
Decorating on a Shoe String
About us
Decorating on a Shoe String, a service for the cost-conscious, has many happy clients in the Dallas metroplex. The company was founded by Ginny Andrews 17 years ago and has morphed from providing window treatments, furniture and accessories to include residential remodeling and commercial design.
Business highlights
Services we offer
Marble, granite, kitchen & bathroom., painting - exterior and interior, plumbing, remodeling - general
Accepted Payment Methods
- CreditCard
Number of Stars | Image of Distribution | Number of Ratings |
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89% | ||
4% | ||
4% | ||
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4% |
"And it has turned out so nicely!!!!"
In general, the remodel experience was okay. My wife and I are extremely happy with the final results, however, there were some mis-steps on the way. I understand that remodeling jobs of this size, there are a lot of unexpected things, but part of the general contractor's (Ginny) job is to help through the process. My wife and I had a general vision, and Ginny did help clarify that vision, and again, we are extremely pleased with the final results. We went to great care to personally select appliances, fixtures, marble that fit our taste and lifestyle, so Ginny's role in the re-model was more general contractor.
It is here where Ginny could have improved. I understand that she is busy, but she was absent for a lot of the work. I understand this is the world of general contracting, but when 1/3 of the budget is used on marble, and she was not present for the install, I was a little frustrated, especially since the marble guys had to come out again to drill another hole. Other frustrations that I experienced were due to lack of clarity in costs. Make no mistake that Ginny will charge you for every bit of work and materials. My family has been in the real estate business for over 30 years. I know how much things should cost, and Ginny will usually tack on about 20% to all services AND materials. I had questions toward the end of the remodel on what was included in the project, and what was new and out of the original scope. In the end, I paid everything Ginny wanted just to be finished with the remodel.
In general, the experience was okay, although in the future I would look for a general contractor with more experience and someone who is clearer regarding costs and is better at managing the project overall. We are pleased with the final results, but for the amount of money that was spent, any good remodel crew could have done the same in my opinion, but probably with better time management and project management.
"Your kitchen is just dazzling! You guys had great ideas. Additional costs are a bummer. I always have to fall back on our written quote. As ideas morph it helps both of us determine what was and was not included in the original price. I am so happy that you guys got the kitchen you wanted : )"
Gosh, we first hired Ginny with ?Decorating on a Shoestring? many years ago. We got her name from a friend of a friend. Since then Ginny has done numerous projects in our home and at the home of a handful of our own friends who I have referred her to. Our biggest job (and most favorite) that she did for us was to re-do our young daughters bedroom. She changed it from a baby?s room into a young girl?s room she could grow with and it was the loveliest thing I?d ever seen! I left for the day and let Ginny ?do her thing? and came home to the ?grand revealing.? I was in shock at what I saw because it way over exceeded my expectations!! (We had never hired anyone to do this kind of thing before and really didn?t know what we were going to end up with. It was a total ?trust? thing to give Ginny free reign and we gave it to her 100%) The results just blew us away and everyone else that saw the room!
Since then Ginny has helped with numerous other projects around our house from helping us with custom window treatments to adding ?layers? to a room to give it a more finished and complete look. She worked with what we already owned and brought in things to compliment and fill in where needed. We've ordered custom furniture from her that we loved! Most recently (Oct of 2015) we hired Ginny to help us choose a paint color for the inside of our home. She?s done a variety of projects both big and small.
In the process of working with Ginny we have also become friends. Over the years my husband and kids have grown fond of Ginny. We love her creativity, honesty, work ethic, sense of humor, and caring heart. She is a gem to work with and a blessing to know! I know that others who have worked with her have also become her friends. She has a way about making you feel special whether she is doing a huge project or simply picking out paint colors.
"Haven't we had a fun time! And look how good you have gotten at this......! I have worked myself out of a job!"
"I was WELL rewarded and I am fatter! We did have a nice time while solving a couple of stumpers! With very few changes the LR really came together. I agree with your friends: Your MBR should be in a magazine : )"
Ginny Andrews' teams of craftsmen included carpenters, a tile layer, a plumber, painters, and carpet layers. Each team worked with professionalism, often cleaning the workspace twice a day.
Ginny communicated with us frequently with calls and text, stopping by at least once a day to check on job progress.
