Crestone Construction

We did an extensive remodel of our kitchen (down to the studs, remove several walls between a back hall and pantry to expand the space). Shawn and his team were extremely easy to work with, communicated well, and kept the work area as clean as possible. We are incredibly happy with our new kitchen!

Loved, loved, loved working with the crew.  So professional, honest, polite, clean and friendly.  The only slightly negative is the drywall job.  The original guy got sick, so they needed to bring someone else in last minute.  There's some rough patches on the new walls and on the ceiling the guy spread joint compound about 10 inches out from the wall and I hadn't planned that I would need to paint our ceiling after the job was complete.  Aside from that, absolutely no complaints and we will definitely use this company again.  They worked within our budget which was the best.

All went extremely well. We had a minor glitch. . . when our kitchen radiator was removed it somehow resulted in a leaky 3rd floor radiator which caused water damage in the 2nd floor master bedroom's ceiling. Shawn had the leak fixed and had painters fix the damaged plaster and paint our master bedroom ceiling without any fuss from our end. The only other issues were cabinets which had to be tweaked to allow for easier closing/opening with the changing seasons, which he also did at no additional cost.

Shawn does a lot of historic house renovations. He answers question from clients in a very prompt manner. And despite the length of this project, we always felt like we were on the same page with him. Shawn's crew was sensational with Casey at the helm. Communication on a day to day basis with us was great. They were very considerate of our crazy dogs. They always cleaned up at the end of the day. They clearly were interested in any concerns we had along the way and with the quality of the end result.

I have recommended Creststone to friends, one of which contracted with them. And we have used Creststone again since to install 8 windows on our 2nd floor. Thanks, again for everything Shawn.

From start to finish, Shawn and his crew were very easy to work with and did a superb job!  They are very knowledgeable about renovation trends and the level of communication was excellent.  I highly recommend them for any renovation job you may require.

This was our second time using Crestone and I cannot recommend them enough.  Shawn is extremely quick to respond and provide updates.  He tries to work within your budget and time frame.  The crew is very respectful and friendly.  We did a complete basement remodel and the result is fantastic!  Everyone that sees the basement is impressed with the quality of work.  
We plan to use Crestone in the future for some bathroom updates and a two season porch.  I trust Shawn and his crew completely and feel comfortable with them in my house for long periods of time.

Great team, Shawn was a great contractor, kept everything going and always communicated with us.
Very easy to work with, and had patience. Kept us in the price line we wanted to stay in
Everyone should use him;-)

Shawn Brown and his crew did an outstanding job! Not only are they true craftsmen but such a pleasant and considerate group of people to work with. Communication was exceptional - by phone, email or text, Shawn would always respond within a half hour or so. Their niche is renovating older, architecturally significant homes and they're experts at carrying elements of the exsisting home into the new project such as matching our exterior brick, matching the old windows with the new, replicating the coving around all the windows and doors plus identically matching the new oak floors with the ones from 1927. Jim the cabinet maker made us gorgeous custom cabinets and moulding.

They were always punctual, kept us fully in the loop on what would be happening and went out of their way to make the project as comfortable for us as possible. They are all dog people and were so tolerant of our MinPins who barked at them each and every day. This is a small, artisan type group and you definitely feel that...not anything like working with a big construction outfit. I would use them again in a heartbeat.

We had an excellent experience with Shawn.  He was able to create a full bath in an area where other contractors had trouble visualizing.  We have a great lower level that we now use as a playroom, office, and occasional guest room.  I had a small daughter at the time, and I felt very comfortable with all of the team members who were in our house and worked on the project.

Awesome.  Crew was pleasant, professional and neat.  Steady progress, off one week of stated completion date.  Clear to us about things we needed to pick out/get as the need arose.  They were doing a makeover of an entire house down the street.  This didn't seem to interfere with our smaller project.


UPDATE:   A few months after the work was completed the paint in one bathroom began to soften and drip down the wall.  Several guests commented that our bathroom appeared to be "melting".  We mentioned this to Crestone and were told that ventilation in the bathroom was poor.  A higher quality paint needed to be applied or the fan needed to be replaced.  They did not take responsibility for the bad choice of paint by their subcontractor.

