Stone Age Design & Build Inc

Everything went beautifully. Lou Philippe provided a very detailed estimate of costs for work to be done, with a clear line-by-line breakdown of costs. We found his pricing very reasonable. His crew arrived on time and were very pleasant and professional, doing their best to be unobtrusive. The work itself is gorgeous. The paint job and wood repairs look fantastic. We could not have asked for anything better -- the work is superb. We have used Stone Age Design before, for a major remodel, and we will continue to use them again and again for any home maintenance needs.

I own a 2200 sq ft., 3-story townhouse 2 blocks from the beach. This home was built in 1990, but was in need of a major restore and minor remodel. Major remodel means that materials and labor cost about $250000 for this job. Plan was to restore the home so that it would need very little maintenance for the next 20+ years. Work included new roof, major deck repair, major termite damage repair, new windows and doors, interior and exterior repaint, A/C install, new furnace, new hot water heater, electrical upgrade, car port revamp, master bath revamp, new kitchen cabinets, new appliances, new floor covering, etc. Since work list required so many different crafts, I wanted a good contractor who could do most of this work with his own staff, and minimize the use of sub-contractors. I selected Lou Philippe’s Stone Age Design and Build for this job because he takes on only enough work so that he can use only his dedicated crew for most of the work. Also, I had no skill, time and energy to manage a home restore. Since work was a “restore” more than a “remodel,” I did not ask for any “hard” estimates for this work. I decided that I could trust Stone Age, and that it was more important for me to just get the job done absolutely right rather than continue to negotiate price. It seemed to me that if you can’t trust your contractor with a home you live in, you are going to have lots of trouble in the future. Not everybody may choose to work this way, but you really have to have trust unless you want to get in the middle of every step of the job. One needs to plan work well ahead of time to work with Stone Age. Since company is small, and does no sub-contract key work, the job has to fit the crew’s schedule. Had hoped to start work in fall on 2015, but had to wait till spring of 2016. Moved out of house and into a long term stay hotel for about 5 months till work was completed in the fall of 2016. This report is written in the summer of 2017 because work was just completed (at my scheduling request – not the contractors) on a problem described below Not sure if the original restore / remodel period was too long, but know that part of the delay was delivery of new doors and windows which had to do with high demand from supplier. I suspect it takes more time to work a three story townhouse then a single story house. Also work was delayed as necessary to be sure any underlying problems were properly fixed. I did not push the contractor, or pay any overtime to accelerate the work. All work appears to be high quality. For example, any suspect wood with termite damage was replaced, and treat to minimize chance of termite return. Any problem issues were quickly reported, so that I could decide to do the extra work to get it right. Contractor did not just move through to get the job done. Also, the Contractor gave me good advice on how to choose the best materials, finishes, colors, etc. I believe extra steps that I would not have asked for were done to insure job would last. Work was carefully coordinated with the City so that all inspections and permits were correct. This was important to me as one does not want to have any outstanding permit issues on a home. I really want to be in full compliance. Attention to permits and codes was followed on every part of the job – roof, concrete, electrical, appliances, etc. Stone Age appears to be up-to-date on all the many codes now required by the State of California. One thing that showed me that the Stone Age crew really wants to do a good job is how well they cleaned up the house after work was done. Even when they came back to work minor issues they did not leave till it was thoroughly re-cleaned. I was prepared to do much of this myself, but the crew just wants to leave the job with it looks good. Another thing that impressed me was how safety conscious the crew was. I worked plants for a major corporation, who was extremely safety conscious, so I was aware of the precautions required today. As far as I could tell, the crew followed all of these precautions. The crew’s clothing, safety gear, equipment and techniques seemed to be a cut above what I expected for a small operation. This tells me that if Stone Age’s manager cares so much about the health and safety of his staff, he cares about everything on the job. So many small contractors do not care about this – they just want the job done a fast and cheaply as possible. Several of my neighbors complemented Stone Age for being so courteous, clean, and safety conscious. They all said they never caused any problem. Again, if you care about the neighborhood, you must care about your job. Had three problems after the work was completed (none of which was Stone Age’s fault): 1.) The deck subcontractor did a beautiful job replacing, and fixing the deck problem, but did not properly seal a small corner of the deck. Consequently, water again leaked through the master bed room ceiling. Stone Age sent a craftsman to our home the day after I reported the problem, to inspect, and reopen the ceiling so it would dry asap. They then made a temporary repair. A thorough deck repair, and master bed room repair was scheduled a couple of months later when we were out of the house again. 2.) The kitchen cabinet supplier slightly miss-sized the cabinet doors. Contractor helped me get the cabinet contractor to provide new doors, and then installed these new doors. Probably could not have made this happen on my own. 3.) The new shower installed as part of the bath room remodel used existing sewer lines. I had not used this sewer line because the original shower would not meet our needs. When using the shower the minor sewer plug / line leak was discovered. This was not Stone Age’s problem, but they took responsibility to quickly diagnose and repair the problem. Work required some new sewer pipe, plus some exterior stucco restore, and repaint. All work was done by Stone Age, so a new plumber or painter was not needed. Cost of this repair was prompt and reasonable. I did not have to encourage contractor to fix this asap. They just did it asap. When fixing the above problems and a couple of minor problems, they readily adjusted/ repair other issues that came up. I have already recommended Stone Age Designs to my neighbor. Work has been completed for them, and they are very satisfied. I would recommend Stone Age to anyone that wants quality work.