We did have a few surprise issues arise in remodeling a 30 year old home. No one expected to discover that the drain plumbing of one bathtub had never been installed, or that a doorway was never connected to the foundation. Any issues that arose were handled quickly, efficiently, and to the satisfaction of all parties.
My husband and I were very confident in the integrity of the craftsmen. We often left for the afternoon, trusting them to lock up when they left, which they always did.
The completion of this project seniorized one bathroom and modernized another bathroom. We have enjoyed many positive complements on the results.
"I always enjoyed the strategy sessions around the Kitchen table with bottomless iced tea and lots of kidding : ) You guys know what you like! You are a pleasure to work with."
"Your house is so young and fun! We had a good time : )"
One thing I loved about working with Ginny was that she was eager to help us figure our how to use our existing furniture and accessories. We went room to room and she always started by making the most of what we had. She has a knack for helping find just the right spot for each item. Then along the way we would see that there was a space that needed some new artwork or a lamp or other accessory. Because Ginny knew us and what we like, she immediately had some items that we could purchase. In other cases she would go shopping and find items for us. She made great choices that we loved and that were within our budget.
We needed coverings for all our windows. Ginny walked us through all the options and we decided on plantation shutters, and some custom draperies. She did all the measurements, and provided the fabric samples for the draperies. Then she had all of the connections to get the draperies and shutters made and installed.
We were so happy with Ginny's process and the end result. We love the look of our new home!
"Your home is so welcoming! I was happy with they way our small changes freshened things up. This IS the third home we have worked on together -- I think we are starting to read each others' minds: )"
We just paid her an hourly rate for her time, and that was some of the best money we spent on our home!
"I think it is just very reassuring to have someone to look over your shoulder and confirm your selections!"
It was a wonderful experience. She helped me buy some furniture and arranged all the rooms in an updated fashion. Ginny chose accessories such as rugs, cushions, art and lamps to complete the décor of each room. Window treatments were selected and put up along with necessary hardware. Her practical advice with color schemes was amazing and the overall effect was more than I had hoped for. My family and I were thrilled with the completed look and the time and effort that were put into selections and arrangements. I especially appreciated her pleasant manner and efficiency in handling the work in progress with time constraints involved.
I would gladly recommend this business to anyone who is looking for cheerful and professional experience in the area of decorating an entire house or even a small project/room which might need special attention,
"And what a fun time we had! In record time we pretty much transformed every room. Surprise? Your "20 Something" sons all loved it too(!)"
"Your master bath is stunning....and very unique! The colors you love are in style and finally available in nice building materials. it was a pleasure : )"
"the new Counter Tops alone really transformed the look of your kitchen. It looks so good-- I always enjoy working with you!"
"I am sorry this experience was so unpleasant. It was for us also. After our contracted work was complete you requested quotes on additonal jobs. I reported back a few days later that we would not be able to take on the additional work. When pressed, I revealed that two of the vendors were not willing to accept new work at your home. I explained that one of them had said, “That wasn’t fun for anybody.” (I did not relay what the other vendor had said: “I would rather go out of business than go back to that house.”) I suggested that the whole process would be smoother if you hired someone with whom you had a higher level of trust. You warned me then that you would broadcast your opinions of our crews on every form of social media. It was hard for me to understand how you could have those opinions and still want us to take on new work. On reflection, I am guessing that the lack of any prior remodeling experience may have skewed the expectations with which you bravely entered this project. At some point I hope that you discover how much less angst there is in objective observation: You may come to realize that the disappearance of your husband’s chisel does not necessarily mean that it was stolen; You may recognize that finding a rag in the pool does not necessarily mean that it was tossed in the pool by the tile guy. (Never mind that the tile installer uses sponges....and that we had observed other items blowing over the fence during those months.) There were very many assumptions. When facts disproved assumptions, the assumed accusations were never retracted. A punch list should be rather benign. The barrage of accusations was wearying and disheartening to all of us. I would rather have a good name than great riches."
Everything was excellent. They had super prices.
"I enjoyed working with you also! I have passed along the color you had painted your MBR to others. It was very pretty."
I used my own excellent painter.
