Design Pro Remodeling

We hired Design Pro to remodel a fixer upper home. They were recommended to us by our realtor. We had Design Pro do a large whole house remodel. We expanded and remodeled our kitchen, expanded and remodeled the master bath, remodeled all the guest bathrooms, installed wood flooring in the entire house, new lighting in the entire home, upgraded our electrical system, and repaint and refinish everything. It was a huge project. They did a great job and Design Pro had an excellent network of contractors to perform the work. Our project manager Leo was a pleasure to work with and the team was always available to help solve any issues that come up with such a large project. We highly recommended Design Pro. They did a great job turning a old fixer upper house into a wonderful home we love.

On time, within budget, very responsive. I'd been waiting for another company for 8 weeks; they eventually said they wouldn't do it so my Realtor suggested Design Pro Remodeling. Five days later I had a new soffit that matches my house color perfectly.

Stay away from Design Pro. First, they did not fulfill their contract with us to paint and do dry wall/trim repairs at our house. They lied, cheated, and now they are threatening to put a lein on our property! Extremely unethical, unprofessional, and unknowledgeable in paint. Secondly, we have since had a professional painter come in, test and verify that Design Pro painted water based latex paint over our existing oil based paint without doing the proper prep work, and now ALL of our trim is peeling and needs to be stripped and repainted. This is a MAJOR screw up on their part and will cost us many thousands of dollars to fix. Any professional, legit painter should know better. If I rub my finger down the trim, the paint just peels right off! These guys don't know what they are doing. I am an interior designer by trade, and my dad is a retired GC. My grandfather had a drywall business. My cousin has a painting business (all out of town) so I am highly experienced in home renovations. Aside from the massive screw up with our trim paint, our contract with Design Pro remodeling explicated stated they would repair ceiling dry wall seams with new tape/spackle, repair dry wall seams on walls (and nail pops), sand all trim completely, along w/ filling in dings and dents in the wood trim prior to painting. Look at the photos, they speak for themselves. The photos are of the finished product we got from them, after they told us they were done, unless we wanted to pay more out of pocket, beyond the agreed upon contract price. They didn't complete the work in the contract, were really sloppy, did not supervise their painters who left early, slacked off, and then refused to finish the work without us paying more. Some GC's do this, and try to shake you down for more money at the end. MD, the project manager, lied to me repeatedly. Texted me repeatedly stating he would fix everything and do the repairs and fulfill the agreed upon contract (maybe I'll upload screenshots of theses conversations as proof they lied). Then the next day they basically walked out when they couldn't shake us down for more money. Javier who is their subcontracted painter, was supposed to be at the house supervising his crew. He was not here. I only met him finally at the end, when he fed me every excuse in the book as to why the paint job looked sloppy. I felt like because I am a woman I was being lied to. My husband is the one who contracted Design Pro, but I got involved when he was not here as I saw the work not getting done right. My father is a retired GC, has done residential and commercial work, built many of the skyscrapers in Philadelphia. He is the real deal. I would call him and tell him what the painters and project manager were telling me, and he told me they are straight up lying to me. If you end up hiring Design Pro, do not let them bring Javier into your home for painting. His crew is awful, lied to me and told me they put five coats of paint on my trim which you will see in photos is false. Said they painted two coats on dry wall, when they only painted one. Javier would tell me things like he couldn't sand out and fix paint drips caused by his crew because the paint was peeling too much. Well, the paint was peeling because he painted latex over oil paint without proper bonding primer! I was even lied to and told they painted 5 coats on the living room mantle, but in the photos you can visably see missing paint. Even Design Pro's project manager said to me one day, "Are they blind" referring to how bad the paint job was. Paint drips everywhere, bubbles in the paint, dust in the painted trim from a dirty brush, and they even put scratches in my brand new hardwood floors that had just been completed 1.5 weeks prior. They were supposed to pull the dry wall tape off the ceiling, put new tape, spackle, etc. to hide the seams and they didn't do that. I could go on and on about all the things they didn't do that were in the agreed upon contract. But the biggest screw up is that they painted the latex over oil based paint without doing the correct prep work and now it is peeling. A professional painter told us all this trim painted by Design Pro now needs to be stripped. Who is going to pay for that huge costly mistake? Design Pro really messed up and they have some nerve threatening us now. I will update this review of Design Pro as this issue continues to unfold, and I will continue to spread the word about this business so that other homeowners don't go through what we are currently going through and then get threatened with liens on their homes. Really disappointing.

