Erick Allen Designs and Remodeling

I rarely ever write a review but now I have to take the time. Erick Allen is an exceptional human being and it showed consistently as we worked with him. He returned phone calls and texts in a timely manner, always showed up when he said he would and let us know if there were any time changes. Erick explained everything from design, new ideas, materials, estimates and helped us learn the directions to use the Ring system with patience of a saint. And without exaggeration on my part, Erick completed the last 5% of the job making sure that we were happy. His work met all of our expectations and more. Erick came inside our home to work and was always very considerate of Covid rules. At the end of the day, he made sure that the house, inside and outside, was as clean as possible. Working with Erick is stressless. He is so competent in so many areas.

It was done quickly and professionally. Very satisfied with outcome. They look great! Thanks!

We where having a problem with our shower steamer and Erick came out and was able to figure out the problem when no one else could. Turned out we had a bad circuit breaker. He replaced the breaker for us. Next time we have a problem we are calling Erick first!

Erick and his team installed new recessed lighting and ceiling fans for us in our bedrooms and family room, a new chandelier in the dining room. Erick is very knowledgeable, punctual, professional and friendly. He and his team did very neat and prompt work. We are so happy and look forward to working with him again.

Love it! Erick installed recessed lighting in our home with smart home controls and programmed our Alexa for us. He and his team are super professional and great to work with. Love our new home automation.

The work was done quickly and exceeded our expectations.

in fWe first contacted Erick because we planned to revamp our condo top to bottom. When we met we went through the extensive list of what we wanted and talked through all the options. This was a great and very informative process. The first thing we wanted to do was get central heat and air installed and I asked if that was something his team would do. He said that it wasn't, but asked if I had any quotes yet. I told him what I had been quoted and he referred me to another HVAC guy who did the exact same job for just over 1/3 of the previous quote. He hadn't even done anything for us yet and he saved us almost $13,000. As we were forming a timeline, I got in touch with a realtor to get an estimate of the value of the condo as it is and get an idea of potential re-sale. After getting that information, we realized 2 things: 1) the changes required to make this condo work for us weren't really worth the investment, and 2) given that my mother is 74, we should move into a single story home before it become a problem. I was really worried that I would screw up Erick's whole schedule and he wouldn't want to work with us on a new place because we changed our whole plan right before we were supposed to start. Instead, he was incredibly supportive. He has helped with numerous small things, either himself or through his contacts, as we start the process of finishing the work needed on this place to get it ready to sell and in finding our new place. What I really hope for now is that we find a complete fixer-upper so that Erick can work his magic and turn it into our personalized little gem. On top of all of this, he is just a fantastic guy to work. My dog and my cat agree on virtually nothing and don't like each other at all, but both of them love Erick. And if you have pets, you know how important this can be. I can't recommend him highly enough.

