ReCraft Home Remodeling

I love working with ReCraft. This is our third project with Mike & his team. Mike recommended an excellent kitchen designer and helped us refine our design decisions before we began. Mike, Ivy, Justin, and Jon worked closely with us as we chose cabinets, appliances, flooring, surfaces, etc., helping us keep to our budget and make functional, stylish choices. We loved the work team - they are skilled, friendly, and committed to keeping our home livable during the process. They kept us informed every step of the way, and were flexible when changes or complications arose. We love our new kitchen!

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We hooked up with ReCraft through a $75 Big Deal with Angie's List that offered a kitchen re-design plan through Pacific Northwest Cabinetry.    ReCraft was the contractor that Pacific NW Cabinetry selected for our job.  (I wrote a separate review for PNWC.)   In Feb. of 2011 we began the planning process.   Construction began mid-June 2011 and was completed in 8 weeks (one week longer than calculated).  I shopped for and bought all my own appliances and fixtures.  I had everything stored in our garage when construction began.  

Our kitchen redesign and remodel included floors, ceiling (eliminating an ugly drop ceiling, fluorescent lights, soffits), walls, countertops, cupboards, most appliances, and a custom tile backsplash we designed ourselves.   The floors that we chose, by the way, are cork, and I love them.  They weren't too expensive and Mike Andreyuk, Recraft owner, informed us that the interlocking tiles could be installed over our imperfect sub-flooring. 

Mike and our job supervisor par excellent, Justin Kritzer, did all they could to lessen the pain of being without a kitchen for 9 weeks.    They made sure I had access to the basement (temporary kitchen)  even though the access was in their work-path.  They cleaned up thoroughly every night and were careful and friendly with our dogs.    They were enjoyable people to have in the house.  I like them both very much as people.   

Both Mike and Justin are superb craftsmen.     On Mike's website, he defines quality as "doing things right when no one is looking."  These guys believe this.   

Besides Mike and Justin, all the sub-contractors were pleasant, neat, and skilled.   Surprises occurred with the plumber and electrician as our old plumbing and wiring was exposed.     Options (for short-range goals and for long-term purposes)  were always clearly explained and we were satisfied with every decision along the way.    Flexibility and common sense guided Mike's decisions about unexpected repairs.   Minor additions were free.  Work-change orders were used for the big stuff.   

Speaking of work-change orders, as the job progressed, we decided to do add a bit of work on an adjoining bathroom.  Mike cheerfully tolerated our periods of indecision and helped us spend what we wanted to on the bathroom and nothing more.         

The true character of a contractor is revealed when genuine glitches develop, as they are bound to.     For example, Mike ordered too many lovely hand-made tiles which of course I had to pay for.   He then offered to buy them ALL back, adding that he would sell us any that we wanted for half-price,  but emphasizing that we were not obligated to buy any.  

We had a minor problem with the flooring sub-contractor when the stair tread ended up being too narrow for my husband's comfort.  Justin devised a way to extend each stair tread, and the flooring sub-contractor sent his guy to glue new material (from some that we thankfully had left over).  The stairs are now fine and it cost us no extra money, but I know that it cost Mike.  

A project like this, for my husband and me at least, is one that we will do only once.   But --  if I had this job to do over again, is there something I'd do differently?   Yes.  I would consider changes in the kitchen lighting.  First, I would have one additional ceiling light at the doorway to the dining room.   That area is dim compared to the rest of the kitchen.    Also, I would discuss LED alternatives to conventional lights.   Our dimmer switches allegedly operate only with conventional lights.  (Friends tell us we can find LED lights at Costco that will work with our dimmers.  We shall see.) 

When we were planning the lighting, no mention was made of LED vs. conventional.   I trust Mike will broach this subject with future customers.    Besides the obvious environmental issues of conventional, LED lights would burn cooler, which would be a very good thing.  The counter area beneath the cupboard lights gets warm -- butter melts.   The shelves directly above the lights become  too warm -- chocolate melts.   

The under-cupboard lights are warm to the eyes, in a good way.   I do like them.  

Another change I'd make would be to omit a dumb purchase that I made on my own, an electronic Delta kitchen faucet -- expensive! -- around $350.    The selling point was that to turn it off and on, one must only tap the faucet with an arm or elbow,  no need to use the handle, so that the faucet can be operated when one's hands are full, coated with Crisco, etc.     We spent three months trying to get in sync with the mind of this faucet, which would turn itself on if we tapped anywhere in the vicinity, like around the base of the faucet when cleaning the sink, resulting in a blast of water on the arm, usually when wearing a nice sweater.  Finally we triumphantly took out the batteries and now we are the masters of the faucet.   

