I rarely write negative reviews, but I was disappointed with my visit to the Kitchen Studio. I was…read morelooking to install new countertops in my kitchen and bathroom. The Kitchen Studio popped up in my google search as being a local dealer of the specific higher end material I wanted. Upon arrival, an employee told me "they don't do just countertops". Okay. That isn't clear on their website. Then she went on to tell me she can't think of anywhere in the area to refer me that "just does counters". First, of all, there are at least 10 countertop fabricators within a 10 mile radius of Glen Ellyn. Someone in the industry should know this. Second, I'm sure the Kitchen Studio has an in house fabricator or they subcontract it out to someone local (most likely) and thus, why on earth would you not give this person my business??? I have a fairly large kitchen and master vanity. My quotes from the other local fabricators, who do, in fact, exist, are coming in at $120/sq foot and up. I'm giving 2 stars instead of one because all their kitchens on houzz are truly lovely and I'm sure if you hire them they would design a beautiful kitchen.

We signed a retainer to remodel kitchen and small bath and powder room with the kitchen studio of…read moreGlen Ellen that clearly specified their design and project overseeing fees as % of material ( I had to buy everything from them except appliances) and their labor cost. However when cost estimates were developed for contract signing for the project implementation phase, her personal fees were 3 times of what they should have been per our retainer agreement. When I pointed out the retainer terms, instead of correcting, they sent me a new retainer document and told me their process has changed. The change is permanent and sometimes there is a little fallout like this. These were Susan's words in her email to me. I took them to court ( case#2019SR000483 in Dupage county) to get my money back which I did. Susan herself is talented and personable but her business partner and company co-owner's dealings are disappointing and ignorant of basic business ethics. Susan kept saying he handles all money and pricing aspects. I had to walk away! Update 1/10/2020: I stand by my comments and the fact that you completely disavowed the terms of retainer and when I pointed out the pricing terms that we agreed to In the retainer, you emailed me a new retainer document with all pricing terms removed from it. I would have never signed anything or paid you $7k based on that new retainer devoid of any specifics. This was an act of complete lack of integrity. If you are serious about building reputation, practicing integrity will help. Good luck

My wife and I were very disappointed with our experience with CHR. While the subcontractors they…read morehired did a good job, the way Chris and Maria treated us was unprofessional and disrespectful. The project started out well, but as the renovation progressed, the relationship deteriorated and became increasingly hostile. We initially chose CHR based on Chris's expertise, but he often left the subcontractors to work unsupervised and would only return at the end of the day. On multiple occasions, I had to identify errors myself and ensure they were corrected. If I hadn't caught these mistakes, I doubt CHR would have noticed or addressed them. We always made our payments on time and genuinely tried to make the arrangement work. In the beginning, we were optimistic about working with Chris and Maria, as they seemed like a solid Christian couple. However, as the project went on, their behavior did not reflect the integrity or professionalism we expected. Before hiring CHR, we interviewed some of their past clients, but in hindsight, it appears they only directed us to those who were satisfied. The fact that they have been in business for over 16 years yet have very few publicly available reviews should have been a red flag. Also note that CHR is not BBB accredited. At this point, I don't wish CHR ill will, as it has been over a year since the renovation was completed. I do, however, hope Chris and Maria take the time to read reviews like this carefully and use such feedback to improve their business practices.

I had my kitchen and hardwood floors done by CHR and they did an excellent job!!…read moreI would highly recommend to call them for any home remodeling project you have in mind. I will be contacting them for my next home project. Two thumbs up!!

Kaylan has been a joy to work with. She is easy going, provides great advice and does not push…read moreanything on you. I would highly recommend working with Kaylan for any of your design needs!

I have worked with Kaylan both for a bathroom remodel and then to help style our new home. She has…read morebeen a pleasure to work with! I appreciate that she brings a number of options at all price points and is very patient with my many questions! Very professional to work with and I would highly recommend.

We have used the team at Roselle Custom Woodwork on several kitchen and bath projects over the…read morecourse of more than two decades. They delivered with not only outstanding quality but also perfect accuracy. At least two of the projects were challenging due to old construction and imperfect/irregular walls etc. If a six-star review was possible on a five-star scale, we would happily rate them as six-star on the quality of their workmanship. Their product is an incredible value considering their accuracy & workmanship.

