Pittsburgh Remodeling Co

I wasn't planning on writing a review about our experience with PRC, but after finding more examples of poor workmanship on a project that was supposed be completed 10 months ago, I've changed my mind. This post is not motivated by malice, but we are very disappointed. PRC came highly recommend, and we knew we'd be paying a premium for a good company. We expected a lot more on a job that nearly totaled 40K. Our entire project was not terrible, and there were areas where PRC excelled. First the Good: PRC was organized and prompt every day that they came to work. They respected our home, and did their best to make sure the rest of the house remained clean. They stuck to the contract. They were always patient with us and answered our questions. Their design assistance was great, and we love the aesthetics that were chosen for hour kitchen project. They definitely listened and tried to address our concerns (but they fell short). The Bad: This is just my theory, but I feel as though our project was considered insignificant compared to more complicated work that I know PRC does. We are going to have to replace the new floor in our kitchen/dining room that is not 12 months old because PRC failed to install it properly. We will now be forced to spend another 3-4 K on the replacement. To be fair, PRC returned most of our money we paid them for the floor. I appreciate this greatly, but it is going to cost us money we didn't plan on spending on getting it right. The floor co. we are using now took one look at the floor and explained all the areas that were done incorrectly. They are going to use our floor as an example of poor installation to future clients. They will also photograph the new floor to present a before and after example. The plumbing under our sink came undone after maybe 2 months. This was repaired promptly, but I worry about its longevity. Switch plates and the new heat register were installed crooked. Again, this was fixed, but why not install it right the first time? The issue that is forcing me to write this review, the paint. I believe this was a 1200 item on our work order. They came multiple times in order to get it right. It still isn't. There are areas that are not covered, blotchy, and simply not painted at all. As I was cleaning a portion of the wall yesterday, I noticed that there are entire sections of wall that are not painted. It is just bare wall compound. We did not receive a refund for the paint, but I did not ask for one. My mistake. It should not take multiple visits to paint one room properly. However, this is another example of how I will be spending more time and money for something that I already paid for. There are more issues, but these are the most significant. Again, we are so disappointed. We wanted to work with PRC on future projects, but that is impossible now. We actually don't even want to get involved in any more home projects after this experience. I think PRC has the ability to deliver quality work, but for some reason they fell quite short with our home. We have currently tried to contact PRC about the additional problems we have found, and have been ignored. Proceed with caution!

My wife and I are very pleased with the very successful and timely remodeling of our medium size kitchen by the Pittsburgh Remodeling Company (PRC). Rob, Nate, Sophia, Chris W., Heidi, Chris S., and Jeremy coordinated with us and with Allegheny Millwork, Inc., Don's Appliances, Best Tile, The Tile Shop and Cambria, Inc. and in the design, purchase and installation of all the necessary components to achieve totally new, beautiful and very functional interior space. We had used PRC previously in a successful, timely and complete remodeling of our kids' bathroom; thus, we were familiar with their workmanship and style of interaction and coordination with the homeowners. However, we did seek three bids for the kitchen project. All bids were within 10% of each other. PRC had the most experience with timely remodeling of kitchens and excellent reviews of their craftsmanship and creativity in surmounting unforeseen obstacles during the reconstruction. We were always informed as to the dates and times that the renovation team members were coming to the home. At the outset, they were very careful to cover all walking paths and steps as well as a large area of our dining room with a special cardboard and tape on which we reestablished the refrigerator and a camp-style temporary kitchen. All debris was collected each day and moved to a dumpster near the home. All products from all vendors were delivered on time and coordinated through PRC to speed the installation. Moreover, the flow of ideas, suggestions for changes to improve functionality and appearance and running costs were essentially continuous between the PRC team members on site and my wife and me. When either we or a team member on site needed something altered or purchased, it was discussed and achieved. The result was, as noted, a beautiful, functional kitchen that is admired by all that see it. As such, my wife and I highly recommend Pittsburgh Remodeling Company for your next kitchen and/or bath renovation.

