Chads Design Build
About us
Chads Design Build (formerly Chad's Carpentry) is a full-service residential remodeling company, specializing in sustainable design and historic renovations. Established in 1992, Chads is committed to providing knowledgeable, well-trained professionals, who create durable, energy-efficient, and beautiful renovations, including additions, kitchens, bathrooms, basements, windows and doors. We partner with Home Performance with Energy Star to assure quality and to lower your energy bills. Building a better world! LIC#:680471
Business highlights
Services we offer
Energy-efficiency and air sealing; Additions; kitchen remodeling; bathroom remodeling; Bungalows; second floor additions; dormers; skylights; windows and doors; screen porches; attic remodeling; basement remodeling; fiber cement siding; CARPENTRY-WOODWORKING, REMODELING-GENERAL., Residential remodeling; Design and consultation; Home Performance with Energy Star partner
Accepted Payment Methods
- CreditCard
| Number of Stars | Image of Distribution | Number of Ratings |
|---|---|---|
| 75% | ||
| 4% | ||
| 13% | ||
| 4% | ||
| 4% |
"We tried very hard to cooperate with multiple subcontractors on this jobsite. There were 2 guys whose business was called something like "two old farts" who were asking our staff questions and needing guidance. Our dumpster was used by other tradespeople on the jobsite. Everything about this job was unusual and atypical. We prefer to work with our clients to clarify job scope and cost prior to initiating a project, and I was simply trying to help the client and contain the chaos. I think it is ironic that this client questions our professionalism, but the situation speaks for itself."
I am an engineer by profession and I was impressed with the attention to detail and knowledge of the Chad workers in implementing a conceptually simple construction project that in practice required skill and in-depth knowledge of building systems. Our goal was to take an uninsulated attic and covert it to conditioned space with the highest level of energy efficiency and without expanding the home HVAC system. We therefore needed the highest level of insulation and envelope sealing to maintain a comfortable living space with very little demand on the house furnace or air conditioning systems. Our house also had a pre-existing whole house fan that we use to cool the house in the summer months where cool night air is drawn into the house at night that keeps the house cool during warm days and greatly reduces our air conditioner and electric use. The whole house fan previously vented to the unconditioned attic. A design challenge to Chad was to insulate and finish the attic and to maintain the function of the whole house fan.
The work involved two-part epoxy foam insulation installed in the rafters and collar ties of the attic trusses. Extensive preparation work was involved to maintain a 1 inch air gap under the roof decking to provide for airflow from the soffit vents to the roof ridge vent. This detail was important to keep the underside of the roof deck vented to manage heat and moisture and to prolong the life of the asphalt roof shingles. Gables on the attic were prepared for insulation by constructing thermal break wall studs to prepare a wall cavity to accept the foam insulation. The portion of the attic floor which was over an uninsulated porch were opened up and foamed between the floor joist to complete the exterior insulation envelope. These were all essential details to get the project right.
The function of the whole house fan was maintained by venting the fan to a constructed air plenum in the attic trusses above the existing collar ties. This was a conceptually simple but complex design that required careful separation of conditioned and unconditioned spaces and provide for venting of 1,700 cubic feet per minute (the fan's flow rate, and yes that is a lot of air to move around) through the roof ridge and soffit vents.
I am providing some of the details on the project to illustrate that what may seem to be a simple project can actually be a complex undertaking to achieve the project goals. As an engineer I was in a position to be involved in and to evaluate the many design decisions and I was impressed with the knowledge and skill of the Chad team. The air sealing performance of Chad's work was independently verified by a 3rd party energy auditor using a blow door test. All materials used on the project were of the highest quality.
Chad was not inexpensive but we are very pleased with our comfortable attic space that in 15 below zero weather; 650 square feet of space can be heated with a small electric heater and for much of the year requires no heat of air conditioning.
With any contractor one has to be clear with direction and expectations. Once a contract is approved later change orders will add to cost and the owner has to be careful make sure the charges fit the work.
Chad was not the cheapest contractor we could have worked with but we are pleased with the project and if we had to do it again we would definitely hire Chad.
Scheduling the actual work took some effort. There were a number of very long waits in the process. But to his credit Chad acknowledged this.
We agreed on a flat fee. Eric came over and did an excellent job in just two hours. I do not mind that this made the per-hour rate very high. That's the chance you take for the security of a flat fee, and the finished product is well-worth it to me. So an A on Price.