If we could give six stars, we would. Our kitchen contractor works with several high end cabinet…read morestores, but he told us that if we really wanted to get exactly what we wanted, we needed to go with a custom cabinet maker (which he said would cost about 10% more), and he recommended John Valentine of Roselle Custom Woodwork. From the beginning, John was a delight to work with. He offered suggestions based on his experience, but he listened carefully to what we wanted and never insisted that his approach was better unless he had good reason to do so. When he came to our place for a final review before committing to a definitive design, a design consultant with whom we have been working joined us and we had a wonderfully collaborative, highly productive brainstorming session. John got started almost as soon as we signed off on the project, was flexible with interim adjustments (which included a visit to his shop when the cabinets were mostly completed), and was done several weeks before our contractors were ready to begin the demolition. (The speed of completion was a bonus that we hadn't even appreciated at the beginning; we have friends who began a kitchen renovation after we did - unfortunately for them they didn't consult with us beforehand - and they won't have their cabinets until November!) John, his partner Steve and John's son came last week to install the cabinets, and they are exactly what we wanted, top quality materials, beautifully finished, built with pride.

Bathroom remodeling…read more Went well, no delays, Debbie has great contractors, gives advice, saves money! Fantastic experience!​

The first round of window treatments I received, ( some of which are pictured here ) were awful!…read moreAnd I was expected to absorb some of the cost for something I had no control over! I paid over 7k and I can't even use some of the products. I'm so disappointed and honestly upset. I thought about not paying my final invoice in full, but I just want to move on from this horrible experience.

Tyler and his team delivered beyond expectation on my kitchen remodel. I had my 20 yr old cabinet…read morerefinished and painted together with replacing my counter tops and backsplash with black quartz. The Wheatland team were on site for about 8 days,. ( some of the cabinet work was completed at their workshop), and could not have been more considerate, tidy and professional during the project. I took the help.of Gianna, their in house designer whose advice was invaluable.

They think their cabinets are made of Gold. Way overpriced! No, I also do not need over a thousand…read moredollars of your design services and several thousand more for install.

Proceed carefully and document everything We engaged Xcēd…read moreDesign Build for a residential project, but the contract was ultimately canceled before construction began. We were unable to reconcile the deliverables we received with the portion of the design retainer that was kept. Based on our experience, we recommend approaching the process as a structured business relationship with clear documentation at every step. While early conversations were collaborative, relying on verbal discussions instead of written confirmation led to misalignment and, ultimately, disappointment. We expected Chelsey to lead the design based on early discussions, but the project was assigned to a different designer. Documenting decisions, preferences, and changes after each meeting would have helped ensure expectations were aligned. Recommendations for homeowners: *Request visibility into design hours, specify how you want those hours prioritized, and require notification at defined milestones *Confirm the specific deliverables for each design review *Confirm who the assigned designer will be and ask to see their portfolio *Require confirmation that proposed designs would reasonably pass permitting * Ask how dimensions, clearances, and usability are validated * Even if budget alignment is confirmed upfront, document it clearly in writing *Follow the contract closely and keep all decisions in writing A consistent, well-documented process from the beginning helps set clear expectations and accountability.

I needed a contractor to finish a second floor remodel. Drywall, windows, flooring, bathroom, etc…read more Gary Dayan and Chelsey Jackel were fantastic to work with. They had a crew of very professional workers. I cannot praise them enough. We now have a great looking second floor apartment. Be sure to give them a call when you are comparing contractors.

We worked with Metro for the renovation of our entire first floor, which included the kitchen,…read morebathroom, and living room. The project included things like new flooring, cabinetry, appliances, furniture, painting, lighting, etc. We enjoyed working with our designer Sam and the build team led by Tony. Together they helped create a space that our family will enjoy for years to come. Metro's attention to detail and the ideas they bring to a project really set them apart. We also love the fact that Metro is small, and for us local, business. I highly recommend both their design and build services.

We got our dream kitchen ahead of schedule and on target budget! We couldn't be happier with the…read moreresult. It was incredibly easy to work with the team end-to-end, from building the designs from scratch through project execution. The design process allowed us to put all of our stylistic preferences while ensuring an overall cohesive look. The project management was seamless, with perfect communication between the Metro team, the contractors they found and us. Each week we got an update on the project status with photos. The team was flexible meeting our needs, such as helping us ensure our cabinets could get donated to The Salvation Army. The only caveat I'd give is that while the total cost matched the projected budget, that number was quite high both in absolute terms and in relation to the initial budget we had targeted. That's not a surprise for a kitchen renovation, but just note that there's huge costs not only costs for materials and labor but also appliances and a rental if you choose to move out. If sticking to a certain number is critical to you, make sure to keep reiterating that throughout the design process and maybe even try to get mid-process estimates to avoid sticker shock.