We were completely BLOWN AWAY by Brittany's designs, workmanship and guidance. We were struggling…read morewith a recently flooded basement and were at a loss of where to even begin. Brittany was recommended to us by someone online, and I couldn't have picked anyone better. We chose the guided process to help with finishes and layout, and my only regret was that I didn't contact her sooner to start the process. Her materials, blueprints, and spreadsheets were unmatched by anyone else in the industry. I was stunned at how much time she took to make sure everything suggested was just perfect for us. As a Realtor, I plan on using her for all my Seller needs to prep properties for the market. If you are on the fence with using her, do it.............she is well worth it!

I am 76 yrs old. In summer of 2024 I got a divorce from my spouse of 43 years, in early 2024. I had…read morelearned 42 years prior to divorce, to let her make all decorating decisions. That way it caused far less fighting. I bought a condo in Windsor Gardens, on the ground floor, facing West, in May 2024. It has a 25 foot lanai on West side. It has double sliding glass doors between the lanai and very large living room. There are very large West facing windows in the two bedrooms just North of the Living room. The guest bedroom windows are quite large. They double pane sliding, and have white acrylic borders. The master bedroom has even larger windows with four sliding panes. Mr Kern was so kind, cordial and accommodating. I was immediately impressed, with him. I had already gutted my condo. my unit was built in 1972 and had never been updated. It was like walking into Dick Van Dyke's home (i.e. Rob and Laura Petrie's). It had the worst vertical blinds I have ever seen they were warped and badly discolored. Mr. Kern, very calmly asked what I had in mind. He had gently been asking questions since I had met him. The 2nd time out to my condo, because I had to shop several other window covering, companies. I hadn't been impressed by the high pressure sales tactics of salesmen who, often did not seem to know the products they were marketing well, and just wanted me to sign their contract. Their boss would come out after I had signed the order, to go over the details. Steve Kern, really knew the products, as they are his stock and trade. He took the time to find out what would suit my taste and even suggested products that he thought I might like but had not considered. Ultimately I chose remote controlled shades, for my lanai. They are in three sections. Two are on West side. Each shade is 7 1/2 feet wide. Since homeowners cannot run electricity on the lanais, the shades had to have their own electrical system. Eureka, thank god for high tech batteries. I just charged them this month for first time,13 months after purchase. The charger connection is at the top of shades, 8 feet off floor. I did not think this was going to work. Wala, Steve produced a rather long stiff wand. At the end was a very strong magnet that just sucked the charger head-piece into place from about 5" away. Wonderful. The shades are not opaque. I can see outside both night and day. Believe me, I have gone outside and checked both at night and day to make sure, whether if I was walking naked any one outside could not see me through them. well I can assure you, they can't. The shades let light in, however people outside can only see a blurred figure when they move around. The shade material is warranted for life. I have furniture on my lanai. I do not want the hot afternoon sun eating my furniture, some of which are antiques. The narrow shade is on the North side of the lanai, because the lanai sticks out from my condo about 6 ft with a 4 1/2 foot wide window in that wall. All shades can be operated independently, or all at once. I absolutely love them. For windows in my two bedrooms, Steve suggested wooden blinds. Each blind blade is is 4 1/2 inches wide, and the blinds are in two independently operated halves. Each shade has a break half way down the window. You can have the bottom closed with the top open and letting light or looking out at the sunset. The blinds can be flipped open or closed by using one finger to control the upper or lower halves. Flipping one blade controls the whole section. Very easy to use, and very easy to clean. I wish I had these 30 years ago, instead of those really small Venetian blinds that were in vogue at the time. They used twine to open and close them, and a twisty plastic wand thingy, to twist and open or close the whole blind. None of that stuff ever lasted. The plastic wand thingys, always broke and the cords always got kinked and tangled up. When the blinds became grimy, they were absolutely miserable to clean. One time I became so frustrated, I took them to the car wash. That didn't work out well. However, I don't think the grudge from that was the cause for the divorce. Steve Kern, owner and operator of Better by Design, was great to deal with. he gently and kindly recommended the best products for me. I love my window coverings. They were also very fairly priced. Every one in the Better by Design, office is very cordial, and very friendly. These people are golden. After a year of use, when it came time to recharge them, I had an old man kerfuffle, trying to negotiate the charger. So, I called Better by Design. Steve, himself came out to my home, and showed me what I was doing wrong, at NO CHARGE. You just don't find businesses and people like, Steve Kern and Better by Design very often any more. Thanks Mr. Steve Kern. You are a one of a kind gem. Arthur S. Bowman Retired Windsor Gardens Home Owner. Ten thumbs up for Better by Design

Highly recommend. Recently purchased home in Wash Park and remodeled the entire house. I don't…read moretypically post reviews as working with most contractors/vendors is extremely frustrating. However, I had a GREAT experience working with Linda. I received several bids for Indoor Plantation Shutters and hers was the cheapest/best quality. Scheduling and installation were simple and fast; 2 weeks from bid to end of installation. No issues. Love the new look and wish more providers were like Linda.