I love my new kitchen. I have been using it for a few months now and I am still amazed at the incredible job that Pittsburgh Remodeling Company did. I added pictures of the before, during, and after. I think they convey more than I can possibly describe in words. I mainly interacted with Sophia, who designed a beautiful kitchen, and helped me all the way to choose the right cabinets, countertops, and every other detail, and with Tom, the lead carpenter, who worked at my house for a couple of months. He made the construction experience as painless as possible, was extremely helpful and considerate, and always replied immediately whenever I needed anything. It was great interacting with both of them. As you see from the price the job was not cheap, but I think it was worth every penny. There was a small hiccup at the very end concerning a radiator that took forever to arrive and then arrived damaged. I thought it could have been handled a bit better by the project manager, but overall this was a very small thing and as I said the company did an amazing job. I highly recommend them. I would definitely hire them again if I have have another interior renovation.

Excellent..Dale was A+++ in terms of all areas..

It was excellent in every regard.

Our project took 7 months instead of 3 and cost us $33k more than the initial estimate (nearly twice the estimate of $35k), primarily (and admittedly!) because there was essentially no project management provided by PRC. Toward the end of the project, Rob, the owner of the company, acknowledged that the problem was due to the fact that the company was overcommitted at the time and offered his sincerest apologies, but refused to refund any of the money, and was obviously unable to do anything about the extreme inconvenience of the excessive time delay. Not only did the work take far more time and money than expected, but some of the work done was clearly inadequate despite assurances by Rob that it was up to PRC’s standards. Thus we would not hire them again even if we were certain that the management issues had been addressed. When we initially met with Rob, he talked a good game and seemed to understand our goals of having high quality work done that would fit in with and preserve the character of our 100-year-old home, and he made claims about specific details that would be improved by the work. In the end the work fell far short of those promises. They hired an obviously incompetent subcontractor to do our electrical work, and insisted his work was fine each time we identified a problem until finally one of his many mistakes destroyed our dishwasher. They had a very junior carpenter do work on our floor who made holes for no reason and tore up boards that did not need replacing. When we saw the work in progress and asked that it be stopped before the floor was further damaged, the project manager simply told the same junior carpenter to fix it, despite the fact that he did not have the necessary skills and was proposing ham-fisted solutions (my father is a carpenter and was appalled at both the work and the suggested fixes). We ultimately just put new flooring on top of the original floor which did not make us happy. At the beginning of the project we asked the project manager to make a plan for venting our range hood before the interior walls went up. He refused to give it any thought until after the cabinets and counters were installed, when the laborers noticed the stove had been placed such that it was not possible to use a straight duct for the vent. At that point (with the manager long MIA) the vent hood was installed with a gap between the hood and the exterior vent that they filled with duct tape on the brick and studs of the wall, leading to a loud oscillation when the fan was used, and also a potential fire hazard since the wall was essentially hollow all the way up to the attic. Informed that this was an inadequate solution, Rob told us that we were “being humored” when he agreed to redo the ductwork properly. We were also told that the problem was our fault because we chose the vent hood. But not only was the choice not relevant to the problem they created, but we chose it after our requests for recommendations and approval from our project manager (for the vent hood as well as for many other elements of the project) were ignored. These examples are just a few among many of work that reflected a lack of foresight and management, inadequate problem-solving abilities and inappropriate allocation of skilled and less skilled professionals. Problems like these should not, by rights, have added anything to the cost of the project, since we should not have had to pay for redoing bungled work. But the invoicing was so vague that we could not always tell what was billed for what task or material, and we were somewhat trusting first-time remodelers, so we ended up paying for the extra work most of the time. We did catch several (sometimes very significant) accounting errors, which were corrected, but made us wonder whether there were systematic billing “mistakes” that we didn’t catch. I would definitely encourage you to look elsewhere for your remodelling needs, particularly if they involve an older structure whose original elements you would like to preserve where possible. Despite their initial claims and assurances, both the management and the crafts-people of PRC did not seem to respect or be capable of achieving this goal.

We performed due diligence in searching for a contractor and, after interviewing another contractor, chose Pittsburgh Remodeling Co. The owner, Rob Schwerdt, worked personally with us during the design process, then turned the project over to his amazing team for the work. Tom was the lead contractor and his knowledge of his craft and attention to detail are unparalleled. From diligently explaining why our 60-year-old electrical panel needed told be replaced, to guiding us through best options for plumbing updates, Tom never grew tired of our questions. And every text, email, and phone call was returned in a timely manner. I additionally liked that Rob has women on his team, and isn't afraid to use their expertise and strength. The pictures attached do not show the majority of the cost of the project: moving walls, updating electrical, adding plumbing through the basement, lights added and installed throughout the house, blowing out a brick wall to add A/C, etc.