Torrance, CA - We had an old kitchen and bathroom (dating back to the original 1955 construction date) that needed a complete overall. Lou Philippe the owner of Stone Age Design & Build Inc was a pleasure to work with. He was very detail oriented and was in good contact with us throughout the course of the project. We had some unexpected issues come up (always happens when you start looking behind the drywall), but Lou and his team handled them well and kept us informed. This was a 12+ week project and we did not move out during the construction. Although it was and very disruptive to our normal living environment, Lou's team that was on site everyday was exceedingly polite and very conscious of leaving a cleaned up worksite everyday. Although I marked Price as and "A", I don't want to confuse that with being inexpensive. I am sure that there are less expensive contractors available, but I felt the price was fair and am very happy with the work. We are ready to start on another project and hope that Stone Age is available because we had such a great experience. p.s. I have some great before/after pics, but don't have them right now (at work), but will see if I can edit this post later to add some photos.

I did not use this company. After leaving 2 voicemails and sending 2 emails, I received no response at all.

What should've been a pretty straightforward job turned into something much bigger when we discovered the crack in the foundation. Lou helped us navigate the process, scheduled the engineers and inspectors to come out, and dealt with all the permits. Lou and his crew were always on time, professional, friendly, and very good at what they do. Lou is super detail oriented...sometimes seeing things that I didn't. There were also a couple of minor issues that came up after they were done, and he sent someone out immediately to fix them. I would definitely recommend Lou and the Stone Age crew, and will use them again in the future.

Stone Age design never compromises on quality and workmanship. The site was well managed and work was meticulously completed. We did run over schedule due to scope change, which was handled with good communication throughout the process.