I enjoy my kitchen very much. I had no idea I would end up with anything so beautiful.   Mike and Justin, working with Crystal Kennedy from Pacific Northwest Cabinetry, provided the ideas, the artistry, and the skill.

I met with Michael Andreyuk for my original meeting. He showed up on time and provided an estimate in the time he had promised. I recieved a few other estimates, so asked to meet both Michael and the architect, Michael Kiser, to get a feel of how they worked together. It was obvious that they worked well together. They both appeared to be geniune and candid when discussing the project. They were also very pleasant to work with. I hired them that day. The first thing he did was to give me a start date ( which was the day he started) and then an agenda of the project, which they completed 1 week early... even though there were several surprises which could have delayed the project.
Michael A. showed up to every meeting on time as did Michael K. They were present throughout the whole remodel. When the project began there was a hitch. After the design was put together and agreed upon (it was fantastic!!), Michael needed to present it to the city. It could have went one of two ways... One would have raised the price considerably, which would have meant not doing the remodel. Michael asked me to hold on to the down payment until we got approval to ensure that the job was going to be within my budget... this after 3 weeks of design and the blue prints put together... no cost was requested!  This was the start of a very trusting relationship.
The job started on the date he had originally said. Justin was the project manager and he was efficent and very productive. There was always someone working on my house. I had to move out for the first 3 weeks and my mailman and neighbors said that  there was always someone at my house if not several. They were working hard to complete the structural work, so I could move back into the house. I lived at the house for the rest of the remodel, which could have been a nightmare. Justin communicated with me on a regular basis and always let me know who was coming, what was being done and what time they would start and finish for the day. Everyone that I worked with from the plumber to the tile guy was respectable and considerate. I work out of my home and I was never disturbed by rudeness and never saw laziness.
There were some surprises along the way, which made my cost more than the original estimate. You will all find this when remodeling an older house!! Michael always discussed what needed to be done and cost before he did any of the work. Even when I would add more to the project, he would work it in and try to give me the best price. Even the architect, Michael K, was available whenever I made changes or requested a new design. He was involved in the project the entire time and would always double check the work!
The quality of the work was supreme. If I have had any questions or concerns after the project has been completed, Michael has addressed them immediatly. I would recommend hiring Recraft for any remodel big or small. The company provides quality work and great people!

ReCraft is very professional. They showed up on time, were in contact when needed, and produced paperwork promptly. I was impressed with how they stuck to the time line and price estimate. The quality of the work was excellent. I have worked with many contractors when remodeling our old house I thought ReCraft was by far the most professional. I will use them again and again.

I was extremely pleased with the work.  ReCraft served as the general contractor on the project, with the cabinets supplied by Pacific Northwest Cabinetry (another great company).  All of the people I interacted with exhibited the utmost professionalism.  Mike provided a detailed bid and scope of work, and there were only minimal change orders, all but one of which resulted from my decisions.  (One was the result of some extra structural work that they discovered had to be done after opening up one of the walls.)  Mike was clear about the need for each change order, and the overall price came in very close to the original estimate.  Most importantly, the workmanship on every aspect of the remodel was absolutely first rate.  I would highly recommend this company to anyone considering a remodel.

He was great he was just too expensive for my price range. I went with someone who was cheaper and did a bad job, so this definitely would of been worth the money.

We tore out two small walls to open up our kitchen and took the room down to the studs for the contractors. They started the week after New Years and planned to be done the weekend of Feb. 20. They finished their work before the Superbowl. One needs to keep in mind that this is a mid-90’s manufactured home with non-standard interior walls, flooring and the like. The sub Mike used and his own work was extremely skilled. They were on time, kept the work area neat and clean. There was dust but, with sheet-rock, new lighting and the grinding of granite countertops it was to be expected. Mike was very reachable and responded quickly to question and requests which we made from time to time during the project. As one example, our son noticed a gap between the granite of the breakfast bar and the new wall that upon which it sat. It needed something in order for a finished look. We had cut the last check for the job but I called Mike and mentioned this and he went over to the cabinet shop and picked up trim. His crew came out and fixed it the next week. What’s more, since he had the material, he decided to have a real finished look he wrapped it around the end and covered up an ugly top gap along the backsplash under the breakfast bar. We had decided to save some money by doing painting and backsplash work ourselves. Yet even in these tasks, I found both Mike’s crew and our cabinet people great help, with suggestions and ideas. I have absolutely NO hesitation in recommending Recraft to anyone who is looking for a contractor for their home.

