Zee Dee Touch

Had an absolutely wonderful experience with Zee Dee Touch, one of the best contractors I've dealt with in the DMV area. The team was always on time and professional (cleaned up the site at the end of each workday). Most importantly, the quality of their work was amazing. Had a bathroom renovation in an older condo building with some issues. When initially meeting with Boban he assured me that it could be easily remedied within a reasonable timeline. He was correct and completed the job two days ahead of schedule. Also, the price (quote) and timeline he provided outmatched his competitors. My wife and I are very happy with the project's outcome, and I can wholeheartedly recommend his services to anyone else. Now on to the kitchen with this team, Lol !!!

After we chose our cabinets they came and took the measurements. Everything fit perfectly. They even arranged IKEA to send us several missing parts. It was pleasure working with all their staffers; particularly Dusen, Igor and Damir who supervised the work. If you are thinking an IKEA kitchen Zee Dee Touch is the company to hire.

Dusan did a great job of walking me through all the particulars. My advice is to know what you want to see in a new kitchen before having the measuring and planning service done. Before you have this service done, go to Ikea, not just once, but on a few occasions, to look at all of what Ikea has to offer and to determine what you like and what you don't want in your new kitchen. Get all of Ikea's planning brochures that apply to your project. Don't be afraid to ask questions of the personnel at Ikea stores. The people at Ikea in Woodbridge have been absolutely phenomenal in answering mine. Also write down your questions as you think of them. There are a lot of details to consider, so this will help you not overlook anything important to you. Take your time. With this preparation, your measuring and planning service will go smoothly. I received my plan in a very timely manner after Dusan left. I definitely recommend the measuring and planning service. As part of the plan, you will also receive a list of all parts you will need, whether you decide to try to install the kitchen yourself, or have Zee Dee do it. I'm looking forward to having Zee Dee over later this year or early next year to install my new kitchen.

Let me first clarify that Zee Dee Touch represents Traemand in the DC, VA and MD region.  Traemand is a nationwide company that subcontracts to local contractors, such as Zee Dee Touch, throughout the United States for IKEA kitchen installation.  It is in that context that I give Traemand and one of its partners, ZeeDee Touch, a five-star rating.  Why five stars? Frankly, when I bought my kitchen cabinets from IKEA I expected IKEA's performance to be spotless and the recommended contract to be less than stellar and the exact opposite happened.   First, the fact that Zee Touch is not only the General contractor but also installs the cabinets, means you are dealing with one company.  Second, the flexibility of the Zee Dee Touch when, unbeknownst to us, IKEA had singlehandedly postponed the entire kitchen cabinets delivery by a week, making installation obviously impossible.  Despite their already booked schedule, Zee Dee Touch was able to shift jobs and workers to accommodate the situation without much change in the final deadline.  Third, the professionalism, courtesy and efficiency of the staff, as well as the team spirit and the respect between staff, were  impressive.   Fourth, the great advice we got during the planning and measurement appointment with Milos; it saved us a lot of potential mistakes (why people do not take advantage of this Ikea service is beyond me).  Finally, my kitchen looks great...  minus a couple of minor misses as they were trying to hurry out of the door.  To make a long story short, I'd hire Zee Dee Touch again and DO recommend them highly.  Just for the record, I am not sure I would purchase my kitchen cabinets from IKEA (there were other IKEA screwups which I did not mention in this review).

