Creative Outdoor Kitchens

Heard absolutely nothing back to any of my questions and they apparently don't care enough about their business to even answer them. I gave them no budget limitations and was willing to spend to a significant amount to correct the problems, yet they still couldn't be bothered to even have the courtesy of contacting me back. Possibly the worst professionalism and customer service of any company I've used for any job in the entire Tampa Bay area.

Design process was great and pressure free. Keshia was very helpful and patient with us. Preserved the specific veins in the granite slab my wife liked. The crew started and finished on time. High quality of workmanship.

The counter, granite, and stackstone was fine after several fixes however, the hood and grill are a DISASTER! basically cannot use the grill without the patio completely filling with smoke each time!

Excellent. Working with the Kesha on design through the installation by Kyle and his associate, everything went great. The tolerances achieved would pass a NASA inspection they are so tight, so well done.

Considering the project started the week before Christmas it went very well. They were able to work within my time-frame. Any issues that came up were promptly dealt with. There were also a couple of warranty issues with the components which were taken care of without me being involved. If I needed another kitchen they would be 1st on the list to call.

The metal shelf in out fireplace started to warp. We contacted Creative outdoor Kitchen about a month after it was installed. It took them 7 months to work with the vendor to have the shelf replaced. And while the shelf was under warranty, we got a bill for $175 in labor from the vendor for them to replace the shelf. They are not very responsive and difficult to deal with.

The entire experience with the team was outstanding from initial discussions to the finished product. All of the services were provided in-house (no subs), including plumbing and electric, which many people don't realize the importance of this until the construction occurs. They were also fair with their pricing, but did not skimp on the quality or service. We've received quick responses with any questions we've had, even after the kitchen was completed. They were always professional, respectful and cared about turning our dream into a reality. We are very satisfied and loving our kitchen and outdoor lighting. Kyle, Mona, Jeff, and Keisha, we really enjoyed working with you! Jen & Jeremy

The entire experience with the team was outstanding from initial discussions to the finished product. All of the services were provided in-house (no subs), including plumbing and electric, which many people don't realize the importance of this until the construction occurs. They were also fair with their pricing, but did not skimp on the quality or service. We've received quick responses with any questions we've had, even after the kitchen was completed. They were always professional, respectful and cared about turning our dream into a reality. We are very satisfied and loving our kitchen and outdoor lighting. Kyle, Mona, Jeff, and Keisha, we really enjoyed working with you! - Jen & Jeremy

The entire project went very smoothly. The owners of the company, Mona and Jeff, are great to work with. The people they employee were very competent, and the quality of their work was impressive. What was the best thing about their services, was their responsiveness. Every time we had a question, our texts or calls were answered right away. Amazing, since dealing with contractors is usually a nightmare. Overall, creative outdoor kitchens is the best contractor we have ever worked with. We immediately referred them to our friends and family.

Veryt well.. Creative came out to our house right on time, review the work to be done, and gave us an estimate. We accepted the option to keep our refridgerator, because ti was still working No hard sell involved We met the owner and his wife at the stone yard to pick out the granite countertop, and paid 1/2 the estimate The crew came in removed the old kitchen, put in new pavers where it used to be. Started the Installation, in the middle, a very strong thunderstorm came up. They tried to work under cover, but, eventually, the saids they would need to come back, and I was perfectly OK wit this (do it right rather than do it fast) They came back the next day, finished the job, including a very nice back splash... very good job. We got a quick course in how to operate the grill before they left If I had one piece of criticism, and it, in no way reflects on Creative Outdoor Kitchens but rather on the manufacturer of the grill (Blaze), there was almost nothing left on how to actually use it on a day to day bases, and what the rear burner could be used for. I finally found a web site where this was described to be used with a rotisserie, and that teh grill had to be 'seasoned' first I really wish this had been included in the documentation that was left with us Overall, I am very satisfied with what I recieved, and would not hesitate to recommend this company

Everything that I have cooked before and since has been fine. It's a professional grade grill. They had a crew of two and they worked extremely hard and cleaned up afterward and did an excellent job.

