were lots of delays and excuses (email went to spam, the computer file with my design became corrupted and couldn't be opened for review, short-staffed, regular mail was sent but lost). Although I was never able to see an actual design, the proposed budget was nearly double my request (35,000) that I had indicated during my initial request. She was able to shave off a little cost through minor adjustments but could not get close to an acceptable amount and did not offer suggestions for further cost-cutting.
On the plus side, they have a nice showroom and, from looking at pictures of work they've done, it seems they provide a high quality of workmanship to those clients for whom they can make time.

We met with salesman, Rick Cross, on several occasions. The salesman(Rick), company owner (Jay Hurst) and lead carpenter Clay did an in-home meeting before construction. We signed a contract and gave them $8,600.00 to and quot;initiate the contract and order materials for the project.and quot;. This occurred August 2012. Our project was delayed due to our medical issues.
We agreed upon a start date of 2/25/13. On 2/9/13 (Saturday afternoon), I received a call from the salesman (Rick) while we were on vacation telling us that they needed to start the project in 2 days (2/11/13) or they would not be able be able to use the lead carpenter that was familiar with the project. We started on our pre-determined start date of 2/25/13, with a different lead carpenter. We signed a contract for a 5 week project. This is week #12 and the project still isn't finished. They start work, then stop because supplies were not ordered correctly or were on back-order.
Many times, we discussed and quot;custom builtand quot; bookcase. Many employees heard this request during our in-home meeting. Four days AFTER the project began, we were informed by the lead carpenter that they don't do and quot;customand quot; wood working but we would like the stock cabinets that they would use in the project. The fact that this was not disclosed until AFTER the contract was signed and the work had begun was purely deceptive on their part.
Several times, product selections were made by the salesman, without consulting us. His reply was and quot;this is what our clients use/wantand quot;. They do not listen to what their customer desires in a renovation and do not communicate effectively when products are ordered.
Our cabinets were ordered the week that our 5 week project began. There was an 8-10 week delay in their arrival! Nice to know this when you are now minus one toilet and one shower.
Our tile, which was selected in August 2012, was on back order. They did not place the order in August, when our deposit was received. When I questioned why it had not been ordered, the reply was and quot;we can get it overnightand quot;. Obviously not. Last August, the tile was available!
Tonight. I am sitting here waiting for a return call from owner, Jay, as there are more concerns regarding cabinets today. I am doubtful that he will communicate with us. Most communication occurs thru the lead carpenter.
I am convinced that my $8.600.00 deposit which they received on 8/30/12 was used to fund other remodeling projects and NOT used to purchase products for our renovation.
This is a poor company with questionable sales and business practices that will not communicate with the customer when things go wrong.
I would not recommend this company. I am thankful that we did not include our kitchen remodel in the scope of this contract!

Katie Hurst was our designer and drew up the contract. She was very easy to work with, had extensive knowledge of materials and construction methods, and seemed to anticipate and adapt to our needs and preferences. She expeditiously helped us pick out tile, colors and fixtures that were within our budged, and even suggested tile placement patterns. Clay Baker was our forman and primary construction worker. We can't begin to praise Clay enough! He did most of the work himself, but brought in extra help when needed to tear out the old facilities. He brought in licensed plumbers and electricians when required and a company to provide the glass shower surround. He was meticulous in everything he did. He kept us well informed of his work plans and schedules and always consulted us when a decision was needed. His tile work was exceptionally beautiful. He always had a good suggestion to fix unexpected situations. For instance, when the tub and surrounding walls were removed, there was a flaw in the framing near where the shower bench was to be located. To get around the flaw, Clay suggested building a knee wall next to the shower bench. He did not charge extra for that and it turned out beautifully (added some welcome privacy for anyone sitting on the bench). He was very considerate of us and our house. Frequently we would leave the house in the afternoon while Clay was still working, and would return home that evening to find that he had secured the premises just as we instructed. While he was working he covered the doorway into the dressing area (which doesn't have an actual door to separate it from the bedroom) with a plastic sheet to keep the dust out of the rest of the house. He also placed carpet protectors from the front door through the house to the work area. The only delay came toward the end of the work when the glass shower door was mismeasured by the glass company and had to be remade - that took an extra week. The glass installer came back twice to put additional seals on the sides of the door to keep water from coming through the space between door and fixed panels and out onto the floor. All in all, we are extremely happy with our new remodeled bathroom and are certainly pleased with all the folks at Hurst.