First, I want to make a comment about  the B rating assigned to ZDT which I think is undeserved. It seems to mostly have resulted from 2015 installations which were hampered by Ikea's inadequate product supply which occurred when IKEA first introduced the new Sektion cabinet line last year. Be aware however that if you need extensive plumbing or electrical work, you will need a contractor not an installer.
Zee Dee Touch (ZDT) handled our installation which was actually a total kitchen renovation.  They did a wonderful job.
We have lived in our 80 year old house for 30 years. The previous owner was here for the 30 years before us.  There are no plumb lines anywhere and the ceiling height in any room can vary up to an inch.  Never the less, we love the house. It has 3/4 inch red oak floors, plaster walls and lovely details everywhere.
The previous owner had created an adhoc kitchen which we had changed only a little.  Therefore we decided to get rid of everything down to the walls and the wood floor.
ZDT wears two hats in the IKEA installation process. One is as Traemand, the IKEA subcontractor who designs, assembles  and installs the kitchen.  The other is as ZDT which carries out the demolition and any other electrical, plumbing, plastering or carpentry work to put everything in place.
Our first contact with ZDT was with Igor who has remained in contact and responsive to our requests for the entire 2 month process.  He helped us refine our first 'design' attempt into a plan that was lovely and would actually fit in our kitchen.  Unless you are a skilled DIYer, I don't think you should ever try to plan or install an IKEA kitchen by yourself. 
Igor helped us plan and then provided drawings and a detailed purchase list to take to IKEA.  The list included every one of the  big and tiny pieces required for the cabinets, the sink and the new appliances.  IKEA gave us a delivery date and ZDT set up the start of installation 2 days later.  Our installation team was headed up by Nathan and Alejandro.  If you can manage to get Nathan, you will be a very happy homeowner.  He is easy to deal with and very conscientious. The team arrived at 8:30 and left at 5. They worked hard all day.  They tore out all the old cabinets and the existing tile work, removed the refrigerator, the stove, the sink, pulled up 4 layers of previous flooring and installed the wall and base IKEA cabinets. They replastered the holes, cracks and gaps which resulted from the demolition.  Everything went fast and smoothly for two days but on the 3rd, the team discovered that under the old layers of flooring, termites had eaten their way across the kitchen turning a swath of oak planks to paper.  If they hadn't taken up all the layers, we would never had known and most of our appliances would have migrated to the basement.
After a 2 week break to get this repaired, the installation resumed and was finished in 3 days.  They retiled two walls and installed 6 floor to ceiling cabinets as well as the appliances.  So all told, 6 days of demolition and reconstruction which included plumbing, electrical, plaster and installation.  
I think the Zee Dee Touch did a great job. I am happy to recommend our team to anyone.

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Z was very helpful in designing the Ikea Kitchen. We used Ikea's company for the countertop but Zee Dee Touch performed the cabinet install and appliance installation. There are some hidden charges I wished they'd let me know ahead of time but overall, the install went ok with only a few hiccups. Would use again.

Had ZD Touch come out to provide the in-home measurement and estimate as part of IKEA's kitchen planning service.  Will list out the good and the bad for an easy read:
The Good:
1.  Igor from ZD Touch was on time, professional and courteous.  He did a good job measuring the kitchen, creating the online kitchen plan layout from IKEA's software, and made some good suggestions for layout as well.
2.  Subsequent follow ups with Igor for changes to the kitchen plan along with estimates for additional work from ZD Touch (not from IKEA) went very well.  Igor was responsive and accommodating.  
3.  The estimates received from ZD Touch for the additional (non-IKEA) renovation work seemed reasonably priced.
The Bad:
1.  The price for cabinet installation was high (though I don't fault ZD for this as IKEA sets these prices).
2.  After a few weeks of great communication, Igor went on vacation, and no one from ZD Touch ever contacted me again.
Summary:  my experience with ZD Touch was pleasant.  Igor did a good job with the measurements and did a good job with (initially) staying in communication with me.  End of the day, I ended up going with another contractor so no harm no foul there but it would've been nice to receive a follow up upon his return from vacation.  But in his defense, he did put me in contact with another ZD Touch employee to work with me while he was gone, but this person never once contacted me.

Everything turned out really well, they did an excellent job. I have recommended them to a couple of friends, and I would definitely use them in the future.

Communication and scheduling were somewhat difficult, but they did a really good job on my kitchen. They figured out a problem from a previous project and helped fix that. They went above and beyond about giving me advice on my kitchen and it turned out really beautiful.

We purchased the design/installation service from IKEA for our kitchen. Within two days, we had someone from Zee Dee Touch at our home to draft a complete design and estimate. We contracted Zee Dee Touch to complete the demolition of our existing kitchen in addition to assembling and installing the cabinets. They arrived on time for work, and kept the work area clean. My husband and I were so impressed that we had them demo and remodel our first floor bathroom as well. We would absolutely use them in the future for other remodeling.

They were fast and efficient. Their plumber gave me a great deal on the plumbing services, I think it was $500 all in. The reason I gave them a lower rating for quality was that after installation, it the top of the cabinets were not flush with the ceiling. The cabinets were installed correctly but the ceiling wasn't level. The installer said he would return at a later date to correct the problem but we never heard from him again. I ended up using some of the trim we purchased and cut and mounted it myself.

The guy came out and took very god measurements and did a very good design on IKEA's online kitchen designer.
I did not use the company to demo, install or anything else.
After finding out that the company only accepts cash or check, I was weary of handing over cash - seen way too much TV that warns against such.