I hired Original Roots to remodel the living room, kitchen, and mud/laundry room of my 110 year-old…read morebungalow. I am absolutely in love with my new space. The principal team at Original Roots - Paul, Matt, and Brynn - were fantastic to work with. They were extremely experienced, trustworthy, thorough, patient, and were exactly what I was hoping for in a contractor relationship. That can also be said for their carpenters and other sub-contractors. They are all just good people. The project took about a year from our initial consultation to final completion. The actual construction phase was about 4-1/2 months and everything went as scheduled. Matt is a mastermind at getting all of the work scheduled, including permits and inspections; and Brynn kept everything on track with getting products ordered on time. During the initial consultation, Paul explained the process and provided a long list of past projects as references. I spoke with 4 of the prior clients and everyone was extremely pleased with Original Roots. From a cost perspective, there is full transparency from start to finish and no scope increase unless requested - or necessary due to items that could not be foreseen until all of the old walls were down. I did have some initial sticker shock over the contract price, but after getting several other bids for the project, I realized that Original Roots was in alignment with local costs for the same type of full-service renovation. This company showed great pride of workmanship and took care of my space during the project. It felt like moving into a new house when the project was finished. They stand behind their work and do not finalize the close-out payment until everything is perfect. I highly recommend Original Roots and can't wait to do another project. They were just great to work with and left me with the most beautiful kitchen in all the land.

If you want an AWESOME historic home renovation, you can rely on Brynn, Paul, Matt, and the rest of…read morethe crew. We've been through a few renovation projects before, but their experience, creative problem solving, attention to detail, responsiveness, and general energy are beyond anything we've experienced. We're so pleased with the way our project turned out. Really, why would you hire anyone else? Becky and Steve Potter Highlands Historic District

BEWARE. DANGER. DON't THESE GUYS. Do not give them a deposit. I gave Augustine $8500 deposit. My…read morecustomer decided to replace their entire kitchen. They said they would return the deposit for over a year. When I asked about it for the 10th time last week. Augustine told me to get an attorney & sue him. He did several jobs for me in the past, but I will never use him again. I have been getting quotes that are 1/2 his price. It you want recommendations of less expensive granite companies that you can trust, call me. Larry Kunz 303-981-7046

DO NOT RECOMMEND. Our experience? TERRIBLE. We were enticed by the price and then everything went…read moredownhill from there. Good prices (too good to be true? But still spent a lot of money as it an expensive decision!), fine/poor installation (the edges don't line up totally and the caulking is coming apart less than a year after installation, outlet covers didn't fit back on without coming back to fix. They did line up the veins between slabs beautifully), terrible customer service. Overall, I second many of the difficult experiences some of the other reviews on here share. They damaged a few things in our home (hardwood floor, oven vent, chip on their newly installed counter, left the suction marks on the back splash- all of which we had to point out to them and/or provide proof they made the damage). Everything got fixed (because we wouldn't pay in full until everything got fixed) but we had to constantly reach out and fight for it. We started following up calls with texting and emailing to ensure everything was in writing. Every time we called, he would start the call with, "who is this?" after we had already shared our name. And then he told he did us a favor by fixing his mistakes. It took literally months after installation for everything to be squared away. To top it off, it hasn't been a year since we had our counters installed and we are working this weekend to re-caulk all of it. Whether that is normal or not- we're not sure (we don't think so?), but with the experience we had throughout the process, it feels like another hurdle at this point. We hope you never have to go through this experience like we did!

I am over the moon about the results from hiring CRJ Remodeling! I had two bathrooms updated--and…read moreultimately fired our original contractor and had to rush to hire CRJ to remodel the second one. That first experience really burned me, so I can confidently say that CRJ is miles and miles above the competition. They converted a tub/shower combo to a shower with a bench and two shower heads, and installed new tile, paint, a new vanity, added an outlet, installed a bidet, and lighting. The work was completed quickly, the work done well, and I'm just obsessed with how gorgeous it looks now! PROS - My bathroom looks AMAZING. - They are fast while maintaining a high degree of attention to detail. The whole job from start to finish was mind-blowingly fast, even though they had to do major things like add a second shower head, remove a tub to create a larger shower + bench, make a door a pocket door, install new electrical, etc. - Jose, who did the bulk of work for us, was incredible. It's clear that he took a lot of care and pride in what he does, and the bathroom is STUNNING as a result of his hard work. He was also just conscientious and kind to work with, explaining the process and doing his best to ensure that while I was on important work calls he wasn't doing the loudest parts of his work day. - Yanet was very communicative and, when minor things came up, took immediate ownership of any mistakes or miscommunications. She was so good about checking in and it just felt like a respectful way of handling communication and making sure everyone was on the same page. - Their estimates and contracts/invoices are detailed and make it easy to reference and to ensure you've covered your bases and that you aren't billed in the end for a number of surprises you weren't anticipating. - They took really intentional care throughout the process to protect our flooring, furniture, to be be mindful of where we wanted various things placed, and to just make sure things were progressing on schedule. - Their pricing is very competitive, especially for the quality of work they do. AREAS THAT WEREN'T PERFECT (It's hard to say cons because they are so minor) - They do not give you a supply list of things to buy or even a general sense of what you're responsible for versus what they're responsible for beyond 1-2 items. - The need for supplies would come up at weird times, so I'd have to go buy a really specific part that I didn't know about that was needed that day. This could have been mitigated with a more comprehensive list. Since I didn't get a list and am not a professional, I didn't know what those things were and it was inconvenient to leave work mid-day. I ended up returning a lot of it as well, which isn't a huge deal but I wish the number of items I needed to buy had been more accurate. - Due to a miscommunication about shower glass, we had to rush order ours when the project was nearly complete as we were under the impression that they were handling this. This set the project back by several weeks. This one irked me because I had sent them a list of all supplies needed before work ever began and had asked them to fill in any gaps. We'd asked multiple times about the finishes on the glass doors and they'd reassured us they could make sure they were the correct color but never flagged that we were responsible for the glass, again despite some very detailed lists verbal conversations where I understood they were getting the glass.

