DESIGNfirst Builders LLC

We solicited bids from three builders for our replacement room addition. Design First made several suggestions we had not thought of. They were also the low bidder. Nor did they push us to make a decision quickly because the price wouldn?t last ? which one of our other bidders did. The architect was professional, was familiar with all local codes, and made changes in the plans to match our ideas. The plans and specifications were correctly prepared. A glitch in obtaining the building permit was dealt with. When I, as a structural engineer, requested additional steel reinforcement of the foundation, the change was made at only a modest increase in cost. The construction work was performed by a succession of subcontractors, who were, for the most part, competent. The work was done to plan, specification and code. Problems included the breaking of our cable connection, twice, delays due to weather, and some sloppy work on the HVAC setup. Construction superintendent Mike dealt with these problems promptly, going so far as to fix the cable himself (still works). Cleanup was good, and the punch list was short and quickly worked through. The structure passed the city inspection with only three shortcomings that needed to be dealt with. We are completely satisfied with the work done by Design First. As a construction professional myself, I recognize good contractors, and Design First qualifies.

We contacted Design First in late February 2013 and were working with a Nick, the architectural designer. At the same time we were looking at other companies to do the work. Nick came by and i walked him through what I would like. I gave him my wish list to see if he could come up with a plan. He was able to fulfill everything on my wish list which was amazing. In the meantime, we decided to go with Design First because we really liked the fact that they had a showroom, it was close to our house, and we visited one of their prior large remodel jobs. After about 5 revisions to our plan we came up with one that worked and we were ready to start. We signed a contract on April 6th, they worked on drawings, permit, we picked out finishes, etc, and they started work on June 25th. It seemed like kind of a slow start to me. It took all summer and they finished on October 3rd. The project moved along fine throughout the summer. I would say there were only about 5 no-shows the whole time. That is, they were supposed to show up but didn't (with no phone call). Near the end of the project (early September) all that was left was little things, glass for the Butler cabinet doors, fixing trim, add a knob, etc. That's when there was trouble getting the contractors to come out to work on the little items. It was the first week of October by the time all of the little things were taken care of. The problems we had were, as I mentioned before, getting them to finish the little stuff at the end of the project. We also spent about 7K on a new bamboo floor. One of the guys replacing a linen closet door slammed/dropped his tool into the floor and left quite a gouge. It made us furious as the floor looked nice until this happened and bamboo is one of the hardest floors one can buy so it must have taken a lot to gouge it. Anyway, they tried to fix it with filler and polish it but we can still see it. To replace that piece would be complicated. We let it go. Another thing is that they boast the fact that they make their own cabinets. Our powder room vanity sat in our garage for quite a while before getting installed. Finally we asked what the problem was. It was too big. They had to take it back and tweak it. Just ironic since they drew the plans, built it, etc. Overall, this was a big, involved, job. We ended up spending more money than we expected and it took longer than expected. We felt very comfortable using Design First versus a contractor who works out of his van who is juggling 3 jobs and you never know when he will show up at your house to work. Even though we had a few rough spots, in the scope of this large project, we would consider using them again. We are very pleased with the final result.

It went extremely well with DESIGNfirst Builders. I highly recommend them.

I was really impressed with everything they did and the way they communicated. The people that worked on our house were great.

They were excellent, everything was very well done. We had a specific agenda to meet, and they met the time constraints. They did a great job on our living room and den remodeling projects. We were especially impressed with their design staff, who laid out a unique plan that really improved our living space. The work was done by very skilled craftsmen in a very timely manner. We highly recommend DESIGNfirst Builders for any of your building and remodeling needs.

After the visit I emailed them to tell them I wanted to follow-up. I didn't receive an email back. After receiving a written thank you note from them for their meeting with me, I emailed again and referred to my previous unanswered email. They got back to me with an apology and said they'd have an estimate out to me in a few days. That was three weeks ago. I had been interested in them from their visit to me. Too bad.