We got our plan in a timely manner, but were unable to re-establish any contact with Zee Dee after that. They did not respond to any of our phone calls or emails to alter our plan, answer questions or begin the work proposed. I guess it worked out for the best, as we ended up doing all the work on our own and re-designing the plan to better suit our needs. Our initial planning with Zee Dee at least got the ball rolling in the right direction, however.

While there are many minor issues remaining to include misaligned cabinet doors and missing hardware covers, there are three major issues that remain outstanding:

  1. COOKTOP CABINET. This cabinet is not flush with the wall which makes the subsequent installation of a granite countertop problematic. Reference picture "Cooktop Cabinet.jpg" for a visual representation of the issue.

  2. OVEN CABINET. Installation of the fascia of the cabinet was not accomplished. Cuts to accommodate the built-in oven and microwave oven were not made and remains incomplete. Reference picture "Oven Cabinet.jpg" for a visual representation of the issue.

  3. NORTH WALL CABINET ALIGNMENT.  The space between the ceiling and the cabinets installed along the north wall begin at 0.5" on the west end (North Cabinet West.jpg), to 1.125" on the east end (North Cabinet East.jpg).


Follows is a timeline of the events that have taken place to date:


16 OCTOBER

  - Igor from Zee Dee Touch LLC (ZDT) met with Alisa and our contracted designer to create the specifications of the kitchen remodel and IKEA materials required for purchase. Both Measurement and Design services were purchased from IKEA.
 
    - In addition to the measurement and purchase/parts lists being developed, plans were developed to build out existing soffits by a third-party contractor to a specific measurement to provide more of a "built-in" look. There measurements were taken by Igor and written on the walls themselves for record keeping.


18 OCTOBER

  - A third party contractor was brought in to extend the soffits to the specifications provided by Igor on 16 Oct. Measurements of final work were taken and verified.


25 OCTOBER (on or about)

  - Estimate, plans and Contract presented to us. Terms included an up-front payment of $1,080.50 to ZDT and an additional $1,000 upon completion of the work. According to the contract, work was scheduled to begin on Monday, 4 Nov, and to be substantially completed o/a Friday, 8 Nov.


01 NOVEMBER

  - Check hand delivered to ZDT office.


04 NOVEMBER

  - Work began on time.

  - Additional work ordered, accepted, and completed to install four new horizontal cabinets included in the IKEA order in the laundry room for $468.00.

NOTE: The lighting in the kitchen was inadequate. One track lighting fixture at one end and one low-wattage multiple-bulb fixture at the other end of the kitchen was the only light available. There is no overhead or other lighting available throughout the kitchen.

  - Work finished at around 6:30pm, 1 hour and 25 minutes after sunset. One worker and one management representative remained and we were asked to sign off on the work and produce the check as the work was "substantially" done. We were assured that they would be back to make any adjustments and to properly finish the job. Based on this assurance, a check in the amount of $1,468.00 was tendered and I signed the form presented.

  - My wife pointed out to the ZDT representative that the cabinets on the north wall were obviously crooked, dipping from the ceiling a full 1.5" from west to east. At first we were told that the ceiling was crooked, then other explanations were offered relating to other external excuses for the misalignment.

  - My wife also pointed out where filler between the oven cabinet and the wall was not cut right. It looked as if it had been chewed or broken to fit against the base, and the filler did not align with either the bottom of the cabinet or the floor; it just stopped midway between the two.

  - When asked about the fascia for the oven cabinet, we were told that it was the appliance installers responsibility to make the cuts and install the fascia on the cabinet. Both the oven and the microwave oven to be installed were on the floor in the kitchen the entire day as both were delivered in late October.

  - Both soffits that were extended by the third party contractor extended 1" from the cabinet faces destroying the "built-in" appearance that was the goal. After review of the plans, we and our designer were able to determine that the measurements provided by Igor on 16 Oct were, in fact, overstated by about 1" as compared to the actual depth of the cabinets.

  - Alisa was visibly shaken and the ZDT representative and worker were impassive to her concerns.


05 NOVEMBER

  - With the sunlight the next morning, we were able to find more problems with the job, both major and minor.

  - My wife called ZDT in the afternoon to discuss continuing work. She was told that the work was done. She then notified that she was placing a stop-payment on the second check because she was extremely dissatisfied with the work that was done. ZDT agreed to return the following day to discuss the issue.