My husband was the one who dealt with the company about this problem.  He did not demand that the bathroom be repainted, but neither did the company volunteer to do it.  I feel that a top-level bathroom contractor would have repainted the walls for free.

Today we finally bought paint (the right kind) to redo the bathroom walls ourselves, prompting this update.

Note:  We did not push Crestone to fix this and it will not cost us much to repaint.  But it has (slightly) affected my opinion of the contractor,  though perhaps not to the point of not using them when we decide to remodel our kitchen!

Shawn Brown is an excellent contractor.  This was a more costly project because of our specific desires in terms of new tile and fixtures.  We also had an unexpected need to replace a hot water radiator.  The more economical plan to have this sand-blasted fell through when they discovered that the bottom had nearly rusted out.  A contractor with less integrity might have simply patched this up, leading us to deal with a new leak several years down the road.  These issues could have delayed the project considerably, but Shawn kept right on top of things.  He works closely with quality sub-contractors (e.g., Nimmer for the radiator issue) and was able to keep this project on a reasonable schedule.  The new radiator is a substantial improvement.

Shawn did a fantastic job of tracking down and procuring some unusual design elements.  He also took care to ensure that these would actually fit in the relatively small (3x6') room. His suggestions for sources for materials lead us to a tile pattern we would not have considered otherwise. He is well versed in the tricky aspects of working on old houses, including issues of the Shorewood building code.  He got the project through inspection promptly and without a hitch.

The Crestone crew did marvelous work on the tile and fixture fittings.  Clean-up, inside the house and out, was meticulous. Shawn was great at keeping informed about every aspect of the project as it progressed.

We are absolutely delighted with how this project went and with the end product.

Sorry, that's too much work

We had a great experience with Crestone!  Shawn was responsive and really involved from day one.  We lived out of state while our home was being remodeled and I had complete trust in Shawn and his crew.  My emails and phone calls were always answered immediately.  Our timeline was met ahead of schedule even with the extra projects we added on during the process.  Shawn kept us up to date and even sent photos since we were not able to see the house much in person.  The few times I came to see the progress, the crew took their time to show me what had been done (and how) and what when the remaining items would be finished.  Shawn understood that we had a budget and found ways to keep us very close to that number. 
We would recommend and plan to use Crestone again! 

Shawn was helpful from the beginning, providing us with lists of vendors and suggestions regarding design issues.  Once the work began, Shawn's crew was always prompt, professional, kind, clean, and hard-working.  They took great care to respect our space and our dog.  When asbestos was discovered around hidden pipes, the problem was addressed quickly.  Shawn works with a craftsman who created custom vanities and cabinetry just to our liking.  We were very pleased that there was always work being done, allowing the project to progress at a reasonable pace.  We are happy with the finished bathrooms, and would hire Crestone again for future projects.  We recommend Crestone Construction without hesitation.

It went great. They were very responsive. They were nice guys. They missed a couple of things were they still got more money of me because they had ultimately doing with somebody else later on, but overall I would use them again.

We purchased a 1920 Colonial House that had been nicely updated but only had one bathroom, and required a new Powder Room on the first floor and the main bathroom on the second floor needed complete
remodeling.  From start to finish, Shawn and his crew were efficient, hardworking and did a great job.  Shawn was responsive with a bid and set up an initial appointment to see the house within days after we first called
and he had a detailed bid to us by the end of the business day!  The final cost of the remodel was less than $2000 over the initial bid, and the overage was due to our choices of several unique and higher end fixtures.  Shawn was also able to give us accurate quotes for additional work (refinishing the second floor hardwood floors, installing a new chandelier in the dining room and fixing flaws in doorway arches, removing a built in and repairing the wall behind it) and to arrange for the jobs to be done.  We were not living in the house during the remodel so the crew had time to complete without pressure.  They were here and working hard every
day.  The job took about 1 ½ weeks longer than anticipated, but this was due to our choosing a unique sink fixture
that was sent with a faulty drain, and required waiting for the part.  Shawn responded to emails within the
hour that it was sent, and responded to phone calls within 30 minutes.   He provided a contact  for when he was away, and even during his vacation, answered emails quickly. 
Our finished remodel of the upstairs bathroom is spectacular and what we would have pictured looking at magazine photos.  The new powder room on the main floor s equally fantastic, although simpler in design.  The crew truly cares about quality work, and people seeing our home for the first time think the powder room was original to the house,
but updated.  The integrity of this 1920s stunner of a house was maintained meticulously, and we could not be happier with the result.
I have had previous remodeling done that was high quality (not in Milwaukee) and still have never had as good an experience as I did with Crestone.  Every member of the team was a pleasure to work with, and the care and pride they took in their work and in making our house beautiful was exceptional!!!

