Aston Black

Had difficulty getting project started at planned date and time.  Some delays due to confused scheduling.  However, kitchen was functional for Christmas, as promised.  Contractors were all pleasant and professional.  Punch list was executed as promised.

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The service went very well. Mark Black came out and was a very nice guy. We met twice for the service. They provided a design for the kitchen remodel. It was a great design. They are a high end outfit so we are still thinking about whether or not we will use them for the project. I had no problem scheduling the deal.

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We met the Aston Black team at the Home Show in Oaks in Fall 2011. We loved their display but had some things come up (two weddings) and remodeling the kitchen got delayed. I kept their brochure because I was so impressed. We met the team again at the Home Show in Oaks in Fall 2012. We found that we really connected with Mark and Bob. We interviewed a number of contractors thoroughly and did our homework but there really wasn't any contest. In addition, we spoke with several people who had worked with A-B and actually visited one of the clients kitchen's and saw the quality of their work and got to speak with the homeowner about their experience.

Mark had listened carefully to our vision for a beautiful, unique, yet functional kitchen. The design he sent me was as if he seen the picture in my mind. I have to say I really knew what I wanted so that helped, but Mark made suggestions that I hadn't thought of which really added character to the design. In addition to speaking with Mark a number of times and completing his questionnaire, I sent Mark photos of everything I had seen that I wanted. He managed to come up with a proposal that gave me everything I wanted and then some - WITHIN OUR PRICE RANGE! Mark even worked with us so that we would do the demolition and the painting. It felt so good to destroy those cheap old cabinets and swing a sledge hammer through the walls of the sunroom!

Mark worked very closely with us on every detail until we had a final design that exceeded our expectations. We met with their engineer, architect, and project manager in advance of signing any paperwork due to the nature of the project. Our home is on a slope so the front of the house is ground level and the back is above ground. The sunroom was built on a deck. To combine the rooms, they had to put in new footers and support poles. They also had to install an I-beam so that it would support the second floor of the house when they took out the load-bearing wall between the kitchen and sun room. This also required temporary walls to be placed in two second floor bedrooms. As I said this was a huge project!! Aston Black even contacted our township to make sure we wouldn't have issues with permits!  There are not many contractors out there who will go to these extremes before being paid and signing paperwork. I just can't thank Mark and his team enough for everything they have done for us. Mark even helped us to get a discount on our tile backsplash, flooring and copper farmhouse sink!

Mark even took us to the cabinet factory where we could see how the cabinets were made. We were able to see sample doors in all the colors/finishes. We were really impressed with the manager there too.

I now have a wonderful custom kitchen with some really unique pieces. For example: a cabinet for our dishes and glassware with retractable doors and roll out drawers. It is located right next to the dishwasher so that I can move everything directly from the dishwasher into the cabinet. No lifting or bending!  I have an appliance garage hidden behind a lift up door that looks like 12 drawers! There is a stained glass door on my top corner cabinet that I designed and A-B worked with the craftswoman to be sure it fit the door perfectly! Oh and the 2 foot bamboo cutting board is fabulous! There are so many wonderful and functional features that I could go on and on! 

I can't say enough about the entire Aston Black team. After 3 months of planning and 3 of construction, we felt like they were family. They were clean, courteous, and always went the extra mile. And they always had time to answer questions or explain how something was done. Jim, our project manager is amazing! 

I must say that this was a huge and messy job!  And big jobs like this always have a few glitches. But Jim and Mark were there for us every step of the way. We worked together to find solutions to an unforeseen electrical issue and a hidden return vent inside the wall where we wanted to widen the entrance to the dining room. There was also a bit of trouble with the granite which was no reflection on Aston Black at all. However, they advocated for us and saw to it that everything was done to our satisfaction.

All during construction they protected our home and furnishings with plastic barriers and cleaned up every day to assure nothing would be tracked through the house or trod on by our dogs. They made friends with our two dogs and made sure they were kept safe during construction. I think they miss Jim and the crew!

We were able to stay in the house throughout the whole project which included porcelain tile flooring, plumbing, electrical, drywall, cabinet install, etc. Aston Black have some really great contracting partners. They were all consummate professionals and very friendly too. A-B's service is so good that Jim stopped in last week (7 mos after project completion) to make some adjustments to a few cabinet doors and redo the grout between the backsplash and the granite countertop.  I feel sure that they will always be there to support us. And when it comes time for our next big project they will be the only company we call.

I would be happy to speak to anyone considering Aston Black for a remodeling project. I am also always thrilled to show off my fabulous new kitchen!

The job went very well overall.  There were challenges along the way that were all met professionally and with excellent outcomes.
I believe the true measure of a good company is how they respond when faced with a problem and they definitely measured up.
In fact, we hired Aston Black again a year later for the installation of custom built in cabinets and mantle surrounding our fireplace.
The results were again outstanding.

We met the Aston Black team at the Philadelphia Home Show in 2012.  We liked the model kitchen they had at the show as well as the Quality of the cabinets they used.  We saw four companies which we considered and then did our due diligence on each one of them before selecting Aston Black.  We actually spoke with several people who had worked with them and actually visited one of the clients kitchen's and saw the Quality of their work and got to speak with them one on one about the experience.

