Designer Stones & Homes Inc

Great people to to work with. They are a the best that I have even encountered.

It was a good experience. They were very professional. They arrived on time and the work was done in a workman-like fashion. They did a good job and we love our new front porch.

We made lots of changes to the plan necessitating a lot of patience on their part. They were always very patient and accommodating.

I shopped for contractors for this project on Angie's List and this company was the top rated one. My wife did a lot of research; we just finished finalizing the quote and proposal yesterday. We signed on the dotted line and gave them a good-faith deposit check. They are supposed to start April 15 and are meeting with my wife on Monday to pick out the materials. I am very impressed with them; that's why we ended up picking them because they are very kind people. They have not done anything construction-wise yet. We did a lot of due diligence and interviewed a lot of people. He came out when he was supposed to and was very pleasant and knowledgeable. Edward gave us a detailed estimate very quickly; this company was the only one of the four or five estimates we received that actually broke the job down in a line-item format so we could tell how much each item cost. When we went through the quote with him he was very amenable to lowering the cost in specific areas. After he gave us the quote he followed up several times and was willing to come out again because we adjusted what we wanted and needed him to look at the project again. Then he promptly gave us a revised quote very quickly. He had already arranged to meet with my wife at the supply store. He gave us a starting date and told us they would be done in 10 days.

The contractor came everyday to check and he was very friendly. He gave me a gave me line item quote, so that I would know what each particular thing cost. It seemed like sometime there would be incidentals would come up along the way that I felt like he should have mentioned in the beginning. One day when he had to go pick-up the toilet which was something that we had not originally planned on doing, but needed to do. The old toilet would not fit after putting in the new tile. He charged us $5 to go pick-up it up which I thought was crazy.

Provided Estimate for Granite countertop, it was a low estimate but they did not provide the little things such as having the sink installed which we needed.

We are selling our home and our shower had a leak that had to be repaired. Ed's company did the entire shower from demo, drywall, insulation and tiling. We also had some fixes that needed to be done based on findings in the home inspection (plumbing and electrical).They did excellent work and Ed is very accommodating. He even went out of his way to visit a house we had planned to put an offer on to give us ideas and an estimate of what the updates would cost. Very nice guy and great work by his team.

I contacted Ed from Designer Stone and he quickly called be back and made an appointment to come to the house and look over my project. Ed was one of 3 seperate bids I received. He listened intently to what I wanted and asked the necessary questions. I wasn't sure if I wanted to do just the hand rail and the ballisters, or if I wanted to rip up the carpet and do the treads and risers as well. Ed said that he would price it out both ways and get back with me. I didnt hear from him for a day or two and called him to see if he had sent it. He told me that he was looking for the exact wood to match my existing wood in case I did want the risers and tread so he could give me an accurate quote. I thought that was very thoughtful that he would spend the time to go search out the best wood for the project. His bid came in the middle of the pack, but the reason I choose to go with Designer Stone, was because I really liked Ed and felt like he was easy to talk to, he understood what I wanted and he didn't try to talk me into other things like some of the other companies had. He was going to help me see my vision. His team promptly came on the set date, quickly set up and then realized I must have had 100 coats of laquer on my stairs. It took them longer than anticipated to get the initial laquer off, but once it was off the bare wood was beautiful! They sanded it down and then the craziness came! I wanted the wood stained because I have alot of kids and wanted the work to last. Ed agreed that stain would be the best for durability. I had in my minds eye a color, but the wood had a mind of its own. Even though we choose a dark espresso, it didn't stay on dark because the wood soaked it right up. After trial and error, we found the perfect color. We had to mix equal parts of expresso and ebony to get the right variation, and after that, it still required many, many, many coats of stain. Finally, we got to the perfect color and I was thrilled. Then came the protective coat. That was a nightmare!!!! And not because of Ed or any member of his team. The weather reaked havoc on the laquer. It was so hot and humind that week, and after one coat of laquer, it all started to bubble because of the humidity! I immediately called Ed, somewhere around 10:00 that night and told him what was going on. The next morning he came over first thing, saw what had happened, and immediately started sanding! They had to sand off all the previous laquer! We changed the climate in the house and tried again. This time, we didn't have any problems and the end result is STUNNING! It is the first thing you see when you walk into my house and it definately makes a statement. I have had so many compliments on the beautiful work they did. I'm glad I went with Ed and his team and will definately do it again for my next project.