"It was a pleasure working with you and visiting your fascinating menagerie! The paint colors really did look so good. I was pleased that you took my suggestion on window treatments and preserved your awesome view!"
The owner contacted quickly after I contacted her. As a recent widow, I wanted my home restaged so it didn't look like the same house in which I lived with my late husband. (I was still quite distraught.)
She quoted a figure close to $600 for the restaging. That was for two or three people for three hours. It ended up being seven hours plus and additional three hours for two movers. My total was 1365.
The result was stunning, but I was stunned that the cost was nearly twice what I had expected. Also, they removed my china cabinet. They didn't just move it, as I had expected -- they put it in my garage! They also put one of my curio cabinets in my garage. (!!!) I have a lot of china and curios. I had the items in a guest room, unpacked from the cabinet so they could move it around. The did put my curios in my two of my three curio cabinets. Imagine my surprise when I had no place to put my china and crystal! (I had told the owner that I have a LARGE family, so I use all the china and crystal for family dinners.)
I am just too overwhelmed and still emotionally raw to deal with all my things. _________________________
I wrote the above review after the staging and, obviously, didn't post it. My short-term memory was still bad due to my grief.
Just over one year later, I am moving some of my curios and found that a Waterford sandwich plate from my mother and a t Waterford Lismore vase are CHIPPED!! I am now taking every item out of my curios cases to examine them. I am absolutely sick about the damage I've found thus far. I should have examined every piece at the time of the staging, but I was still pretty tender in my grief.
These were expensive and heart-rending lessons:
Don't make changes for two years after a loss. (You are not in your right mind!)
Have details and possible extra costs detailed in a contract.
Examine EVERY item after they are moved.
"{Member name removed], I do remember how pleased you were with the new look! Initially we had talked about the possibility of completing our part of the job in fewer hours if you were going to have the chance to unload fragile contents before we arrived. I know you did at least get a start on this. In one room we could hardly step inside because of stacks of china, crystal and collectibles covering the floor. When it was apparent that we would need to come back for a second day you were aware that there would be additional cost. I am very sorry for the breakage you discovered. Had we been aware of any damage occurring during our process we would have brought it to your attention and would have sought to make restitution. I know it was such a very hard year. I felt glad that we were able to make your nest a little more cheerful and comfortable."
"You guys are just delightful! I am happy that you keep thinking up new projects : )"
"What an awesome historic home! It was fun visualizing the possibilities of new paint."
- Paint color selection - remodel and new construction
- Carpet - selecting and installation
- Window Treatments - custom - was even able to hem previous window treatments to use in our new home
- Accessories/art - selection, placement, hanging
- Furniture - re-upholstery, fabric selection for customer furniture, placement in the room
"You are one of my favorite people! thank you for all the neighbors and friends that you have referred to me!"
"And you have become a friend : ) You had lots of pretty things to work with!"
and also her own description of her business on her Website.
Still very hesitant, I contacted her asking for help and she responded right away with an enthusiasm that now I recognize as genuine of who she is. She came to my house a few days later and we did a run-through of the whole place while I talked about what we loved and did not love about our new house, who we are as a family, etc. She listed to me, asked questions that would help her understand my needs and personal taste, and told me about her own philosophy as a personal decorator. After the initial run-through, she helped me decide what would be our first project based on what my main frustration and needs were. We decided on window treatments for the exterior windows. She presented several general ideas to me and later sent me some pictures of what she was talking about. After communicating back and forth with Ginny and talking to my husband we decided on shutters (the most expensive option, which she did NOT push me towards--actually she worked hard to improve my windows on a much smaller budget).
On a later visit, she brought samples from a local shutter manufacturer and helped me settle on a color and style. She then contacted the manufacturer to communicate what we wanted, negotiate price, and make scheduling arrangements (just the stuff I hate doing!). The manufacturer's prices were very reasonable and we are very happy with the final work they did.
As for Ginny, she is staying on my contact list for the foreseeable future. She is a warm, caring person who wants her clients to love their home and I look forward to working with her, one project at a time.
"It is such a pleasure doing business with you. You are always upbeat and practical. I am so glad that your home is starting to look more like you guys now!"
"We did window treatments in almost every room of the house before we were done, didn't we? You have a beautiful home. Your attention to detail shows!"
Licensing
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