Lou the owner is incredibly communicative, professional and very detail oriented. His team are all professionals who not only were always friendly and on time but would actually be parked in front of our house 15-20 mins early every day. Lou did everything that he said he would do and then some. He treated our project like he was working on his own house. His level of detail is second to none. The project plan and associated costs were painstakingly detailed and thorough. I would not hesitate to recommend Lou.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~Husband?s Review ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ We decided to completely renovate our 1950?s Torrance home and tear out or move almost every interior wall. Our goal was to create an open-concept living space for the living room, dining room and kitchen areas, while at the same time update the bedrooms and make two luxurious bathrooms. We were so fortunate to find and hire Lou for this large project. This was our first renovation and we quickly learned that we could trust him and rely on him to help us work out the details of the project. From the beginning he provided clear descriptions of the work to be done as well as detailed change orders as things came up or we added tasks to the project. He met with us regularly and kept in almost daily communication with us through e-mail and texts. When we would get stuck trying to make a decision about some aspect of the project he would meet with us and really help us work through the issues to insure that we would be happy with the home when it was finished. Lou?s crew was a great group of guys who did an outstanding job on our house with superior workmanship. They were always friendly and willing to answer our questions about the renovation work. At the end of the project we moved back into an amazing home with so many nice touches that Lou and his crew provided. We highly recommend Lou and his crew for any size renovation. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Wife's Reveiw ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ I just have to say how lucky we were to have met and hired Lou. We interviewed three contractors and Lou felt comfortable, giving us no pressure, and after working with him, we found that we made such a fortunate choice. Lou is fair, straightforward, and a really nice guy! Pros: So where do we start? -Lou is very thorough! The devils' in the details and we just see angels all around our house. Everything came out perfect with straight lines, even leveled tiles, and all right angles. This is all wonderful because I am a very detail oriented Japanese girl, and we found that Lou was even more of a perfectionist than I am! I never had to be a "difficult client" because I knew Lou is taking care of it all. Nothing would have depressed me more to turn a corner and see that something is not aligned. I have none of these flaws in our home. -If you want a home without making any decisions, then Lou is not for you. I?m sure he can do it, but he wants to meet your preferences and have the home designed and fitted your way. He doesn?t say ?Oh, this is probably what they want,? and make a decision and go on. Instead, he will ask what kind of look you are going for. We had a custom home at the end of it all. -Lou gave us choices for certain things (i.e. stacked or staggered tiles), but Lou does not do the design himself. Instead he introduced us to Tracy Bennett who is a designer for home re-dos. Most of my dimensions and floor plan came here- before even the demo. She was great, and she worked out well for us because she was as involved as we needed. She charges by the hour and has the experience and expertise in making great floor-plans. (Please see Tracy?s review). Although Lou does have great ideas he?s learned along the way. Something I would have never thought of like including sky lights, tinted windows, schluder molding around all the kitchen tiling etc. They were all on point with making our home even nicer. -The workers (Mostly Daniel, Miguel, and Jose) are all really great. They are really into the details themselves, especially Daniel. They take their jobs seriously and they are really kind and trustworthy people. There were several instances that told me Daniel cared a lot and takes pride in his job. (When you meet him, you will understand.) When they work that well, you don?t see them as workers anymore, but instead an individual who know what they are doing. Obviously, there were no behavioral problems of loud music, smoking, or any other typical issues that some people may encounter. Just genuine hard-working guys. Jose does all the electrical and his work was amazing also. Even as a lay person, when I saw how the cabling was drilled perfectly in the 2x4?s, I knew these guys were Good. These are inside the walls, and we won?t ever see them, but that?s how they are. -For things that the three crew members don?t do, Lou sub-contracts others. i.e. crew for demo, stucco, paint, flooring and dry wall experts. Of course, we didn?t have to talk to them, because Lou did. -As the project went on, there were unexpected things that came up. Lou handled these changes really well, objectively and calmly. Gave us choices by price point, and we chose whether we wanted to spend money on these changes. -His quotes and estimates are what he stands by. He doesn?t try to ?rip you off.? He?s an honest guy, and it?s nice to know you?re in trustworthy hands. Never in our 8-month long project have we ever doubted his honesty. His 16-page quote was so detailed, he listed allowances for certain materials (i.e. hardwood) and when we went out of town to buy our own, Lou credited that back to us. We could tell he took time preparing his quote, all itemized and detailed. -His company is not a contracting giant so for our single family home, this was the only project he handled for most of the course of our renovation. That meant all the details were concentrated on us, with almost daily emails at the height of the project regarding details and progress reports. Again, we got really lucky to have chosen him. -At the end I know we have a friend and a contractor for life. If we have any issues with the house, I know Lou can help us. -The pricing was fair. People say don?t choose the most expensive, or the cheapest guy, but choose the one in the middle. Lou was in the upper middle, but now we know every penny was worth it. Cons: -We had to say good-bye. :0) -We really have no regrets in hiring him. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ On a side note, there is something that I didn?t know as a first-time home renovator. I guess the right way and the ideal way to start is to hire a designer that has a computer program (like ?20/20? or ?Chief Architect?) and design the home you want with them. They give you ideas, and you go back and forth. Figure out the right dimensions and the layout that works for your whole family. After that?s done, that?s when you hire a contractor. Interview several, and have them all give you a quote. They all have different styles but as basic as this is, remember that they?re just people. At first, we interviewed a contracting giant and quickly realized that we were just talking to a sales rep. Thank goodness we avoided them, because I know we would probably be talking to several different people throughout the company had we hired them. We interviewed another and he was very general in our discussions, addressed our questions with ?Don?t worry about it, we?ll take care of it.? Etc. Glad we stayed clear of that too. Lou on the other hand, addressed our questions seriously, gave us detailed but straight forward answers, had things in writing, and he ?felt? like a legitimate guy. If you are serious about doing a renno project with Lou, our house is open to view for his future clients. Please contact him, and mention the house with the two-toned kitchen. My husband and I will be happy to show you around.