After working with Erick Allen on my downstairs remodel for four months, he has been elevated to a place of highest honor at my house. My home is thirty years old and everything downstairs, except for the paint and carpet, were ?original?. I had no experience in major remodeling projects and felt overwhelmed by the prospect of tearing out the kitchen, bathroom, fireplace, flooring, fluorescent lighting etc. and then creating something new and beautiful, as well as functional and practical. After interviewing many people, I made the wise decision to hire Erick Allen as my design consultant. (I found Erick on Angie?s list.) Erick Allen is a delight to work with and a consummate professional. I hired Erik to tap into his ?design genius?, but he is also a licensed expert in construction and was able to give me excellent and specific suggestions for everything from door framing to soffits. Erick is thorough and precise. He gave me the most specific proposal of the many I received. Every detail of Erick?s bid was clearly spelled out, and the total cost for his services was listed, along with a specific payment plan. There were no ?hidden costs? or strained relationships at the end of the job. That same attention to detail went into Erick?s design recommendations and helping me to pick out items that really worked for my taste and home. My home is very ?eclectic?, so I really appreciated that Erick gave many suggestions for making the house design flow from room to room. He helped me to pick out a ?real wood look? porcelain tile floor that tied all the different kinds of wood in my home together. I also love the practicality of having porcelain tile floors now, instead of real wood, especially in my kitchen. As I look around my kitchen, I also have Erick to thank for my great pendant lights (He helped me to pick them out literally in under three minutes.), our Sharp Microwave Oven Drawer (I had never heard about this microwave before Erick told me about it. But, it?s wonderful and allowed us to have a lot more countertop space.), our ?smart touch? faucet (When your hands are covered with raw chicken juice, just tap the faucet on/off with your arm?It?s fantastic!), our beautiful granite (I dreaded picking out granite. Not to worry? Erick made selecting it fun and fast!), our gorgeous cabinets etc. All the credit goes to Erick for his giftedness and guidance in helping us to quickly and easily make the right decisions for our home. If you?re like most people, picking out paint colors is quite a challenge. One reason I picked Erick Allen is because he is a color specialist. Eric gave me his color recommendations, and I ended up going with them after trying different paint samples on the walls. Mr Kim, the owner of the paint company I used, said to me after the house was finished, ?Eighty percent of the houses I paint? the owners pick bad colors, ten percent pick good colors, and ten percent pick beautiful colors. Your house has beautiful paint colors.? I couldn?t take any credit for the colors. I told Mr. Kim that my designer, Erick Allen, had made all the paint selections. When one works with a decorator, sometimes the newly remodeled parts of the house look great, but the old furniture, pictures etc. look even worse. One feels like they need to redo everything-NOW! Erick was very careful to pick fixtures, mouldings, and paint colors that would compliment our old items, as well. We still have things we want to change, but they already look better since the remodel; and now we can live with them comfortably until we are ready for ?Remodel-Phase 2?. Erick also gave me suggestions on small things I could do to help improve the look of my rooms, such as raise the pictures on the wall six inches, rub brown shoe polish on the frame of the hanging clock to ?tone down the gold color?, elevate the skirted-sofa with a hockey puck under each leg, remove a side table etc. Each suggestion was either free or very inexpensive, and made a positive difference in the appearance of the room. I could share many more ways that Erick Allen impacted our remodel. He sets the standard for excellence in what he does. Our family is deeply grateful for the knowledge, professionalism, and wonderful character Erick Allen brought to our project. Erick took our original ideas to a new level. We couldn?t have accomplished what we did without him. Thank you, Erick!

When we bought our new house, it had a severely undersized 4-burner cookt op for the size of the island in the kitchen. I bought a new Wolf cook top with griddle, which required that the granite island and the associated cabinet space be modified. Mr. Allen's crew were there on time and incredibly clean. (I can only imagine the dust generated by cutting out the granite for the larger space for the cook top and/or cutting the old cabinets, but there was not a speck of dust when I got home that night.) He then arranged for a "color match" specialist to ensure that the new wood pieces used to repair the cabinets accurately matched the existing. Not the cheapest contractor out there, but the work was top flight.

Everything went very well. His payment plan was a pay as you go, so as work was completed, the payment was due. I didn't have to worry about paying 1/2 up front, then the contractro never shownig. Erick has a good eye for design and detail so i had the confidence to defer to his design decisions. Everything turned out beautifully. He transformed my dated turn of the century house into a showpiece. All of his work is custom and he uses only the best quality products. I am extremely pleased. His design will still look good 20 years from now.