Design Pro was quick to respond to my request for an estimate and for performing the services. The crew doing the work was very competent. I am happy with the result and the cost was reasonable.

Excellent job!

The workers were super-industrious, courteous, and did top-class work. The company supervisor checked and rechecked to make sure that everything was done well. I recommend them without reservation.

T.C., Omar and their crew did a spectacular job on this project! We cannot be happier with the outcome of the work. They pulled permits based on my architect's drawings, did a fantastic job on the demolition, and successfully installed a 14' 900lb steel beam to open up our kitchen into the sunroom. Omar is a fantastic foreman to work with and he is very understanding and supportive of our project requests. This team remained flexible with our schedule and saw the project through to completion. They performed the work exactly to approved plans and also took on more work within schedule as we added scope to the total workload. They cleaned up daily and stayed in constant contact with us as the project progressed over 2 months. Omar ensured we got final approval from the county inspector. Their electrician is the best in the business! Very good group of guys that I would not hesitate recommending for your next renovation project.

Not great. The first time the steps were put in place, the last step was an inch and a half longer than the ones above it. I complained to the consultant, and the workers were responsive in fixing the inconsistency. There was no picture of the finished product presented to me beforehand, so it was difficult to know what the workers had in mind for the final product. I found out later that the foreman decided on his own to add a much larger landing than before, making it more difficult to maneuver around the porch that before. After the concrete for this landing had dried, I discovered a small crack in the landing. The workers were called back, and their initial (bad) idea was to simply add another layer of concrete to cover up the crack. Instead we negotiated, and they filled in the crack with some kind of sealant. Who knows how long that will last? Part of the landing is streaked white with the sealant, so I will repaint that eventually myself. In short, this is a good company if you plan to fix up your house for sale, but not if you are looking for a long-term, lasting, quality solution. The attitude of the laborers was good, but they lacked sufficient knowledge to do a really good job on the craftsmanship.

Overall, we had a positive experience working with DesignPro for a kitchen and bath remodel to our 1950s home. Their rates were reasonable for the work that was completed. Jeff Newell (contractor) is a pleasure to work with. He is professional, punctual, communicative, and responsive. Compared to several other contractors from whom we solicited proposals, Jeff was thorough and timely in coming to the house and following up with a detailed estimate. He noticed several things other contractors didn't, and was great about working through some tricky aspects of the work we needed done. His professionalism and customer service orientation exceeded most other contractors we spoke with. He was always very committed to solving problems and making sure we were satisfied and informed. There were several elements of our project that ended up requiring more labor (electrical and carpentry) than was initially planned. Jeff and his team were great about ensuring they were taken care of, even with some extra work and headaches. Many other contractors would probably have charged us for all of it, but DesignPro did not -- there were a few charges on our final invoice that we did not anticipate at the beginning of the project, but this is to be expected with any project, and we felt they were fair and were happy to pay them. Our foreman, Edgar, is a lovely guy, and was willing to be responsive to changes or requests as we went along. All the other crew members who came to our house were friendly, helpful, and conscientious. Clean-up at the end of the day was always thorough, though we did have a shifting pile of debris in our driveway for the duration of the project. There were some areas where it was clear there were communication gaps between Jeff and Edgar -- certain things we had discussed with Jeff did not always make their way to Edgar or the rest of the crew, so there were occasions where things needed to be adjusted. There were other things, such as size of walls or placement of outlets and light switches, that were not discussed with us before they were done -- in some cases we were able to correct them, but in others we were stuck with them. In general, I worked from home for much of the duration of the work, which allowed me to keep an eye on things and maintain quality. There were numerous small details which were missed or done quickly, and required a keen eye to ensure that they were done right. I think this is the nature of any remodeling job, but worth noting. In general, work was completed in a timely manner. We were given an estimate of 6-7 weeks and the work was done in 8 weeks, though as mentioned we did have a few challenging things arise which probably extended the timeline. Communications on progress and deadlines were consistent, so we felt progress was reasonable. There were a few periods where nobody would show up at the house for a couple of days, but generally things ticked along steadily. Overall, would recommend DesignPro with the note that ensuring consistent communications and quality of work done to the client's specifications may be up to the client to a degree. However, everyone on the team certainly aimed to please, and in our case they generally did!