After remodeling two bathrooms with Stone Age, we decided to take on the kitchen. Since Stone Age did a terrific job with the bathrooms we felt very comfortable with them also remodeling the kitchen. Do to the age of the house, almost 60 years, we knew we'd have issues with the floor not being level, code issues from previous owners, and plumbing work replacement so we anticipated spending more than the estimate. Remember the estimate is only for the work the contractor can see, not what they find after demo. Well, we had our share of surprises and then some once the plaster was removed. The good news is once you see how bad it is, you know this is the best time to spend the extra money to get it done right and not have to worry about it going forward. The one thing we didn't anticipate was having to replace the ceiling. In order to save on costs, we kept the ceiling and the soffits and ordered cabinets to fit under the soffits. Unfortunately once the floor was replaced and leveled, the ceiling needed replacement so it would be level with the floors. Simply adjusting the ceiling to be level with the floors wasn't so simple which meant full replacement. In retrospect, if we knew the ceiling would need replacing, we'd have ordered upper cabinets that were six inches taller. Lou could see how disappointed we were with this situation. He assured us his team would make it look good and that we'd be happy with the outcome. Sure enough, true to his word, Lou made it right. And we're very happy with the results. Lou and the Stone Age team do great work. They have high standards and strong attention to detail. When crafting our kitchen soffits, Lou wasn't happy with the first results so he had them done over and fine tuned until they were perfect. Lou will see things that the homeowner doesn't see. He has experience and knowledge and a sense of design. You will not go wrong if you choose Stone Age for your next construction project.

Lou was very prompt in returning my inquiry and made time immediately to come for an Estimate. He was very cordial and professional. The Estimate came in slightly higher than expected but his approach was great and his references excellent. Finding time to schedule the work was easy. The workers were very professional and very meticulous. Cleaned up carefully at the end of each day. The work performed exceeded expectations and I would have no trouble recommending Stone Age.

I was already familiar with Stone Age, Lou & his crew so I pretty much was able to hand them the key and let them do what they do best. Lou understood exactly what was needed being this was an investment property. Lou ran with the ball like making slight changes to the layout and selecting cost effect materials that looked like a million bucks. I pretty much did not have to do anything. His knowledge of investment property management allowed him to hit the mark on this one. The crew was always on time, worked everyday, worked fast and clean while maintaining top notch attention to detail. In the end they remodeled the kitchen replacing flooring, cabinets, plumbing, counter tops, back splash, appliances, moldings and painting. Remodeled the bathrooms replacing flooring, shower enclosure and tub compete, vanities, counter tops, plumbing, lighting, moldings and paint. Bedrooms and living spaces replacing flooring, lighting, molding and paint. All which was finished ahead of schedule and under budget. They even took care of a few odds and ends they noticed while working at no charge. I would recommend Stone Age to anyone anytime. Thanks again

Stone Age performed our kitchen remodel in February 2012. We were very happy with their professionalism and the end result that we knew we would go with Lou and his guys for our master bath remodel earlier this year. The remodel was a complete gutting of our 1990s vintage bathroom which had the original gold fixtures and dusty rose tile. We had an initial vision for what we wanted for our master bath and Lou brought it to reality. Lou provided advice on product selection and bathroom design in the initial stage of the contract. In the execution stage, his guys did everything in a punctual and professional manner. We were glad to work with Daniel and Miguel again. Not everything is going to go perfectly in a construction project but Lou resolved the issues in an expedient manner. Like our kitchen, we are very happy with our new master bathroom. We would absolutely recommend Lou and his team for any remodels and wouldn't hesitate to go with them for our future projects.

I honestly can't say enough about Lou and his crew. In an industry full of people with absolutely no sense of communication or customer service, Lou was fantastic. He stayed in touch constantly throughout the process, either through phone calls, texts, or status update emails. His crew was amazing as well--they were incredibly nice, respectful, and what stood out in particular was their attention to cleaning up after each day; there was never a point when there was junk everywhere. Lou has an uncanny desire for perfection, which is exactly what one would want from their GC. I was very particular and specific about we wanted, and Lou noticed several things that I didn't even pick up on. He was very organized and kept us on schedule--we finished only a week or so after the original estimate, which is amazing considering the issues we had with Bedrosian's getting our stone slabs (which obviously had nothing to do with Lou). After all is said and done, our kitchen looks absolutely spectacular and better than we even imagined. I HIGHLY recommend Lou and his team for anything you would need done to your home.

We got a bid from Lou for our kitchen remodel in fall of 2014. He was punctual and professional. He gave us the most thorough estimate for the work needed to be done, breaking it down to material, labor and also listing out some unknowns that can potentially effect the total budget. We felt that he was very trust worthy and detail oriented. He has much fewer number of reviews on Angie's List than other companies we got bid from. I think he and his partner basically run the whole company, rather than having sales team and project manager like other companies. He was definitely busy with projects lined up, so the number of reviews does not reflect his good reputation. Personally, I would prefer to deal with the person that runs the whole project everyday, rather than sales and project managers. Unfortunately, we ended up not going with him because his price was at the high end of our budget. He was very understanding and polite about it. We would definitely contact him in the future.

