North Shore Kitchen & Bath

Rick and Tom worked with us to achieve the results we wanted. The team was competent and professional. We are pleased with the results.

We hired them to do a pretty simple kitchen remodel - remove cabinets, replace with new ones - all appliances, plumbing, etc was staying in the same place. We even came in with an idea of the types of cabinets we were thinking of and a rough idea of what we wanted the kitchen to look like. We have moved a number of times over the past few years and built new or renovated kitchens 4 times. We have never had an issue prior to this. They were very responsive and nice until we signed a contract - which seemed very high but was supposed to include a number of extras (design services, lighting design, floor work, etc) Within weeks we realized we had made a huge mistake. The "design" services was us going in to their location and without any assistance or feedback other than "whatever you like is what matters" having to select all of our finishes and design it ourselves. The lighting design was basically the same and the person they sent said they don't do any design at all and didn't understand why we were told that. The floor repair person used the wrong color on the patches and we had to end up refinishing the entire floor - but not through them as the quote to fix their mistake was going to be nearly 2x any other floor refinisher... On top of that - they took the rough idea I had given and didn't bother to measure it and see if it would actually be the right size in our space (Spoiler: it wasn't and we lost our seating on the bar because they ordered the cabinets too wide for the space). When we brought it up during the cabinet install WE were blamed because we provided them an idea of what we were thinking (at their request) and they refused to fix it. One thing after another was an issue - from the cabinets being installed on our wall not centered to them just not responding. The cabinets we paid a substantial upcharge for were not what was installed - we instead got the lower priced ones but had to pay for the upgrade anyway as they claimed these were the upgraded version. They didn't finish a number of items in our kitchen after they missed the initial deadlines and instead of correcting it, they fought and argued and then ignored us for months before threatening to take a lien out on our home for non payment of the final 10% balance. We had to remind them again that we still didn't even have a kitchen finished 9 months after the scheduled completion date and had to contact an attorney ourselves. To top it off, they lied to contractors about us telling them we were not responding and not paying and refusing to let them in to work and the owner and "designer" who I can only assume is someone's relative - didn't understand how to communicate at all and if you asked them questions or held them accountable on things they put in writing they just wouldn't talk to you for weeks or pretend you didn't say anything. A little over a year later the electrical and plumbing work they did have had issues and we have had to bring in someone else to fix and repair things we told them weren't working correctly at the time (but we were told we didn't know what we were talking about or being "picky") - the plumbing issue actually ended up ruining the cabinet. But guess who didn't bother to respond or care when notified of the issues? The sad thing is - some of their crew is unbelievably talented and amazing and the work that gets done when the owners aren't around is good. If the crew left and went on their own I'd hire them in a second - but I can't on good conscious ever refer Rick and the "design" team there to any one else at the prices they charge and the lack of professionalism and organization they have. Save your money and go to ikea. It is actually a better quality than what I got.

They accommodated our time frame and our choices, were respectful of our home during the process of remodeling, and provided excellent results.

It was going to be very tight. They did a superb job and even painted a new board the exact color of the paint in the kitchen. They were very polite and professional.

NSK&B did a complete, quite tricky remodel of our 80s-kitchen that required removing one of the walls to open up the space and reinforcing the floor support in the basement. We went through  ~10 remodel teams before signed up with NSK&B and this was the best decision made. We had extensive prior experience with house remodeling projects, this was the biggest.  
Here is what you will get with NSK&B:
-- stunning end product;
-- the owner is very responsive and professional; will stand for his customers
-- prices are very fair especially given that execution is top-notch
-- the team is highly experienced, will be able to tackle technically-demanding large projects.
-- highly detail-oriented, excellent quality of materials with many options available.
In our case the most of the delay with the completion was caused by our decision to replace subfloors, but overall they were quite reasonable with the project duration/completion time. I'd give them A+, definitely hire with confidence and don't worry about minor things mentioned in other's reviews--they will work them out!

The good stuff:  NSKB did a great job helping us work out the design of the bathroom. They had great ideas and were receptive of our input. The showroom was particularly helpful (e.g. they had lots of samples for us to look at to coordinate the design elements - tile, counters, cabinets, fixtures, etc.). The staff was helpful, courteous, and efficient. They were able to schedule the start of the job pretty quickly (within a month or two). The finished bathroom looks great. Everything came together well.
The bad stuff:  They took forever to finish this job - twice as long as they stated when we signed the contract (part of that was due to delivery problems with one of their suppliers, but it was still way too long). They were unresponsive to phone calls requesting schedule updates. We had two change orders for issues that should have been dealt with prior to signing the contract (re-routing of the plumbing and shower shelving). They frequently left tools and equipment in our hallway (our primary path to the bedroom). We had to call them back a couple of times for re-work (minor issues, but still a hassle). All of the "bad stuff" was basically minor hassles - therefore "B" rating.
Overall, they did great work. The bathroom looks very nice. They used quality products and the workers did a great job installing everything. I would hire them again, but I would tie some schedule incentive into the contract, or find some other way to get them to finish on time.

