Red House Remodeling

We built our dream home in 1983 and raised our four children in it. Like nine people out of ten in America, we want to live out the rest of our years in our home. Having preemptively purchased long term care insurance to help pay for future in-home medical and support services, we also understood the need to remodel a portion of our multi-level home so that we could live on one floor, when future personal mobility issues would become a factor in our daily living routines. We visited with a number of remodeling contractors at several home shows and chose Red House Remodeling (RHR). Located in Valley Junction in West Des Moines, Iowa, they are a small company of five highly competent individuals that take pride in doing great work and experience a sense of accomplishment from making positive changes in the lives of their customers. Ben, as the contractor, is an honest and direct communicator. He is a systemic thinker, process driven, and highly organized, which mitigated hassles for us and allowed RHR to come in on budget. He was always willing to take the time necessary for us to understand the reasons for any pandemic related delays. COVID-19 has been a huge challenge, as supply chain disruptions have caused certain materials to be out of stock, creating delays in construction. Ben communicated these issues on a timely basis. Stephanie handles administration and marketing for the company. She was prompt and courteous in our requests for information. Jenna, using 3D software, helped us create and visualize the finished project months before the demolition and construction of our home actually began. She paid close attention to our wish list while providing a young professional’s perspective on what it would take to modernize our home. She provided attractive “Plan B” alternatives when COVID related delays forced us to look for different materials to install Chris and Troy are highly skilled construction professionals, that excel in doing quality work in an efficient manner. RHR was a great fit for our project. They understand what is needed to make a home viable for aging in place. We were very comfortable working with them. Finally, for anyone considering home renovation, it’s important to be flexible and willing to tolerate disruption when living in your house during the construction process. We found that the beautiful finished product was well worth the temporary inconvenience. Bill Taber & Susan Taber, Des Moines, Iowa

Nothing but great things to say about Red House Remodeling! Their entire staff – from design to implementation – was great to work with. Their familiarity with the latest trends in home improvement coupled with their knowledge of new products on the market made the collaborative design phase quick, easy and fun for the entire family. The overall attention to detail while maintaining functionality exceeded our expectations. Ben and his team made customer service a priority throughout the entire project. He was always open to our questions and concerns and did a wonderful job of communicating at every step along the way. As a father himself, Ben understood the complexity of doing a large remodeling project in a place that the kids call home. His team of professionals were always courteous and polite and went out of their way to minimize the disruption for our family.

My wife and I have worked with several contractors over the past three years to remodel and refurbish the interior and exterior of our house. We’ve been fortunate in our choices of service providers and are pleased with most everyone we’ve worked with. But without doubt, one of our very best choices was Red House Remodeling who helped us plan and remodel most of our first floor. The kitchen and dining room was our biggest project, and thanks to Red House was an absolute success. The process they follow in presenting design options and planning every detail virtually guarantees the outcome. We spent a good deal of time upfront working with Jenna, one of the staff interior designers who walked us through several design options and then through every choice of products and materials for the project—from cabinets and counters to fixtures and switch plates. Not only did Jenna help us consider details we’d have never thought of on our own, she also offered great advice that helped cut throught the overwhelming number of options to make choices that worked well together. Ben and Jenna then worked with us to wrangle the whole project down to the most important features and options at a price with which we were satisfied. With a complete schedule and set of plans that covered all the structural, hvac, plumbing, electrical, and finish work details, Ben and his crew put it all in motion and transformed a run-of-the-mill kitchen and dining room layout into just the functional space we were looking for. Ben brought in a structural engineer to verify all the needed underlying changes to ensure the job came off without a hitch—and that’s just what happened. We knew just what had to be done from the start; no mid-project surprises or compromises. We were impressed not only with Ben’s crew, but also with the great subcontractors they work with. And we appreciated Ben’s active management style and and oversight of the work. We always knew where the project was at and what came next. I was especially greatful for all the precautions taken for dust control and the effort made to keep the area clean throughout the construction. In the end we have a gorgeous kitchen/dining room finished on time and on budget—and most importantly, no complaints! Following the kitchen, we worked with Red House to remodel our living room, too, with similarly fantastic results. Throughout both projects and since completion, Ben and company have been very responsive and accommodating. We’ll be taking on the second floor in a few years, and there’s no doubt who we’ll call.

