Clark Renovations Inc
About us
We're a full service residential remodeling firm located in the South Hills of Pittsburgh - specializing in kitchens, baths, windows & doors. We are registered with the state as Pa. Contractor #1925. We are a RRP - Lead Certified company. We have our own carpenters and designers. We encourage customers to come into our showroom - no appt. necessary
Business highlights
Services we offer
Baths, Renovation Services - Kitchens, Windows & Doors
| Number of Stars | Image of Distribution | Number of Ratings |
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| 93% | ||
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My wife researched Clark Renovations on Angie's List and because of the good reviews, we decided to contact them about remodeling our old kitchen. We made an appointment to meet with Chris Clark, who showed up at our house at the agreed upon time, ready to offer us his ideas and suggestions.
After spending a considerable amount of time with us, Chris told us he would contact us for a second meeting where we could pick out our cabinets, countertops, flooring and plumbing fixtures. This second meeting was held at their offices and we saw with our own eyes what we would be getting from the samples they had on hand. This led to a third and final pre-project meeting where the nitty-gritty details were worked out and a work schedule and a price was developed. After making our final selections, Chris promised to get back to us to give us a start date for the renovation. This was not going to be a simple appliance change out and new sink fixture renovation. This was a "down to the bare wall studs" type project. My biggest fear was that the project would be started and then the workmen would suddenly disappear from my project and re-appear at another project because the screws for my cabinets were too short and it would take 6 weeks for the right screws to get shipped from the factory or some other nonsensical reason to kite my job. Clark did not do this. They showed up every day and worked a full day to finish our kitchen. The work was done on time and in a workmanlike manner. The worksite was cleaned every night before they left helping to minimize the chaos of living without a kitchen can bring. The subs they hired to do the electrical and plumbing work were also professional in their approach and were helpful in their suggestions whenever we reached a problem area. When Clark was finished, my wife was "over the moon" happy with the results and I will say that the cost and time were well worth it.
I could not be happier with Clark Renovations and I will gladly provide a reference for them. They are thoroughly professional in their attitude, workmanship and relationship with the customer. They are not the cheapest, but I am a firm believer in that you get what you pay for. I could have had this work done for a lower cost by someone else, but after meeting with Clark in the preliminary stages, I felt confident that I was going to get a job that I knew was done correctly and by professional workmen, not somebody's " buddy who has a cousin whose friend does kitchens on the side". By hiring Clark, we have exactly what we wanted, installed by skilled tradesmen on time and guaranteed by the people who did the work.
We had a good experience all around. Chris, came for the initial visit and had a detailed proposal to us the following week. After signing it took three weeks for the doors to come in. Charlie and Matt installed them the following week. It took two days to install the doors and the door surround. The installers were very professional, skilled craftsmen who did an outstanding job. Eric, the painter was meticulous. All of Clark's employees were respectful of our home and they left no trace behind. It was a pleasure having them here. Clark Renovations, Inc. has earned the top spot on my llist for future home improvements.
"We have people tell us all the time, they schedule appointments but contractors never show up. We take great pride in not only showing up, but providing an estimate in a reasonable timeframe. Obviously that did not happen and we let [member name removed] down. For that we certainly apologize. We pulled the folder. In it is a beautiful drawing/design with pricing – all worked up and ready for review. Our salesperson thought he left a message asking [member name removed] to call. Unfortunately we did not follow up with a second call – it obviously fell through the cracks. We wish [member name removed]would have called the office to say “hey, what’s going on here?” Although it isn’t the responsibility of a client to do that, we would hope they were interested and excited enough about the project to call for an update. Again, we sincerely apologize."