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I contacted Pittsburgh Remodeling Company for a complete master bath remodel. My house was built in 1998 and I wanted to remove the tub and put in a full glass wall shower, as well as update everything else in the bathroom (floors, vanity, walls, closet, etc.).  I received a response to my inquiry within 24 hours and they were at my house to give an estimate in less than a week.  Everything about this company is prompt, courteous, and professional. The process was incredibly painless and efficient. We had a project manager and a design expert assigned to us, and they made fantastic recommendations. The communication at all levels of the company was fantastic.  I never had to wait more than 24 hours for an answer to any of my questions.  At one point, I emailed a question at 5:41pm on a Sunday evening, expecting an answer sometime within the next day, and I had an answer by 5:48pm.  They protected all of the floors from daily foot traffic, and sealed off the work area at the end of each workday.  My house was never dusty or dirty from the remodel.  The bathroom looks phenomenal.  Our main contractor, Nate, entertained countless, "why are you doing that?" questions from our 2 and 4 year old children, and he even took his lunch breaks with our otherwise very territorial dog laying at his feet.  They have even impressed our neighbors- one in particular, who continues to comment how polite everyone was, and how this company will be her first call as soon as she has a project.  You will not be disappointed with this contractor.  They have set the bar very high for other contractors in the area.  I am already thinking about my next project for them.  Thank you Pittsburgh Remodeling Company!

Pittsburgh Remodeling Company did a fabulous job on my bathrooms.  The quality of their work is outstanding.  They did what they said they would do and consistently communicated with me during the project.  Their employees are trustworthy, dependable, friendly, and professional.

Overall the process was fantastic.  Rob at Pittsburgh Remodeling (PR) worked with our preliminary design, helped us select materials, fixtures, etc.  He has a very good eye which made the selections very easy.  We had them install a new full bathroom with a glass shower, granite vanity top and bench, ceramic tile everywhere, and custom cabinets.  We have a 1920 house and we wanted the bathroom to match the style which their design did perfectly.  
PR's workers were very professional and did an excellent job.  They sent us weekly updates on budget and progress.  There were some minor glitches, but PR took care of them and we were very happy with the results.   
We would definitely use them again for our next remodeling project.

They did great. Very professional and responsive to questions, very clean (not only did they clean up every day, they put some thick cardboard-type boards down on the floor and left them there throughout the project to prevent damage in the first place), very detailed estimate that ended up being almost exactly right, and above all, a beautiful little laundry room with some details that we would not have thought of.

From start to finish we had a great experience with PRC. Rob gave a very detailed estimate for the work (the final number was very close to the estimate). Justin was the lead on our job, but all the workers were great and completed quality work. Communication was detailed and all work was explained thoroughly. We love the work that was completed and are going to use PRC again this spring for our master bath remodel. We wanted a contractor that would work with us and let us complete some of the work (painting, demo, toilet and vanity installation). We cannot wait to work with PRC in the future.

From our first meeting with Rob, we could tell that PRC would provide us with a high quality product that would serve us well for many years to come.   Rob spent time with us planning prior to the start of the project.  He has a great computer program that allows him to create images of the space, even with the materials we chose.  This was so helpful to me, as I am very visual.  We were also very pleased with the places he recommended for tile, fixtures, etc.  He also took the time to get to know our style.  It made us confident that he truly wanted to give us a product that fit our style and the style of our home.
It was evident that Rob leads a crew that is well trained and thorough. The crew took the time to put up protective barriers and padding, with the goal of keeping as much of the construction mess away from the rest of the home.  They did a great job keeping a clean and organized work space throughout the duration of the project, which was comforting to me, as we have small children in the house.  They were also great with their communication.  We felt that we had a good grasp of what was happening during our project, which was very comforting ---and they were very open to us asking questions.
All in all, we are beyond pleased with our experience with Rob and all of the PRC staff that we worked with.  After the project was complete, Rob asked us "If you could start all over again, what would you change or do differently?"  We have been living with our new bathroom for a good month and we still cannot answer that question.  Great experience, great product!