There is not a better home remodeling contractor in the entire Dayton area. Hurst Total Home has been FABULOUS to work with. From my initial estimate of $37,000 to my expansion of the project to $150,000, Jeff Hurst has been a stalwart support who led me (and sometimes DRAGGED me) through it all. I couldn't ask for a better contractor. Jeff is wonderful and I wouldn't be sane today without him.
I used a lot of high end products in my home, and Katie Hurst was wonderful at finding vendors to supply all these unique items. Katie - you are the BOMB! The bathrooms and kitchen are stellar because you found just the right suppliers for me. THANKS!
Jay Hurst kept the production rolling along and was always there for me, whenever I had a question or needed some immediate assistance. Especially when I smelled gas in the house and he was there within minutes to identify and solve the problem (new gas stove - burner was slightly moved from the OFF position).
But the key to the whole remodeling effort was my lead carpenter, Clark Watren. What a delightful man - and what a patient one! There were so many change orders that came about during the course of this redo (from May 9 to October 12), but Clark kept his focus and kept his crew moving forward. Even when they had to redo things (which happened from time to time, because I was working and not here to answer their questions), there was never a complaint or any and quot;hostilityand quot; for the changes that I had them make. Clark worked for me 24/7. I could text him any time of the day or night with a question and he was ALWAYS there for me. He kept me from going off the deep end many a times, as the depth of detail was incredible. And so was he!
Until you get into the middle of a major project like this, you cannot imagine the minute details that are involved. And you should SEE the results! It's absolutely STUNNING. From the Cambria quartz in my kitchen, laundry room, fireplace surround and both bathrooms, to the crystals hanging from my canned lights, to the Artistic Tile wall art in my master bath along with the Swarovski crystals in the bathtub surround, the custom iron work, the beautiful backsplash and cabinet additions in the kitchen, and all the new light fixtures, chandeliers and and quot;fandaliersand quot; throughout my entire home, there is no job too large or no detail too small for this business to handle.
I cannot rave enough about the Hursts and their company. And my guests continue to compliment me on the incredible results!

UPDATE/UPDATE/UPDATE Oct 2012:

Yesterday (24 Oct) I received a call from Jay Hurst apologizing for their failure to get back to me regarding my issue described below. Jay explained that, basically, the file regarding my issue had been misplaced in another file and therefore they didn't realize there was an issue. Jay took full responsibilty and told me he would make things right. As I write this, on 25 Oct. he is here and correcting the problem with my toilet.

Kudos to Hurst for both admitting they screwed up by losing my file and by expeditiously making things right.

Based on this experience, I would definitely trust Hurst on any future remodling job. As I said originally, their work product was outstanding...

INTITIAL REVIEW, THE NEGATIVE SECOND PART IS NO LONGER AN ISSUE! There are two aspects of my remodeling adventure with Hurst:
First of all, they were very responsive and professional during the design and construction phase of the project. The final product met or exceeded our expectations. Their employees were true professionals and very accomodating BUT my overall satisfaction rating plummeted when I discovered (after the warranty period) that they did not install my toilet properly. When I called to explain that they had not properly locked either toilet bolt into the flange and that I had just noticed it they basically blew off my complaint. They told me that their warranty department would get back with me to discuss, but never returned my call.

They stated on time and finished on time. We had no cost overruns and we had no real interrptions in the remodeling except for the cabinetry that took a few weeks longer than they originally told Hurst they would. Hurst's customer service is second to none, in our opinion and we highly recommend them to anyone who is considering any kind of work for their home.

We were told initially it would take 2 1/2-3 weeks to complete. It is still not complete. We have fired them subsequently. We have a french-door fridge that needed wood panels and they have never gotten them put on, so our fridge is still not complete, one panel is still missing. The showroom looks great, but they are a very unprofessional group once on the job site. It seems like outside issues interfere with the actual completion of the job. I have had to hire a carpenter to actually finish the fridge at a huge (75%)savings. They are gouging the prices are certain pieces of the job. We have attempted to get the money back that we put down, and the owner berated my husband's secretary because he was at work. He has threatened my husband on a voice mail. He is extremely emotional and volatile. The owner has threatened to file a lien and start foreclosure proceedings on our house and we don't even owe money.

Here we are months later, and we have fixed some of the work, but not all of the work. The carpenters have done a great job, but they have had to do multiple things trying to keep up appearances at other jobs. They have come across as bullies with us.