I am still in the process of using this service provider, due to we are still waiting for some equipment to come in, not at anyone's fault. But so far the bathroom looks very professional. I believe that the pricing is good, they were very reasonable. They were very detailed, and informative.

good. they did a nice job and were timely in their completion. when there was a problem after the fact they came back quickly.

We've used design pro for a bunch of other projects and they've done a great job.  Very responsive and we can't beat the price.  We had to do a lot of the planning for the bathroom project, but they did everything we asked and would definitely use them again.

It went perfectly.   The company responded in a timely fashion and promptly completed all work and paperwork.   I could not have been more satisfied.

Design Pro is the BEST!
They kept every promise and then some. We worked with Jeff Newell, who worked with us closely from estimation, design options to the completion of the project. They finished the project in budget and the work product is above expectation.
All the staff starting from head foreman, electrician, carpenters, finishers, painters, granite, plumbers, etc were simply the best. They all cleaned after their work every day, discussed unanticipated challenges and suggested ideas/options. The workmanship is of very high quality at the best price possible.
We were looking for all plywood construction cabinets with a specific color/paint. The custom cabinets were getting very expensive, Design Pro suggested cabinets that fit all our requirements and were well within the budget range. They were very transparent with options, never tried to sell anything that we did not ask or need.
They finished the whole project in time not a day delay and were kind enough to accommodate our vacation schedule.
I recommended them to all my friends, in fact we are planning to get our bath room re-modeled with Design pro.

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Design Pro did an excellent job.  Juan and Alonzo arrived and immediately got to work.  I was not around to witness all the work because I was at work, but the results speak for themselves!  They completely opened up the doorway from floor to ceiling making it a seamless passage between the foyer and kitchen.  They also fixed all the crown molding and chair rails.  The area looks so much better now.  My wife came over after work and was very happy with the work.

Went great. I went online to request an estimate and they arrived two days later with an estimate underneath what we were offering the sellers to take care of it. They were willing to work around my schedule and get everything done fast.

We purchased a 1970s vintage townhouse and wanted to fix several things, which in aggregate were too much for a standard handyman but, as we learned, not interesting enough for DC-area contractors who are flush with larger projects.  We called numerous firms who only would consider our relatively small project if (1) we were willing to pay an exorbitant sum or (2) wait 6-8 weeks to start the project.  After exhausting the Angie's List contractors with the most ratings, we called Design Pro based on a recommendation from our realtor. 
The project manager, Jeff Newell, spent an hour with us understanding the work we wanted done, and he also offered very helpful suggestions - including discouraging work he thought was unnecessary.  To our relief, his quote for the project came in at a reasonable level, and they were able to take some crews off of other projects to complete our messy tasks (floor refinishing, door construction) before we moved in.  In the end, we were extremely pleased with the quality of the work, especially the hardwood flooring.  We needed to have new pieces puzzled in where the demolished wall had been and then needed to have the whole floor refinished.  It looks gorgeous.
That said, we were first-time home remodelers and were unaware of the communication difficulties that apparently are common with contractors.  For example, the door we had installed was supposed to be solid wood, but the on-site manager bought a hollow one.  He was not happy when we pointed out the mistake, but as soon as we mentioned it to Jeff, Jeff took care of it.  Also, although they used a dustless sander to refinish the floors, there was a layer of sawdust covering the adjacent room afterward - which we spent an hour and a half cleaning the afternoon before the move.  We would have appreciated knowing in advance that we would be responsible for such cleanup.
In sum, Design Pro deserves a higher profile on Angie's List - the quality of their work is very high; prices are reasonable; and unlike everyone else we spoke with, they seemed to truly care about our business.  But because we had some communication issues (between the project manager and the on-site team, as well as between the manager and us), potential customers should be watchful of such things.