Overall it went very well. The quality of the finished work is amazing. We did have a bit of a problem with the backsplash. For several reasons it was installed incorrectly. However, Jeff came by right away to take a look and agreed with us right off the bat. We did have to wait for a couple weeks to get the new tile in, but they payed for the new material and did not charge to remove the first tile and put up the replacement tile. I was very impressed with the way they handled the situation. The final price was quite a bit above the originally quoted price, but I'm sure this always happens. Part of that was my fault for buying more expensive items than were quoted. Also, we did time and material instead of just going with the bid. I am glad I went with that type of billing but the amount we paid for the labor ended up being more than expected because the average pay rate that we were given ended up not really being the average. The highest paid guy ended up doing most of the work instead of having the lower paid people do most of the easy stuff. Of course, there were a couple small, unexpected things that came up that made the price go up as well. All of that said, I really liked the way the job was executed. We had one guy that was at our house the whole time and then they brought in other people from the company as needed. Our lead guy was Justin. He was great to have around the house and did an awesome job on all of the work. The other people that worked here were just as friendly and I didn't feel weird about having any of them in my house. This is especially nice since they were in my house for almost 4 months. I also liked that they didn't sub out all of the work like some contractors do. There was a subcontractor guy that came in to upgrade the electrical panel and he was also very polite and did a good job. We did have a little trouble with their cabinet guy. Nothing crazy. He just needed someone to light a fire under his butt to get anything done. Everything he did came out very nice in the end, though. It's been just over a month since the work was finished and there hasn't been a day that's gone by without one of us saying how great it is to have the new kitchen/main floor and that it was worth the inconvenience and money. We will definitely be having PRC do the rest of the work in our house. We still have a basement remodel to do along with the main bath upstairs and a new deck. I'm sure you could find someone to do your job for less that PRC, but I believe that you get what you pay for.

I asked them about 2 jobs and they said I needed somebody else for the other job because it wasn't within the range of what they did. Their price was reasonable and they did a good job. I haven't had any problems since. It was a small job. I was happy with the guy and I liked him. They were quick.

PRC was always timely and professional.  The work space was kept very neat.  Communication was good.  The project was completed within the estimated time and we thrilled with the final product.  We definitely recommend PRC for a project this type.

Great! Like I said, Pittsburgh Remodeling Company was really professional. He had a really helpful presentation on his iPad that showed me what the problem was, what their solution was (carbon fiber strips) and how it was different from other solutions that are available. He gave us the estimate on site, which was competitive and reasonable.  The work itself took less than a day, and they didn't make a mess. They didn't dig up my yard or cut up concrete. The carbon fiber strips are really thin, too. As I understand it, some companies wanted to install metal beams but that would have caused me to lose my garage door. Overall, I had a really good experience with this company.

I found PRC through Angie?s List.  I liked the fact that Rob, the owner, provided a very detailed estimate for the work, which was close to an estimate from another highly rated contractor.  I also appreciated that he was willing to let me purchase major items such as the appliances, cabinets and tile and that he was willing to let me make suggestions as the work progressed.  Rob recommended vendors and I was extremely pleased with the design help and overall service provided by Kristine at Brookside Lumber who arranged for the cabinets, countertops and bathroom fixtures.  Instead of asking for a fixed price contract, Rob
and I agreed that I would monitor the project and pay actual costs as the work progressed.  I selected premium materials
for the projects such as cherry cabinets, quartz countertops and marble tile, and was more concerned with getting the project done the way that I wanted than with holding a contractor to a fixed price.
Approximate Projects Cost:
$42,000 for labor, $7,000 for miscellaneous materials bought by PRC plus $30,000 for major materials that I purchased
PRC personnel did most of the work themselves, but brought in specialists to fabricate and install the quartz countertops (Blume?s) and glass shower wall (Rex Glass). Rob stopped by occasionally to check on how things were going and responded promptly whenever I wanted to discuss something.  
Jason and Chris did most of the work, and it was a pleasure to have them working in the house.  They took pains to minimize dust and dirt in the rest of the house by putting down floor protection and sealing off the work areas during demolition and sanding.  They cleaned the work areas each day before leaving.  I provided the use of the garage for staging materials and for cutting wood and tile.  This area was also cleaned at the end of each day.
They explained the work to be done in advance and consulted with me whenever there was a choice in how to proceed.  I was present in the house for most of the work, but had enough confidence in them to let PRC proceed whenever I had to be
out of town.  Since I work out of my home, they were very considerate in keeping noise down as much as possible and
telling me in advance when there was going to be excessive noise.  Their carpentry and tile skills were excellent, and their ability to build and patch walls and ceilings so that they looked perfect was amazing.  I was extremely pleased with their attention to detail and the overall quality of the work of everyone who worked on my project.  They did everything that they could to ensure that the work was done to my satisfaction.
The entire project took about three months.  I am very happy with PRC?s work and have recommended them to others.