It was very expensive. Actually, it didn’t go well. The final product looks good especially the people who did the tile. When they were cutting down all the walls first, they took out the insulation at the attic and didn’t cover up. They allowed the cold air to come through the house. I had flue as well as bad cold. I had to finally call them because there were here only 2 or 3 days a week. When they said they were coming, they didn’t come. I had to call them and the guy was very apologetic. That should have never happened obviously and they shouldn’t have left it. In fact the inspectors were coming in so they went over and covered it. They also said they were going to cover a certain area with plastic so that it didn’t get all dirty. That fell down and they didn’t put it back up. There was dirt all over the floor. They were inconsistent as far as coming. They would say they were coming but they would not show up. Then they did the plumbing and after all the fancy work was done they had to cut that all out. They had to redo the thing again. The woman, who designed the bathroom, actually did a very good job. I was very happy with the design work but the process was poor. My husband at one point wrote an email and asked those guys whether they expected a BMW. They had to keep redoing the electrical according to what my husband had asked for. They said they didn’t remember that. My husband said come and check downstairs; this is what I asked for. They had to come back and do that. I thought it would have taken 4 weeks but it lasted 2 months. I expected the noise but they were yelling. My dogs in time were running away from home. Finally, I went upstairs and asked them not to yell but talk to each other. They were standing right next to each other. They were not considerate. The arctic air was freezing. Sometimes, I worry that some of the problems that they had with the electrical and plumbing but I don’t know what’s behind the walls now. I have no idea if they were doing substandard work. These were the problems that came up. The people who did the tile work were very, very cordial. They were very wonderful and they were very good. There was a young man who came and did the sanding. I think he came on Christmas Eve. He was very, very kind and a very good worker. He was respectful. I gave him a tip. Overall, my experience was poor. I would never use them again. I am having my kitchen redone and I am using other people. They didn’t put the door in right so it scratched the new wood and floor. I had gotten money from my dad when he died and this was something special that I was creating. My room was so dark. Anybody preparing to do that major remodeling has to be prepared for a lot of noise, sand and dust. When they didn’t go back and recover the area as promised, they left it so cold, they came only 2 or 3 days a week; it just extends the whole project forever. They already know that I am unhappy. I am still waiting for some material to be delivered and some of the plates over the light switches. It’s almost March and I have been waiting for 3 weeks. It’s the last finishing touches and I have spent this much money. I had another guy come in and do all the painting and crown molding. He did everything perfect. He does a lot of construction. On price, I did not measure other vendors. Actually, I went to another vendor and I never got the price. Sometimes they were professional. They did have a map that I could go to as to when certain things would happen. The problem with the map was they didn’t tell us in advance. On the map there were big gaps in time when people were going to be there. I would just call my husband and say no one came. He would call the guy who was managing the project saying that no one was here today. There were people in there who were very professional and some not at all. It was an extremely frustrating experience. It was not explained to us in the beginning.

They finished exactly on time and a little under budget. All of the work was to our expectations or beyond them. They were clean, professional and superior craftsmen. An aspect that we especially appreciated was the frequent communication. Someone from Design First was always available to us. If there was a day or two when no work was being done, they told us ahead of time and told us exactly when they would be out next. My wife and I highly recommend them.

In July of 2013 Nick did a design for our kitchen and bathrooms. We liked the design. November 1, 2013 the demo was done on our home. It took about 3 days to demo the kitchen and laundry room bathroom. They had to re-enforce a beam from the kitchen to the family room. That took about 3 days. The electrician came in to put canned lights in kitchen and family room. He also did all the wiring in the laundry bathroom and kitchen. The dry wall was put up in 3 days. We had 3 doors replaced. On November 11 we had new windows put in family room. On November 27 all walls were primed. Then the hardwood floors were put in. Cabinets in kitchen were put in and the new island was put in. December 12 all granite countertops put in. On December 14 the backsplash was tiled. The kitchen and family room were finished December 20, 2013. January 7, 2014 they demoed the main bathroom. The electrician put in electrical. Put in new vanity and tiled flooring and bathtub area. All the workers that came to our home were friendly and courteous. I liked how they always cleaned up after finishing for the day. Mike was the supervisor of all the workers. He did a great job of supervising and making sure I was pleased with everything. Mike would e-mail me everyday about what went on for that day and let me know what was going to go on the next day. Design First does excellent work and is a wonderful company to do business with. I would recommend Design First to anyone.

Also check our review on Pella Windows as Pella introduced us to Designfirst and coordinated start to finish. Matt from Designfirst was our Job manager and was the best! We could not be more satisfied. For the upper bed room and guest room we are planning to have Designfirst do the re-hab this coming spring. Shawn is the designer we are working with.

We were kept informed of the expected completion dates of all aspect of the remodel. The supervisor stopped by several times to check on the progress of our project. We received email updates several times a week and were very pleased with the level of communication.

