COCOON

From start to finish, remodeling experience with West Chester Design and Build was outstanding. Chris and Jim really captured our vision for the kitchen and basement remodel and were very responsive to questions, provided us with good options for the designs and were especially conscientious to help us stay within our budget. Our project was able to be started quickly and finished on time which was a great help as we were in the midst of a very hectic move. The project manager, Ryan, was a wonderful craftsman who provided excellent quality work and attention to detail. He kept the projects moving despite some unexpected scheduling challenges and juggled lots of moving parts to get the projects completed by our quick move in date. Communication throughout the projects was excellent. All team members involved, including interior designer, plumber, electrician, etc, were all highly professional, accessible for questions. Would not hesitate to recommend this company and use them again for future projects.

Working with WCDB to remodel my kitchen was a really great experience. They are the nicest group of people I have ever worked with. From the initial consultation with Chris to interacting with Jim on the computer design and cabinet selection, to having Anna help with material selections. Their knowledge and input was extremely helpful and morphed a few pictures and ideas I had into a great design for my limited space. My project manager Dave was awesome! I’m a bit of a picky person and a worrier but I could not recommend a nicer, harder working person. He answered all my questions handled all my small additional requests with ease and patience. One additional shout out to Norm for working on the mechanical! Really a great group of people and great company that does quality work. I now have a kitchen I love and that my niece calls beautiful thanks to WCDB.

We hired West Chester Design and Build (WCDB) to renovate our kitchen, powder room and living room. Because we wanted to change the layout of the kitchen altogether, we were sure to interview WCDB and two other contractors. Ironically, WCDB initially presented designs that only one of us liked. WCDB patiently helped us to re-evaluate what we really wanted for our home. WCDB patiently listened, asked all the right questions and made no attempts to persuade us to choose their original designs. Because of their focus, we both agreed that this was the firm we wanted to do the work. From our viewpoint, their focus and respect for our wishes never wavered during the entire process. As it turned out, WCDB was the right choice. The job took about eleven weeks which included inevitable delays (i.e., structural problems that were exposed during demolition, etc.). Surprisingly, there were no delays due to weather or the holidays. WCDB always showed up early and cleaned up before they left! There were many different people in and out of our home during the entire process. They all put up with our dogs and our crazy schedules. Each and every person was respectful, polite, and did great work. Even when our one dog was sick with cancer during the last few weeks of the job, the WCDB workers were very respectful and sensitive to the situation. It was a stressful time for us and we could not be more grateful. The bonus was getting to know many of the nice employees that were at our house most of the time. We feel fortunate that WCDB was everything that we hoped for in a contractor. While we didn’t know it at the time, the fact that their office and the vendors that they recommended were close to our home was an advantage. One that we will keep in mind should we have to choose another company other than WCDB to do renovation work. Overall, WCDB was exceptional in every way: Design Cleanliness Organization Punctuality Responsiveness Trustworthy Craftmanship

WCDB was a pleasure to work with on the remodel and addition on our 1920's Dutch Colonial home. When we purchased the home as an abandoned foreclosure we were overwhelmed by all the work that needed to be done. Chris was able to take our vision for the home and turn it into a reality. Their employees were knowledgeable and always willing to answer any questions or concerns that we had. Chris rolled with the punches as we made changes along the way as he wanted to be sure that we were happy with the end result and we very much are! Everyone who walks through our doors remarks on what a beautiful home it is and we couldn't be more grateful for WCDB for making it a reality!

We recently wrapped up a kitchen/dining room renovation in our standard Cape Cod style home. The project kicked off with very professional meetings with Chris and Jim who brought forth excellent design options and a budget that we could work with. The entire team at WCDB have been a pleasure to work with and have left no stone unturned. They provided quality construction delivered in a timely fashion, were considerate, great communicators, well organized, perfectionists, aimed to please, provided amazing advice, had a stellar designer and a whole team that bended over backwards to ensure we as clients were happy. The online app and client portal is a project managers (or detail-oriented home owners) dream. We could not be happier with the final product and would not hesitate to work with Chris Payson and his team again.

