Don Kahler Construction

Very pleased with the quality of Don's work.

Don came by in early summer to quote the work and estimated that the repairs would take 5 full days. He put us on his list to contact when he would be available, as he is typically booked a couple of months out. He and his co-worker came out to do the repairs at the end of August. Before Don, our box gutters had birds living in them (we could see them flying in through the holes). They leaked horribly. We've had a couple of storms since then and everything's sealed tight. Additionally, Don was able to restore a lot of the character of the original wood trim - we were missing aesthetic pieces and he and his co-worker did a wonderful job replacing these to the point where you can't really tell which parts are original and which are new. Finally, Don finished the work in 4 days and came in under his original price estimate. Can't really think of a better all around experience!

unknown

I am a perfectionist and Don and his crew did not disappoint.  Our house is over 75 years old, so it was no an easy job.  Don went over and above my expectations and the team even corrected some things that I had not noticed when I hired them.   Each time Don ran into a problem, he explained how he would fix it and what I should expect.  They worked constantly from the time they arrived until the time they left.  He also had great suggestions for other issues he saw.  When they left, everything was neat and clean.  They were friendly and patient with my questions.  I would never hesitate to hire Don Kahler and this team.

Friendly, professional and chosen because of best price (they came in under estimated price). Also, a GREAT job of cleanup afterwards. Don and Walt are quite a team!

The arbor is quite old and when part of it started to fall  down I thought some of the wood would have to be replaced. But Mr. Kahler assured me it was just that the old nails had failed.   He put in some new nails  and now the arbor looks fine.  It only took a few minutes and he only charged $20.  I suppose a minor job but one which I as a senior citizen could never have done on my own.

Don did a fantastic on our back porch. Of 3 contractors, he was on the only one to follow through submitting an estimate after seeing the job. He immediately understood our project motivation and tailored his proposal and work accordingly. 
He showed up on the agreed upon date, on time, and worked hard. Completed all aspects of work to our satisfaction.

Don and his assistant, Walter, are professional and a pleasure to work with.  This was a small job at a time when I'm sure Don is busy with larger projects.  Nonetheless, he returned my phone call promptly, came to the house to scope the work, gave me a bid, and squeezed our job in before we left for a trip. 

unknown

I called Mr. Kahler for an estimate on repairing a bad piece of window trim on the outside of a second floor window and for replacing a cellar window with concrete block. He came to my house to look at the work within one day of my call.  He gave me a rough estimate of $500 to $600 depending on how much damage he found when he stripped off the bad trim. It had been leaking for years and had been sealed with more and more  caulking until the caulking wouldn't hold any more,

Mr. Kahler came on the agreed upon date at 8:00 AM. The window was a second floor window in a cedar shake covered wall. He had to cut out the bad trim which was the top piece and also the section of shakes above the  window.  He replaced the wood and shakes and caulked and painted all new wood.

Mr. Kahler then had to hammer out old concrete in the cellar window opening to fit the concrete block. Mr. Kahler worked from 8:00 AM to 3:00 PM without a break. When he gave me the bill, it was only for $400.00. He said that the job didn't take as much time as he thought it would.

He removed all debris from the work site.

I would use him again in a heart-beat.

Don returned my call quickly (other companies never returned my calls at all) and came out to do an estimate quickly as well. His quote seemed reasonable at the time, though afterward it did seem a little steep considering how long the work took (about 2 hours) and the minimal amount of supplies used. He was able to get started on the job very soon after the estimate. He got the roof re-anchored and the gap is no longer there, so the work was done well. My only real complaint was that when he was done, my husband and I came outside to pay him and look at the roof and Don was smoking a cigarette while talking to us. I don't mind if people want to smoke, but I don't like the smell of it and it didn't seem very professional. I would consider rehiring him though since the job was done correctly and promptly.

We have used Don Kahler for a number of projects and have been happy with the work.  His crew refinished the floors on our 2400 sqft home.  They sanded and applied 3 coats of polyurethane.  They did a fantastic job and cleaned up afterwards.  We will continue to call Don when we need work done.

