LOCKHART WOODWORKS INC

I hired LWI Custom Cabinets to fabricate, stain and install cabinets in 11 apartments I was remodeling in Austin. We are long time owners and didn’t want to go the mdf or particle board route due to concerns with water leaks… in the apartments, but we didn’t want some of the higher end options that are standard features in LWI’s standard cabinets for cost saving reasons. We interviewed and shopped several cabinet makers in and around the Austin area and chose LWI. Linda worked with us on design features to meet exactly what we wanted and our price point without compromising her work product. Once we agreed on price and design we most importantly had to discuss timing. This small remodel project included fabricating, staining and installing all the cabinets in 11 apartments where the work had to be complete by a hard deadline. We had preleased the apartments and had tenants moving in. Matthew who runs the shop worked with us and OUR changing install date to make the everything work and he was in contact with us throughout the process. As one might expect with any construction process, there were bumps along the road, but Linda and Matthew worked with me and we finished the project on time. If you’re in the construction business you how critical cabinet installation is to completing the job on time. The cabinets are excellent quality, finished on time and budget. I highly recomend LWI Custom Cabinets.

They started in November but didn't finish until March. I would never want anyone to use them and go through that, it was terrible. On the surface they look good now, but it was excruciating. They have my pictures on their website, I'm not sure why, they didn't even take good pictures. It was a nightmare getting there. I have a son-n-law who is a custom home builder in KY and they designed my cabinets and Lockheart takes credit for the design but they did not, I provided them with the design. A cabinet install in KY would take a week, they took four months to install mine right. Rebuild, remake, handle pulls were put on wrong, doors were put on upside or wrong, the refrigerator would not fit in the box. The paint job on the cabinets, they've been in since March, and I have paint chipping off my cabinets everywhere! There should not be paint chipping. I called them, they said it shouldn't be happening because they put two coats of paint on it, but it is happening. With anything that ever went wrong they never took ownership of it. The boss would blame the guy that put the cabinet up wrong. They remind me of someone that wanted to get into the cabinet business without any knowledge of cabinetry. They do not have the skills required to run the business their running and ask people to pay the money they pay. I looked up a couple reviews and went with them, then later found some bad reviews, I should have done more digging. They said they have gotten like ten new clients due to my photos. I think they were just getting started when we went them. We provided them with all the drawings, I paid a guy in KY for the design. They would come back all the time and ask for more money. For example they trash can they suggested later came back and said it wouldn't fit so we needed to get the more expensive one. My husband came unglued on that one. They would call and say their coming then not show up and I wouldn't hear from them for days.

We were very happy with everything about the project. Linda came out, measured, gave us some options and before we knew it; a beautiful new kitchen. Two and a half years later, we are still quite pleased. You can tell more about a company when something goes wrong than when it's smooth sailing. We recently had some issues with the pull out trash drawer and though we weren't under warranty I called Lwi. The tech who came out repaired the drawer but said a much better mounting. system was now available. I had them do the installation of a new drawer unit and it was done very precisely and professionally and at a very fair price. I highly recommend this company if you're looking for quality custom cabinets. Travis Pipkin

Not well. The kitchen ceiling height was mis-measured, so the upper cabinets had to be rebuilt. The island was built to wrong dimensions. When I said to Linda that we had discussed the island size, she blew it off by saying "I'm sure we did, but you signed off on it". A small, simple bathroom shelf had to be built 3 times to get it right, even though they had a picture and dimensions. I could go on and on. It was a nightmare. At no time did anyone apologize for all the mistakes. An apology goes a long way. And to complete the job, Lockhart refused to come back and finish until we paid them in full. I refused to pay in full until the job was completed.

Initially the table looked fine. The problem was that I followed her recommendation for what type of finish to use. I asked for a durable finish, as I had young kids. The finish she applied is extremely non-durable. Even a hot cup of tea will leave a permanent ring, or discoloration. It scratches and imprints very easily. It was such an eye-sore after 1 year that I began keeping it under a tablecloth as much as possible.  I contacted her this year with my concerns. She told me that "she is no longer in the business of refinishing. She only does cabinetry." She also said, "nothing lasts forever."
What about this work, doesn't she stand behind it, shouldn't a finish last longer than a year? She repeated that she no longer does this work and recommended I finish it myself. She was not curious, concerned, helpful, kind, or customer oriented. I was obviously not a potential customer, this was not her field of work anymore.
The date of work indicated is approximate, from memory. It was a few years ago and I have no records of the transaction. I drove with my truck to deliver the table to her house, and she brought it to her shop in Lockhart. She was pleasant to deal with at the time. The point of the review is to bring awareness to customer service she offers. I know nothing about wood and completely accepted her advice  and assurance as to the finish of the table.

See above for details already described

This was our first experience with custom cabinet building.  Although we may have had a couple of issues in the process, Lockhart Woodworks went the extra mile to make sure we got what we wanted.They came out and reviewed the space and drew up designs.  They worked with us back and forth and made edits until we were happy with a final design.Cabinets were built at their shop and then installed at our house.  It took a little longer than what we expected but we had special installation needs that required more time on installation.We assumed the desktop would be seamless and it wasn't.  I would say don't assume anything.  Ask questions and make sure you know what the end/finished product will look like.  The company worked with us to correct the desktop and although not seamless they made sure we were happy with what we got.We asked for file drawers.  We assumed that they would be a certain size and files would face forward.  The file drawers were smaller than expected and the glides for folders  were installed so that the files faced sideways.  Again, don't assume what the end result will be... ask questions.  Tell them exactly what you want and make sure they understand your needs. I definitely learned from this first experience on how to help them to get you what you need and want.Overall the craftmanship is very good, the price is reasonable and the cabinets looks great in our spare bedroom. We will definitely use Lockhart Woodworks again for future projects.

After checking with several companies about the work we wanted someone recommended Lockhart Woodworks to us. We drew up a sketch and after some great ideas on how to improve it they gave us a price which was much lower than anyone else had given up. And time frame was even shorter. Linda and Robert were great to work with. They delivered right on schedule and we are thrilled with every piece they did for us. If I could give them a higher score I would.