Excellent. I can’t say enough good things about our experience working with West Chester Design & Build. We were 110% satisfied. From the start to the finish they were fantastic. For the design work, they presented us with multiple options, and gave real thought to solutions. The process was smooth, and they showed us everything in a 3D computer simulation. Just as good or better was the construction process. I’ve worked on a lot of buildings (commercial) and homes, and I’ve never had a more professional and thoughtful construction crew. They showed genuine care and concern throughout the entire process, placed a primacy on quality fit and finish, and put customer satisfaction first. They communicated with us daily and let us know everything that was going on. They got everything done on time and on budget – in fact, it was a lot faster than most other companies could have done. West Chester Design & Build doesn’t just talk the talk – they walk the walk. We felt truly cared for.

We had a 2500 square foot basement remodel done by West Chester Design Build. The project included several rooms, a complete kitchen and full bath with high end finishes. The team at WDB was very professional and did a fantastic job. The owner Chris Payson, was really easy to work with and helped us come up with a great design for our space. Our project manager, Wes Yoder, was very responsive to our requests and concerns throughout the project. He was always available. The team did a great job handling and unexpected issues that popped up during the remodel. Norm Mueller, the plumber was outstanding, and even fixed problems that cropped up from our original home builder. I also enjoyed working with Kim Caulfield, their in-house designer. . She met me at several locations to help pick out materials for the project as well as researching options online and sending them to me. Josh, the electrician, came up with many good lighting and electrical ideas. Their cost was a bit higher than others we interviewed, but you get what you pay for. The tiling/flooring quotes were a bit too high, so we opted to get those done on our own after the project was completed. We brought in our own cabinetmaker for the kitchen cabinets and built ins and he took longer than expected. WDB was very accommodating even though I'm sure it threw off their own project schedule. They are a great company to work with and would not hesitate in recommending them to anyone.

WCDB did a fantasic job in renovating the interior of our home that was built in the '50's.  It took about 6-7 months from start to finish with the majority of the time in the winter months.  I met with Chris Payson and he suggested some great ideas about the renovation, he advised about the dormer addition and we decided to go for it as it will expand the master bedroom and add additional square footage to the house. Below are some of the work done.
 - New Kitchen
 - Total Renovation of 4 bedrooms (dormer addition to the master bedroom)
 - Total renovation of 2 bathrooms.
 - Hardwood floors installed ( 1st and 2nd floors)
 - drywall
 - insulation
 - basement drain system
 - Updated electricals
WCDB was very easy to work with, all of the team members were pleasant and professional. There were lots of communication, most of it were ordering the materials, ie. appliances and lighting. The overall price I thought was a little high, but that all comes from negotiation.

Chris Payson and his team at West Chester Design Build did a great job remodeling our basement.  Beginning with the initial phase of design, planning, budgeting to timely execution, we were very pleased and satisfied.  Chris' attitude and professionalism was outstanding and always accessible to the project when we needed him.  He provided ideas during the initial phase which were very helpful aiming to improve the functionality and the look of the space.  The end result surpassed our expectations.
Brian, our project manager, was detailed oriented providing superb customer service while managing the different crews.  West Chester Design Build is highly recommended when doing a project that requires quality of execution.

From the start Chris and his team were courteous, responsive, professional and they really know what they are doing.  You will get a top quality job from this company.  They are worth every dollar.
I brought my thoughts to the table on what I wanted to do and how I wanted to accomplish it with our house.   Chris could have just agreed, taken my money and done what I planned.  In the end Chris sat down with me, listened to what my family's needs were and offered suggestions.   In the end Chris' attention to my project and planning simplified our project and saved me at least $10,000.  What would have been a complicated addition in my mind, ended up being an easy fit-out due to his creativity.
I highly recommend Chris and his team.  They will give you a LOT of value for your money and will do the job right.

WCD&B just finished our kitchen and we recommend them without reservation. Chris Payson really took the time at the start to understand our goals, our limitations, and our concerns about "land-mines" we had experienced before with other projects. His projected budget and timeline was almost right-on, with very few surprises along the way. Our project manager, Wes, was a great communicator, always available to discuss anything, and really kept the project on track in terms of schedule/timing. Every sub-contractor/employee who entered our home was friendly and professional, often taking the time to explain what they suggested and why if there was any question or decision that had to be made. At the end of each day/week, our home was well taken care of, organized, and cleaned up as much as possible in a construction-zone!