Mike and his crew at Recraft provided excellent services above and beyond our expectations. Prior to signing a working contract, Mike detailed a proposed budget, scope of work and timeline. Work started on the proposed start date and we finished our project on time and exactly on budget with very few change orders. The quality of craftsmanship is beautiful, including attention to detail. The worksite was cleaned daily with minimal invasiveness into the rest of the home. We particularly appreciated that Mike was on the job daily to check in with us and oversee the work being done and answer any questions we had. We are more than pleased with our final project and will continue to work with Recraft for future projects.

They are doing a great job.

Mike and Todd were very professional and prompt. The work ran exactly on schedule and just slightly over budget. Todd's craftsmanship is outstanding and Mike is a very organized contractor. We are very pleased with the results and will hire them again for future remodels.

They did an amazing job! I can?t say enough about it. He was very prompt. A lot of contractors are flaky with timing, but when he said he?d be here, he showed up. He wanted to do the best job possible and paid attention to detail. He was great at communicating. He kept us updated on his next step and how long things would take. I would hire him again without a doubt.

We chose Recraft for our bathroom remodel. We received proposals from several companies, and though Recraft was not the cheapest bid, we chose them because we found Michael to be extremely professional, friendly, and communicative. They were also willing to work with us allow us to complete some of the work to reduce costs. They were professional everyday on the job, showing up on time, using drop cloths to reduce dirt in the house and they went in and out, and cleaning up after the days work. Towards the end of the remodel we were pushing up against Thanksgiving, when we were expecting house guests (and needed the bathroom to be finished!). They made sure it was done in time and we are very pleased with the result. We love the new bathroom.

The team was excellent. The carpenter, Todd was reliable, extremely skilled and a wonderful person professionally and personally. Mike, the lead contractor was efficient, thorough and honest. He too was an all around great individual. Lastly, the plumbers that were part of this team were once again highly skilled, efficient and personable. All of the work was exactly to what we had asked and our expectations were exceeded. Also just as important to note, this group can be trusted to enter and work closely in your home. If you are looking for quality work at a reasonable price look no further. Be aware other contractors may come in with a lower bid, but rest assured that this group will not be "adding on" to the bill as your work progresses, like others will. Also, we were sure with all of the work we were asking them to help us with they would take longer than the estimate of time they had given us. but that was not the case. They completed all of the projects 2 weeks early! Great for us as we were expecting our first child and had a couple of weeks without construction and repairs. Recraft is all about fair prices, superior quality and people you can trust....should I say more??

*UNDER BUDGET! UNDER BUDGET!* Mike Andreyuk and crew took both our baths down to the studs. In the full bath, they reversed the position of tub and toilet, moved the exterior window, and replace the free-standing vanity with a built-in double-sink vanity. In the half bath, they moved the position of the sink. Both baths have all-new drywall, electrical, PEX piping, beautiful new flooring, fancy toilets, wood trim, etc. Both look awesome and are much more useable. Although we started the project with plans from an architect, Mike offered excellent design guidance. Todd did a meticulous job on the carpentry et al and was super-conscientious about working around my baby's nap schedule. All the subs were excellent. We hired ReCraft because their bid was the lowest of the 3 we got for this project, and then they knocked our socks off by coming in UNDER BUDGET. Although the project took longer than estimated (est. 2.5 months, actual 4 months), it was worth it for us to save the $10-20K we would have paid another contractor. We enjoyed having Mike and Todd around the house and are delighted with the quality of their work.

Mike is very responsive, professional and knowledgeable. His craftsmanship is excellent and exacting. He uses excellent subcontractors. I have two young children, and his crew was very careful and accommodating around the kids. We ran into an issue with the countertop, but Mike was instrumental in working with the countertop fabricator to resolve the issue to my satisfaction. At the onset of the project, I kept hearing horror stories about contractors and kitchen remodels. But Mike made the whole experience pretty easy and trouble-free. I highly recommend Recraft to anyone who needs work done on their house. I love my kitchen!!

They were very helpful with the design and building. The communication was also very good. They were very timely and always showed up on time. We felt comfortable with them in our home. If ever need we would absoutley use them again and we have even recommended them to several people.

We had a great experience with Mike. We received two bids on our basement and Mike's came in the lowest and we like his work, so we went with him. Our basement was a very difficult project as the ceiling is concrete, which put limits on the design. Mike was very creative in coming up with solutions as to how to deal with the ceiling and our space in general. He was also very accommodating as we sometimes had difficulty making a decision. The project went over budget, but this was due in large part to the unique structure of our basement, as well as several last-minute changes we made. Mike always offered us options at various price points and was understanding of our limits.

My experience with them was wonderful, overall, because the contractor was professional, accommodating and responsive. They were prompt in returning phone calls and punctual in keeping with the schedule.