We had Lou, the owner I believe, come out and give us a quote and it was painless. He gave us a really good idea of how we can mix the new granite pattern to our existing one. The whole process is simple, he is straightforward, he gave us some options and told us where to find the granite. He has his own crew to do all the work that helps because he has to cut through all the timing of everything. They did show up on time everyday as they have promised. They did take a little longer because they've had a little bit of problem with picking up the wrong granite. The granite that we wanted was something else, it doesn't quite match up and he caught that, so he tried to fix that on our behalf. It took half day longer but that's okay. They keep it clean, nothing damaged. We're happy with their work.

It was interesting to read recent reviews about other Angie's List clients who have had difficulty with Lou Phillipe of Stone Age Design fulfilling his promises. In October 2014, I contacted Lou Phillipe about a remodel project for my condo. Lou and I met on October 18 to discuss the project, and I was very impressed with his professionalism and attention to detail. When he requested 10 days to complete a thorough written bid, I did not find that an unreasonable request. Little did I know at that time that I would still be waiting for Lou to fulfill his promise in May 2015. My consistent efforts to remain in contact and secure a written bid and his continuing requests for additional time, yielded nothing but a thread of e-mail requests for additional time to complete. I have attached the e-mails(unedited, except to remove my e-mail address) to verify my concerns about this contractor. On February 18, 2015 at 3:49 PM Lou wrote: Gennaro Sorry for the delayed response. I have been out of town again for the past few weeks handing an ongoing family matter. Hopefully, if all goes as planned I will be returning this coming weekend. I am very sorry and embarrassed for the amount of time and continued broken commitments. I apologize for the frustration and inconvenience I may be causing you. Please know other then handling the water leak repairs I mentioned in our prior messages I not started any new projects and/or worked on any other estimates since the start of these ongoing delays. Your proposal remains on the top of my desk approximately 90% complete. I'm not sure how you feel at this point but I will continue working on it when I return if you are still interested. Lou On Thu, Feb 12, 2015 at 9:45 AM, Gennaro wrote: Hey Lou, It is now five additional weeks since you last promised, "I wanted to let you know I am back to work tomorrow and as promised will start things off working on your project." Additionally, it has been close to four months since you requested 10 days to complete a detailed estimate package. My project has been on hold for four months waiting for that estimate package. Gennaro ----Original Message----- From: Lou Philippe < stoneagedesignsinc@gmail.com> To: Gennaro DiMassa Sent: Wed, Jan 7, 2015 7:06 pm Subject: Re: Stone Age Estimate Status 111314 Hello Gennaro I hope you are having a great start to the new year. A new year cold had me unexpectedly down for the last few days. I wanted to let you know I am back to work tomorrow and as promised will start things off working on your project. Ciao Lou On Thu, Jan 1, 2015 at 12:13 PM, Gennaro DiMassa wrote: Lou, Buon Anno!! I do understand that work-related circumstances and the holidays can cause unanticipated delays. I am interested in seeing your estimate and plan for my project. Please keep in mind that I, too, have a time frame for my project and want to receive your estimate ASAP. Looking forward to hearing from you. Ciao, Gennaro Sent from my iPhone On Jan 1, 2015, at 11:04 AM, Lou Philippe < stoneagedesignsinc@gmail.com> wrote: Gennaro Happy new year It is unusual for an estimate to take this long but can justify this with an unusual set of verifiable circumstances. As I told you in our last contact I have two extremely loyal and long time clients suffering from major water leaks which resulted in mold and requiring us to gut their recent renovations, both which were well in the 70k area. With this, I myself also had to roll up my sleeves and have been putting in long 7 days a week ever since. Just returning from NY this morning and pretty much having a handle on the repairs l plan on getting back to a long and anticipated normal routine, which includes estimates within the next few days. With this, if your patience and interests continue I will keep to my promise and complete your estimate first. Again, I appreciate your patience and want to apologize for any inconvenience and/or fustration these delays may have caused you. Lou On Dec 30, 2014 10:55 AM, "Gennaro DiMassa" wrote: Lou, It has now been 15 additional days since you last promised to devote full time to completing the estimate package for my condo project. I have yet to receive it. Please advise so that I may begin my search for another contractor Thanks, Gennaro Sent from my iPhone On Dec 15, 2014, at 5:41 PM, Lou Philippe < stoneagedesignsinc@gmail.com> wrote: Good evening Gennaro I know I am in extended overtime now and wanted to touch base. One of our clients had an emergency water leak which had us working day and night last few days to get things cleaned up and their water service back on. I wanted to let you know I have been working to finish your proposal most of today and will continue full time now, with no planned distractions till finished. I really appreciate your patience and continued interest and will do what I can to make it worth the wait! Lou On Dec 9, 2014 1:10 PM, "Gennaro DiMassa" wrote: Lou, Thanks for your prompt reply to my concerns. As I may have told you when you visited my condo, I truly appreciated your professionalism in showing up on time, wearing booties, and the attention you gave my question and comments in your detailed approach to compiling the data necessary to complete your estimate. Thus I was a bit confused by the delay in receiving the estimate. I look forward to your estimate package before the week's end. Ciao, Gennaro Sent from my iPhone On Dec 9, 2014, at 12:21 PM, Lou Philippe < stoneagedesignsinc@gmail.com> wrote: Hello Gennaro It appears my last email follow up sent via my cell phone dated 12/01 was sent to myself and did not catch it. I truly apologize for the time it is taking for me to get something in front of you. While it is approximately 90% complete, please understand my priorities have to go to my current projects, the same priority I would extend to you if I was to work onyour project. I am interested in your project and in working with you. With this, if its ok I will do,what it takes to finish it up and have it to you no later then by the end of the weekend. Again, thank you for your continued patience and look forward to hearing back from you. Lou On Dec 8, 2014 4:48 PM, "Gennaro DiMassa" wrote: Lou, On November 14 you sent me an email stating that you were close to completing the estimate package and asking for any updates or changes on my condo remodel. After replying to your email within one hour of your email, I was anxiously awaiting your estimate package. It has now been another 3 weeks without any response. Are you still interested in bidding on the job? Please advise. Grazie, Gennaro Sent from my iPhone On Nov 13, 2014, at 9:40 AM, Lou Philippe < stoneagedesigns@hotmail.com> wrote: Good morning Gennaro Wanted to touch base to let you know I am getting closer to having your estimate pkg ready. Please let me know if you have any questions and/or if anything has changed. Thanks Lou Philippe 310-872-7203 My estimate package remains 90% complete somewhere in Lou's company archives.