We've used Rob several times and are consistently impressed with his professionalism, attention to detail, and willingness to find a quality solution at a reasonable price. We'd recommend PGH remodeling to anyone.

Nate, the primary carpenter on the job, was amazing-very attentive to detail, explained how the work was progressing, worked around dog & 2 young grandchildren and overall, made 2 beautiful bathrooms. Everyone who helped was equally impressive.

We had three estimates. Rob's was the highest, but his modern methods and management skills convinced us that his company was the one for us. We were not disappointed. During the pre-construction phase, Rob was always available by email or phone for consultation about how many tiles to order. We had three different tiles and within some of the tiles we had different sizes so it was complicated.
The construction phase was well coordinated. Our crew of Jeff and Jason was great. They were on time, they communicated each day what was to be done. When they foresaw a need for a decision it was always discussed days in advance so that we could carefully consider our options. Costs resulting from the decisions were always made clear. Bigger picture plans like how to manage the project so that both bathrooms would be functional during Christmas time when we hosted visiting family members were discussed way in advance - weeks - and modified as necessary.
It is hard to overstate the professionalism of this outfit. The first thing the crew did was install ram board on hard floors and plastic for carpeted areas. Every day, the construction area was cleaned and tools put away. We lent the crew space in the garage for cutting tile etc. This area was also clean at the end of every day. These guys worked when they were supposed to be working, came and went as scheduled, and communicated, communicated, and communicated all the time.
The technical skills of the crew are impressive. Jeff's plumbing was clean. His tiling was very nice. Epoxy grout is great, but it needs to be used correctly or else there will be residual grout on the surface of the tiles. This was done beautifully. Woodworking - from studs to dealing with the existing trim - was craftily done. Jason is a real artist at repairing blemishes. The jacuzzi tub had originally been installed to that the outward-facing lip of the tub was originally under some tiling. Thus, uninstalling it put some gashes and scratches in that face that would be exposed in the new installation. After Jason artfully fixed these, they just disappeared.
The granite installation involved another company. The company had a personnel problem - no installer was available for small jobs like ours for 5-6 weeks. We thought that Jeff and Jason could do the granite installation, but they refused. This is another example of their professionalism. They do things that they are qualified to do, and they do them very, very well. They do not "wing it" just for expediency.
I will finish with the money part. In all previous jobs that we have had done, and there have been many, there were always "extras". This is understandable. What can be frustrating is that they are often not well-explained. They just appear at the end of the job. One gets the sense that the "extras" are actually related to the amount of time spent on the job over the initial estimated amount. With Rob's crew, every extra was very clearly explained ahead of time. In each case, we could decide just how much we wanted to put into the particular "extra". In the end, we paid about $3000 more than the original bid all of which we had approved in advance.

We hired PRC to install some mosaic tile on the floor of a small powder room on the 1st floor and tile in a shower surround on the 2nd floor along with some floor tiling on the 2nd floor bathroom as well. 
As soon as Rob came out to give us an estimate for the job, we knew immediately that this would be the company we were going to hire.  Rob is a genuinely nice guy who we are so happy we found.  He was on time for the estimate and provided us with some ideas for our project since we weren't 100% sure what we wanted to do.  We ended up going with a herringbone pattern that Rob recommended and it looks amazing.  The floor tile that we chose for the 2nd floor bathroom was also something that Rob recommended.  We wanted carerra marble but didn't really want to spend that much on tile so he recommended a porcelain tile that was similar in look to the carerra marble but was way more reasonable in price.  Rob was kind enough to answer questions we had on other projects that we were doing ourselves and took the time to show us how to do some things ourselves, too. That is something that we truly appreciated.  He knew that we had a pretty tight budget so he was able to find ways for us to get our project complete without breaking the bank. 
We dealt with a few people at PRC over the course of a few weeks including Jason, Jeff, and Ryan who are all wonderful guys.  I felt that they were all trustworthy and took pride in their work. 
They were all very easy to work with and were able to work around our busy work schedules. 
After the tile project was complete, we hired Rob and his crew right away for installing trim throughout the house.  We had trim that we'd saved from our demolition and were able to reuse a lot of that.  The trim project took 2 days to complete. 
We would not hesitate to use PRC again.