It went extremely well.  Don is a General Contractor so he and his core team understand and are experienced in all phases of home remodeling.  In addition, they are extremely pleasant and accommodating and a joy to work with.  I trust them to find the most cost effective way to solve a problem and I trust them to work in the house when we are out of town.  They have had keys to my house for 5 months.  I had worked with Don on some earlier jobs, remodeling our game room and doing some exterior work so I believe this is my second Angie's list review.  Because we had so much work to do to get our house ready to sell, Don began the process by walking the house with me, making notes on what I thought needed to be done and making suggestions when he noticed things I had not mentioned.  Having this kind of advice and overall management relieved me of a lot of responsibility that I would have had if I had tried to work with individual sub-contractors myself and it saved money because he suggested ways to do things I had not thought of. He came back in December and helped us move some furniture that needed to be removed before we undertook the floor refinishing and painting. At that time, he helped us understand what would be involved in sanding all hardwood floors throughout the house and what we had to do to get ready.  Our house was built in 1926 so there was a lot of prepping to do before sanding, refinishing and painting.  They did it all and then, while we were on vacation, did the floors and painted.  They did a wonderful job and, when my house sells, they get a lot of the credit.

We could not possibly be any happier, Don and his crew did a great job, it is just amazing

This was a highly constrained project in terms of time (absolute deadline, before our baby was due), space (it is a small house with little space inside or out to layout work), and existing conditions.  It was completed as time and materials, which normally I would be reluctant to do, but I had worked with Don Kahler Construction before and was confident that they would be fair.  We purchased the main materials (doors, trim, flooring, plumbing fixtures, light fixtures and closet and toilet accessories, $4700) and had them at the house. His company provided drywall, and other materials, about $1000 worth.  Their labor was about $7000.
One thing I appreciated is when I met with Don to review the scope of work (for a rough price and then right before starting after we had the materials ordered and on site), he made a few suggestions to improve it based on his experience but basically honored the scope we had intended.  (We had talked to several other contractors to work on a T&M basis and they had really pushed us to completely change the layout, walls, and fixture locations, which was much more costly and time consuming.) We did elect to demo the hallway light and relocate a new one, at his suggestion, which added a small amount of  time and money but was worth it.  We also added regrouting all the existing wall tle, which was also more additional time and money but made the space seen more completely renovated, not piecemeal.
New lights, vanity, GFCIs, and recessed medicine cabinet had to be coordinated with the existing wall opening and the existing wall tile to remain, existing plumbing,and existing wiring.  We had plans and elevations, but the on site supervisor, Jimmy, worked with us to finesse some details and limit the broken tile (we were unable to find extra that would match the 50 year old tile so they were working with a finite amount.)  He was good about calling, texting, or meeting with us whenever there was an odd existing condition or wanted to present a choice (sconce rough-in height? plaster exterior wall or fur it out and insulate? remove existing flooring or build over it? etc.)  Also Don came by every week to review work with us, answer questions, and receive payment.
We purchased the main items, and they were accommodating when items arrived broken (light shades), require clarification (underfloor heating system) or not at all (despite the fact we ordered it in July, the vanity arrived one month after they had finished, in September).  They shared the schedule throughout and even came back a month later to install the vanity sink, mount shelves, and fix floor tile after the baby came! 

I can't tell you what a relief it is to have found a contractor I trust, whose work is of the upmost quality, and whose prices are fair. My wife and I recently bought a 100 year-old Dutch Colonial that was in need of a facelift - And Don's team completely restored the exterior to our satisfaction. Initially, I found Don while searching for someone - anyone - that could restore rotted wooden soffit and fasica. I had gone through through several contractors' estimates, all of which recommended replacing the historic wood with vinyl (something that did not sit well with my wife and me) before I found Don. He came out and gave me a frank and detailed explanation of what his team could do to restore the wood and salvage the character of the house. We probably talked for about 45 minutes about the job and I was amazed at Don's analysis of the work needed and his detailed plan-of-attack. When he offered a very reasonable price for the work, I agreed to have his team start as soon as possible. The team did a fantastic job repairing the soffit and fascia, lining up the beads in the new soffit with the old, and prepping the surfaces for painting. They even lined my box gutters with a new coat of tinners red and painted the metal roof over one of the house's extensions. Moreover, the team was professional, competent, and friendly. But the cherry on top was that Don's team came in even lower on the price than the original estimate when it was all said and done. 
I was so impressed with the quality of craftsmanship, price, and timeliness (Don's team met the initial schedule perfectly) that I asked Don if they might be interested in taking on the painting of the house. Again Don gave me his direct and meticulous assessment of the work needed (the job would include 4 colors, and more tinners red, as well as a lot of cut-in work and ladder work). I followed his advice and received estimates from other painters as well, but, given our trust in the team and that his estimate was one of the most competitive, I had no hesitation in hiring them for this larger job. Once again, the team delivered. The job took about 8 days (which fit their estimate). Don's team did an excellent job of prepping the surfaces and identifying the unique aspects of the job (e.g., what accent color should be used where). They consulted with my wife and me on every decision and, almost on a daily basis, gave me a rundown of what they had accomplished and what they were going to tackle next. While it was no surprise to me that the work turned out great, I want to note that they went above-and beyond - The team went out of their way to improve the exterior by identifying and replacing a rotted wooden garage-door frame, patching parts of the roof and gutters, and removing an old satellite dish from the top of the house. And, once, again, Don's team came in under the estimate.
My wife and I are very pleased with the work performed and can't say enough good things about the experience. I guess the best thing I can say is they we'll be using Don Kahler Construction in future.