I contacted this provider in December 2014 for a kitchen project. I heard from the contractor about 3 weeks after contact and decided to meet with him based on a recommendation. At the first meeting, he said he would be available in February or March. While I received a proposal from him fairly quickly after the first meeting, responsiveness afterwards was a major issue when I had questions. I would text, call and email, trying to find the best way to reach him. In most cases, response was at least 2 weeks later. We finally reached an agreed start date (early April), but 1.5 weeks before the start date we still had open questions, he hadn't scheduled a contract signing and downpayment meeting. On my own, I went to purchase some of the items needed for the kitchen update and discovered that one of them had a 2 week lead time. If I hadn't gone on my own initiative, my project would have been delayed (and I might have had an out of service kitchen for two weeks longer than necessary). One question needed to be answered for a vendor by the weekend and the contractor never responded. Ultimately I asked him to remove me from his project list as I couldn't rely on his responsiveness if we started the project and issues came up (as they will). I am sure that he and his team are more than capable (based on reference checks, Yelp and Angies List reviews), but the lack of responsiveness made me lose confidence in engaging this company.

Lou Philippe came out. He was pleasant and professional and unlike most men in that business he didn't seem to be a male chauvinist nor was he arrogant. He listened to our needs, provided suggestions and even offered to show us a job he was working on at the time. A few days after meeting with him he provided a very detailed estimate. The hard copy estimate was the most professionally written estimate we've seen yet from a contractor. In the end, we couldn't afford Stone Age. They were too far out of our budget. Lou was kind enough to offer to have his designer give us a call since we were mulling over some design aspects. He said we could use her even if we didn't go with Stone Age. When the designer called she sounded lost or confused about her role with the company. We declined the offer and wouldn't have used her even if we had hired StoneAge. She was not a factor in our decision. She may have been having a rough day as far as we know, I'm just giving you the details. Warmest.

It was going okay, and now he suddenly called me back and told me that he had too much work and he couldn't help me. I got a quote and I said okay let's do it. I heard nothing from him for two weeks and then I tried to call and all I got was phone mail. I left a message and told them I wanted to get hold of their designer to get this moving. However, a couple of days later, saying they were sorry they had some other work and it was going to take them a long time time to finish and they sorry they couldn't help me. I chose him because he was number one on the list and had the best ratings as far as I could tell. Also, when I called him he was very nice, he came down right away and gave me a nice estimate and I felt like he would be someone good to work with.