  - In order to demonstrate good faith, my wife obtained a cashier's check in the amount of $468 to cover the additional work ordered and performed.


06 NOVEMBER

  - Zee and Igor came to meet with us. At first, Zee and Igor were very defensive and borderline hostile, harsh and intimidating; however, after a while they settled down and assumed a more helpful and accommodating attitude.

    - At one point early on, Igor told us that they were there to "get the cabinets on the wall, not to make it look good."

    - Zee reiterated that it was the appliance installer's responsibility to make the cuts in the oven cabinet fascia and mount it on the cabinet.

  - Igor took no responsibility for the error in measurements for the altered soffits insisting that he did not design the project.

  - Changes to the plan were discussed and we agreed to reimburse ZDT for additional parts purchased at IKEA although it was the plan that did not reflect the original intention of the design.

  - We gave Zee the cashier's check for the additional work in the laundry room.

  - It was agreed that ZDT would return at 9:00am the following morning to perform repairs and other work.


07 NOVEMBER

  - Igor and two workers began work on time.

    - The easternmost cabinet on the north wall was remounted so it would be more level to itself and more level with the ceiling, filling the uneven space between the next cabinet with caulk. The other cabinets remain as they were.

    - The filler between the oven cabinet and the wall was replaced.

    - Some, but not all, hardware covers were installed and all drawers and cabinet doors had their "bumpers" installed.

    - Payment in the amount of $1,211.00 to cover the remaining amount due of $1,000.00 plus reimbursement in the amount of $211.00 for the additional parts ZDT purchased from IKEA was provided to Zee.

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UPDATE: After speaking in depth with other contractors and other people doing similar renovations, the issues that we encountered are not unusual. While everyone would like an issue-free installation experience, I have yet to encounter any installation or renovation that went as smoothly as anticipated or promised. On review and with a significantly more informed understanding of the process, I realize that our expectations were too high. I do fault Zee Dee Touch for not managing my expectations better; how

Zee is very professional and knows what he is doing. He is also very personable and customer oriented. He doesn't do all of the work himself though. He uses an assistant to supervise a crew of 2-3 laborers. They are quick and efficient at assembling and installing the IKEA cabinets. We also needed some plumbing work to install a new sink and disposal and to change from an electric stove to a gas one. We did have a leak at the stove with a day after it was installed. Zee was very responsive about coming back to fix it. About a week after the job was done, we noticed the refrigerator has started to list to the left a little and was interfering with the door on a pantry cabinet right next to it. This in turn caused the lower hinge on the cabinet to break off. It took a few days to get someone to look at it and do a temporary fix by putting cardboard under the refrigerator. The cabinet wall needs patching and a new hinge and the refrigerator needs to be leveled better. That has taken longer than just a few days. Overall, I am happy with their work, but I think they might be working with too much volume and they may work too fast. Once the job is done, it seems, it is a little harder to get their attention again.

I chose Zee Dee Touch because it was one of the few companies out there that was specialized in installing IKEA kitchens. It's not every company that is comfortable dealing with IKEA materials. The quality of the renovations was well beyond my expectations. Zee, the supervisor, was great because when he first came to evaluate the work he was full of practical advice and helped me make design decisions that were crucial to improving the renovations. He pointed out that the cabinets I had chosen would leave a large and awkward-looking space between the fridge and the cupboards. I changed the plans, taking into consideration his advice, and am so glad I did. The team that came to do the work was pleasant, efficient, and clearly competent. I dealt with a couple of supervisors who were always professional, attentive, and courteous. When there was a question that the renovations in my kitchen might have caused a leak in the condo below me, Zee responded immediately and sent one of the supervisors who came as soon as he could and who thoroughly and carefully assessed the problem. Fortunately, the problem did not turn out to be caused by my kitchen repairs. I would definitely use Zee Dee Touch again because they were extraordinarily easy to deal with, prompt in answering questions, meticulous, and considerate. Ultimately, it is the quality of the work that I am most happy with and most recommend.