Our home was built in the mid-1980s and has been updated with appliances and carpeting about 15 years ago. It was time to give it a makeover and we saved and planned it for years. We searched several contractors and designers and met with a few. We selected Erick because he was very creative and, most important, confident in the work he proposed. We wanted someone to take our ideas and input and make it happen. We are more than happy with the result. We started in July and the final project completed in November with a few odds and ends in December. Overall, we could not even imagine how great the results would be once completed. Every evening when we got home from work during the project we would admire the various improvements and progress throughout our home that Erick and his team executed. Starting with the Kitchen. We took out a pantry and wall with the oven and microwave. We wanted to expand the opening to the den and this was the only way. Erick suggested a microwave drawer. I had not even considered it and wasn't sure. We trusted Erick and he was right. The microwave drawer is terrific. Nothing spills and it's so easy and out of the way. With the loss of the pantry, Erick showed us how he could open up the space under the stairway from the kitchen and we ended up with more storage space in this area with rolling carts and china boxes that were previously stored in the garage.Next, we had him build a breakfast nook in the kitchen with a bench. He added drawers there and with the new sliding doors and side window panels, it's beautiful and we can see the atrium with our plants and enjoy the light. He put crown moulding around the beams under the kitchen skylight and it's beautiful and updated.He created a built in space for the frig and it's gorgeous with crown moulding and shaker doors to match the new cabinets. There's storage for the trash and recycling that are in the cabinets and a special set of drawers for oils and large pots and pans that pull out from the corner lower cabinet. I could go on, but there are other spaces to share. In the den, we had the fireplace completely remodeled. They ripped out the old brick, brought the wall down to the studs to make sure it was safe and put in some strapping to secure the chimney. Then Erick's team built a beautiful mantel and we picked out a backsplash that goes from floor to mantel that is just what we wanted. We also picked out tiles for the hearth. When they were installed, we wanted to change two and Erick and his team took care of it immediately without a fuss. There was never a fuss. Erick and his team are completely service oriented. We selected a vanity for the powder room and Erick came up with the idea of floating glass shelves. I wasn't sure, but I was willing to take a risk. Wow, it's a showcase. Our neighbors and friends can't get over how nice and luxurious it is. The floors in the kitchen, pantry and den are the wood porcelain floor tiles. They are amazing. Erick takes you to his "special place" to select all the finishes for counter tops, flooring, everything! He has contacts at locations where we received very good pricing and service on all of our appliances and fixtures. I wanted to replace the stair railing, but wasn't sure we could afford it. Erick brought the custom builder in and handled all the specs. he gave us a variety of choices. We now have the stair rail that makes our home so nice and just the way we like it. Again, another dream come true. Upstairs in the Master Bath, we had one of those 1980s large oval spa tubs with a step. Let's put it this way, I hated it. We just shower and never takes baths. So, Erick came up with the idea to change it to a large shower. Well, let me tell you - it's large. I was a bit embarrassed at first at how large it was turning out. But after it was done, I can't imagine it being any other size than what it is now. With the fixtures Erick suggested for the shower heads, towel holders and custom glass doors - we feel like we are in a resort. It's wonderful. He was able to put in fans (I don't know how and I don't care). I'm thrilled we have fans in our bathrooms now. We're are in the 21st century. Erick's team customized our master bath vanity with espresso cabinets, custom mirror medicine cabinets (mirrors on both sides of the medicine cabinet doors). Tiled the space and backsplash and new lighting and electrical in both the cabinets. It's crazy great! Gorgeous tile work on the floors and walls. New toilet fixtures. Lighting. All done to perfection! The guest bathroom was redone differently. We took out a wall and opened it up between the bath tub/shower space and the vanity. New pre-fab vanity and mirrors that look terrific. The guest bedroom is where we splurged even more on cabinetry. Erick had a custom-built 16 drawer cabinet built under the inset window. It holds so much. Just what we needed. There were minor repairs to some bad wood on our deck, some areas in our garage and around the entry. His team replaced doors - every one of them throughout the home. It's amazing what new doors can do to your home value. He also loves electrical outlets. So he installed several in the kitchen and bathrooms. We thought it might be overkill, but we use them more than ever. He was right. The knobs and pulls in all the cabinets and drawers match. The ccabinetry is all custom throughout the house. His team are true artisans. I can't thank them enough and tell them how much I admire their skill. I have to say, Erick and everyone of his team members know what they are doing. They are the best I've seen. My dad was a building contractor, so I have an amazing point of reference. I can say without a doubt, Erick was meant to work with us on our home. Thank you Erick!

We contacted Erik Allen through Angies list and set an appointment to review the basic scope of our remodeling project. He kept the appointment and we spent about an hour talking and reviewing the house. It was left he would get back to us to see what the approximate cost of the project might be. That's the last we heard from Erik Allen. We made contact with another contractor and we are now approximately 90 % of the way to completion. Erik Allen seemed like and very nice and competent person but we felt like we were left hanging with no communication and no interest.

This was the second time I had the opportunity to work with Erick. First experience was a few years ago when he worked on my previous home on a 3 bathrooms remodel. Currently, I live in a bigger home. Before I moved here, Erick with his team did a transformation to my new home. I am a very picky person, and after the job was complete I could not be happier. Erick is a honest, caring, and kind person. He really wants you to be happy. The quality of the work he provides is excellent. John and Scott are the ones that come to do the work everyday. They are the best people to be around. I spent days and hours with them and they were always nice and courteus to me. They are professional and really really good people!!! Thank you all!!!