Once we selected Mark and his team we began the design process.  The process they use includes a questionaire, pictures which they supplied of kitchens they had done.  We supplemented this with our ideas and pictures we had accumulated from our own research.  We found them willing to use a mix of their and our ideas to create our DREAM KITCHEN.  Once we had the rough/semi final design they developed a floor plan and sized the cabinets which would be used.  We then went through each cabinet to determine what features we wanted and how the cabinet would be used.  We even developed a "charging" drawer to accomodate our cellphones, iPADS and assorted items and allow us to keep them out of site when being charged.  Once we had the design fairly well finalized we discussed the style of the cabinets, trim pieces, and potential wood species which would be used.  Then they developed a three dimensional layout to help visualize the finished kitchen.  We picked out the appliances and all of those dimensions were incorporated into the final desiign. 

Once we had the design and scope developed we evaluated two potential shops which would build the cabinets.  they arranged for us to visit the shops and we were able to see and evaluate the Quality of the build and the care of the cabinetmakers.  I especially enjoyed this and got to see the cabinet makers at work and observe the care they took in theiir manufacture.  Now that we had the scope of work, the cabinet design, and the shop picked, we got a final estimate of the kitchen.  Part of the process involved having the different subs/trades complete estimates for their work in the kitchen.  they also made some great suggestions on plumbing and electrical work which we had not considered.  One example was to install a natural gas line out to the deck so I could hook up my grill and NEVER FILL ANOTHER TANK of propane.  Another was to use a powerstrip under the granite top of the island to be able to place warning trays and appliances whereever we wanted on the surface.

Prior to starting the demolition, they protected our home and furnishings from the work with plastic barriers and cleaned up every day to assure nothing would be tracked through the house.  We were able to stay in the house throughout all of the operations except the final coat on the refinished floors.  Following the demolition, they prepared the site by repairing drywall as needed, refinished the hardwood floors, and made ready the needed roughing in of plumbing and electrical work, and the HVAC duct for the relocated hood.  The painting of the ceiling and walls also was completed prior to the cabinets being installed.

When they started the installation of the cabinets the process began with an inspection of each cabinet by Aston Black at the shop prior to shipment.  they then wrapped each and every piece to assure it arrived safely at our home.  They installed all of the cabinets with a special crew who are specialists at doing just the cabinet install.  the cabinetry was installed in about two days and was done very carefully including putting down dropcloths prior to moving them into the house so as not to disturb the newly refinished hardwood floors.  They did a perfect match in color of the floors to the existing steps and worked with us to assure the colors were right before begining.  Once the cabinets were installed, they installed the appliances and again made sure to protect our home during the staging of the appliances.  Once the appliances were installed, the granite was placed  which then allowed the final plumbing to be completed.  The oversight of the subs was excellent and it worked together like a ballet company with each team doing its work in concert with the others.  Their forman Jim even gave us tips to ask for such as a cutting board and lazy susan made from the granite cutouts for the sink and cooktop.  We were able to work with the granite supplier/fabricator to bookmatch each seam which makes them essentially invisible.   Then Jim installed the stone tile backsplash on the granite.  His process is worth noting, in that he said he would protect the granite and then  lay out all fo the tiles he would use and we could then reject any we didn't like since each stone tile is unique.  That way he never installed one we didn't like.  It was great and his expertise in crafting the backsplash was the best I have seen.

 
Once all of this was done, they do a final POLISH and cleaning of each cabinet and then Mark (the owner) comes in again to do a final inspection of the work and make sure the client is HAPPY.  Actually I think its an inspection to assure HE is happy.  All in all a great process!  Mark was there several times throughout the process and his team was always on top of unexpected events.

Sometimes you find out the most when something doesn't go perfectly.  We had one experience like this when someone inadvertently drilled a hole in a drawer front for a knob instead of a pull.  Aston Black made it clear that WE had to be satisfied with the remedy and we were the ones to make the decision.  The cabinet front was repaired to our satisfaction and Mark double checked with us that we were fine. 

The end of our journey came when we had a celebratory dinner for the team and their spouses to put the kitchen through its paces and we can say that the kitchen works as great as it looks.  We all had a great dinner and made a lot of new friends in the process.  I would recommend Aston Black to all and would use them again without hesitation.  The kitchen looks so good that it is entered into a national competition and we are waiting to get the results. 

Barry & Sherry Garfinkle

Aston Black is basically a marketing company. All manufacture and installation work is subcontracted but they do their best to keep the subcontractor and client separate and provide as little information as possible about who is doing the actual work. We were working with a salesman (Steve Simpson) who really had very little technical knowledge and was a poor communicator. Design details were changed without discussing them with us, costs increased when items that had been discussed at the start were treated as extras / changes, and we did not receive final drawings with measurements until our contract was assigned to another Aston Black representative - 11 weeks after the contract was signed. We had a particularly difficult time trying to actually see our cabinets as the company has no showroom, but after much persistence, we eventually did which was reassuring. But when their preferred supplier for the granite countertop was unable to source the particular granite we wanted, Aston Black's salesman went "balistic" at us. We are a mature couple who had both worked in marketing for much of our careers and had never before heard anyone speak to a customer in such a disrespectful manner. Needless to say, we came to an agreement with our new Aston Black representative to only complete on the cabinets which were made by Jason Darrenkamp of Jake's Furniture and are excellent quality - see separate report on Jake's Furniture. The experience with Aston Black's salesman took us from feeling excited at the anticipation of having our new kitchen to one of abject despair at ever having started the project. However, after almost 4 months of anxiety, we will have our dream kitchen soon. We are delighted with the cabinets (thanks to Jake's Furniture) and the other contractors we found and worked with directly. We would not recommend Aston Black to anyone.