By the way, I appreciate that Chad's Carpentry is a sponsor of Wisconsin Public Radio.
"We responded numerous times to this client's particular concerns. The cedar siding was not in good condition and needed to be repainted prior to our insulation improvements. We replaced some of the siding, and painted many other areas, but because the existing paint is old and faded, color matching was difficult. We feel that we responded twice with substantial warranty "repairs" which went beyond the scope of the original project. The client claimed to be happy at that time, and did not contact us again with further concerns. Yes, the house probably needs new siding, but this was true prior to the work we performed, and remains true today. We responded to every complaint of this client at the time of the work, and so reading this review now is a little discouraging."
The exterior work left much to be desired. I am left wondering if the crew ever worked with cedar siding before. The caulking used cracked and pulled away from the joints on the exterior. I had to recaulk many of the joints this spring. Some of the cedar boards cracked on installation and were left in place. I had to drive several nails in deeper as they protruded well above the boards. The primer used on the cedar boards did not seal the natural stain in the wood, requiring me to use two finish coats to cover.
The work commenced much later than we invisioned. The contract was signed in August, work never got finished in the fall as weather turned cold by Thanksgiving.
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"We performed this work in late fall, as we agreed to do when the contract was signed. The homeowner was doing all painting himself, and so we offered to provide factory primed cedar. We were not informed or contacted by the homeowner with his concerns until after he "fixed" the problems himself. We certainly would expect to have an opportunity to address any concerns or complaints, but we were not given that opportunity. We are committed to providing quality products, professionally installed. We have restored and replaced cedar siding on many homes, and we typically oversee the finish painting and caulking of the project. I would have gladly visited the job site and offered to address the homeowner's concerns had we been contacted."
Garage back door: They did a good job on that, too, but couldn't get something we wanted on the door, so the job was incomplete for a week or more (I don't remember exactly). It was also pricey, but well done. I have peace of mind that we won't need to fix it again soon.
My disappointment with our experience is two-fold. First, had Chad taken a little extra time to diagnose the health of the existing window, he could have easily determined that the frame could not be re-used. Secondly, once the frame was discovered to be damaged, Chad's solution would have resulted (in my opinion) in an inferior final product that we would have regretted installing.
At the end of the day, Chad did hold up his end of our relationship, so I would use him again...but the experience is not one that I would describe as having, and quot;...gone smoothly.and quot;
"Wow. I guess no good deed goes unpunished. There are a few facts that need to be made clear. I had removed some trims initially to determine that the window frame was sound; leading us to order the insert windows. Upon removing all of the sashes on the day of installation, a small blemish led my staff to a substantial area of rot which was otherwise hidden. I think most companies would have simply ignored this, installed the new insert windows, and ironically, I probably would have earned a stellar review and a happy customer. Instead, my staff alerted me and the customer to the damage that was previously hidden, and I made an unusual offer. I would rebuild the old window and install the new inserts; to deliver an even better finished product than originally offered, OR I was willing to order a new unit and install that, as originally priced. We ordered the new window, and it is beautifully and professionally installed at the price originally quoted. We received no additional compensation for our time dealing with the unexpected rot, or for the windows that now sit in our warehouse. Having gone the extra mile, the least I would have expected is a great review. I had no contractual obligation to honor the original price or to alert the client to the problems we uncovered; but we are thorough and honest to a fault. Since I had looked for rot and been unable to find it originally, I made an unusual offer once the rot was uncovered. The companies that hide or ignore problems get the A; the company that goes the extra mile without charging anything extra compared to the original price quote get a C. This is the problem that plagues our industry. Most consumers assess home improvements by the aesthetics, with no knowledge or concern for the hidden details which can cause lots of heartache and expense in the long run. We pride ourselves on getting the hidden details right, and on earning the trust and long-term happiness of our clients. Ongoing maintenance problems are the hidden cost of "a great deal" We hear it all the time from our clients, who hired someone who came highly recommended, only to learn that their beautiful renovation would quickly start to fail and fall apart. The initial reviews and work product were great, but the long-term value was not. Go figure."
The project went very well. It took some time to find where the water was coming from - we had to wait for rain with wind from a particular direction in order to find the leak. Other than that, the work proceeded quickly and looks great! We're very happy with the final results and look forward to working with Chad's in the future.
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