Well lets just say my experience was GREAT!!! I spent hours researching grills, hoods, refrigerators, drawers, etc. for an outdoor kitchen. I had other companies come provide bids that were $5 to $8K more than Creative Outdoor Kitchens. Jeff, Mona, and Paul listened to my needs and provided an estimate that was below $10K. My wife and I added some features that they reasonably priced. The installers were wonderful. They constantly were asking for our opinion on what they understood the job to look like when completed. It was their involvement that made the final product better than I had hoped. To top off the experience, they didn't even bother me when I experienced a family matter that delayed executing the contract and starting the job. What I believe really made me feel good about Creative Outdoor Kitchens was Jeff and his contributions on how he could save me money while providing the quality product I was looking to purchase. Another reason I chose this company was that after a month from receiving their estimate Jeff remembered who I was, my home, and work required. Anyone who had a problem with this company must be confused. These folks are genuine and are great to work with.

They answered me very promptly, gave me an estimate and we went from there. The work was delayed for one week due to a granite issue, but they did a very good job and I would recommend them without restrictions. Very happy with the kitchen!

It was not so great. The way it was advertised and what they do was not exactly what I was looking for. They focus more on outdoor kitchens. The design they sent was basically my existing yard with a fire pit in it. I contacted them and they sent me some more pictures. They were very responsive and tried to come up with something else very quickly.

Unfortunately they took the money but never finished all the services that they promised and some of the things that they did do were not done to quote. I am not very happy with them. They did do something but did not do everything that they promised. They did about 97% of everything that they were supposed to do but they were supposed to put granite floaters for the columns which they never ended up doing. They never did some of the detailing work on ceiling up some of the tubes that went into the walls. The stuff that they did is there but it does not look professional. They were electrical issues; some of the electrical outlets do not have the cover panels on them. If water gets in there and short circuits the electricity or something of that nature then it could be a big problem. In all fairness they did a lot of work but did not do all of it; some of details are what I am really concerned about because that is where the problems arise. It is very hard for them to keep up because when I called they did not answer the call. There are several people who have asked about who has done the kitchen and I have informed them not to go with them. I am so fed up with them that the work that they haven’t finished I’d rather pay more money to get somebody else to finish it rather than even be on the phone with these people.

I chose a company based on Angie's List and it was a disaster. I need to write that up on the website so they can put those people out of business. The first day was great, presentation, but what they did afterwards was really bad. I think that's not professional, that's not the way you do business. Their initial presentation was very good, they have a young girl that comes in and it looks like it's professional, it's excellent. Once they start the job that's where everything falls apart and that's where there is a problem. They don't come back and finish the job, they do a poor job. You call them several times and they say they will call you back and then after about ten months they finally finished the job and they still gave me this kind of walking my lawn stuff, it's just a bunch of unprofessional behaviors and I think people need to know that, how to respond to that company. They are just not professional. Certainly I would not let them do anything at all in my house. They started the job in February when they started. You can have handymen do things but that particular company specializes in doing this outdoor kitchens and stuff and that's the reason I went with them. They were to do outdoor kitchens with outdoor specified appliances and that sort of thing. The first day was great when you called they were very professional, it was a young girl, it was really just great. As soon as the job started, and I kind of had the feeling, when people are asking for more than half to start the job, that tells me it's too small a company and they don't have enough money and they may not do as good a job that's been my experience anyway. Then they did the job, they had to sort of complete something and they never finished the job. And then they are asking for the money. I am going to hold onto it until you finish the job. And then they never did. I called and finally after months, just recently in the last couple weeks they came back and finished very simple things, very minor things they have do to. They finally finished it. But that's not the kind of behavior I would expect from a company on Angie's List that actually based on the comments that I read is supposed to do a good job. When they came back they gave me the impression that when you come to work on somebody's house you have to ring the bell, this is outdoors, this is where the pool area is, which is fine. But you can't just walk in there, we live in a gated community, we could have had the guys arrested for trespassing. I think that it was just very unprofessional and even then there is still one thing they still didn't quite do, but I am going to call them back. I won't give them anymore. I was at work it was a bit scary the way they came back. I want them to be written up, because I don't think they are a company that should be doing business for people. They finished the week before Thanksgiving. That was after calling and saying they would come and they never came, that happened a lot. I threatened to have somebody else finish the job but you guys won't get the final bucks for that. Finally the decided they would come back and finish it up. But when they came back they were just like hoodlums. That's not what I expected. I think the job was sort of botched, I don't think it was a professional job. It just wasn't what I expected. It wasn't just that the job was terrible, it was the attitude, the communication, it was supposed to take only three days. That's what was it was supposed to take. Months of calling, you shouldn't have to beg when you actually paid them money. It's pretty much the unprofessional behavior, the fact that they actually did not do a good job of what they were supposed to do, that's written under a contract that we signed and they took a long time. It was way above the limit.