Overall, we are extremely pleased with the work performed by Hurst. Everything they did turned out beautifully. Some of the words below are critical, but we would definitely hire Hurst again, and we would recommend them to anyone.
Our work with Hurst went in three basic stages (with some overlap): Sales, Design, and Building.
First, the Sales Stage: Jeff Hurst came to our home to get a feel for the scope and to understand our overall desires for the project. Jeff's attitude and honesty were a big part of why we hired his company to work in our home. The quoted price was rather high, but it was obvious that Jeff put some work into the numbers, and the quote was realistic for the amount we wanted done. Hurst gets an 'A' for the Sales Stage.Then came the Design Stage. Once we chose to hire Hurst, the next step was to design our new space. The design fee was not insignificant, but it was reasonable, and the fee was applied toward the actual job once we signed a contract. The design stage is the most difficult to rate, in part because it extended from first draft plans until last-minute, real-time decisions. Overall, Hurst gets a 'B-' for the Design Stage. I'll get back to a lengthy explanation about this stage.
Finally, the Building Stage. If we could give an A+ to the guys who worked on our kitchen, we would. Clay and Barry were consummate professionals, and we're so happy with all of the work they did. Both of them arrived promptly at the designated starting time EVERY DAY. Both men went to great lengths to make our remaining living space as comfortable as possible while they demo'd and then rebuilt our kitchen. After a day of knocking down plaster walls, Clay and Barry left our living room cleaner than it had been the day before. They anticipated our wants/needs and went the extra mile every time to make sure we'd be happy with the final product. They were pleasant, respectful, and professional, and we had no problem leaving them unattended in our home. We can't speak to the other teams that work for Hurst, but if you have Clay and Barry on your job, consider yourself lucky. As mentioned above, 'A+' for the Building Stage.
Back to the Design Stage. Things started out well. We met with Jeff and his design team, and we provided input about things we liked/didn't like. We also gave them a list of and quot;must havesand quot; and provided a Pinterest-like portfolio of inspiration pictures. The design team took our input, turned it into real plans, and presented two options to us, including things we hadn't thought of that were better than our pre-conceived notions. We're very happy with the layout they helped us choose, so they get high marks through and quot;conceptual design.and quot;
The Hurst team loses points for the details of the design. As we approached the start date for our job, we realized that there were a lot of details remaining to be finalized (floor tile, splash tile, faucet, etc... each had a budget in the contract, but no specifics). Since we both work and wanted to avoid making rushed decisions, we asked for a schedule outlining the decisions we would need to make and the deadline by which we would need to provide those decisions. The Hurst designer, who was always a pleasure to work with, provided this schedule for us, but we should have received the schedule sooner, and we shouldn't have had to ask for it. It's in their own best interest to have all of the decisions made up front, and we expected their extensive experience to enable them to break the whole process down to a science.
We stuck to our decision schedule, but unfortunately, the schedule didn't contain everything, and there were still a handful of and quot;we need to know NOWand quot; moments. Additionally, there were two occasions when our project was held up because we didn't receive materials in time. This was in part because of some shipping issues outside of local control, but the items could have been ordered much sooner, and then we would have been aware of the shipping issues in time to make the change we chose to make. (Full disclosure, the Hurst team did what they could to make things right for one of the items by helping us find a replacement product and covering some of the difference in cost)
In the end, we're not unhappy with the Hurst design team, but we think things could have been done better. Things often seemed disorganized, and we wondered how much slower our project would have moved if we weren't constantly calling and emailing. The biggest problem seemed to be that our designer was simply over-worked. They had too many projects to focus on, so they were only able to pay attention to things that were urgent.
To reiterate: we would definitely hire Hurst again. We have some complaints about the process of the design stage, but we have no complaints about the result. The Hurst design team helped us find an optimal layout, and they helped us find beautiful, high-quality materials. When you hire Hurst, you might pay a little more, and you might need to proactively manage your design, but the result is worth it.

There was nothing we liked or disliked about them. They seemed to have a little trouble getting the door fixed, but they persevered, and they didn't seem frustrated or anything like that. They were very respectful of the house, and they were here for quite a while. They were very reasonably priced, and I think they may have charged us less than what was quoted, probably because it took so long.

They did a really good job overall! Katie Hurst, the daughter of the owner, was our primary contact. She was very responsive and great to work with!

Called Hurst to repair the shutter late on Tuesday and asked them to repair the shutter before my wife's baby shower on Saturday. They were very pleasant on the phone and said they would have someone get back with me the following morning. As promised, Clark called me the next day. I gave him an overview and he said it would be a tight time frame because of the short notice, but he would knock it out on Friday as long as their was no damage that did not require new paint or something else time intensive.

Clark repaired the shutter on Friday for $50 less than he quoted, and he took the extra step of letting me know what the root cause was and that it might be affecting my other shutters, so I should keep an eye out. The whole experience was friendly, professional, and customer focused despite my time constraints.

