NorWest Kitchen & Remodel

One star is too generous! I wish I listened to these reviews as they seemed spread out throughout the years but now I wonder if a lot of people just don’t have the time to go and write something…ESPECIALLY after norwest has wasted sooo much of your time already! I don’t even know where to start on how awful this process has been start to finish! But it falls right in line with these other reviews! Wasted time, terrible communication, labor bids that seem to go up and up in price or issues arising (which are always YOUR fault btw) we had cabinet delays which I understand but now have been at a standstill on moving forward…caused me to attempt to contract out pieces of the labor myself (that they should have done btw and that we paid for already) but then they don’t communicate if it’s all coming together and being handled correctly leaving me to do everything and to reiterate we already paid them half the bid quote!! this entire thing has been an absolute nightmare and all I seem to get from HD and norwest is that nothing not their fault whatsoever. Right now I have absolutely no kitchen, it’s completely demo’d with no walls -it’s winter and I have 2 small children…people just don’t care or have any accountability like in the past ?? I will never understand and I resent being treated like I’m the problem here and “over reacting” or something …I’m sorry the rest of the reviews speak for themselves!!

Still not completed and we started this process nearly 14 months ago. I first emailed a month ago after we were told it was completed and as you can see in the pictures, it shouldn’t be.. After multiple attempts, no response. So we have a too small of a panel which is not fully painted. I’m trying to reach someone who cares and wants to make this right.

This negative review didn't have to happen. After reading past reviews I was hoping that when my bathroom remodel was over, that I would be one of the positive ones. Unfortunately, the remodel hasn't even begun and I have chosen to take my business elsewhere. So here we go... We finally got to the point in life where we were ready to remodel our 1990's 5'x9' hall bathroom. When a friend of mine recommended NorWest, I thought it was at least worth a shot despite some of the negative reviews. From the outset, my conversation was about the general scope of the project and my general budget. If it wasn't reasonable, then I didn't want to waste anyone's time. I was told that my budget was somewhere in the realm of plausible, so I agreed to proceed. This meant paying a $250 fee to engage with them. This is the point where the road started to get a little bumpy, but was still acceptable. Each step of the process took weeks. The measurement appointment, the meeting with a designer, the labor estimate appointment...each of these folks was apparently so busy that they were booked out weeks in advance. Had I known that ahead of time, maybe I would have been more tolerant, but no one in the office let me know that these kinds of timelines were normal. This leads in to the general topic of communication, which became very frustrating. I consistently had to be the one to reach out and ask what was going on and what was next. When I didn't hear back, I had to reach out again to ask. This pattern repeated itself. Finally, we got to the labor estimate phase and things really started to go downhill. The estimator was here for about 10 minutes. He had the paperwork with all of the fixtures and finishes from the designer and we talked as well about the scope of the work. At the close of the appointment he said that normally estimates take 7-10 days but that he would have it to me in a week. After 2 weeks of hearing nothing I had to reach out to the office and ask what was going on. I was told that estimates take 2 weeks, that the estimator hadn't heard back from a subcontractor, and that I should have an estimate later that day or the next. So...another week went by and when I reached out, since no one at NorWest had bothered to contact me, I was told the estimator had been out of town but was back now, and I did get my estimate later that day. It did include a 5% labor discount for the delay. The estimate detailed what would be done, with the caveat that any changes or unforeseen circumstances could increase the price. The price was significantly higher than what had been discussed at the beginning of the process when I said I didn't want to waste anyone's time if my budget wasn't reasonable. At this point it was clear everyone's time and my money had been wasted. Cost aside, in digging deeper into the estimate, two high dollar labor items had been left off, even though they were in the designers details that the estimator had, one of which we even had a special conversation about while he was in my home. A few days after I received the estimate, the owner reached out to me to see how things were going. I appreciated the call and spoke openly regarding my concerns about the process so far. He assured me that if we opted to move forward, that I would not be having the same feelings of frustration that I had been experiencing. Shortly thereafter I informed the office manager that we would not be proceeding with the services of NorWest and I requested a refund of my initial $250. We went back and forth on this for a week with no resolution. I was essentially told that the $250 pays for the process to get an estimate, and that it would be credited toward labor costs. Since I was given an estimate, they had "performed" and I wasn't likely to get the $ back. There was much discussion about what "performed" means, and that if it is simply checking the box that I got an estimate, then yes, they performed. My argument is that the customer service bar is set very low if that's what it means to perform. Shouldn't the lack of effective, timely, and proactive communication count for something? Shouldn't the delays count for something? I waited a couple more days for a final response to my request for a refund of the $250. After not getting a verdict, I emailed and got an auto response that the office manager was out for week. I then emailed the owner. After no response for a week, I emailed them both again asking for whether or not I would get my $250 back. I heard back from the owner that he had replied, but from a different computer and it apparently didn't send. Nevertheless, my request was denied because they "performed." To think, they could have at least satisfied my frustration for $250 and wouldn't do it. So it has cost me $250, and more than 2 months of time that we could have been moving forward, to learn to trust the reviews. Where there's smoke, there's fire.

We had a great experience with Melissa in scheduling our bathroom remodel. We had a little hiccup with the cabinet vendor but once we got the delivery date Melissa pre-scheduled us based on that delivery date and they were here the next day to inspect and install the cabinet. It was a custom cabinet so the remodel took longer than expected but all in all we were happy with Norwest Performance and understood that the cabinet vendor issue was out of their control. They were professional and here for us every step of the way. Made sure that we had a toilet and running water in our shower until the cabinet showed up. Norwest was amazing! The pics have no mirror because I took them before it was installed but it is a beautiful custom mirror!