After researching and receiving multiple bids for an outdoor kitchen, my wife and I tried to proceed with a contract with Creative Outdoor Kitchens. What drove us to proceed with the contractor was ultimately price and ability to perform. The owners, Jeff and Mona, came to our house to discuss what we wanted. Although, it was really a pitch about how great they are, and less about what we wanted. Within 10 minutes, Jeff spouted off a round number of $11,000 to complete the job without any detailed line items. Suspicious? Yes. However, I figured I'd let the contract speak for itself. After they drew up the initial design, my wife and I went to their store to review some of the materials and products. However, to our surprise, the person that we were meeting with had no idea how to change the design that was proposed as it did not reflect our conversations with Jeff and Mona. So, after wasting 2 hours in the store trying to fumble through the design, we left no further along than when we arrived (keep in mind, we had to hire a baby sitter for our kids so we could be unitterupted during the process). During this same visit, we wanted to review their patio furniture options. However, their patio furniture "expert" was more concerned about doing some work within the store, that he barely provided us with any input or direction. After reviewing their catalog at home and deciding exactly what we wanted, we tried to reach out to Mona again to discuss the furniture, and she said their patio furniture "expert" would call us. We're still waiting, no return phone call. We were expecting to spend upwards of $6,000 outfitting our patio, which in my experience has a significant mark up and is a great profit center for most retailers. Their loss. After overlooking this minor catastrophe, they provided a drawing and we agreed upon the design. I requested the contract so that we could proceed. After reviewing the contract and making a few changes i.e. who would pay for permits, clarifying scope of work, specifying exact materials (details most good contracts would include to avoid conflicts down the road), I recieved the following response from the owner, Jeff: Anthony sorry about the way you feel about my contracts. This is THE only contract My company will Sign. I would love to have your business but I understand that sometimes not all parties can agree on the contracts. I hope you find a qualified contractor to help you with this project. Best wishes. Jeff Buchanan As you can imagine, I was a little frustrated, and below is the ensuing email chain: Me: Really? I did not make any material changes to the agreement, just wanted more clarification. I negotiate contracts for a living, if you are that rigid, I guess it's best we don't proceed. Thanks for wasting my time, I thought you were a qualified professional. Jeff: Well I am a professional , But why would I need to change My contracts for 1 customer .Contracts can be changed I agree if one of the parties are hungry for that said contract. You might think im being arrogant but im really not I have been doing this for 25 yrs and turn down contracts every day . We have been blessed with our customers and Have a 5 Star rating on Angies list. As for wasting your time im sorry you feel that way but Paul and I also have time into this project and our Drawings that we Never give out until a signed deal . So Again im sorry we couldn't do business. Thanks Jeff I'm writing this review to hopefully provide a level of insight into the ignorant mindframe of this business. There are hundreds of contractors that don't need the work, but do care about customber service and satisfaction. I know from experience that the customer is not always right, but neither is the service provider. Typically, qualified profesionals are able to make agreements that satisfy both parties.

These guys are great! They were very professional, timely and did a great job. They helped with the design and picking out colors/materials. The also didn't push to replace our grill and fridge, which they just cleaned up to look like new. Highly recommend them!

It went very smoothly. They were here when they said they would be. The guys were terrific.

We found their service to be excellent. It looks absolutely gorgeous. Everyone that has been here, loves it. We have nothing, but good things to say. We called a few companies for prices, and they were the most competitive.

