A Karen Black Co

A Karen Black Company did a fantastic job with my kitchen.  They worked with my schedule and my budget to give me different options.  They were easily accessible and/or called me back in a timely fashion.  They were the highest bid that I got but I received positive feedback from other clients and the services they offer fit my style well.
The contractors arrived regularly and stayed to the end of the day (I have nosy neighbors they kept me informed).  They were very friendly and helpful and tried to keep everything as clean as possible.  I had basically a gut job for my kitchen that involved knocking down 2 walls and it was not nearly as dusty as I expected it to be.
All of the work was done in a timely fashion and I was kept up to date on timing and progress.
I did not need to be at home really for anything which is great because I work a really busy schedule.
The company has a great design service if you're really bad at making design decisions (what tile what color etc etc) or get easily overwhelmed with all the choices or just don't have the time to look through 50 different kinds of countertop (that's me).  The style and design of my kitchen met all of my needs.  They even made suggestions for things I hadn't thought of or didn't know about.  My kitchen is now an updated kitchen but very much fits the style of my 1930s historic home which was also important to me.
They did a fabulous job on my floors (all the house is original hardwood except this small part of the kitchen which they redid and blended with the surrounding wood).  They're beautiful and look like they've always been in my house.
All of my neighbors and friends have been by.  I receive many compliments on how beautiful my kitchen is.
I would definitely recommend this company to anyone I know.
Their services are well worth the money.

Pros Extraordinaire.
They completely gutted our kitchen down to the studs and rafters, insulation included. They dug a big scary hole in the concrete foundation and changed our range from electric to gas and moved the range to another wall; and then patched up the hole and cured my anxiety about the matter. They put an 11 or 12 foot long unusual looking beautiful granite counter top with chunks of quartz in the middle of the kitchen with joints so tight you can barely see them. We love it--my wife loves it is the best part. High quality stainless steel appliances. A beautiful range hood. A beautiful microwave that visitors think is a dishwasher. White cabinets are top quality with a flawless finish. Hot water dispenser. High quality kitchen hardware. Crown moulding all over the place. Beautiful divided light pocket doors. A blue/white/gray marbely backsplash behind the range that looks like a waterfall---very refreshing. Something called a fat jam with paneling. They painted all the wood work a beautiful white. Cherry wood flooring perfectly installed.
They put in a huge lampshade shaped skylight in the ceiling that bathes our counter top with sunlight in the mornings. Gives the kitchen a crisp and quot;good morning look.and quot; Ms. Black designed and laid out the space so that it looks like it came with the house. Very up to date but not faddish.
We shopped in her offices for appliances, knobs, and whatever. She not only designed and built the kitchen, but advised us on the pros and cons of various ideas. Trust her--she knows what she is doing. Very classic kitchen that will be beautiful for years to come. Looks like one of those pics in Traditional Homes, or Home and Garden---very magaziney looking. The craftmanship is superb. Every one who comes to our house comments on how beautiful our kitchen is--you can't help yourself---it is compelling.
They took care of everything: plumbing, wiring, lighting, gas, what ever was needed. We did not have to lift a finger. And every time we had an idea they never tried to talk us out of it, but did everything possible to give us what we wanted--and she did.
But here is the kicker. They were timely! We have been in this home a long time. In the last 25 years I have hired too many workers to count; and this company I can truly say did what they said they would do, for the money they said they would do it, and when they said they would do it. They took care of the details which separates the pros from the amateurs. These people are not a bunch of flimflam handy men/women looking to supplement their income---kitchen design is what they do---like you see on the TV Home and Garden shows. After a while I stopped wondering--Are they going to show up today? The same friendly, not drunk, cleanly dressed, articulate, honest, intelligent workers showed up everyday and worked all day. And on the few days they did not show up because of office meetings--you would be told before hand. The kind of folk you can leave in your house while you go shopping. No messing or fiddle-faddling around. They said they would be out in 3 months, and they might have been a little early. Amazing by any standard. By the end of the project we felt like we knew the workers. Sad to see them go but glad to have our house back.
If you do not have the money to hire this company. Save up till you do because you simply cannot do what they do the way they do it. It was worth every penny. l like to take credit for having the sense to hire this company. After all I spent more than a year researching, and digging and sifting through dozens of handy men, contractors, do-it-yourselfers, advice from friends, and an assortment of shady charlatans to find this company---so give me my due.