Ed came out and quoted the job, he wasn't the least expensive but he could do more than the company that had the lower quote. He met the quoted timeline was on the nose with his price quote. He worked around my extended working hours and was very accommodating. Ed guided us to the granite place to choose the slabs we wanted and also provided a contact who was ready for us upon arrival. He even helped when we needed the sink over the weekend in the middle of the project. His team was on time and very professional. They did a wonderful job and was able to translate my vision into reality. He was able to even surprise me by adding a few extras that we hadn't discussed but certainly enhanced the whole look.On top of adding the granite he completed a few of the incomplete items that needed to be addressed that we had discussed.Very happy with the completed project and will certainly use him again for other projects.

We are very pleased with this company.They were prompt,professional,reasonably priced,and really good people to work with in every way.We have tenants moving soon,and we were in a tight spot,needing to get some work done quickly.They totally accommodated our "emergency situation",and we are so grateful.Their work is very good.The work that needed to get done before the tenants move in is all done. We will use them again.

Overall, I was pleased with the work. Ed came out to do an estimate on Thursday. He was a couple hours late, and didn't call. I phoned him, learned he had an emergency to respond to, but was to my place within about 20 minutes. He arranged for someone from his shop to pickup the granite slab on Friday that I had already purchased. They cutoff the bullnose edging, applied a square edging, and cutout for the sink. The install guys arrived on the next Thursday, spent a couple hours doing the install, and answered any/all questions I had. At one point, they had the sink mounted and were getting ready to fit the granite into place. I thought it need an extra sheet of plywood underneath for clearance to open the draws (it was close to being okay, but not quite for my larger fingers). They didn't bat an eye, had the extra sheet of plywood down and sink installed in no time. Overall, the small project turned out very good. Ed's son came around for a final inspection and to collect payment.

I contracted with Ed Cristobal the owner to do a complete custom kitchen remodel in August of 2009. I checked on some referrals he gave me and even visited his supposed office. He promised me quality work and a very good price at the time. I thought I could trust him. Work was to be completed in 5 weeks time. It took almost 5 months. The tear out went fine but when they started reconfiguring the plumbing and electrical, trouble started. His lead contractor he was partners with had no idea how to properly solder and anchor piping. Ed tried to tack the price of the guys tools onto my bill. He moved the electrical outlets and they ended up not being lined up horizontal. I got so p***** off I told him to leave and not come back. Ed had to get some temp guys to finish the work. The granite was installed incorrectly for a square edge and it is too short for the cabinets and just barely lines up with the drawers. The granite guys were eds old company that he sold to some new comers who spoke no english. Ed blamed the granite problems on my request for square edges instead of standard bullnose. The cabinets and the granite did not line up properly and it scrapped the top of the drawers. Rather than add the standard extra 1/4 inch underlayment for the square edge , the only thing ed told me could be done was raise the granite but now its at an angle and looks poor. The drawers were not what I requested with blum self closing glides but side mount and they had to be redone because they weren't self closing. Then 6 months later they were so cheap that they wouldn't work, I had to fight with ed and pay another $600 to redo the drawers with good quality glides. The staining came out 2 tone instead of one color. Ed blamed it on the wood his cabinet maker used. It was supposed to be all alder but the framing was something else. Julios custom cabinet maker did a very cheap job and I found out it was his first job with ed. The microwave was put in crooked so that the door swings open all the time. The under cabinet lights were not what I ordered, however Ed did reimburse the money on that. The cabinet finish by the sink started to peel off and I had to threaten to sue to get ed to answer my calls and get it fixed. His people left a mess at the end of each day and never vacumned the dust or dirt. His workers never showed up on time. Ed didn't want to spend the money to level the wall for the backsplash so the tiles are not even. He didn't want to level the side walls so that when he installed the cabinets they had to cut out the drywall to even them. He left off one drawer completely. I also found out what he told me was his office was actually Julios office. By the end I was so frustrated I just wanted him finished . Every contractor in my home since has said that Ed used every cheap trick to cut the price. I got a good price but not a quality job. I don't feel that Ed even tried or cared to make things right unless I pointed errors out. He's not a contractor who takes pride in his work. This is all true.

The workmanship was excellent and the price for the shower repair came in lower than another bid. I gave a B for price only because there were a few surprises - things we thought were included in the original price but were not. The time taken to complete the project was not unreasonable at all but was quite a bit longer than what they had estimated. I would have liked a little more guidance with design.