Lou and his staff did a fantastic job. They were at our house, off and on, for 12 weeks. We originally only contracted to have one bathroom done but after seeing the quality of their work, we decided to ask them to remodel the other one too. Thank goodness they had the time to do so. Do to unforeseen, previous construction issues that were uncovered during demo, the original quote did increase. However, Lou made sure I understood this issue on his initial visit before he even quoted the job. In fact, Lou was the only one to mention this issue. His honesty and knowledge was a big factor in choosing Stone Age as our contractor. They were not the cheapest or most expensive but we feel the price we paid was extremely fair for the quality of workmanship. With regards to Lou's staff, we always felt comfortable having them in our home. They were conscientious about protecting our floor and furniture and cleaned up each night before they left. If there were any issues that came up, they always stopped their work and contacted us before continuing. We were always informed the night before of the next day's activities, when water or electricity was being turned off, or when the inspector was coming by. As you can read, communication was very strong which was very important to us. Another advantage of Stone Age was their ability to perform a majority of the tasks needed during construction. Very little of the work was sub'd out so the daily staff was very stable. And if a sub was needed, one of Lou's on site supervisors was always there. Demo, electrical, plumbing, drywall, painting, tile work, etc was all done by the team at Stone Age. Lou is also very good at design just in case you don't use a designer. Lou has a strong attention to detail. He will not consider the job being done until both he and the client are happy with the results. We look forward to having Stone Age back in our home to remodel our kitchen as well.

Whatever the highest recommendation can be for a contractor - Lou and his team would get it. I had an excellent experience from start to finish. First, Lou is very detail oriented both in his estimates (to the penny!) and that impressed us initially and then that is reflected in his and his team's work. He would notice things that I wouldn't and make great recommendations. He was not the cheapest bid we got but very fair and worth every penny! He was responsive to my every questions (and I had a lot), responsive and had excellent communication. When I was living out of the house the first two weeks of my project, he would send me email picture updates of the progress. Then for 6 weeks we had to live in the craziness - did I mention I have two little girls. Lou and his team did a great job of every night cleaning the space and putting away the tools for our safety. The quality if the work is the highest I could imagine. Really made sure every tiny thing was fixed - even stuff that wasn't in his scope of work initially he was ok to take on (example - I needed when I rearranged my furniture to move some cables and he was able to help do that although not at all in the initial plan). His workers were pleasant and friendly to my entire family and even my dog who was home throughout. They were always helpful in making suggestions as well as to how to do things better - although I always had the final say. For example, in my back-splash the initial design didn't have a frame on one area with the other tile, and they suggested that and it was beautiful. Another example to his helpfulness - we had a gas leak (totally unrelated to my project and not in the area of the work) that one of his workers smelled. He quickly jumped in to fix it, make sure we were safe, and make sure it was inspected properly. He does everything to code and knows the codes inside and out so when it came time for inspections, everything passed easily - in fact, the city inspector commented on how beautiful a job he did. I was very nervous with this process as I had heard horror stories on experiences with contractors, and this being our first one to work with - I couldn't be more pleased with all areas of the job. I can guarantee that if you go with Lou and StoneAge you will be very pleased with both the work and the experience.

I was looking to make some limited updates to a rental unit prior to listing. Stone Age was the only group that understood the objective and budget scope of the request. Everyone else attempted to up sell me with complete kitchen remodels at great prices if I just signed now. Stone Age gave me a great quote and even provided suggested vendors for stone and materials. I ended up being out of town on the day the work was done. I gave the crew a key to the unit and returned to find the work done fantastically and the job site clean.

Recently I posted a review of Stone Age Designs and gave them a "B." This was for a small crack in a tile in a corner of by the bathtub, it took longer than we thought and the ceiling fan did not perform as well, dying shortly after the warranty. When Lou, (owner) saw the review he contacted me and wanted to know if he could make things right by fixing the tile. He made good on his offer. He couldn't do anything about the fan because it was no longer under warranty. The longer than expected completion time is not much of an issue for me, it's just the way things are with these kind of projects. So this is a guy who always wants that "A" and if he doesn't get it he will do what he can to change it. These are the kind of people you want to work on your house. His crew is extremely careful, polite, and professional. If you are not completely happy they will try to make you so. He gets an "A"