"It sounds as though our big price was for a simple, small bathroom. It wasn't. The bathroom is 6' 8" x 10' 3" with many requested modifications. They included: convert door to bath to a pocket door; modify existing wall to allow for "in wall" linen cabinets; remove a door and wall to allow for a larger bathroom; remove closet and doors and convert a single vanity to a double (extra plumbing involved). All the modifications required framing materials, drywall, much added labor and a building permit with required inspections. In addition, the cabinets were custom birch with shaker full overlay doors (an upcharge); 4 door linen cabinet to the ceiling; 66" wide double vanity in a taller height and make up area with seating. Quartz tops were included. Sinkbowls were requested to be rectangular. Included was a Kohler performance showering package as well as 4' mirror, medicine cabinet, fan with a heater and timer, custom pivot shower door and painting of the room. We did reduce the cost by $3528 by making some changes (Corian countertops, eliminate make up area, eliminate the performance package, use a standard shower door). There were numerous room modifications to size that made this bathroom much more expensive than the usual. We've been in business over 42 years and know modifications costs and what is involved. If this client found someone to do the same work for $12,000. lower, obviously we're not comparing apples to apples. Our "standard" bathrooms are well under the cost for this particular job. We provide a well documented written proposal including all that was requested. Changes can always be made again and again.Obviously to get the cost lower, you must eliminate certain things. Many clients simply do not understand how room modifications can add to the cost. Other contractors frequently will add the "extras" after they realize they can't provide all the homeowner expectations at the price they quoted. Our quote was all inclusive. There was nothing "standard" about this "??small bathroom". We always appreciate criticism (and especially compliments) and the opportunity to review a job."
We called for an appointment and were told they don't come out until we have looked at their showroom. They are open Wednesday evenings. Apparently they want a certain level of commitment to get the ball rolling.
We went to see their showroom on 3/27. The accountant talked to us and showed us their cabinets and their Corian counter tops. They were all very nice. She gave us a packet to take home and set up an appointment for Chris to come by and give us an estimate.
Chris came right on schedule and took some measurements and talked to us about what we wanted.
On April 30th we went back to Clark's showroom to review his design. He showed us a picture of what it would look like. His estimate included Corian counter tops. The estimate includes new flooring and instead of painting it had tiles. It did not include the pendant lighting fixtures over the bar/counter or the over the stove style microwave oven. It also included some new plumbing and wiring. We could have done some substitutions to get the price down, for example, laminate instead of Corian for the counter and painting instead of tiling.
Chris was very knowledgeable, professional and prompt. Their products were very nice and their showroom was nicely organized to show off their products. The fact that they would do everything from start to finish was very tempting but we decided against Clark Renovations because 40,000 seemed just too much to pay for our galley kitchen based on the neighborhood, the fact we don't cook a lot and we won't be here for 20 more years. Our other estimates were in the 20s although they did not include the floor and painting/tile.
"After 43 years in business, we have bid against many types of contractors. We don't win them all! If you're looking for the cheapest price, that is not us. We sell quality products and guarantee our work for 5 years. We pay our experienced carpenters well because they are worth it. We keep our customers happy by providing the best quality work with these skilled carpenters. We bid a bathroom for this customer along with substantial other work. The other work included tearing out walls and building a new 7' x 9' closet. It included plaster work, painted walls, recessed lighting, pocket doors and nearly $9000 of Amish cabinets all around the room including shoe storage. In addition, the bathroom proposal included a 5 1/2' shower with custom glass doors, ceramic on all walls and floor, $1800 of electric modifications, Kohler fixtures and faucets including a handshower, 70" custom vanity with 2 sinks, linen closet plus quartz tops, fan and more. The bathroom cost was not broken out separately from all the other work. If someone bid it at 1/2 the cost, they are not doing the entire scope of work that we bid. It is always important to compare apples to apples. There is no building permit in the window. Tearing out walls does require a permit in your locality, plumbing and electric must be inspected. You must have a permit (which was included in our cost) if you're doing any of this type of work. We are working close by and see the unmarked trucks in your drive. The guys who work out of an unmarked truck often have something to hide. Otherwise, why would you not want others to know who you are and that you're working in the neighborhood? Our truck in your drive with our company name and the required Pennsylvania contractor number on it is great advertising! Generally, people who ignore the laws, do not have a showroom or office and run their customers around town making selections can provide less service at a lower price. We offer a service, along with peace of mind that is invaluable. Not everyone is willing or able to pay for the added value we provide. We wish our customer the best and hope they still feel great about their experience long after the work has been completed."