When my wife and I decided to finish the basement in our new house, we knew that we needed more than just your average contractor to handle the project.  We knew roughly what we wanted, but didn't have a specific vision of the finished project.  We hired Chris Payson and West Chester Design/Build expecting them to walk us through the entire process, and that's exactly what we got.  
We started by meeting with Chris and giving him a basic idea of what we were looking for.  Chris and his team drew up multiple designs and allowed us to choose the one we preferred.  From there, the work began.  West Chester's employees were personable, trustworthy, and extremely competent.  We never had any qualms about allowing them access to our home when we weren't there.   Throughout the build, Chris remained accessible and transparent, checking in with us periodically to make sure that we were satisfied.  He also kept us apprised of the timeline, which stayed as true to the original schedule as could be expected.  As the build neared completion, Kimberly helped my wife and I choose paint colors and decorating options, and was always available for questions.
I rated West Chester Design/Build as  a "B" for price because we ended up paying more than we expected for our project.  But Chris was up-front with the expected costs, and admitted from day one that his company was not the cheapest option around.  However, the final cost was perfectly fair, and reflected the quality finished product as well as the stress-free, full-service experience you'll get from West Chester Design/Build.  We would absolutely use them again.

We purchased a new home (35 yrs. old) and wanted to do some extensive renovations while still still living at our old property waiting for it to sell. I contacted WCDB based on Angie's List reviews. Chris Payson arrived promptly for our meeting and we discussed the scope of the project. We decided to hire them and had a wonderful experience with the company. The kitchen was completely gutted down to the studs - walls removed and moved, plumbing and gas lines rerouted, old window removed replaced with a smaller one - brick floor jack hammered out - awkward existing sliders in dining room removed and replaced with drywall - walls on either side of opening between dining room and family room were changed from full walls to half walls to open up the space. The small master bath was also gutted - a fiberglass shower stall was removed and replaced with a larger, fully tiled shower. Chris has assembled an amazing crew - one to be envied by any reputable contractor. From the beginning we were provided with a detailed contract and payment schedule - all the bases were covered. Chris also prepared 2 sets of detailed blueprints showing 2 options of how everything could be laid out . I had never contracted such a large project but I knew I was in good hands.  The work began promptly after the first deposit was made. The workers always showed up when they were supposed to and put in full days. When they left for the day, everything was swept and left as neatly as possible. There was constant communication between the delightful Kimberly and myself. She was invaluable at helping things stay on schedule - always available to provide help or advice in making all the hundreds of choices and decisions that had  to be made.The workers were pleasant and personable and I came to think of them as new friends. Norm the plumber was amazing. He found and repaired many issues with existing water and drain lines that we were not aware of. While working in the crawl space, he found and alerted us to a major foundation issue that had been missed by our "professional"  inspector. I felt he really cared that everything was done correctly - I truly felt that way about everyone that worked here. Brian was a jack of all trades - he did a beautiful job on the tile work in the master bath. Ethan the carpenter was wonderful and did everything to perfection. Josh the electrician was also exceptional - I chose to have a lot of extra electrical work done and he suggested things I wasn't aware of or would never have thought of - he did an amazing job of fishing a wire about 20 feet through the family room ceiling down through a center ceiling beam in order to install a ceiling fan - completely hidden. On his own - he wanted to get our outside flood lights working - he found the problem and now they are working perfectly. This project went on for approximately 8 months - at no time was I frustrated or disappointed with the work being done. It probably could have been accomplished more quickly, but I told them there was no rush as I was waiting till our other property to sell. Thanks to WCDB, we are now living in our dream home. If you want the best - look no further. Thanks guys!!!!!

We had a great experience with West Chester Design and Build.  We came home from vacation to find our first floor and finished basement ruined by a burst pipe, and Chris Payson and West Chester DB made our house a home again.  Before awarding the contract to WCDB, we met with several contractors that all came to our house and said the same thing, "tell us what you want, and we'll work up a price."  When Chris came to our house and met with us the first time, he immediately started making suggestions for changes and improvements.  His vision was right in line with ours.  Chris was always responsive and easy to reach when we had questions, his work crew is staffed with professionals that not only did stellar work but were always on time, friendly, and cleaned up at the end of every day.  WCDB's designer, Kimberly, was incredibly helpful and always available when we had questions or needed help.  She made sure that we made all of our design decisions on time and worked to keep the entire project on schedule. She was instrumental in helping us make several critical design decisions such as helping us to choose paint colors, carpet, counter tops, and back splash.  We can't say enough good things about WCDB!

