Inside Story Design & Renovation

We weren't going to leave a review until yesterday, when we tried to move the mirror in the remodeled bathroom and found that her painter had not bothered to remove it before painting the wall. Rather than take the time (less than 10 seconds) to remove the mirror, he simply painted around it. Of course he didn't bother to tape around it either, so the paint made the mirror stick to the wall. When we removed it, we were shocked to see the old color where the mirror had been. But let's start at the beginning of this remodeling nightmare. Before work began, Brenda Baker (dba Inside Story) was easily reached by phone and her bid was fair. We hired her because of her price and since she was local with a son attending the same university as one of our daughters. Some of the specific tasks in this remodel were fine and went according to plan. Others, however, did not. Here are the most memorable examples of what went wrong. The plumber reversed the handles of hot/cold, but we caught it and pointed it out to her, asking that they be put where they traditionally go. The ceramic tile guy was careless and gouged (approximately 1-2 inches) the bathroom's stained solid wooden door. They simply filled it in with a material that does not match the stain, so the gouge is a permanent visible reminder of the tile man's inattentive haste and the Ms. Baker's refusal to repair what her employee damaged. The closet was reconfigured to maximize the now-smaller space. We noticed that one of the wood boards had a crack in it, so we examined it more closely. There was a large spot, 3-4 inches in length and width, where the wood had rotted beneath the surface. It formed (for lack of a correct word) a hole in the board. It went all the way through the board from one side to the other. Using a waste grade or near-waste grade wood wasn't what we thought we were getting on this job, so we asked her about it. Brenda Baker refused to replace the board. Throughout the project, she was out of town frequently. This made it impossible for her to supervise the work and more difficult for her to communicate with us or her subs. We got the distinct impression that her company was more like a hobby for her to occupy her spare time than a professional career. It's been more than a year and a half since this work was done, and, although we were very unhappy (and Ms. Baker knew we were unhappy) with the quality of much of the work, we didn't intend to leave a review until the painted mirror fiasco yesterday. It was, as they say, the straw that broke the camel's back. If you want your project done right, you should consider other contractors unless you can scrutinize everything and withhold payment until it's done right.

unknown

incredible work! honest with contracting estimates with actual breakdown of work to be performed... al-la carte for some general contracting work. I will continue to work with Brenda. I am a woman homeowner who lived in my house for 16+ years, grew up in a construction family and know I need to depend on the right contractors as the work performed is major home improvement projects that can make or break the value of a home! Thanks Inside Story!