He specializes in flooring and counter tops. I had a really complicated paint scheme that I had found in a magazine and he copied that. It is just beautiful. I saw some of the work he did for some other people and I just thought it was beautiful. His people were on time and the work was done in the amount of time specified. They were quiet. I was real, real happy with them. They did an excellent job. They came back to see if I was happy with the job and when they found out that my husband had a bad knee, they put all my bedding back together. They moved the dressers back in and set the bedroom up the way I wanted at no charge! I couldn't have been happier. I will use them in the future.

From the initial visit to determine the work to be done, to the final visit when work was completed was an excellent experience. We would highly recommend Designer Stones and Homes Inc. to anyone looking for a contractor to remodels within their homes.

Ed Cristobal oversaw the project, and he was very easy to work with. He cared a lot about the quality of his employees' work. He was very good about getting the job done in a timely and efficient manner.

One of the charges was $3600. In total, it came to around $9000. They did fine. There were just a few issues. Some of the things were wrong, so I had to go out and buy more tiles at times. I didn’t get reimbursed for the tile that they had to correct 3 times on the floor, but all in all they did come out and correct it. I never even thought about it. I am sure if I had asked they would have reimbursed for the actual cost of the tile. They did a good job on everything except for the tile. I went with them because they were the lowest price. I would use them again in the future.

Ed and his crew were very professional and knowledgeable. After they completed the work for the day, the crew always cleaned up as if they were never there. Ed took into consideration that we need a functioning shower throughout the process. Ed phased the work so we would always have a shower available to us throughout the remodel. Ed and his wife Diane were very helpful in discussing the design of the bathroom. Their ideas were in line with what we wanted to see as a final result. Ed came back after the completed work when little items were discovered to be corrected. Our experience was completely different from past construction contractors. Angie's List was very helpful in researching contractor's. We are considering remodeling the kitchen in the future and would use Designer Stones and Homes, Inc. again. It should be noted that, after a year when I was experiencing some problems with the tile, they came right out and repaired it immediately with no problems. It was good customer service and good follow up. There was no hesitation with him coming out and fixing the problem.

Went well overall. Took me to homes of people they had completed cabinet work for. Recommended several good tile, granite and paint sources. Introduced me to his cabinet maker. Recommend several design options and provided a cost estimate. They started quick and got done quickly. At times, I dropped by daily to see the progress that was made. Some of his workers stayed late to ensure the work was done. One recommendation: if tile is done where they need to cut tile, ensure you identify a location for them to cut the tile. Tile dust can create mess.

I decided not to use them. He was very responsive in getting me the proposal.

We haven't done any projects yet. They didn't charge us for the bid. We would probably use them if we do the work. The bid was reasonable. We have only had 2 bids. The other one was almost double. The designer was very nice. Edward Cristobal is the owner. He is a very nice person. We interacted with him. He is very good. We would definitely call him for a bid. I saw pictures of his work. I haven't seen his work in person. We had a bid with another person for the same work and there was a good ten or fifteen thousand dollar difference. I definitely wouldn't hire the other guy. I think Edward is honest. He had bids from several people. That's why we did the Angie's List so we can always look on reviews, and that makes a difference. I highly recommend this guy. I would consider hiring him.

It went very well. There were a few problems here and there, but he was very easy to work with, and he took care of all the problems and fixed them. My new kitchen is great.

Overall the job went well and Ed finished in the timeframe I had requested. Everything looks great. Just a note - you do need to check the work and make sure you alert him to any details that are unfinished, as he is not always around to check his guys' work. However, he is very responsive and will call you back right away and get the work done quickly. Reasonably priced, but nickle-and-dimes a bit on small costs you may have assumed were included (i.e. providing a trash bin, removing old adhesive from shower, moulding repair,etc).

We wanted two granite countertops installed in both upstairs bathrooms that had an ogee edge. Ed came over to provide an estimate. He was on time, very professional and courteous. We felt very comfortable and safe having him in our home. He came with samples, provided us with a great estimate up front. On the day of installation, his employees came over to perform the work. They were very professional and conscientious of the fact that they were working in a home - They put floor mats down, used vacuums while doing work so they would minimize any dust during installation. They were also very courteous and knew their job well. The countertops came out great! Much better than expected. All in all one of the most pleasant experiences I've had working with a contractor. I would definitely use him again and recommend him to anyone needing remodeling to be done. A very happy customer.

Great! They completed all of the work in less than two months and were wonderful to deal with. The pricing was very good considering the amount of work we had done. We would definitely use again.