Erick Allen Designs and Remodeling did excellent work. His portfolio of his work was very professional and his presentation of his work experience seemed good so I chose him above everyone else. He was extremely professional and knowledgeable. He took the time to listen to what we wanted and created a custom design based on that. He guided us but didn't force anything on us. Great clean up, he cleaned up every day. The giant hiccup is if you fast forward three months we started smelling a smell in my son's room. I thought it was just my teenage son just smelling and about six months after the work was done we realized there was water damage in my son's room. I called Erick, he came out three times and again was very professional and very responsive. He came out again and yes we have mold and it's coming from a slab leak. We don't know and my floors are ruined. It leaked all the way out of the one bedroom across the family room. It's emulating we think from my son's room but it could be from the bathroom. He comes back a third time and goes into the bathroom and put in a new toilet for me. When he jiggled it he says. "Oh no." I won't even go through all the details but, we went through everything with our insurance and basically the toilet that was put in by him was not set in correctly so every time we flushed we flushed water under the floorboards. He was incredible responsive but he did not take responsibility though, he said, "let's get this right, let's get this fixed. We will make this right, we will help you." Those were basically his words. He started fixing and fixing fast. I was trying to figure out if the insurance should pay and then the insurance company and two other contractors said this guy was responsible. There was a warranty for his work and it hadn't even been a year it was only three months. If it was my responsibility I would pay for it, if it was the insurance company's I would get them to pay for it. I got foundation people and industrial people to look at the slab to make sure we didn't have a slab leak. I paid the sprinkler guy to test the sprinkler system. It all came back to the toilet. When I told him that he gave me a $20,000 bill and I had already paid six or seven for a new toilet and new floors that they had put in. He had his guys come and they were nice, we were restored, we were okay. He sealed the slab and put the new floors in that were exactly like the old ones and then he gave me this giant bill. We went back and forth and I didn't know whose fault it was and I was hoping to get a check from the insurance but then we found out it was his fault. It was his responsibility. I couldn't find the paper for the warranty but everyone said it was an implied warranty. He was a totally different person, he was still professional but he got a lawyer and tried to scare us. It got weird, but we were like here's our bill to you. We spent almost $7000 of our money to fix things, which we shouldn't even have done. No contract for all this rework you just started working on, which was nice, but he never once gave me an estimate or told me what to expect what it would cost so I assumed he was just making it right and then he presented me with this giant bill. We sent him a certified letter to say we don't plan to pay for this but we'd like to talk to you and he had disappeared. Like vapor. I sent the letter to his old office, his new office, and his home and they all came back. He never pursued trying to make us pay that bill and we never pursued any further and I assume it's all okay. He does extremely awesome work. I am looking at my kitchen and my floors and I love my cabinets and I love my floors. So we were gone for a week and a half, it was over Christmas when they started. Sent a bunch of pictures, I don't know who they sent, they did the tile around the toilet and put our toilet back. I don't know who did that. He was probably not in the room but his head guy did it. You know the crew that was here, he had been on a bike cycling ride two days later and went over the handle bars so when we came back I didn't see him for weeks. His crew was up and running and moving and doing great work and then he finally showed up with stitches and broken ribs and whatever and managed the rest, but he was not as physically here. I don't know if he saw what happened or not. I don't know if he was in the hospital by then. Then his head guy who came over to look at it looks at it and they start saying things like stress-fractures in the back of the toilet, started making up crazy stuff. I didn't know any better but when I explained it to other people they rolled their eyes and told me that was crazy talk. He told me I needed a new toilet and he and his head guy reset it very carefully. They put down silicone everywhere it could leak so if it happens again it will come up over the toilet not under it. That was the first thing. They put the old toilet out by the front yard and I took pictures of it because I didn't know what they were talking about, but I figured when my husband came home I could show him. I went out to tell them I wanted to keep the old toilet and it had been sledge-hammered and put in the bin like a dead body never to be used again or never to be seen. I think it's an anomaly. I think all his customers are very happy with him. He is expensive but he does very nice work and it's very professional. He should have taken responsibility and offered up to us, he should have said this is my responsibility and I'll cover it. That was never said, it was implied so I didn't know to ask. He even offered to get his lawyer to write a letter to my insurance company. When it came down to it and we were in the same room and we said we don't owe you, you owe us that's when he disappeared and we never heard from him again. I don't want to ruin his reputation because he's good at what he does, but I want this to be more of a story for homeowners to be aware and make sure they keep all their paperwork.