We have used Red House Remodeling for two major projects on our home – upstairs hall bathroom and our kitchen and dining room. The projects were about 3 years apart and we came back to Red House for the more extensive kitchen and dining room project after the success of the upstairs hall bathroom. Ben is very organized in assessing the project and communicating the details. He also provides realistic expectations and guidance on the project to stay on budget and achieve our remodeling goals. The Red House team has a dedicated designer to help you with your project and picking out all the elements – floors, cabinets, counters, fixtures, etc. Our designer on both projects – Jenna – spent time with us at our home, at their office, and at various stores reviewing options and discussing pros and cons. She was very helpful in getting us the overall look we wanted in both cases and offered her opinions. She was also patient throughout the design process, allowing us to discuss and consider multiple options. One thing I especially appreciated is their recommendation that new elements can blend well with existing ones (like our new wood floors blending with our oak trim). Once all the details were settled and demolition began, Ben provided a detailed schedule for the project and stayed on schedule and communicated any major changes to that. With the bathroom remodel, the plumber accidentally damaged the new floor and Ben made sure this was replaced at no charge to us and tried to keep the schedule interruption to a minimum. With the kitchen remodel, we really had no major delays or issues come up. Ben and crew were very helpful in making sure our old cabinets could be salvaged for Habitat for Humanity Restore – which is a great way to keep used items out of the landfills and help low income homeowners looking to remodel. This also eliminated our need to have a dumpster in our driveway for the duration of the project. Ben’s crew and subcontractors were polite and generally very tidy in their construction process and accommodating to our requests through the kitchen remodel. Ben even delayed the demolition of our dining room at our request so we could have a bit more room for a couple extra weeks. Overall, we have had two great experiences with the Red House Remodeling team – from the initial consultation, thorough and dedicated design process, organized and timely demolition and construction, and follow up on the checklist of wrap up items – the team does an excellent job for their clients. We have plans to use them again in the future.

Red House did a remodel on our kitchen, we were very happy with the process. Ben and his team provide great communication through all phases of the remodel. They were upfront with pricing and were able to deal with any challenges that came up during construction.

work was never performed - I was told on Jan 9 2018 that they were booking work for April or May 2018. Sounds like a good company however they need to work on their timeline....as an investor I can not wait 3-4 months for a company to go out and do the work. Very disappointing.

We had our basement finished by Red House Remodeling and couldn’t be happier with the results. When I first started looking into remodelers Ben was the first one to get back to me over the phone. I admittedly didn’t know much about what all the project was going to entail, but Ben was a tremendous help from the first call. We spent over 30 minutes on the phone just answering all my questions and being very honest about costs, lead times and expectations. We did get other opinions on the project we felt most comfortable with Red House. Ben was great throughout the process with communication, timeliness and staying on schedule. We worked with Jenna on the design and we probably couldn’t have done it without her. She was great at listening to our ideas and giving us new ideas to think about along the way. She was patient, fun and friendly the whole time. When work started Troy was our remodeling specialist but we worked with Christian too. All the guys that came in and did work were professional, courteous and the work was outstanding. The project went according to schedule and we are thrilled with the results. We had a great experience with Red House. I would use them again and recommend them to anyone.

Red House Remodeling completed a major re-do for us , combining two bathrooms into one master bathroom. Their assistance from design thru construction was excellent and done by very caring and competent staff including their sub contractors. We are extremely happy and would highly recommend Red House Remodeling, and would gladly use their services again.

The project went very well! It was a complete makeover of our kitchen which transformed our whole main floor. Red House worked within our budget, started on their proposed start date; they were very organized and efficient and managed to stay on schedule and finish on their proposed finish date. Also, the staff was always very professional. The remodel is exactly what we wanted! We love it!

My experience with the staff at Red House could not have been better. They were meticulous throughout the process, responsive to questions and concerns, and followed the established time line to a tee. I would not hesitate to work with them again. If you want a remodeler that takes care of details and can finish on time, I highly recommend Red House Remodelers.

All went great. Professional and clean. Work staged for the least amount of disruption. Our satisfaction was paramount. Budget was agreed and adhered to. Great communication. The design support was very helpful. Good and honest people.

It was seamless. They provided us a calendar ahead of time so we knew exactly what was planned and when things were happening. They cleaned up at the end of every day and were in close communication with us throughout the process. They told us to let them know if we had any problems or questions and addressed minor changes we made as needed. I would absolutely hire them again and would recommend to friends and family.