Contractor notes We…read morepicked CRJ based on the favorable reviews here and their competitive bid, and while they do good work overall, they are far from perfect. They were supposed to start 09/19 but didn't actually start until 09/29. They told us 12 days on site but they took much longer and were not good about communicating when they would or would not be there. They took over half of our garage with gear and supplies with no discussion at all. They did a really bad job protecting our belongings from massive amounts of dust (or they could have told us that would be an issue so we could have moved more things before the project began). For example, they didn't put any covering over the vented door to our storage room so absolutely every single item in that room will need to be cleaned. They piled many giant bags of trash along both sides of our driveway. We asked them each day for 5 days to remove trash without any trash removal and our neighbors complained. People on site worked hard and long hours and did mostly good work, but they didn't speak much English and it was hard to get in touch with supervisors. There was minimal work done in our living space - just some overhead lights - but they left this space a huge mess: drywall dust coating everything, even in rooms they hadn't been in at all and there was minimal cleanup even after we complained. They turned our water was off for more than 24 with no advance notice. In addition to the items that I was told I would need to supply, there were numerous trips to Home Depot that I was expected to pay for over the phone. To top it all off, I had to change the bathtub (not because of anything CRJ did) and I found the drain was not property installed, so if we had used it, it would have caused a huge mess.

I can't say enough great things about Studio Lea. From our very first consultation, Cory took the…read moretime to truly understand my vision, style, and budget. Their creativity, professionalism, and attention to detail completely transformed my space into something beyond what I imagined. If you're looking for an interior designer who combines talent, communication, and genuine passion for what they do, I highly recommend Studio Lea. They turned my house into a home I absolutely love!

Top Notch Flooring was absolutely phenomenal from start to finish. We could not be happier with the…read morebeautiful work they did in our home. The craftsmanship on our stairs is truly outstanding; they exceeded our expectations in every way. They also did a wonderful job refinishing our floors, and the results are incredible. Plus, the did perfect woodmatching which I know is not easy to do. What impressed us just as much as the quality of the work was their customer service. Every single person we interacted with was fantastic: professional, friendly, responsive, incredibly helpful, and genuinely committed to making sure we were thrilled with the results. They even went above and beyond with touch-up work to make sure everything was just right. That level of care and attention to detail is so appreciated and really sets them apart. It is rare to find a company that combines such exceptional craftsmanship with truly outstanding customer service. We are so grateful for the beautiful work they did for us. We cannot recommend them highly enough! If you are considering having your floors or stairs done, you will be in excellent hands with Jeff and his team.

Top Notch is the best there is. Jeff and his team deliver quality floors, they're reliable and show…read moreup when they say they will, and if there's ever an issue, they will come quickly resolve it. They've done several projects for us but the biggest was our kitchen. When we discovered there was 3 inches of concrete underneath and a LOT more work, they didn't flinch. They spent more time than they expected and stuck to their quote. They're honest, they work very hard, they have competitive pricing, and they'll make sure it's done right.

I've worked with LAM on multiple projects and have consistently had a great experience. Their team…read moreis professional, reliable, and very clear from the beginning about project scope, timeline, and pricing. That transparency makes it easy to know exactly what you're getting and helps projects run smoothly. What I appreciate most is how collaborative and solutions oriented they are. They're easy to communicate with, quick to adapt when changes come up, and always focused on finding the best outcome for the client while staying within budget. I've hired LAM for work on my own home and have also recommended them to several of my real estate clients. The quality of their workmanship and attention to detail has been excellent every time. If you're looking for a dependable contractor who delivers high quality results, I highly recommend LAM for both small projects and large renovations.