We were very pleased with West Chester Design/Build for our remodel project.  Overall, I give them an ?A? rating, and highly recommend them.  We did a complete master bathroom gut/remodel, and had the master bedroom ceiling converted to a vaulted ceiling with skylights, recessed lighting, ceiling fan.  I?ve never done a project this large before, so this was my first experience with a contractor doing major renovations.  Chris Payson took time to understand what we wanted to do, and offered very good suggestions for changes, which we agreed to, and are very happy with.  Chris and his crew were very responsive to all questions and any concerns during construction.  He has some excellent staff ... Brian the project lead and head carpenter, Norm the plumber, the tile guy (cannot recall his name), and Eddie the painter.  I have done lots of home improvement projects myself in the last 30 years, and have watched hundreds of the home improvement shows on TV, so I know what should be done, and have very high expectations for the quality of work.  These guys care, and are committed to doing it right!

West Chester Design and Build was a great company to work with through this very large project.  Chris Payson was always courteous and full of great ideas to make changing the basement into a very fun and functional area of our home.  He has a team of amazing workers that are of the finest I have ever met. Wes and Norm deserve "worker of the year" awards.  They are extremely talented and knowledgeable and HARD WORKING! They were in my home for several months but never once could I complain.  They were clean and quiet and diligent workers.  Every day the work space was left immaculate!  This was a very big transformation with a few odd requests that the whole team happily worked on.  If you are looking for a professional and honest contractor to change your home, hire them!  As a side note, Chris has always kept in touch with us to ask how things are going.  I am in the middle of small renovations on a second property and he has given me great advice and contacts free of charge.  He really cares about his clients and I know his company will be there for any questions I have in the future.

West Chester Design came in and gave us wonderful ideas and suggestions for our basement. When the project was done, we felt like we were on one of our top floors of our home, as the space did not feel like a basement. The attention to detail was incredible!!! We had a gas fireplace, installed with a wonderful mantle piece, glass pocket doors that had an option to be shut if children are using the other room, or adults, a kitchenette with beautiful granite counter tops, 2 large storage areas, one with built in shelves to house toys, books, decorations etc... a beautiful full bathroom with walk in shower, the tiling was also so well done. Another room, "The Workout" room, with glass doors and hardwood flooring. We also had a half wall put in with decorative pillars. The detail was incredible... crown molding to match what we have upstairs. We really loved our contractors, and we were sorry to see them leave, but so excited about our new space!!!  We Would gladly recommend West Chester Design & Build... they are without a doubt, one of the BEST in this area!!!

WCD/B finished my basement during early fall of 2013 and I am completely THRILLED with the finished product!  They brought my vision into reality!  We are down there all the time now!  I HIGHLY recommend WCD/B for their quality work, responsiveness, suggestions, and solutions.

The main focal point of my room was a wall of built-ins.  Chris was very helpful in providing a solution to make the built-ins ?custom-ish? and gave me an awesome set of shelving at about half the cost of what it would've been if they were truly ?custom made.?  They used a local cabinet maker in Lancaster to build the individual pieces, then the WCD/B carpenters assembled/installed the pieces in my basement.  Brian and Wes and all the guys who came to my house were very nice and courteous and always kept me in the loop as to when they were coming/going, what the next steps were, double-checked with me where I wanted light switches, outlets and vents, and things like that.  They cleaned up every night before they left too, no dust around or anything.  I originally wanted stone behind the built-ins, but after I realized the stone would be out of my budget, the WCD/B interior designer Kimberly gave me a great suggestion to just use a darker color paint on that wall in the same color of what the stone would have looked like.  Kimberly brought her giant selection of paint samples to the carpet store and we picked out the carpet and paint colors all at the same time; she narrowed down what seemed like thousands of options in the tan/khaki family to the final selections which ended up looking awesome!  She also came with me to the furniture store to help select fabric for my new sectional sofa and pillows (she was a HUGE help!).  There were only 2 issues that came up during the project, which were resolved very quickly ? first was that the carpet installers put white grouting between my dark brown tiles rather than the brown grout that we ordered (error made by Avalon Carpet), but the WCD/B guys came out and fixed it for me the very next day.  The second was that although the dimmer box installed for my recessed lighting was completely appropriate per electrical code, the face plate would be warm when I would go to shut off the lights, so they came back out and installed a more powerful dimmer box.  As a bonus, when the electrician came out to replace the dimmer box, he figured out the issue with my TV cable box which allowed me to cancel the service call I had scheduled with Verizon and that saved me a few hundred bucks as well (another example of an issue that had nothing to do with a service they performed, but they took care of it anyway).

