McAdams Remodeling & Design
About us
Previous DBAs- The McAdams Company & McAdams Builders. Additional email- [email protected].
Business highlights
Services we offer
McAdams Remodeling & Design is a full service residential remodeling general contractor with 40 years of experience in the Seattle area. Based in Kirkland, WA, we specialize in design-build projects ranging from whole-house remodels and second story additions to a small bathroom remodel or full kitchen renovation. Our 10-year Limited Warranty ensures our clients are taken care of beyond the initial construction period.
Amenities
Free Estimates
Yes
Number of Stars | Image of Distribution | Number of Ratings |
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The most impressive part? In no case did the changes they suggested to improve quality *ever* increase the price. In one case, it decreased it by about a thousand dollars.
They are a design-build company, and while their designs aren't up to the sheer intricacy of the architect we worked with on a different project, they're serviceable enough; and they're pretty decent at solving for multiple variables and working in as much as possible of our wish list into one space.
So what are the negatives that brought them down to a B in my eyes? Simple: their devotion to quality has a flip side, and that's that they simply refuse outright to use any materials, or acquire said materials through any supplier, who isn't one of their "regular" vendors.
They claim not to accept kickbacks, and I have no particular reason to doubt them on this. But whether the reason is that they're getting paid to steer customers toward their chosen vendors or simply that they don't trust the quality or service of anyone except their chosen vendors, the result is the same... a very, very limited selection of items one is permitted to use for one's remodel.
This is fine if you don't care much about what tile or lighting fixtures you have, so long as they're high quality -- McAdams' sources are impeccably high quality. Or it's fine if you happen to like exactly the kind of modern stuff, either very basic or very trendy, that their regular sources sell. But if you're trying to do a different look from the typical, there is a real problem, because McAdams will balk outright and refuse to install anything which they didn't approve.
I'm pretty angry at them right now for this. I've fought through six separate choices of bathroom tile, each wildly different from the others, in an attempt to find one which was acceptable to them. Some were rejected because they came from overseas, and McAdams won't use anything which has to be imported because they don't trust the shipping to get there on time. Some were rejected because they were handcrafted, and anything handcrafted would take far too long to get finished... which only became an issue because McAdams' designers only gave me 2 weeks' lead time between when they informed me I should start selecting a bathroom tile and when they needed it to arrive. Meaning I not only could only use their vendors, I couldn't use anything which wasn't immediately in stock, in the continental U.S. and preferably on the west coast. Even though I had told them I was planning to use a lot of handcrafted materials in the first place, long before we began the project. Eventually I pressured them into allowing handcrafted tile and just waiting as long as it took... at which point we found out that the handcrafted tile were simply too expensive.
Then there were the Mexican Talavera tiles, which were handcrafted and inexpensive, and fit in with the look we wanted, and were kept stockpiled so they were available right away. Those were simply rejected because they weren't of a high enough quality for McAdams' tile installer's standards.
This is just one example, but you see what I mean. I've had to fight this battle with them on almost every selection we've had to make. I always willingly look first at their preferred suppliers -- I do trust their sense for quality products, and I value their experience and knowledge of who has good materials!! I'd be a fool not to look first at the people they trust. But if the people they trust simply don't have anything which is remotely acceptable to me, I expect to be free to choose my materials from anywhere on the planet where I can legally obtain them, so long as they don't compromise the structural integrity of the house. If they don't want to warranty the things I choose, that's fine; but if I accept the risk, I feel that I should be able to get any products I want and expect that they'll put them in without complaint.
At the same time, in justice to them, they are doing an excellent job on the construction; they are knowledgeable about the products we're using (even if they have a far too narrow window of acceptable sources), and they are conducting the entire process with integrity.
They're a good company. I'm not sorry we're using them. But I really wish they'd remember whose house this is.
"Thanks [member name removed]! We love working with you!"
McAdams Remodeling and Design did an outstanding job on my kitchen/living room remodel. Just as the demo was complete, life delivered several intense and all-consuming challenges and my plate became entirely full. They stepped in like I would never have imagined or expected. Their professional and caring team allowed me to focus on what I needed to take care of and I was free of worry or the need to micromanage the project in any way. They did what they said they would do. The project was completed on time and within budget. They communicated daily as to the status and/or any changes to the schedule. When I arrived home from work at night my house would be left as clean and sanitary as it could have been considering there was a remodel going on. When a mistake made (only one) they communicated to me immediately and covered the expense of fixing it. Truly, I have had no surprises or disappointments and to this day, every time I walk into my house I am filled with the warmth of how beautiful it is and how pleasant the whole experience was.
McAdams Remodeling and Design pricing will not be the least expensive as they are a ‘turn-key’ builder and I will tell you that they are worth every single penny. This became even clearer to me this last summer when I hired a large box store to do a master bathroom remodel. My thinking was, ignorantly, “it’s only a bathroom do I really need a ‘turn-key’ builder?” The answer is a resounding YES!! Not only did a 5 week job turn into a 9 week job, on a daily basis I was dealing with contractors that didn’t show up, who did shabby work when they did, there was no communication between anyone involved in the project and certainly not with me. There was absolutely NO project management component. It was 9 weeks of stress and frustration. The complete bathroom looks nice but unlike the McAdams project, when I walk into it, the amount of stress involved in the completion entirely diminishes the beauty of the job.
Finally, Len Mc Adams recently contacted me for a follow up on my 2008 kitchen/living room remodel. They do this this periodically after a job is completed. When he saw the areas of my bathroom remodel that were either sub-par or were still not complete on my bathroom remodel, he offered to come in and finish the project.
In life, you get what you pay for and this has never rung so true. Thank you Len and McAdams Remodeling and Design!
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