Two weeks later I called the company because I'd never heard from him. I was told he's be in touch but no one from Clark Renovations has contacted me since then.
"We do thank [member name removed] for the opportunity to discuss her kitchen renovations and would like to respond to her comments. We encourage customer's to come into our showroom first because they see the quality of our cabinets, countertops, sinks, faucets, and more; they often get good ideas & see products they might like to use; they see photos of jobs completed (a picture is worth a thousand words) and they see we're a professional organization. Most clients love the thought of checking us out ahead of time. In our business, we must "qualify" the customers. Coming into our showroom gives them the opportunity to "qualify" us as well. Clients are given a packet of our product literature which helps them fill out an "info sheet". They give that to the designer when he comes to measure. It includes your sink, faucet selection, countertop material, size or suggestions of appliances being used & other pertinent information plus your "wish list". Decisions can always be changed but it gives us the necessary guidance to begin the design. Most clients fill that out - this client did not, so we were lacking important information. We asked that she get us a size for the wall oven that she desired, so we could proceed with a design. The best way to design is draw the space to scale, place the sink & correct size appliances & proceed with the creative part of the layout. The more information you can provide enables us to be efficient and creative. Our goal is to provide a dynamite design the 1st time, not confuse you with numerous changes. We were waiting for this particular client to provide the oven size and do apologize that we did not follow up, especially after her phone call. Because this has been a record breaking 1st quarter, we honestly are behind. After 42 years in this business, we seldom receive a poor rating, but we do appreciate the candid criticism and opportunity to improve."
The team leader (Dave) was responsive to all of our concerns and solved the problems as they arose. Each subcontractor was
managed by Clark and did exception work.Included in the estimate was a "linen closet" or a tower of shelving that I had specifically said I did NOT want when the man was out to measure for the estimate.
"We appreciate all "customer reviews" whether positive or negative. It keeps us on our toes and helps us improve. We have been in business over 42 years and do occasionally make an estimating error. Since we have a showroom/office, we are available weekdays for a visit or phone call to sort things out. Our proposal for this customer was nearly 2 years ago. We gave them a basic bid that was priced separately and a 2nd page of "other considerations.". The basic included custom items they had requested, including a 5' Corian top, bowl and Kohler brushed nickel faucet, 5' custom "tall" vanity, linen closet, relocated plumbing, electric and more. We thought our price to be reasonable for the scope of the work. We understand most people are unfamiliar with pricing for renovations (and sometimes surprised), but we're always available to discuss a proposal and possibly suggest a way to eliminate some of the cost. We have a registered Kohler showroom, are a Pella Certified Contractor, Mastic Certified Contractor and a Corian fabricator. We are able to guarantee excellent quality, value, service and discounted pricing for these & other products because we use them over & over again. If there is a problem, we're able to deal with it. Some other well known faucets carry no warranty on the finish nor the mechanics and have a 30 day return policy. Obviously we cannot guarantee those types of products that you might want to furnish. We want our completed job to be worry free."
I must say that I was most impressed with the responsiveness displayed by everyone at Clark. We called and they called back. They came when they said they were coming. The various professionals that worked in our home were friendly and always willing to answer our questions. They cleaned up at the end of every day. Brian Clark managed the project and was extremely professional during the various legs of the project.
We had a problem with the finish coming off of the some of the cabinets after they were installed. I called Brian and he came over to take photos. They took the affected cabinets down and sent them to the manufacturer who refinished them. It was thought that going from a cool place to a warm room, with the wood expanding, caused a thin line of wood to be exposed. The problem was corrected and the cabinets were reinstalled.
The painter had to come back several times because a dark color was obvious under the eggshell paint.
We are very happy with our new kitchen.
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