I can't say enough good things about Shawn Brown and Crestone Construction. I have remodeled two old homes in the Milwaukee area and Crestone is, by far, the best contractor with whom I have worked.  A very high integrity/professional group coupled with exemplary workmanship, responsiveness, and idea generation.  The tile work was perfection.  A detailed quote was provided and I knew where I stood as the project progressed - communication was excellent and Shawn was always available.  I had challenged Shawn with a few changes/additions and he met each request with a creative solution and a more than fair price.  Every single Crestone person/subcontractor I dealt with on the project was reliable and professional and they worked some late hours to get the job done.  Special kudos to the Crestone team of Ryan and Noah who worked on my project.  I just wish I could turn back the clock and had only worked with Crestone on my home.

Crestone was great to work with.  They were on budget and on time which
I've heard doesn't happen often when you are remodeling a kitchen.  They
started the demo when we were on vacation and I expected to come home
to a disaster but that was not the case.  Every day when they are
finished, they clean everything up so you don't feel like you're living
in dust even though you are out of the most important part of your
house.  The guys are always on time and super hard workers.  They are
total perfectionists and so am I so I really appreciated that about
them.  You always know what to expect and Shawn is a super fast
communicator which I found rare in the other companies I got quotes
from.  I would highly recommend using them for any project.  Which leads
me to my next review...
We love working with them so much that
when it came time to our wine bar project, we didn't get quotes from
anyone else.  They did the project in record time and did such a great
job.  I think this was their first commercial project and I think it was
amost better to use someone that is used to residential because they
pay such close attention to detail.  They worked so hard and even worked
through weekends and holidays to try to get us ready to open.

After successfully having 2-1/2 bathrooms renovated by Crestone, we challenged them with a different type of job. They replace an old picture window overlooking our back yard with a beautiful new Pella bay window. We love having the casement windows which crank open to provide much needed ventilation into our family room. The window looks and functions wonderfully and the job was done in true Crestone form: clean, efficient, timely, and professionally in every way!

Update 6/6/13 - Due to a defect in the window (not related to Crestone's installation), a Pella representative who visited today asked me to pass his compliments along to those who installed our window.  He was particularly impressed with the overhang constructed by Crestone above the window and mentioned that most installers do not do such a fine job.  Thanks again, Crestone!

We had worked with Crestone less than a year ago when they completely gutted and remodeled our hallway bathroom.  The positive experience made the contractor decision easy when we chose to remodel our remaining bathrooms this spring.  From start to finish, Shawn Brown was easily accessible and ready to answer my questions.  He was open to my decision changes as the projects progressed and flexible in making the modifications I requested.  The Crestone crew is consistent, professional and reliable.  They were always here when expected and worked full days to complete the projects in a timely manner.  I always appreciated their efforts to leave the house, garage and all other work areas in a neat and orderly manner at the end of each day.  Overall, the experience was positive and we now enjoy our clean, functional and attractive new bathrooms.

Shawn and his team are a pleasure to work with on every level I can think of.  
I got wonderful guidance in the planning phase  (Shawn introduced me to an affordable architect who had great ideas on simple layout changes I wanted to make).   I really wanted to maintain the look, style and feel of the the house (1920s bungalow) and we achieved that in layout, materials and finishing touches.

Communication was excellent.   Through every step of construction, I got daily updates and checkins either by phone or email.  My calls were always returned promptly.  Shawn was totally flexible about changes I wanted to make and worked hard to accommodate me; nobody ever made me feel 'picky' or unreasonable.  Suggestions about how we could do things better were made and always excellent (like putting sockets in a cabinet and drilling a countertop hole to drop cords into so I have now a great "landing pad" for electronics to recharge without the clutter!).

For the most part, I stuck to my budget.  There were NEVER any surprises about expenses and Shawn helped me make fabulous choices about where to splurge and where to save.

