Advantage Remodel, LLC

We met Advantage Remodel at the MBA home improvement show 3 weeks ago because we saw a design we liked on Houzz. Met with the owner's (Andy Schafer) brother at the show to discuss what we liked about one of his designs and how it might fit our kitchen remodel. Filled out all contact information for us that evening. A day later we receive an invite for a meet and greet with Andy Schafer to pick a meeting time and day for him to come to our house for an initial review of our project. We picked the time and we arranged our work schedules to meet with him during the week. He wrote back a few days later saying he couldn't make this time and asked for a reschedule to the 3rd of February which was OK. Three weeks pass and at 6AM this morning he emails us this: From: Andy @ Advantage Remodel [mailto:[email protected]] Sent: Friday, February 03, 2017 6:07 AM To: Keith , Sherry Subject: Our appt this morning Good morning Keith and Sherry, I realized that I failed to have a detailed conversation with you regarding the investment range for your project and to confirm that you have thoroughly gone through the copy of our design agreement that I sent a while back. As much as I appreciate the opportunity tom meet with you this morning, it is our company policy that we will not get together with a potential new client prior to having/knowing both pieces of that information. The design agreement is quite detailed and lengthy but does give you a great idea as to how detailed our team is. Here is a copy of that agreement for your convenience Design Build Retainer Agreement 3.0.pdf Any questions, please let me know. All the best, Andy Andy Schafer - NARI Certified Partner / Advantage Remodel office - 262.735.7572 mobile - 262.349.2158 [email protected] “Our clients mean the world to us” See what they are saying Connect with us and view our work [*** Link removed ***] As you can see from his writing, he now at the last minute is wondering if this is worth his time. It is like he googled our house and said, I have better things to do and do you folks know it will cost $60,000 minimum for what I work on before he even stepped into the house? I am fully aware of what the ballpark will be for what we want done with our kitchen, but what Andy failed to tell us over the past three weeks is that he wants to be HIRED on the spot with at 8% design fee on the "high side" of my cost range. That is completely acceptable business practice to charge that, BUT this is not a way I would hire someone to do my job because of the wide arrange of options that we could go with- I need a few independent looks at the project. He wanted $6-$8k today to come visit with us but again failed to tell us this until 3 hours before our appointment for which my wife took the day off of work to meet with Mr. Schaefer. Again had we known this up front, we wouldn't have considered Advantage Remodel to do our project. After I questioned him on his fee and way of doing business as I was caught off guard and upset that my wife took the day off of work for nothing here is what he thought could work for us to meet with him: From: Andy @ Advantage Remodel [mailto:[email protected]] Sent: Friday, February 03, 2017 7:26 AM To: Keith Cc: Sherry Subject: RE: Our appt this morning We do not offer any design or estimating work without charging fee for it. Today is about getting to know you guys and also discussing the project / investment range amount. Based on our conversation this morning I do not feel comfortable getting together at your home today. If you wish, please reach out to me to schedule a time to visit our showroom and bring along pics and approx dimensions of your space, and we can proceed from there. I hope you find this acceptable and look forward to hearing from you. Andy Schafer Advantage Remodel So as you can see from his all of his replies that he had other things to do and had no interest in working on a $60,000 remodel project unless he is going to be paid upfront and now I have to come to him with our dimensions and pictures to his place which obviously isn't going to happen. Two other companies have already come through and did walkthroughs of our house, took measurements, and listened to what we want, but Mr. Schafer basically felt us a worthless project for some reason out of the blue this morning (perhaps he did that google our house) and judged us not worthy of his time. His choice, but when you mess with people's schedules it is just not professional and worthy of my business or that of others. I am sure he does competent work, but I never got the chance to find out. If you are in our shoes with a major remodel to be done where design options can vary and you want a few looks at it, don't involve Advantage Remodel. They only want to be hired before they move on your project.

Andy from Advantage was a joy to work with and made something completely foreign to me (remodeling) seem feasible. He was always available to answer my questions via email, text, or phone, even on nights and weekends. He helped me explore and understand each decision and the different options available so I felt comfortable making a decision. Advantage is well connected within the industry and led me to many different vendors that provided me with excellent service, knowledge, and good prices. I also had the option to use my own connections to vendors or services if I had wanted to. Finally, I can't say enough about the quality of work provided by Advantage throughout my whole project. From the electrical/plumbing to the drywall to the carpentry, everything was completed with great attention to detail. The end result is a beautifully crafted space that we couldn't be more happy living in, and that matches the vision for my home that I shared with Andy at our first meeting. I would hire Advantage again for any home remodeling needs that I have in the future, and highly recommend them to anyone.

My overall experience was great. He is not the least expensive provider , but you get what you pay for.