McAdams Remodeling & Design

unknown

unknown

We're still in the middle of this project, so I can't give you a full rundown on how it's going to come out. But McAdams has done pretty well so far. Their workmanship is consistently better than I've had with several other contractors, and they take great care with their product -- they've asked our permission to change plans in mid-project about a couple of specifics (wood under-floor instead of concrete, for example) because they felt that they wouldn't get the quality they insist on without the change. 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.

I cannot imagine going anywhere else. When they finished the house I am now living in, I hired them to remodel the house I was selling again in late 2014. The are phenomenal.

unknown

We met the company at the Seattle home show. They are very professional and I really like the 10 years warranty that they offer which shows how confident they are with their craftsmanship. We were looking to do a whole house remodel with a second level addition. Their follow up was great. Due to a change in plan, we ended up not having the remodeling. I would definitely consider McAdam for our future big project.

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!

Excellent service start to finish. Mark met with us to find out what we were looking for. Gave us honest answers to what was realistic to do and what we could expect to pay. After design approval, he helped us in selecting cabinets and millwork to match our windows which we had already upgraded on our own. Lynn was great in working with us to help us select counter tops, backspash material, fixtures, tile, carpet, and hardware making the process extremely comfortable never pushing for her ideas but helping us get to what we wanted and liked. While they won't be the cheapest you might work with, you can be assured of quality work and professionalism throughout.

They were extremely professional came well recommended. Overall they appear to have a quality operation and they guarantee their work for 10 years. We were disappointed that after spending 2 hours with us to understand our needs, they were the only contractor that came back with a plan that didnt address 2 of our must haves - a walk in pantry and raising the floors in the adjacent room to be level with the kitchen. On one he said I never mentioned it (my husband assured me I wasn't imagining that it was discussed at length, including how I wanted the shelving and pictures of the existing walk in being taken) and on the floors he said that he was sure they could do it within the price they had given us. I don't think this is a trivial item, so saying it could be worked into the existing estimate did not give us confidence that the estimate was drawn up with care, despite the fact it had gone through a review process. We appreciate the benefits of process, but this didn't work for us. With every other contractor we got an estimate from, there were things we'd want to change and iterate on, but they all came back with a base plan that had what we wanted. The other contractors were more open and willing to tell us the allowances they had ballparked for items and were able to tell us what assumptions they were making in coming up with the cost - being upfront on what would have to be done to get to a solid estimate. With McAdams they gave a list of what types of work the overall number included but wouldn't talk any specifics unless we signed a contract for 5K of exploratory/design work. McAdams was also about 50K higher than the next highest estimate...and because they wouldn't share any specifics of how they got to the number they gave us we really couldn't evaluate it effectively against the other bids. McAdams does fixed price work and this could be driving some of the price as I'm sure they need to have a good bit of risk contingency built in to the number. It also appears they have quite a bit of overhead. If we could have seen what they allowed in each category, at a minimum in materials vs labor, we might have been more comfortable about our ability to evaluate the estimate. Overall because of how highly they were recommended to us, we would probably consider using them for a smaller/different project, but for one this big we'd need to work with someone who did a little better at listening to our needs and was willing to be transparent about costs.

They were professional, responsive and punctual. They were a little pricey for the job that they did.