Glitches --not to be avoided in an old!--were addressed promptly and to my satisfaction.

Quality of workmanship is wonderful, and I could see that everyone took great pride in their craftmanship.

I work from home so was around a lot on workdays.  The crew was  so very respectful of my space:  No loud music, no foul language, always polite and genuinely likable, always prompt as can be.  Everyone was easy to be around.  I have 2 Golden Retrievers who can sometimes be "exuberant".  Everyone was wonderful with them, even when a sandwich was snatched out of the hand of a worker.  When workers are sharing space with me for 6 weeks, it means a lot to have people be kind to my pets.

The worksite was cleaned up and neat as a pin at the end of every day, which I very much appreciated.  Everyone worked hard to minimize the inconvenience of being without a kitchen for several weeks.

The project wrapped up on time and within budget.  And the work is beautiful.  Five months after project completion, I simply LOVE my kitchen.  Shawn has photos on his website; ask him which one is mine:)
 I wouldn't hesitate to recommend Crestone to anyone and if I ever need a contractor in the future, I will be giving Shawn a call!

We were very pleased that the work was performed as described in terms of budget and time frame. Shawn communicates very well on time frame and sequence of decisions. The Crestone crew is great to work with and I would recommend them all highly for jobs big and small.

His crews were always on time and all were extremely skilled and competent. Shaun and his cabinet maker worked with us closely and gave us a number of suggestions that really improved the overall functionality and appearance of the final product.  Our kitchen is now finished and it is absolutely beautiful.  The cabiner maker did a fantasic jop! We could not be happier with the work, the contractor and the fact that we came in on budget.

After speaking with several contractors, Crestone was overwhelmingly our first choice to tackle our kitchen and bathroom project.   Our project required ripping up floors and tearing down walls in a main artery of our house, so we were naturally concerned about being able to easily get around during the remodel because of our 2.5 year old and my wife, who was 8 months pregnant.      On day one, Shawn gave us a list of the items that we would need to make decisions on that he would buy, things that we needed to make decisions on that we would buy, and things that he thought would be needed that he would buy....all with timelines as to when those decisions needed to be made.   This ended up being a key piece in keeping the project on schedule, because we never ended up being a barrier for him and the team.  

The contacts that he provided for countertops, cabinets, and tiles were very helpful.    The electricians and plumbers that were in our house throughout the project were always respectful and cleaned up their mess at the end of each day.   Shawn Brown and his team went out of their way each night to lay blankets or create temporary floors and make sure that the dust from the day was removed.  He stuck to his timeline and communicated at least twice a week with a status of activities and a revised spend list.  We were never surprised throughout the project and have recommended Crestone at every possible opportunity.

Crestone did an excellent job on our project.  We hired an architect to do the design and then Crestone built the small addition on the back of our house and gutted and remodeled our kitchen and our family room.  The project involved many components including building out the kitchen, constructing a new roof line on the back of the house, completely replacing the roof on the rest of the house, and installing several windows.  We found the quality of the work to be very good.  The crew is extremely friendly and easy to work with and they actually completed the project two weeks early!  They were 100% responsive to any questions or concerns.

My wife and I had trouble visualizing the final layout and look of the basement, and Shawn really helped ease our concerns by working through our wants and budget to give us the best finished product possible.  The project ran very smoothly and right on schedule.  We were very eager to have everything ready by mid-February, which I thought would be difficult even before starting the project.  I was amazed at how fast and efficient the Crestone team worked.  Everyone from Crestone was very prompt and professional.  They worked around our schedules and even worked later in the evening and over the weekend to help complete the project within the timeframe we wanted.  I was very appreciative with their willingness to do this.  The finished product is excellent.  I was very impressed with the quality of the workmanship, and the end result is even better than I anticipated.

After the project was over and the temperature increased.  The rise in humidty in the basement caused swelling of the newly installed doors to the point that some were sticking terribly or not closing at all.  This really had nothing to do with the workmanship of Crestone, but it was a problem that required attention.  I contacted Shawn, and he sent his team over to work/trim the doors as needed to make sure they were working properly and that I was happy.  Crestone exceeded our expectations with price, their work and their service.  I highly reccommend using Crestone, and we will certainly be working with them again.