We are very pleased with the process and end result of the project.  Everyone at North Shore was helpful, considerate, and professional.  I usually do not go with the lowest bid, but since we were pleased with their previous work replacing our kitchen counter, I did not let that deter me.  I?m glad it didn?t.  They were the only bidder to offer, at no additional cost, to ensure we would have a usable sink, shower, and toilet in one of the bathrooms each night during the project.   The job came in very close to the estimate.  The overruns were discussed before work progressed, were unforeseeable and necessary.
As with any large project some glitches occurred.  But in each case the owners, Rick and Tommy Skebba, worked with us to ensure the issue was resolved to our satisfaction.  Their willingness to go the extra distance to satisfy us is greatly appreciated.  We are very pleased with the work of the North Shore employees and sub-contractors and were happy with their design advise, quality of work, and concern for keeping the site clean.  We have received several rave comments on the finished product.  

They were professional and detail oriented from start to finish. They visited the job site to provide a comprehensive cost proposal, which was available within one week. The project took place over a 5-week period. All crew members were very respectful of our house, and did an excellent job of containing dust to the job site. All crew members were friendly and explained in detail what their day-to-day assignments would entail. Excellent communications pattern from NSKB to us as to product availability, change notices and deadlines. 
They were easy to work with, and provided a quality bathroom that met our budget.  We would consider NSKB for other remodel projects in the future.

Prompt in returning our call. Very courteous. Repairs completed in a very satisfactory manner. Will use them again.

unknown

Everyone with whom we worked was very professional and accommodating

See above.

My husband and I had new kitchen counter tops and back splash installed. I had done my research so I know exactly what I wanted.
I had 2 snafus, Ceasarstone called North shore Kitchen and Bath to say they did not have the color I picked. This was 2 weeks after they measured. This was not North shore?s fault. However if I had it to do over I would have them check for inventory when I picked out the stone.
I ordered a Silgranite sink that cracked upon installation the day the counter tops went in, this again was not North shores fault. It did take 2 weeks to get a new sink, however Thankasgiving fell right in the middle of ordering the new sink and this probably added an extra 5 days. It was worth the wait this sink is awesome.
The sink went in November 30, the back splash went in Dec 1 and 2 (the tile installers even worked on Sunday to help get it finished). The electricians hooked up the disposal and outlets December 4.
I love my new kitchen. I will go to North shore Kitchen and Bath the next time I have a home project. They have an excellent design staff, they are prompt , and reasonably priced.

 

 

 

Details below on what attributes Angie's asked to be rated:
Price: The price in general seemed to be fair and competitive.  However,  be prepared to be nickel and dimed. Rick's favourite words are "change  order".  What's more it seems to be a very one sided relationship.   Regardless of the situation and who's real responsibility the change is  attributed to -you still end up paying
Quality - They do outstanding work.  Both their employees and subcontractors are first rate.  The skills sets of their plumbers,
carpenters, electricians, etc make the end product fabulous.
Responsiveness: Very strong.  They have a very customer service centric model and truly do everything they can to make you happy in design and delivery.
Punctuality - This was supposed to be a 6 week project but regrettably turned into a 13 week project. Frankly, a lot of this
time could have been reduced if Rick was much more organized. Scheduling was problematic and very much by the seat of the pants.  Organization and communication was lacking and it was evident daily that design,  project management and delivery were not on the same page.
Professionalism - This are all decent, and hard working people that are striving to do  the right thing.  That said it takes a lot of effort for them to get  things right.  The dysfunction gets in the way of the overall experience resulting in numerous frustrations that you just can't help feel could  be minimized if they were really functioning as a well coordinated team.

See above.

The projects went more smoothly than I expected and the results are beautiful.

Will follow up with a report after the project.

They did the work because of the VA and they paid for it because we are disabled veterans. It was $4100 for all the work they did. They were absolutely great. They came out and they told me when they are going to be out, how long it is going to take and they finished the job in the timeframe that they said it will take. They were very pleasant. We talked all the time and I was not uncomfortable with them being in the house. They cleaned up very well behind themselves.

The whole experience was very good. I worked with Rick Skebba, one of the owners. It surprised me that the initial estimate was based on my measurements. But, that was the same for all of the estimates and Rick explained that it is not cost effective for contractors to do the initial measurements. After we indicated our interest with the initial estimate, Rick came out, made modifications to my estimate and pointed out areas that would need special attention. Once we signed the contract Rick arranged for us to visit the stone manufacturer, K G Stevens, to pick out the slap and to talk about how the counter would be cut out of that slab. K G Stevens sent someone to do the final measurements and later to do the actual installation. The final cost was very close to the initial estimate.

They are incredible. Vick is the one who did the estimates. He is very prompt and clear about what they are doing. They are very good about getting the work done in a timely fashion. They are multi talented so they can do anything. Their workers are excellent. They are of really high quality workers. They are definitely worth their price. It is a very good team effort. Joe is the one who takes care of the work here and he is a