Design Pro did several jobs for us in Oct. of 2012.  Unfortunately, we left the area for the winter and I left all my paperwork behind so am only now providing this greatly deserved positive review.  
We initially hired Design Pro to repair and stabilize a large deck on our home that had become unsafe due to settlement underneath.  We had contacted several companies for advice and an estimate.  Jeff Newell, Design Pro, was very responsive, professional and knowledgeable and the cost estimate was competitive and resonable.  The work involved replacing  the posts supporting the deck to stabilize it and the stairs.  A large stabilizing beam was also installed along the entire span of the deck.  The deck is now so sturdy, you could park a truck on it!   They did a great job and it looks great too.
We were so pleased with the work of Design Pro that we then had them to also do some other jobs.  They repaired the chimney flashing and mortar, and installed new roof vents.  This project was also completed to our total satisfaction.
 
We would definitely use Design Pro again and highly recommend them for others to use.

They worked really well and it was within budget.

Used these guys on my parents house to prep it for sale after they had done such good work at my house. They did a great job, got the entire house done in less than 5 days. Rudy was the foreman, he was a really nice guy, always willing to drop everything and give me a status update and/or answer any questions. The caliber of their painting was good as well, you could tell they've been doing it a long time - I've done enough painting at my own house to know that anyone who can 'cut-in' on the ceiling that quickly and that straight HAS to be a professional!

Look forward to working with these guys again in the future. Am glad that they do more than just painting - we have some cabinets that need installing, and if their price on the painting was any indication, these guys are probably going to be our cheapest option for those as well!

Excellent! After several bad experiences with general contractors, Design Pro was a breath of fresh air! Received an estimate from Steven on the entire kitchen remodel within just a few days, and they were able to start the project the very next week. Unlike contractors we've used in the past, the Design Pro team quickly earned our trust for their punctuality and trustworthiness - so much so that my "worry-prone" wife ended up leaving them the keys to the house for the final two days of the project! The entire kitchen remodel (appx 150 sq. ft) took less than a week, and they left each day with the entire work area cleaned up and tidy - even allowing us continued access to our stove and refrigerator throughout the project. The foreman, Max, surprised us on the last day by even adding custom-built trim to the cabinets - something we didn't even paid for - to give them a built-in, stunning look.

We were so impressed that when our shower-drain in the master bath developed a leak a few days later, we gave them a call on the off-chance they did plumbing as well, despite the company name - and I'm glad we did because they were able to help us! As my wife and I were thinking of remodeling the shower in our masterbath anyways, we figured this was as good of time as any, while the drywall underneath the shower was ripped out. Design Pro, remodeled our shower for us, even explaining that we had about a foot of unused space behind the wall that could - by just moving the water-supply pipes a little bit - be expanded to give us 5 extra sq. ft. of space in our new shower. We decided to go ahead and go for it, since price wise it really wasn't much of a difference. The Design Pro team re-tiled the shower, base to ceiling, AGAIN surprising us with a built-in, recessed soap dish, which looks so cool and which my wife and I absolutely LOVE! As with the kitchen, they left the workspace neat, tidy, and as functional as possible throughout the 3.5 day project - never complaining once about being left at the house alone all day with our overly friendly/face-licking bulldog mix, Paisley, all day long.

We've already recommended Design Pro to several of our friends and family - in fact our neighbors were so impressed with the look of our kitchen that they hired Design Pro to do their kitchen as well with the same impeccable results. The only problem?
Now that we've found Design Pro, my wife keeps looking for more things around the house that they can do - we actually just requested an estimate on finishing our basement just last week!