It was awesome. We met with Tony and he got to know us, our lifestyle and what we were dreaming to do. He walked through the house and he came up with creative ideas, many we would NEVER have come up with ourselves. He warned us that the things we were most apprechensive about would probably be our favorite things, and he was right! He has a great vision. I also like his honesty. If he thinks one of our ideas would look hideous or wouldn't fit with the overall plan, he let us know it. He would also tell us if what we were thinking wasn't worth the money ( from his experience). He's not a "yes" man... he just tells it like it is. I think this is one of the qualities and benefits that set Design First apart from other companies.It puts them on an entirely different level. After we decided upon the overall vision, we worked with Carrie and she helped us with the details of the design. What could have been an overwhelming process, she helped guide us while still letting our vision come through. Our project manager, Matt, was the BEST! I can't imagine getting though a remodeling project without him. If something comes up, he was just a phone call away and fixed any problem. Were there delays? Here and there. Of course! When you are dealing with a project this big, that happens with whoever you hire. Nothing big and no big deal. What I love about Design First is that they truely care about quality. If something wasn't up to their expectations, they would do it again, or fix it until it was... even if it came out of THIER pocket. I like their integrity. Bottom line, you will find design/remodeling firms out there that are cheaper. I can tell you from experience, Design First is the way to go. They are honest, creative, and will give you something even better than you dreamed p.s. Design First worked on a few other houses in the neighborhood, and each one is better than the next. I especially love what they did to a friends master bath. I have no idea how Tony dreamed up the unique layout... I'm saving my pennies so he can do something special to mine!

Design First took the bathroom to the studs and redid our entire bathroom…making it more efficient and looking great.

In the design stage we were impressed with Tony's ideas that we had not thought of, even after extensive research on our own. We were able to get our double oven and cooktop, in addition to the huge buffet for entertaining. His finishing touches made our kitchen look and feel custom. Tony took full responsibility of the project from begining to end which took the edge off of us. We were able to communicate what we really wanted and he delivered. During installation, when small issues or changes came up, Tony was calm and diffused the situation quickly. Every issue was solved in a timely manner to our liking. We were able to trust his decision making. Both during and after the installation, Tony made several visits to check on the work personally. He made sure that the installation was completed accurately and at the same time, respected our time constraints. The kitchen is our favorite spot to hang out and entertain! It turned out better than we expected. Not only do we love the end result, but it was affordable and fun! If I had to do it all over, I would do everything the same. We love the design which was a significant upgrade from our original kitchen, the quality of the products (cabinets / flooring) are high-end (both attractive and durable) and it was completed before our deadline.

DESIGNfirst met or exceeded all of our expectations in every facet of the project. Here is what my wife and I liked. 1) First, a DESIGNfirst architect created what looked like a "three dimensional" color drawing of their design for our first floor. 2) Once the design for our renovation was agreed upon and references were visited, only then was a contract signed. 3) Then a personal portal for our project on the DESIGNfirst website was created for all communications. All emails, contracts, architectural drawings, photographs, and the project plan were stored and maintained within our personal, password protected portal. 4) The project plan created for our renovation was completed on time per the plan. DESIGNfirst never fell more than a day or two behind plan and in most cases was ahead of plan... which more than amazed us. 5) Payments were made prior to the start of each new phase of the project. This made me feel very good about writing a check. I knew before I ever put pen to checkbook that one phase of our project was completed and another phase was about to begin. 6) Different skilled craftsmen were brought in for each phase of the project, e.g. design, demolition, framing, electrical, drywall, flooring, cabinetry, siding, roofing, painting. I was amazed at how many different individuals worked on our home. 7) Yet, what impressed me the most about the entire project was that a project manager was assigned to our project. That was not unique. However, when I asked our project manager what his responsibilities were as our project manager his answer was unique. His response was one simple sentence... "To make your wife and you happy!" (note the order priority).. and that was exactly what he did throughout the project! One last, but maybe the most important point to be made... every DESIGNfirst craftsman treated our home like a residence and not like a new construction site. Plastic walls were put in place, with zippers, to catch the dust but not us. Floors were covered throughout the first floor. And everyday the entire area, inside and out, was swept clean and tools and materials were stored so we could live our lives with minimal mess.

Great experience. They really worked to accommodate our special situation of having an elderly parent in home. Work was professionally done and turned out beautifully.

They are good, but they are expensive. They did everything they said they would do. They were very up front with everything.

They have great ideas and decent pricing with fantastic work. Matt, the project manager, comes when he is called and is very reliable.

Good coomunication system via phone from project manager and email system. A few minor glitches on timing based on some issues with availability of carpeting and countertops, and some faulty switches had to be replaced, but end result exceeded expectations.