use him many years ago another provider recommended him,very nice still, so i thought oh wow i am going to call again since i saw his name on Angies list came out wrote down ever thing took a while to get this was 6/25/14 got the bid on July 2nd it was higher then any bid i have gotten and i had to provide way more things so the price should have been way less!i even a dumpster that is not right lots of money out of my pocket Client to provided nine to ten small bin dumpsters during the course of this project.$ 14,682.50 and $16,683.00 for my bathrooms this doesn't include permits, painting, toilets, fans, sinks,hardware,facets for shower and sinks or even the shower doors and the bid also said 6 weeks i have small bathrooms no way would it take 6 weeks

I liked him a lot. He was too expensive. I'm on a tight budget so I probably wouldn't use him. The quote was for $40000 or $50000 and he seems to have good design ideas.

Very experienced, punctual, professional and polite. Works very well with customers. Responds to emails very promptly. Ideal business to work with and know your best interest is the priority.

Erick is a wonderful person to deal with. He is honest, capable, and a delight to work with. Today's call was to install 2 grab bars in a tile shower. Work was done quickly and professionally. Previously Erik and his crew remodeled my kitchen. Very smooth and I am still delighted with the results. He has a great sense of design and his suggestions were perfect for what we were looking for (and within our budget). Will call him in the future for any home repairs/remodels without hesitation.

See above.

When you hire Erick, you get a contractor and a designer (he's got licenses for both). He's a true professional. You can tell that he really cares about the outcome of your project and gives excellent advice in terms of design and selection of products/materials. The support he gives is second to none. He is incredibly responsive and goes out of his way to make sure you (the customer) are satisfied. I would consider him to be a premium level contractor, but the money you spend on his services will show in the results. He works with a small team of guys who are trustworthy and are meticulous at what they do. What impressed me is that they always strove for perfection and left the job site clean at the end of the day. I was comfortable leaving them to work in the house knowing that they would always do the right thing. Erick comes by often to check on the progress of the job and ensures quality control. He also helps handle what I call, "project panick." He's very reassuring and dispenses good advice. Basically, he doesn't offer services or refer you to other business unless he'd do the same for his own home and family. I always get compliments on the work Erick has done in my home. I never hesitate to refer him to others who are looking to get work done in the house. Erick is my go-to guy and I would definitely re-hire for other projects.

Was there immediately to contain damage. Provided detailed estimates quickly to me and insurance company, took time to attend a meeting with my adjuster to ensure thorough assessment and insurance approval. Once I had insurance approval he scheduled the work and delivered completion within 4 days. Excellent and CLEAN results.

