True North Designs is founded on the principles of service, quality craftsmanship, and integrity. Founded in 1988 after 10 years’ experience in framing, foundations, and finish carpentry, we have consistently provided our clients with affordable solutions to their fine home-building needs for the past 35 years. We specialize in full-scale remodeling projects and room additions, bringing all of the trades together on a compact timeline. Attention to detail and logistics are of highest priority, as is customer satisfaction.
Business highlights
36 years of trusted experience
Services we offer
Framing. Window & Door replacement. Kitchen & Bath remodeling. All phases of construction from Foundation to Roofing.
Description of Work: He is a very good talker,has a" nice way about him" ,a good salesman , but that is as far as his skills go;i had no idea he would put his workers on the job,in the morning,then be gone for the rest of the day,,thinking they could figure it out on their own. this is not the way to do things....I would arrive at my home in the middle of the day,and find costly mistakes,months later after Paul North was "gone" it finally Rained,and my house( that i spent a fortune on in interior painting,etc. ) was LEAKING WATER IN ALMOST EVERY ROOM. He thinks he can supervise his workers from his cell phone,they couldn't get good cell reception in Beverly Hills,so that made it worse He had an "excuse" every time I tried to get him to "be on the job" ,he failed the first inspection because he wasn't around when the building inspector came to do his inspection. It got so bad that i had to pay the Stucco contractor directly,( me the homeowner) I had to take over the responsibility of finishing the project. Mr North was still paid in full,I would never hire him again..It would be awful if he were to do this again to homeowner that was not as construction savy as myself, if i didn't take over the job in mid-term like i did, we would be in litigation at this time.
Rating Category
Rating out of 5
quality
3.0
value
3.0
professionalism
2.0
responsiveness
2.0
punctuality
1.0
$70,000
Response from True North Designs
My contract was to build parapet walls and stucco them. It was for $46,000 not the $70,000 he has dishonestly reported. It expressly states that roofing and waterproofing are not included, since he had his own roofer. His insinuation that I had something to do with his roof leaks is preposterous. If I had, he would assuredly have filed a claim with my liability insurance company. He did not, simply because this work was not done by us. Regarding supervision, there seems to be a lot of misconception on the part of the homeowner, perhaps this could be communicated better: I am on every one of my projects every day for at least one hour and may be up to 4 or 5 hours. What determines how many is 1) how many subs need to be laid out and 2) how complicated the installation is, in other words, how much of it needs my attention. It so happens that this project was the first one I went to every day, and laid my carpenters out. Now, I don’t THINK that they will figure it out on their own, I KNOW they already have it figured out when I leave the jobsite. After all, framing walls and screwing plywood is not rocket science! (And by the way, sir, my carpenters are amongst the most highly paid employees for a non union contactor you will find anywhere – you did not make a name for yourself by insulting them and treating them like garbage. 2 of them installed the cabinets for the client in the subsequent report above, with no supervision other than one hour each morning. Take a look at the photos. Plaster walls are crooked, so it takes some ingenuity and experience to do this. These are the same guys that framed the parapet walls, which in comparison with custom cabinetry were so easy they could have done it in their sleep!) Regarding the comment about taking over the job, that is nonsense. He did take over the payments to my stucco subcontractor, something I was amenable to, though in fact it was he who requested this, for I would not have had any incentive for coming up with this idea. V is for Vendetta. This gentleman gutted the interior of a 3,500 square foot home and tried to remodel it (with his unlicensed contractor and his 15 drones) WITHOUT PERMITS (in Beverly Hills no less); when I told him he should get permits so it would not hold up our end of the job, and when it came time for our inspection on the roof parapets, he covered all the glass doors and windows to the house with plywood so the inspector would not see anything! If THAT is what you call “construction savvy”, I would rather be called an idiot than to admit that I had any of this myself. Taking this in the context of someone who is an INVESTOR remodeling for RESALE, trying to “save a buck or two”, this man became hostile toward me when he needed someone to blame for his failure to complete the extensive plumbing and electrical work in time before we were ready for a framing inspection. Every one of my 5 man carpentry crew is a talented, skilled, professional, friendly and conscientious individual who is capable of going for days without someone leaning over his shoulder. Having not gotten my license out of a cereal box, and having put in 28 years of carpentry on the job myself, both finish and rough, I prefer to work with tradesmen who are more than competent, they must be excellent, and they are humble individuals even though they dedicate their excellence to every job we do. The truth is, I have been doing this for 34 years, and this guy just got started, thinks he’s hot stuff, and wants to rain on anybody who doesn’t bend over backwards. My intention is to serve my clients, to the best of my abilities. It only makes statistical sense that once in awhile you are going to get a client who is delusional, and no matter that you got the job done on schedule and everything’s plumb, square and level, and it looks outstanding (thank you, E.C. Plastering, for an outstanding job!), there are some people who just will not be happy because they have some other agenda.
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Service Categories
General Remodeling,
Kitchen and Bath Remodeling,
Decks and Porches,
Doors,
Finished Carpentry and Woodworking,
Drywall,
Stucco,
Electrical,
Lighting,
Unfinished Carpentry,
Plumbing,
Windows
FAQ
True North Designs is currently rated 4.9 overall out of 5.
Sunday: Closed
Monday: 8:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Tuesday: 8:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Wednesday: 8:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Thursday: 8:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Friday: 8:00 AM - 6:00 PM
Saturday: Closed
True North Designs accepts the following forms of payment: Check,Zelle
Yes, True North Designs offers free project estimates.
Yes, True North Designs offers eco-friendly accreditations.
No, True North Designs does not offer a senior discount.
No, True North Designs does not offer emergency services.
Yes, True North Designs offers warranties.
True North Designs offers the following services: Framing. Window & Door replacement. Kitchen & Bath remodeling. All phases of construction from Foundation to Roofing.