I like that they have designers to help you figure out what will work best for you. The designer was able to come up with solutions to problems that we could not have foreseen. They were very responsive to any issues that came up or concerns we had and took care of things very promptly. The guy they had out doing the work was fast and efficient, but also very thorough. He often arrived early to work. The project manager was generally here when he said he would be, but there was the occasional tardiness. It wasn’t that that big of a deal though. We liked them so much that after the bathroom remodel that we hired them for the kitchen. I also like that they have a web-based tool that allows you to see everything that is going on with your project. You can see the schedule and kind of work ahead. You can see all of your selections and prices. They were flexible with us not using them for some of their materials. We ordered some materials (e.g. faucets) on our own which saved us some money.

They were helpful coming out for a consult but we didn't go very far with them. We just saw the design first. We're looking at a huge addition to the home which they will be basically rebuilding the house. We're looking on redeveloping the property we live on. We have a little ranch home and we're looking at adding a second floor and expanding at a property right next to us. We had them come over to tell us how much the construction side would be before we decided whether or not to stay at this property or move. We never really got a number because we didn't go ahead with it. The price was very reasonable. I was just asking for a very expensive project. They were reasonably priced. They're very responsive, professional and organized. They're willing to do a consult before any payment which is nice. They were on time.

We worked with DESIGNfirst and Architectural Designer, Nick Cimms, for this project. Cimms was very punctual when he came out to look at our basement and basement bathroom. Cimms asked what we envisioned for the design and what our budget was ($10,000 for both the bathroom and flooring). Cimms was very professional and helpful in explaining different areas that would need to be addressed for the remodel as well as areas we might be able to save some money by doing some of the work on our own (removing the laminate flooring). We then scheduled an appointment to meet at DESIGNfirst to go over a detailed estimate. A couple days after meeting with Cimms we received a hand written letter in the mail from DESIGNfirst thanking us for considering them and having them out to look at the potential job. I found this to be very professional and not something you normally receive from companies. When we met with Cimms at the showroom he was very thorough with the plans he had drawn up. Cimms went over the estimate line by line which showed the costs of each task that would need to be completed. Cimms had also shown us a design of what the bathroom could look like. We found this extremely informative as this is the first major renovation to our house. Unfortunately the estimate was roughly $30,000, drastically over budget for us. Cimms did a great job explaining areas where we could cut down on the costs and also explained how DESIGNfirst works and where the money goes (project manager, designer, labor, etc.). There was nothing hidden in the estimate and each item was explained in detail. Due to the price of the estimate, it was simply something we could not afford at this time. Our overall experience was great. DESIGNfirst and Nick Cimms were very professional and insightful. I would recommend DESIGNfirst if you are looking for a full-service company that will do everything for you. A bit more expensive because of this but from the design we were presented with, you will get what you pay for and are able to see where that money is going.

We wanted a ?wow? kitchen design and got one- that was good. D1 ?toothed? in the new flooring we added in the family room. It had not been listed in the contract specs but they did it anyway. There were times when the sequencing of project left too many gaps so it did not move along in a timely manner. Problems were identified,even up to the level of the president of the company, but follow-up did not assure to make sure it was resolved. We were told that D1 would make things right and, by and large, they did. But, if it is done right the first time, a redo is not necessary. The wrong cabinet line was entered in the contract specs, costing 45% more. The wrong display cabinets were sent out and installed. The crown molding did not butt up to the ceiling- only measured the ceiling height in one place. Old houses are never plumb or level. This should have taken into account in the project development. Electric to the display cabinet lights was installed wrong. The exterior railing was under measured by 50%. The exterior doors were sent out with the wrong size jambs- twice. The repair work on my bay window was done three times- twice how they wanted to do it and finally how we wanted it. The hardwood kitchen floor was installed. We suggested cutting the floor vent first. It was cut after the installation- into the conduit. There were costs issues with these problems. We adjusted the project scope and/or product selection to accommodate this problem. We really wanted to stay on budget. Some of the issues we encountered are indicative of the industry, some not. Would we use them again?'Yes" was marked since an answer is required but we don't really know. We were very involved in the project so these issues were very disappointing . We'd be happy to talk to interested parties.