During the bidding process, Erick showed up on time and fully prepared to answer all of our questions and suggest ideas we would never have thought of on our own. He took the time to understand our family and our needs before submitting a detailed plan explaining what he could do, how much it would cost, and how long it would take. At the conclusion of the project, I can honestly say that he was 100% true to his word with regards to cost, time, and outcome. His crew arrived on the first day on time and ready to work. Each crew member greeted the family and introduced themselves. They were all professional and extremely respectful of our home and our pets. Erick Allen does not sub out his work. Every person who worked on our home was an employee of Erick Allen Designs and Remodeling and the difference was obvious. In the past when we have had work done on our home, workers were loud and often messy. We always thought that was normal. But Erick?s crew was different. Aside from the normal construction noise, there was no yelling or ?inappropriate? conversation as we had been accustomed to with other work crews. Something worth noting is that, early on, we realized that we did not need to monitor the crew. This made a HUGE difference. Although Erick was often here to direct activity, when he wasn?t, there were men like Andres, John, Scott, and Carlos who kept an eye on the entire house and made sure everything was being done according to plan and to the highest level of craftsmanship. It was such a professional operation that we eventually would leave them alone with our pets while we ran errands. And we had complete confidence that our home was in good hands. At the end of each work day, our home was cleaned as much as possible given the construction. There was never a stray screw or saw blade left lying around. Anyone with children or pets would be well-advised to consider this, as that has never been the case with other work crews. On Friday, they even went a step further. Anything that could be done to make our weekend more livable was done. The equipment was put in a central location, everything was swept and cleaned up, and there was always a surprise that allowed us to enjoy the progress on our new home. For example, the crew would take the time to make sure our whole house audio system was working so that we could enjoy it on our days off - even when they would have to disconnect it Monday morning to continue their work. Overall, Erick?s crew made the entire process, not just tolerable, but also fun. We were expecting it to be a stressful time and instead it was wonderful watching our new home emerge with relatively no stress. As a Contractor and Designer, Erick had a lot of suggestions for things we could do that would better suit our lifestyle. For example, our master bathroom had a very small shower. Erick recognized some dead space behind it and informed us that we could enlarge the shower if we wanted, making room for two shower heads and a tiled seat. We would never have thought to ask about that and we?re loving the difference. It was also his idea to turn wasted space in our garage to a full attic. We simply asked if there was anything he could do with that space and within two days it was being built-out for a cost far less than we would have guessed. He also helped us save a lot of money on things we would have to replace in our new home. We had wood bookshelves and an entertainment center that would no longer match our living room. Erick installed crown moulding on them and had them refinished on site to match our new cabinetry. They now look like expensive built-ins and cost less than we would have paid to replace just one of them. Again, we would not have thought of this on our own and we?re thrilled with the results. When it came to installing new lighting, Erick had a ton of great ideas. And with each idea we became more and more excited about our new home. Throughout the project, we would tell Erick what we wanted to achieve and he would present many ideas how we could make it a reality. By the time we got to selecting new colors for our interior, Erick knew us all so well that we asked him to suggest a color design. He created a design that not only flowed well, but also matched our personalities and tastes. When it was all finished, we had to pinch ourselves to make sure we weren?t dreaming. Something that is important to note about Erick Allen Designs and Remodeling is that the quotes he gave us during the bidding process were never changed. We had two friends doing remodels at the same time and they both experienced incremental revisions in their estimates. That was never an issue with Erick. Even when we made small changes along the way, he would just smile and say ?no problem? and the work would get done. The only thing I regret is that I can only give him an A+ in this review. Erick and his crew so exceeded our expectations and created something we could never have imagined for ourselves that it seems a shame that his score is shared by others. This is a one-of-a-kind company. And, not only would we recommend Erick to our closest family members, but his services will also be a part of any home we buy in the future. Once you?ve lived in a designer home custom-created to your families needs, everything else falls short. Thank you, Erick, Scott, John, Andres, Carlos, Carlos Jr., Sam, and the rest of the crew for taking such good care of us and our pets. And thank you for making our dreams a reality.

It has been a few months now since the project has been completed and we are more appreciative of his workmanship. His attention to details, pride in cabinetry workmanship, and his communication skills, made the project less stressful. His crew was punctual, clean, and professional. He kept to the agreed upon budget, provided us suggested design enhancements with thorough explanations and was easily accessible during the entire project. We feel we were fortunate to have chosen Erick Allen Designs and Remodeling (Tustin, CA) and his team to enhance our home.

The job was spec'd out perfectly and the work met our expectations.

From the outset things went great. When Erick arrived at our home for the initial consultation he started out trying to understand how we would be using our kitchen and what kind of activity it usually saw. Then after some conversation he started to lay things out, the whole time discussing it with us. It was nice to know that what was being designed was something that would actually reflect us and not a replica of another kitchen. Erick took the time to go through appliance selection with us and helped us get the most for our dollar. He also had some very insightful suggestions for appliances that we wouldn't have normally considered. We love our microwave drawer! He set an appointment with us and went to the granite yard to help us select our countertops and tile. Just walking in there can be over whelming but the suggestion he made to coordinate with the color selections he had recommended were excellent. When construction commenced his crew was very professional and the ease that they addressed any of our concerns or questions with really helped put our minds at ease. They were always careful with our things and walked us through what was being done so we never left out in our own home. When the cabinetry was done is absolutely beautiful and was just what we had anticipated. Then granite was in and next thing we knew the finishing was being done. The finish Erick suggested was a gorgeous compliment to all the other colors he chose for our home. The appliances went in, our fixtures got hooked up and we've been loving our kitchen ever since. I can't wait to see what we do in our master bath.