Red House Remodeling made our master bath remodel as smooth and easy as a home remodel can be. We have had a lot of other work done in our house with different remodeling companies and by far, RHR was the best. They are professional, courteous, and nice to work with. They covered our hard wood floors and carpet in the 'path of most use' to protect and keep it clean. They vacuumed at least weekly and often more than that to keep the dust and debris at a minimum. The process from start to finished was smooth. Our designer, Jenna, was fabulous to work with. She drew up designs, changed them to get exactly what we wanted, shopped with us, made recommendations when asked, otherwise, she let us pick out what we wanted and had suggestions with good reasons behind them if she felt like we were ever off track. Ben was professional, easy to work with and ultra organized. He gave us a full schedule at the start of the project so we knew exactly what to expect every day. It was never deviated from! We also loved that he did not start the project until all of the parts that were ordered had come in. That way there was no lag time from demo to rebuilding. We just can't say enough good things about RHR, their team and the finished project. We would definitely recommend them and use them in the future. They do not disappoint!

Red House Remodeling remodeled our master bathroom in 2014. Since we had a great experience with them, I contacted Ben Trannel to see if they were interested in replacing old windows. We scheduled an appointment. Ben arrived on the designated date at the designated time. Ben analyzed our situation and offered cost-saving suggestions. As it turned out, we only needed to replace three windows. I asked Ben to include some other "handyman repairs" in his quote which he did. I ordered the windows and notified Ben upon their arrival. I thought it might be weeks before the work was completed, but the Red House Remodeling crew arrived in days and completed all installation/ repair work in two days. When the installation/repair crew finished, I gave them samples of paint for the trim work and the siding that need to be replace around the windows. They said they would find matching paint. When the painter arrived, he had the matching paint and completed the painting portion of the job in one day. The paint for the replacement trim and siding matched perfectly the old trim and siding. The water damage to the ceiling was a difficult repair. It was okay when finished, but I thought in need some additional "touch-up work." I called Ben Trannel and expressed my concern. Without hesitation, Ben said he'd have someone come out and look at it. Within a week, a crew member was at our house assessing the situation. He agreed that additional "touch-up" work was needed. The work was completed to my satisfaction in less than an hour. Red House Remodeling will always be our first call for remodeling or repair work on hour home. They have craftsmen who take pride in workmanship and produce a quality end-product at a reasonable price.

Great experience even though we didn't end up using this company. We talked through different ideas for our kitchen remodel and he kindly gave us advice that our project wasn't probably big enough to get the full value out of his service. When we finish our basement in the future I will definitely contact Red House Remodeling!

The process started with Design. I really believe this is what makes Red House stand out from the pack. Ben and Jenna put a lot of time with the client working through all the details up front. You need to be prepared to think through all decisions. This 'investment" makes the physical remodel go much smoother. The team also stayed exactly on plan through the seven week project. Ben provided a detailed schedule before work started and we never felt like we did not know what was going to happen next. When we did have questions the team was very responsive. Chris and Troy were the two guys we saw the most. They were on the job site virtually everyday. You could not ask for two more hardworking professional guys. They we prompt each morning, we felt comfortable leaving the house when they worked, and they did a great job cleaning up each evening. We are very happy with the results. I'm not sure Red House is the cheapest but you pay for what you get. They have a process that works and a very dependable team. I would highly recommend.

excellent work! very prompt. Ben and his team paid close attention to detail

The provider contacted me within a couple days of me reaching out to them, which is more than I can say for a lot of other providers. However, the initial discussion was a complete waste of my time. Among the things we discussed, he tried to convince me 1. No one ever redoes their bathroom before selling. (Despite me telling him our realtor put our bathroom at the top of the list of "must dos". 2. One cannot possibly do a bathroom for less than $20,000. Despite me having a number of bids for a quarter of that price. 3. Anyone who told me differently was trying to cheat me. 4. A shower/bath alone would cost me at least $1500 (the other providers we contacted consistently estimated $700) I spent 15 minutes on the phone with this guy before I finally told him it sounded like he wasn't interested, which he finally admitted. That's fine. I'm glad he got back to me, but spending 15 minutes patronizing me was a waste of both our time. They may do great work if you are wanting your dream bathroom or kitchen. But I wouldn't work with them simply because he seemed to be out of touch with the budget conscious and was disrespectful of me and my time.