The estimate from Stone Age Designs was the most detailed and easiest to read. Lou spent the most time with us talking & measuring our house & discussing our project to get an idea of exactly what we would like to do prior to submitting his bid. We ended up selecting Lou and Stone Age Designs for our project. Even with all the add on's the project took just over three month to complete which was very close to the originally plan. The entire process went very smoothly. Throughout the project we had been in contact with Lou via email and text. Lou was quick to respond to our emails & texts any time of the day or night, very detailed invoicing, and always willing to spend time with us & answer any questions we had. Throughout the project, Lou was a big help with selecting materials. Lou did most of the purchasing & worked out all delivery & receiving details with each retailer. Lou did all the interior design for the project. After showing him a few inspiration shots of what we liked Lou then worked up & provided us with three different layout options, complete with 3D renderings. Upon agreeing & selecting a layout Lou & the crew quickly got started. Everything always moved very quickly. The crew was at the house six days a week, sometimes even seven, often working 10 hour a day. Both Lou and the crew also showed extreme attention to detail. After every task was completed Lou would do a walk through and mark anything, even for the smallest of imperfections, to be reworked. The crew was always very respectful and a pleasure to work with. When Stone Age was done the house was left clean and ready for move in, even the windows were cleaned. We are very happy with Stone Age & look forward to working with them on our next project.

I had been looking for a contractor for awhile and was not having much luck finding someone I was comfortable working with. I always noticed this one house down the block from me that was beautifully remodeled a few years back and decided to stop in and talk to the owner. They were very hospitable and happy to invite me in unannounced and show me around. I have to say it was just as beautiful on the inside as it was on the outside. It turns out they used Stone Age to do a complete interior and exterior remodel of their home and had nothing but good things to say about Stone Age personal and the quality of their workmanship. Upon meeting Lou I knew right away things were going in the right direction. He presented himself very professionally, was extremely knowledgeable and most importantly, he was patient and listened. After spending a few hours of his time talking, measuring and taking pictures he advised me he was a bit busy with current projects but would get back to me ASAP with a estimate. I received a estimate almost two weeks later. I was expecting it sooner but I have to say it was worth the wait. It was very clear, detailed and at the same time easy to read, leaving me with very few unanswered questions. I decided to hire Stone Age and have to say once again I was pleasantly surprised on how stress free Lou made the whole contract signing process. Lou took the time to email me all the contract documents ahead of time so I could review them all at my convenience. Again, everything was clear, detailed and easy to read. I wanted to get started right away but Lou recommenced a start date that would give us enough time to properly relocate all the household items, including having enough time to get all the needed materials, minimizing the construction time since we would not be living there for a good part of the project. Lou was quick to provide us with ideas and address any undecided details, including remedy any problems with the proposed layouts that went previously unnoticed prior to Lou coming on board. All Lou's ideas and suggestions made sense and were, cost effective, making for quick and easy decisions. Lou gave us a list of places he suggested we go to look at materials. He even supplied us with a shopping list which he would updated on a daily basis, breaking down everything we needed to purchase by area. This made it much easier for us to keep track of what we had left to purchase and most importantly keeping things on schedule. Lou was very good at keeping us up to date with what was going on with daily updates sent via phone, text and email. He even sent daily pictures of his progress which we really enjoyed, especially while we were not living there. We quickly came to learn that there is always a chance you will need to deal with the "element of surprise" when you start taking things apart, exposing possible problems that went undetected because they were well hidden behind the walls. Lou did prepare us for this by making notations when applicable within the estimate, including explaining these notations again at the time of signing. Overall, Lou was quick to identify these "surprises", in addition to giving us all our options in writing. We always felt very comfortable when we would visit the job site. The crew was very professional, clean and well mannered. We also liked being able to easily communicate, including having any of our questions answered by anyone on the job site at any given time. You could also see and feel that Lou and his crew were in tune and everything was always running smoothly and on time. We were very impressed with Lou. He worked very hard and was involved, including being hands on pretty much with every aspect of the project from the very beginning to the very end. The more we got to know Lou and his crew the more we felt comfortable and relaxed. It was nice not having to worry about things getting done or the quality of workmanship. We knew Lou would never settle for anything less then perfection. Lou went above and beyond whenever necessary. One of our appliances arrived damaged, without having to ask Lou took care of everything making sure we had a replacement delivered right away. We also had a really had a hard time selecting paint and it was getting to the point where it was going to hold up the painters. Even though Lou had his hands full he found the time to work with us making selections and even providing sample boards so we could move them from wall to wall at different times of the day to make sure each color was just right for each space. The project from start to finish took just over three months and went better then we could have ever imagined. Everything looks great and we are really looking forward to enjoying our beautiful new home. I would not hesitate to recommend Lou and Stone Age to anyone looking for a knowledgeable, experienced and trustworthy contractor. Thanks Lou! After having time to go over the project paper work I felt it necessary to update my reports overall rating in regard to pricing. Other then hidden issues disclosed upon demo and my many upgrade requests Lou's pricing was right on budget. Thanks again Lou!