Scheduled date of installation was prompt and the materials were high quality. Finished product was per specifications and cleaned everything after the project was completed - very satisfied.

If you want a budget outdoor kitchen done relatively well and you are not detail oriented/particular then this is probably a good company to hire. We had an outdoor kitchen with grill, sink, hood, drawers, fridge installed and also had them install an outdoor propane fireplace. We had granite counter tops and manufactured stone veneer/siding on everything installed including some outdoor columns. The good: During design and picking of products, modifications of design, planning stages, they are awesome. Responsive, knowledgeable and easy to work with. They are efficient and get work done on time and quickly. They come in on budget and don't try to add a bunch of stuff or push specific products. They have a great website with lots of ideas and have some obvious experience in the field. The bad: Workmanship is simply average. Any other description is an overstatement what we had done. Examples include: 1) A broken control panel for the hood that was installed despite being cracked 2) Thinset mess: it looked like they had a snowball fight with Thinset on my new pavers. I mean there was Thinset caked on a new paver installation (at least 80 pavers involved) and it could not be power washed off. The damage was minimized when the pavers were sealed (months later) which makes seeing that Thinset harder, but, oh my God, how about a drop cloth or something. My pool was being remodeled at the time and the pool contractors actually these guys to stop mixing Thinset on the new pavers (this is how obvious the oversight was). 3) Granite edging: they do all their own granite work and will tell you in advance that they don't radius cut any granite. These is not indoor kitchen quality granite edging/cutting and you should see some examples of their granite work before installation if you want to be prepared for the final outcome. The edging is uneven and only moderately well polished. I understand it is outdoor. I considered a granite upgrade but went with standard granite and am really happy I did not shell out extra money to have a nice piece of granite cut by them. 4) We had some Cultured Stone (manufactured stone) installed on the outdoor columns on the lanai. The stones went halfway up the column and then the column extended to the ceiling. For a couple of the stones on the top layer where it transitioned to the column, they had cut the stone longitudinally and installed them with the cut surface facing up. So basically, you were looking a flat and cut piece of manufactured stone at waist level mixed with properly installed (cut down) pieces of stone. It really was quite ridiculous. 5) The kitchen actually deviated from the plan measurements more than one would expect for a precise installation. It ended up bigger than designed which bothered my wife but didn't bother me too much (I mean they charge based on size so this was basically a free upgrade), but the deviation/lack of accuracy was typical of overall workmanship. 6) They installed some crushed granite (granite stucco) on the top of the columns and hood and this installation was sloppy enough that you could actually see the underlying material (i.e. granite stucco applied so unevenly and thin as to not cover underlying material). While they were partially responsive to coming and fixing that list (and that's a truncated list), we were overall disappointed with the details of the workmanship. They were reasonably priced so I think we got what we paid for, but I might have in hindsight I might have looked elsewhere and saved myself some headaches. They do their own electrical, plumbing, and roofwork if installing a hood vent. They almost adamantly refuse to allow you to get subcontractors to make sure those things are up to code. This keeps cost down, but there are risks. Ultimately, I ended up doing my own TV, lighting, fan installations outside (they had offered to do them) because I was uncertain as to the quality of the installation.

We got a quote from them but we didn't use their service. It was competitive with other quotes that we got but we decided not to do the project. We are going to do one but we have put it off a bit. They responded promptly and professionally. They gave us a written quote which is always good. I think they did a good job.

We had an outdoor kitchen installed. We were able to help design the kitchen with some great help from Jeff. The finished product was absolutely fantastic. Jessie the installer was outstanding, very polite, with great attention to detail. Mona was outstanding to work with and always a pleasure to speak with on the phone. We are thankful we have chosen Creative Outdoor Kitchen and I would not recommend anyone else. Great experience I have had with any contractor. Thank you!

We like the finished product and we like the design. We found them at the home show. I'm not sure I would recommend them, even though we liked the finish product. I felt like their time allocation wasn't very good. It could have been finished sooner and they'd only work a few hours one day then cram a lot into another day and rushed at the end to finish when we were expecting it to be finished. They didn't finish it completely and had to come back and that took us pestering for a while to get them to come back.