Ben and Stephanie Trannel and their staff are extremely professional and did a great job. We are very happy with the result! They took the time to meet with us to determine our needs and we chose the best plan for us based on the optional designs they presented. They provided some ideas that we hadn't even thought of, and we ended up implementing those ideas and the result was even better than expected! Their on-staff designer, Jenna, was a great help in guiding us through the process of choosing materials for the project, and she was always an email or phone call away if we needed her. Having her guidance was definitely an added valuable service that some other contractors don't offer. They provided us with a work schedule prior to construction so we knew exactly what to expect and they stayed right on schedule and completed the project exactly when they said they would. The staff was a pleasure to work with and they were very responsive when we had questions or concerns, even after hours. Everyone was always very courteous, polite and accommodating of our time and space, which we truly appreciated since they were in our home for several weeks! And even now, several months after the project was done, if we have questions about something they are happy to help. We did get a couple other quotes from other contractors when we were planning the remodel, and other's prices may have been a little less, but we feel we made the right choice with Red House Remodeling. We truly believe you get what you pay for! They are very down to earth, professional, creative, and do great quality work, so it was worth it to have the experience go well and have the outcome we truly wanted. We would definitely work with them again.

I highly recommend Red House. Every single detail was meticulously reviewed before starting any work in our kitchen. Ben and his team are simply true professional who think through each and every step of a kitchen remodel multiple times to ensure that there are no surprises during the process. The end result is much better than what we imagined, and exactly to our specifications. During the remodel, as much consideration for our living conditions were made as possible. Our pets were safe and the work and mess was confined to only the kitchen area. The workers were extremely nice and cleaned up thoroughly after themselves each day. The schedule for the project was detailed down to the day ahead of time and the project stayed 100% on target for completion. Our experience was excellent and the results supreme! Thanks! Lisa W

He was on time, friendly, and professional. We took him up to the master bedroom space and he provided us with his opinion. As anticipated per our phone-call, we did not find it prudent to go forward with the project. After taking him to our living room space, I was feeling a bit discouraged. There were things that he advised needed repair, but his team would not do it. Also the work I wanted in the room was cosmetic (new flooring, light demo, repainting, etc.) so that was things that they typically contracted out anyway. It seemed as if he didn't think the job was a good fit for Red House. I was disappointed, but I wouldn't let that interfere with his score; I think he was honest and up-front throughout the process.

Highest praise for RedHouse Remodeling. The RedHouse workers were professional and did excellant work. I highly reccommend RedHouse for any of your remodeling needs from a single room to a whole house remodel.

Very well! Great planning, appreciated Jenna's services in selecting materials and Ben's oversight and follow through. Well laid out plan and time line which was strictly adhered to. All subcontractors were very professional and offered timely guidance and suggestions. Communication was continuous and much appreciated. Red House was by far the best contractor we have ever worked with and highly recommend them to anyone considering remodeling. We would definitely hire them again for future home improvement projects!

Red House Remodeling does Timely, professional, and exceptional work. Exceptional attention to details and communication throughout the entire project! Staff that are highly skilled and hard working as well as detailed in craftsmanship and clean up. Architectural drawings and selection of all cabinets, granite, tile, and fixtures was very helpful in putting together the entire package for a fantastic result. We are very pleased with all of the results of the Master Bath. When there was an issue with alignment of the shower doors it was handled that very day by Ben Trannel and the staff. From the beginning to the end, the entire experience was fantastic! I would highly recommend this team of folks to do any remodel or addition!

We can?t say enough about Ben and everyone we worked with at Red House Remodeling. From our first meeting Ben relayed a professionalism and presence that allowed us to feel a trust in Red House and their business process right away. We cut our interviewing short realizing that there would be no need to continue visiting with other remodeling companies; Red House was the only choice. Ben laid out a step by step plan to take our kitchen and fireplace remodel from start to finish. He introduced us to Jenna, Red Houses designer, who took our ideas for what we wanted in our kitchen and what we wanted our new fireplace to look like, showing us all the possibilities. This allowed us to bring about a design that was exactly what we had hoped for. She then took us around town to choose all the little details that we would have never thought of on our own. When finished collecting all the information needed to bring together the design, Ben worked up a bid for the job that allowed us to have the kitchen and fireplace we wanted and to stay in our budget. After going ahead, Ben set up a construction schedule that gave us a step by step process of how the project would go from demolition to finished remodel. The project went so much better than expected. All of the workmen Ben had chosen were very professional. They were courteous to us and our family. And they were respectful of our house, making sure to clean up after each days work. After the construction process was finally over, cooking in a microwave and making coffee in our bathroom, we were given the kitchen and fireplace of our dreams. Ben and the Red House staff had such an attention to detail that our kitchen and fireplace could not have been more perfect. We find ourselves just sitting and admiring what a beautiful kitchen and fireplace we have. Thank you Ben, Jenna and everyone connected with Red House Remodeling.