Don and Jimmy  came out to give me an estimate and explained what they were going to do. Don was easy to work with and was able to complete the job within 3 weeks of the estimate. The day before the scheduled job, Jimmy called me to confirm. Jimmy did the work, and was very professional, kind, and did a great job. He explained what he did, and why he did it. Jimmy even put two coats of primer, and the finished product looks great. Jimmy left me the invoice and showed me where to send the payment. I'm very pleased with the entire experience and the workmanship.

Don was extremely pleasant and he was very punctual. He fixed the rotting wood on the dormer windows and did a very nice job. I would recommend him strongly.

Don was recommended to us by Ron Nitckiewicz of Ultimate Custom Painting when, in the course of repainting our house, his crew discovered extensive rot and damage.  After visiting our house and providing an estimate by phone, Don met with us to present his plans for the reconstruction.  He and his crew completed the job over several days while we were at work, and required nothing but access to an electrical outlet.   I usually arrived home as they were cleaning up for the day, and Don cheerfully updated me on their progess and plans for the next day.  He was, at all times, highly professional, honest, kind, and a true pleasure to deal with.
    Don's work is stunningly expert.  Much of the trim inside and around our poor roof was rotted; Don replaced it with new trim that beautifully matched the original.  About 18 inches of dental moulding was missing in one section of trim, and Don created new "teeth," including a corner piece, that are indistinguishable from the intact, original sections.   At the top of the house, a decorative section of the roof had been poorly repaired by the previous owners and birds had infiltrated the gaps to build large nests.  Don mounted a 60 ft. ladder to, first, meticulously measure the irregular shape of the section and, later, to properly rebuild it.  He showed me, on the ground,  the complicated measurements and cuts he had to make in order to fix the roof---it helped explain why the job had been done so badly before and made me appreciate Don's care and perfectionism even more!
    And, speaking of his perfectionism, Don also rebuilt sections of the decorative Victorian woodwork that he felt were poorly redone at some point in the house's 120-year life.  This included rebuilding a decorative windowsill and redesigning and reconstructing the bases of two decorative columns.  He hadn't noticed these details while performing the original estimate, but didn't charge extra for this work.  These details were not readily noticeable from the ground; if Don hadn't pointed them out and repaired them, we may never have known the difference.  That's one reason why Don is so special:  he doesn't cut corners and doesn't stop until the work is absolutely perfect.
    And, just when it seemed like things couldn't get better, the final price came in under the original estimate.  This was especially significant because Don originally offered us two options:  pay him for time and materials or pay a contract job-price of $4000.  Fearing that he'd discover more damage than was visible from the ground, we went with the contract price.  Don was under no obligation to save us money or refund us the difference, but he did so voluntarily and proudly!! 

    We got restoration work that was absolutely perfect, were treated with professionalism and honesty, and saved money in the end.  How could you ask for more??  I wouldn't bother searching for another carpenter:  no one can beat Don Kahler!

(see above).  Don is very busy. If you call him, give him lots of lead time.

He was excellent.

I thought the work was of high quality and it was done for a fair price. In terms of professionalism, I did not interact with them at all. I would use them again.

Gave me a quote and finished the quickely!

See above

Don was a treat to work with. He was personable, answered my questions, listened to my comments and his work is  fantastic. I so appreciated his impressive attention to detail.