Everything about this company is of the highest quality and professional standards.
I visited their storefront, described my ideas for a bathroom remodel. The original bathroom was 25 years old contractor grade, and they did everything from start to finish. The came up with a beautiful design that incorporated all of my ideas and expanded upon them. The designers are outstanding and incredibly creative. Every week, i got an update on the progress of the project. At the end of each day, the entire area was clean and easy to live in. The end product was even more amazing than I had thought. After the bathroom was complete, the designers came to inspect it and decided it needed an additional light-which they added without additional charge.
I then went back to them with a second project. My back porch was rotting and was dangerous for kids with rusty nails and things like that. I asked them to do me a huge favor and expedite a back porch remodel. Even though they were incredibly busy and technically didn't have an opening for a new project for months, they helped me out and completely re-did my back porch with beautiful flagstone and steps. Again, my expectations (which are very high) were surpassed in every aspect of their work.
I will undoubtedly work with them in the future for all of my remodeling

Dealt with Karen Black, the owner. I have never met such a professional woman. They did everything they said they would do (they gave me a very detailed estimate and came in under budget by almost $4,000!!!! All of my friends have been wowed. I love their work. They finished 3 days early.

Perfect

I have continued to use this company for several reasons:
1. Outstanding customer service- They stand behind their work and I know that they are always there to help if I experience any issues.
2. Outstanding design - They have continued to amaze me with creative design in what I would have considered a hopeless space. I love each and every area they have touched!
3. Quality craftsmanship - they have high standards that they expect so I have not had to have them redo anything after completion - they have pulled things out and redone them all on their own because it didn't meet their standards!
4. Trustworthiness - this is rare in a business. I know that if I have a hidden structural problem, they will identify it and address it before proceeding. This is very important in a old house! I also completely trust their workers in my house.

I have used them for 5 different projects and highly recommend this company. I look forward to working with them again in the future!

We found Karen Black and her staff to be very professional. Her detailed proposal / bid for the job was very clear. Her drawings of the design work to be performed were like artwork. From demo to completion the services were as we expected and communication was very good. Karen's staff were completely trustworthy and we had no problem with her firm having a key to our home and access at anytime. Clean up was performed everyday and especially going into weekends. We had an extensive "wish list" and Karen did everything possible to make that happen. Any items over and above the project cost were invoiced with detail information and paid for as the work was completed. The final project turned out even better than expected. She remained true to the historic integrity of the home with very modern and user friendly detail. The work could easily be featured in any design publication! Thank you Karen and Staff.......Greg Morley / Chuck Wells

A Karen Black Company provided quite possibility the best service and quality that I have ever experienced in my years of having work done. Her craftsmen were splendid. They were always punctual and undoubtably the most professional tradesmen I have EVER dealt with. She redesigned my kitchen and master bath and performed the remodeling. What a splendid company. A rare find!HER ATTENTION TO DETAIL PROVIDED MY HOME WITH THE BEST JOB I HAVE EVER SEEN. IT WAS WELL WORTH THE FEW EXTRA DOLLARS SPENT TO GET THIS SORT OF QUALITY.

I found Karen very easy to work with, she understood the direction we wished to remodel to go, her work force was professional and pleasent to deal with, and she worked hard to try to stay within our budget constraints. There are always hickups and surprises when reworking existing construction yet I never had any issues working with Karen when any such items arouse. The end product was/is beautiful and we are well pleased.

The experience was on budget and on time. We had three quotes for our master bath renovation and Karen was the highest but she offered a tremendous amount of design knowledge and we decided to give her a try based on several great recommendations. She did not disappoint and even her employees help with a few honey do projects around the house at no extra charge. I would compare the experience to going to a expensive restaurant and not minding paying the bill because the food was so good.

See above. It did not go well. Now, after Angie's List attempting to get Ms. Karen Black to address the issues she has refused again. She does not stand by her work. I have had other concrete stain contractors look at my stain issue, and they agree that moisture has caused the blotch problem. However, I have also learned that the surface stain process was not the only way to finish an outside contcrete pad. The way to have performed the stain successfully was to put the color in the concrete before it was poured. Ms. Black, when she was selling us on her services, referred to a stained driveway around the corner as an example of the way she would finish our pad and sidewalk. I inquired of that homeowner when Ms. Black refused to address our problems to see who did his work, and he told me that the color was added to the concrete before it was poured. So, Ms. Black knew what was successful, but used the surface stain approach instead. Using the approach Ms. Black took will require a re-sealing of the pad and sidewalk about every 18 months for a cost of about $1,200.. I still plan to have a concrete contractor assess the possible correction of crack problem. I will add to this writing once I have a firm answer and solution. Ms. Black has refused to address the issues and will most likely be the subject of litigation to get her and her company to address the problems created by her poor quality work. She has also refused to honor her warranties on several issues with the three different jobs we used her on.

The concrete crack problem has now been confirmed with a couple of concrete contractors. The crack most likely is caused by putting the weight of the brick column on the concrete pad before the concrete had cured enough. The crack continues to widen and grow uglier every day. There apparently is not much that can be done without tearing our a large section of the concrete pad.

Karen Blacks Kitchens and Rooms By Design did a fantastic job. They were very informative with every step that they did. They worked on our house without us there and they never left a mess. We felt that we could really trust them. They were very nice to work with.