The owner is obviously a professional, but the people he sent to my house did not seem to be at all. In the first visit, he sent two workers to install cabinets, microwave, side panels, and drawer pulls. They left a couple of random things unfinished. They were also a little sloppy, pencil marks everywhere, and the and quot;clearand quot; caulking looks orange next to white cabinets.
I contacted the owner, he responded immediately. Said he would send another crew out to finish for free. I asked since they're coming anyway, can they install the last high cabinet, the toe kicks, the edging and the base side panels. He said no problem, gave me a good quote. I accepted. A second chance won't hurt.
He sent another crew of two guys who finished the job. I thought everything was fine until a few days later when I realized that they had strategically placed the trashcan to hide a mistake. On one side of this island-like space, the base cabinet was properly cut and installed in such a way that the stainless steel toe kicks are visible. On the other side, there is no toe kick; the side panel extends all the way to floor in place of the toe kick! AND it was crooked! Who does that?!
I contacted the owner. Again, Z responded immediately. He said that I didn't have the right materials from IKEA, so his team did their best with what they had. I said they should have pointed that out to me BEFORE they cut the wrong side panel. I could have exchanged it! He offered to come back and fix the work for free once I buy the new side panel. He should've offered to replace it and the toe kicks and do the work himself. I'm inexperienced with home improvement, and I didn't think to make that request on the spot. So I agreed I'd be in touch.
Later, when I started moving things into the kitchen, I found construction TRASH on top of the cabinets where I would not immediately notice it. And more pencil marks and and quot;clearand quot; caulking. Everything cost roughly $1200, including purchasing the new side panel and toe kick. For what I got, that was too much.
I decided I was done with the company. If I want non-professionals working in my house, I'm going to pay in food, not money. The only reason I'm not giving an overall D or F is because of how genuinely concerned he was with poor work. And because two months later, nothing has fallen on my head yet.

Z and his crew installed an IKEA kitchen for us last summer and we were so grateful after working with a really awful company that IKEA contracts with. They were friendly, prompt and knowledgable. Toward the end of the project, they called and rescheduled several times, which was irritating but not a big deal since I was off for the summer and had some flexibility. Several things happened afterward though that account for the poor rating: the crew left demoed kitchen materials in the alley for pick up, but didn't get it for almost a week. In that time we were cited by the city for alley violations. When we told Z about the citations, he asked us to handle it (which we did and the citations were eventually dropped). We felt that was less than professional since his crew was responsible both for the violation and the delay in removing the materials. The second reason is that he left some of the work unfinished, and made feeble attempts to remedy this, rarely returning our calls and then when he did, wanting less than 24 hours to schedule the fix. The final reason is the overall look of the kitchen a year later, with missing trim above the stove, under cabinet lights that continually fall down and crooked doors above the refrigerator. We had discussed a basement renovation with Z while he was working on our kitchen, but when we contacted him on several occasions to proceed, he didn't return our calls. I really wanted to be able to give them a glowing review, because Z and Chris are really nice people, but for whatever reason, they let us down overall.

Zee Dee Touch did a terrific job. They were prompt, they were efficient, they got the job done sooner than they said they would, they were professional and they cleaned up after themselves. We were very happy with them.

The look of the kitchen is very important to me and I wanted the cabinets and appliances to look perfect. I live in Miami and traveling up and down to monitor the remodel was not an option, so I needed responsible contractors who did great work. I also found Z because he specialized in Ikea cabinets. I only had to meet him once to figure out the layout and style of the cabinets and counter top and he took care of the rest. He coordinated the order, pickup and installation of appliances, cabinets and counter top. The kitchen came out great. Everyone complimented it during viewing and the house sold with with 3 weeks.

We were pleased with the work from the crew that installed our cabinets. They were fast and efficient, but didn't skimp on details. We were reluctant to hire someone to assemble IKEA cabinets, but we ultimately made the best decision, since the crew from Zee's did the job better and faster than we would have. They have expertise with IKEA products, which may seem insignificant, but we found their assistance with the kitchen cabinets invaluable. They also cut-to-fit our butcher block counter top and moved an electrical outlet to better accommodate our needs in the kitchen.
We found the cost to be competive and well worth what we spent. We would use Zee's again.

They did a great job; it was on par with the work they did prior to this. It was just a couple of hundred dollars because it was just an add-on to what they had done previously on some door refinishing, that we had discussed. However, this was some work; they went over and above what we had originally planned to do. When I was getting bids for the big work, for the kitchen and basement remodeling, their prices came back, in some cases, half of what others were quoting. So their pricing was incredibly competitive and the craftsmanship was topnotch. They were very straightforward, there were couple of instances where they could have gone ahead with what we discussed, but they found ways to save us money. They understood exactly what we were looking for and saved us money while doing it. They were the best I have used in Northern Virginia.

It went great! Good price, good quality design, easy communication and delivery of finished product. All around, it was money well spent.