This was a unique and big undertaking.  We wanted a party room/club in our basement with, full bar, stage and unusual lighting.  I designed most of it myself and they did an absolutely brilliant job taking what was in my head and turning into a fantastic space for parties and events.  The basement was previously unfinished so they took it from nothing to completion.  They were very professional, clean, and the quality was wonderful.  They also had good ideas to help the design come together, they totally got our vision and were all about getting it just right.  There was a lot of electric work to do and their electrician did a fantastic job putting in lots of colored lights to make it look club like.  I couldn't be happier with how it turned out.  If there was one negative thing to say it would be that it did cost a bit more than they originally estimated and it took longer than I anticipated but it was definitely worth it.  I can't say enough about what they accomplished it was just fantastic and have thrown many parties in the space and people just love it.

I thought it was very good. It was complete, thorough, they were cooperative, easy to work with and neat. They do a good job. Their price was fair considering the amount of work that they did.

After reading several reviews on Angie's list and interviewing several contractors we decided to go with WC DB and Chris Payson.  They came over and measured and looked and the space and listened to our wish list.  They did a great job of really looking at what we wanted and thinking creatively about how they could use the space to create a great living opportunity.  They had great communication skills as they walked us through when they needed decision made and when items would be delivered and installed. The listed to our ideas too.  When we ran into slight snags such as the original drawings (from the original builder) being slightly off they offered great alternatives.  The crew at WC DB were fabulous, I wasn't looking forward to having strangers in my house for several months but if I had to have anyone, it would definitely be Norm, Brian, Kimberly, etc.  They were extremely customer focused and professional.  They always showed up on time or early, they were conscious science and great with communication too.  If they had questions they asked before moving forward.  The finished product is great, We love it and it represents us well.  We would highly recommend them.

From the framers to the painters, these guys were incredibly good!  Finishing my basement was the first, major home project my wife and I set out to do so naturally, I was skeptical of every company who provided me a quote.  After visiting w/ four different people, I was particularly impressed with Chris Payson of West Chester Design Build. I appreciated his professionalism, his vision for my space, his follow-up and his fair, detailed quote. (of note: There were no surprise expenses along the way.)
After selecting WCDB, I was equally impressed to see how much cooperation their was between Chris's employees.  The plumber, framer, drywall installers, electrician and designer all worked well as a team. There was productive communication between all of them throughout the project.  I work from home so I saw it every day firsthand!  I popped in on the project often (about twice/day) and I also noticed that these guys never cut corners! On the contrary, I'd see them do extra.  I recall the plumber pointing out and fixing an existing plumbing issue that would have otherwise gone unnoticed.  That kind of extra effort and attention to detail gave me added confidence that these guys wouldn't disappoint.
Their designer, Kimberly, was also involved throughout the process.  She came up with a great design for my space.  I needed some "hand holding" throughout the project to pick out colors, patterns, carpet, tile etc and she was always accessible. In short...she was great.
Lastly, don't worry about privacy.  Everyone was considerate of me and my family and kept all the work flow through the bilcow doors.  These guys also bring their own portable toilet and position it discreetly behind their construction dumpster so I never even had to share my bathroom.  They were very clean too! My favorite part of the day was checking progress in the evening.  I had no problems taking my 4 year old downstairs every night because the area was always left swept, cleaned and organized...every night.
My basement is now a transformed, 1000 square ft living area with a wet bar and play room. I highly recommend West Chester Design Build!

Every person that came to came to complete the different pieces of my job was curteous, on time & professional. I felt safe having them in my house and best of all they cleaned up nicer than it was when they arrived. Also the quality of work was way beyond what I expected for such a fabolous price. I did not have a ton of money to spend and the first estimate I got would have made me bankrupt. Their estimate was reasonable and their work was of a higher quality I think than I would have gotten if I had paid the person who gave me the ridicolous first estimate. I will be bringing them back to do more work when I have saved some more money for home improvements guaranteed!  I believe they offer a better overall service, at a better price than anyone else!

We were consulted about each of the details of the design and finishes. We chose higher end products so the porch would be no or low maintenance. This added to the cost, but without those choices, we thought the cost of the project was quite reasonable. The project took longer than we expected, but that was mainly due to a problem with doors that arrived damaged and had to be reordered. Overall, we were very pleased with the project and would hire them again.