When I first went to the company, I told them of the large scale of the redo. They said they would draw up a design that I would be charged for but would be absorbed in the cost if I went ahead with the plans. They came up with 2 plans, One for the kitchen and one for the rest fo the house since it was so large a job. Unfortunately, they had replanned my whole upstairs with new baths and walls knocked out, etc. when I had already told them that I had a new jacuzzi and new shower stall already put in by another company! Then they said okay we will go with what's there and do what I'd asked. A man by the name of Chad Lakes was put in charge of this project (my whole house) and he was excellent in all that he was given to do and tried so hard to have it done by the time that was quoted to me. They quoted 6-8 weeks and even I knew that was to short a time frame for what needed to be done, so I wasn't really bothered by that. What did bother me was that with all that needed to be done, only Chad showed up everyday and once in a while one other man!!! No crews at all to get this done. I drove to an appliance place they recommended, and ordered my kitchen appliances, drove down to Cincinnati to choose my marble prep island top. When they said we will be doing "this" room tomorrow, I would move my indoor cats and keep them isolated so they could do the work, most times they weren't ready for that room, I had to move them some where else. I even boarded my dogs for a week(Oh The Cost) so they could do the floors when they said they were going to and that didn't work out for that time either. I only got things going when I would call Jeff Hurst and say that things were not going well. Then the very next day, 2-3 men would show up and everything started getting done. Then after about 2 days I was back to just Chad by himself again. "Oh, we have other projects that we are having to finish up." We were without a kitchen for about a good 4-5 weeks. The design, by them, had flaws. One- pantry wall wasn't measured properly and a new cabinet had to ordered that is all but useless it is so small. And a big one for me was the slide out spice cabinet so I could get to them easily while I was cooking. It was designed right next to the stovetop vent, which prevented me from using it at all. They said," well, you okayed the design," but I am not an architect and thought the cabinet was on the side bottom next to the stove top, not above it next to the vent! So I had to pay for another cabinet on the left of the vent to make the cabinets on either side of the sink window even. There are still holes under these cabinets that I found by washing my floor and just happened to look up under the cabinets. Also part of the ceramic tile in a corner was not grouted and I will have to fix that before any water gets there. My 6-8 week job was "finished" in September of 2011!!!( April to Sept.) with basically one man, Chad Lakes, (God bless him) doing the job. I would hire him in a minute again, but not Hurst Total Homes.

I had already purchased the door from Requarth lumber with instructions from a carpenter who I had used for several other projects. This carpenter had replaced two doors for me in a rental property and told me he wanted to wait until Summer so he could do our back door correctly. HIs price for the two doors on the rental property was $400 each.

I tried to contact my original carpenter during June and July, but he never returned my calls.

Installation is much nicer than the two jobs from my original carpenter did on the rental property. All I need to do for this installation is repaint the trim. On my other jobs the trim work looks acceptable, but does not enhance the building.

The difference between the $400 and the $556 bid is understanding considering the quality of the work, and the time taken to produce an accurate estimate.

The Hurst carpenter - Bill - arrived at 8 AM, and worked until about 5:30 in order to get the details of the job look right.

I had to pay half of the fee in order to get the job scheduled which is why I am giving Hurst a B for responsiveness instead of an A. My wife was not happy with doing this, as we have been left with scheduling problems in situations like this before. I view this a lot like and quot;pre-payingand quot; for gasoline - it might just be how people have to do business these days. My wife and I went on vacation after paying the deposit, and the company wasn't sure they could schedule the work until we got back. Hurst had a message waiting for me when I got back from vacation, and the carpenter was available when I called to confirm the proposed appointment. I was happy with the caprenter - Bill - and when I contact Hurst to have future work done I will request Bill, and would be happy to wait to have him do the work.

We contacted Hurst and Jeff came out the next day. He spent ~20 minutes inspecting the window, writing down serial numbers and taking measurements, and told us it could take a week for the window to get to him from Simonton. 72-hours later he called, letting us know he had the replacement window and, and quot;would have someone in the area the following day if we were available.and quot; Unfortunately, we weren't, so we scheduled the repair for June 23rd. The gentleman from Hurst arrived on-time (1100) and was in and out in no more than 15 minutes; simply removing the cracked window and replacing with new.
Our experience with Hurst, from start to finish, was great. They did not leave brochures or try to pressure us on other services they offered, they simply came in, got the work done and left. It was refreshing to be contacted by a live-person who left real phone numbers, not 1-800 phone banks. Further, it was very nice to have set appointments - that were kept - versus four-hour blocks when someone may - or may not - show up (Sears). If I had one complaint it would be a trivial one and was on the price ($85), which wasn't too bad considering it included the Window itself.

I guess I already did tell you the whole story! The only hitch in the project came from the cabinet company who chose the wrong shipper and we were delayed by that only. The project is gorgeous!! They helped me stay within my budget and helped me get the most bang for my buck on that budget.

2 man team- - -master carpenter/handyman and a helper- - -polite, competent, quick- - -outstanding