Contracted through Home Depot for a shower replacement. Originally told the project could be completed over 2 days, ended up taking 3 1/2 weeks. Consistent problems with quality of work: leaking shower, had to be fixed 3 times; caulk which never dried; water temperature adjusted improperly. People on the phone and who arrived to the house were always very polite and apologetic, but unfortunately the quality of the work and the schedule problems made this an overall bad experience. Would not recommend.

yyBad experience.
From day one they were unprepared.  Arrive with no plans.
Materials were not inspected.  A case of wrong tile was picked up which resulted in the tiler unable to complete job.  Then there were two other types of tiles that they ran out of.  I had to go to Home Depot to pick up.
My toilet was measured incorrectly, so the toilet that I selected and they picked up had to be returned.  I returned it in an effort to keep the project going.
Project was scheduled to be completed on 12/19/2014.  I am still waiting for my final inspection this week.
Never met my project manager.  Was let go mid-project.  Time went by with no replacement.  I found out he no longer worked for the company from my Home Depot rep.
Every day I had to call Norwest and ask what time the subs would arrive. 
The subs were good especially the tiler and electrician.
At the end of the project, it just ended.  No thank you, no apology, nothing.
I am surprised that Home Depot uses such a bad construction company.  Makes me think twice about Home Depot.
DON'T USE THIS COMPANY.  YOU WILL BE DISAPPOINTED.

The communication was abysmal.  From start to finish, it took over 9 months with many screw-ups along the way.  We saw many of the same issues that other negative reviews on this site mentioned.  Avoid this contractor.

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We worked with Norwest as this is the installer that Home Depot in Redmond works with.        We had a very good experience.      We worked with several people at Norwest, though the installation was done by the same two guys; different people did the demolishing and some final detail work at the end.      Everything was professional, thoughtful and timely.         They cleaned up every day and asked me for my thoughts whenever there were choices on something that could be done.        Very happy with their work and the final product.        The Redmond Home Depot provided a project manager from the store (no extra charge) who came out every day to check on the project - he too was great and helped make sure things were running smoothly.              Indeed, everything went very smoothly - and we are happy to recommend Norwest Kitchen & Remodel and Home Depot Redmond.

Not impressed with NorthWest. They are a contractor to Home Depot where we purchased the work. They were to take out the old countertops, install a hood range above the stove, install a sink with plumbing, install all new appliances. I've spoken several times to their project manager and while he acknowledges stuff, the follow through isn't there. I have also spoken with the owner to share my feedback and there is still work that went not done. First, the guys put drywall on the walls but didn't check to ensure they were flat and level so when they brought in the tile guys, the tile isn't level on the wall. The project manager didn't seem to think that was a big deal. Also, the tile work, which they told me they would come back and clean up which they never have, was sloppy - chunks of grout left in the corners and the guy dumped his tile water on top of our vegetable garden. Not only that but the counter tops were installed before the tile guys came and there were scratches throughout on the marble we had installed. The company who installed the countertops had to come back and try to get the scratches out. Note, NorthWest never came back to fix any of the sloppy tile work and said it's because I have an old house (like 99% of homes in Seattle) as to why they can't get the tile to go flush on the wall. They left a nice big scratch on the front of my new stainless steel dishwasher and after charging another $250 to install our fridge after they told me they would not charge, they left a big dent in it. Again, taking no responsibility for it. Finally, they did not call consistently to let us know they were coming to the house to do work. Sometimes, it was an hour before and I have a 1 year old in the house. Not a great way to operate and while most of the guys were very friendly and saw problems with the work as it was being installed, they felt they weren't authorized to do anything to fix it. Not great customer service and certainly not great delivery.

NorWest was wonderful to work with.  From beginning to end, they kept us informed and up to date.  The office staff always returned our calls in a timely manner.  If we had any questions, they got us answers.  They were on time with estimates, delivery, installation and work completion.  They were very hands-on.  The installers were friendly and competent, whether it was the plumber, floor-tile installer, or vanity person, who showed up at our condo, they were great!!!!!!!

We would use them again in a minute!!!  We hope to use them on future projects.

HOWEVER......NorWest came recommended to us by Home Depot, which is where we purchased the vanity, floor tiles, etc .We were happy with the materials but we would never go through Home Depot again!!!  They never returned our phone calls or emails and were never available to answer questions.  Thankfully, we were able to directly work with NorWest.!!!!!!!!!

Impressive first interview contact with SandyBiggs resulted in hiring Norwest as our contractor. 
Strengths:

•     Easy to work with when communicating our initial needs

    Quick response with planning for the project
    Excellent visualization of our stated needs
    Punctual: always arrived at the time agreed upon!
    Excellent coordination with subcontractors and Northwest employees
    Skilled subcontractors in all areas: electrical, plumbing, paint, hardwood flooring, granite preparation and installation
    High quality of workmanship in all areas
    Work completed ON TIME.  Met the time line of thirteen working days.
     No surprises
     Price reasonable

Do - if you have them do the work, have them do all of it (although I think their prices are kind of high which is why I went with others for part of the work). OR have someone else do all the work.

It went very well.  The NorWest Kitchen cabinet installers are highly skilled, punctual, and professional.