Initially DesignFirst seemed the best choice for our project. We needed to have a feature wall build over the existing half-wall in our loft condo. This half-wall opened up to the lower level and for the safety of our new child it needed to have an addition build on to it. The initial consultation with Sean was great, he originally quoted us that we could get this done for around $3000, which was cheaper than every other designer we had met with. (Full disclosure we had just prior to this been burned by another design firm who created designs way over our budget). So it seemed that this was the best option. We were told that this project was rather "small" for this firm but that they would do it anyway. Once we had actually gotten the design the total estimate had jumped up to $6000. Not a big surprise since, from our experience, designers always low ball the estimate and then jump it way up, but that's not just our experience here, that seems prevalent throughout the design industry. But as we were on a time crunch we signed off on it, needing this project completed before our daughter's birthday. There were further design changes that were discussed and implemented which I was told would lower the cost and that they would be able to design a custom baby gate for our stairs, as the place I wanted to have it was not a straight shot from wall to wall. We then had to play phone tag with the designer so that he would come and pick up our check to allow the woodworking / fabrication step to begin. I had 2 mornings where I was told by Sean that he would come and pick up the check, but those were both no-call-no-shows. I received no notification from him that he would not be there and had to call / e-mail him to attempt another pick up. He finally showed up on the third attempt and the construction began. The installers that they sent were wonderful. I did find it odd though, that in accordance to the contract there should have been a check written at the beginning of work. No one asked for any check, so I thought nothing off it. The wall installation went great, the installers worked diligently and cleaned up every bit of mess. But when it came time for them to install the gate (which wasn't actually assembled yet), they discovered that they had the incorrect hardware for the job. They were sent with a simple slide bolt for a door and 90 degree hinges. This after I had only asked them to design the gate because it wasn't a 90 degree applicable space. So I discussed what I had originally thought was the design for the gate with the installers and they immediately went out to try and find the correct hardware for it. When they couldn't find the hardware they told me that they could easily order it and finish the install the following Monday. That seemed reasonable to me, so I agreed. I then asked about payment (having actually read the contract and knowing that some payment should have been made at this point). But they told me they didn't take money, just did installs. I assumed this meant that it would be taken care of when they returned for the gate install. I also asked them to have the carpenter or designer call me when they got back to the office. Two weeks later, I receive an e-mail from Sean, with some links to hardware websites and he asked that I pick new hardware for the gate. These websites were predominantly drawer knobs / door handles and had nothing to do with my issues. I asked why it took so long to get back to me and told him that these websites didn't really have anything to do with my problems. I also asked for an estimate of final payment without the gate included. I received no response from Sean as to the time delay. I was only sent invoices from here on out. Nor did the company even seem to express any interest in finishing the gate, they just assumed that I had chosen to entirely omit it. The first invoice sent to me was for the Original quote, which did not even include the design changes we had discussed a week before the install. So I sent them another e-mail saying that this was the incorrect price, told them the date I was quoted the new price and again would like the quote to reflect a deduction in cost for the gate not being used. They then sent me the corrected statement for the total with the new design changes, but not the deduction for not having the gate, yet again. I replied that I needed a statement with a deduction for the gate as I will not be paying for something I did not receive. Almost a week later, I received the final statement with a deduction for the gate. Overall, this company does good work, but it seems unless your project is well over $10,000 or so in worth, don't expect to have good customer service. Expect that you will have to track them down and hound them with most things. Also if you do seem to have any complaints, apparently don't expect any sort of real reply from the company to attempt to rectify them. I still have not received any sort of apology or explanation as to why it took them 2 weeks to respond to my issues. And none of the e-mails I did receive with the invoices actually included any text or explanation as to the continued mis-quoting. Now I will say that I would work with the installation team, any day of the week. They were great. But the overall communication of this project left me rather disappointed.

We have a porch which runs along the entire front of our home. For multiple reasons, the concrete porch was breaking up and sinking. DesignFirst came in and identified the problems, which was an important factor because several other contractors were unwilling or unable to take on the job. They proposed a new porch be built after tearing out the old porch and some landscaping adjacent to the porch. The real value added by DesignFirst was when their designer envisioned several upgrades to the porch which have left our home looking much nicer than before. Changes include widening the porch, replacing the wood posts with new posts which sit on top of stone piers, and adding a gable over the front door. During the demolition phase, they discovered multiple underlying conditions which they repaired at additional cost (but a fair cost since we quoted out for these repairs separately). These included holes in the roof above the porch, and unstable ground beneath the poured concrete primarily from a cracked sewer line. The most important part of this review is discussing that we had a problem with the finished carpentry work which was possibly a result of wrapping up the work when it was very cold in January. When spring came around some of the wood flexed and we had large gaps in our porch ceiling. Tony and Jon both came out to inspect and despite the project having been completed month earlier, they stood behind their work and fixed the ceiling. The original design called for additional features which we asked them to carve our into a "Phase II" project, which we hope will be completed this summer. It will be mostly new features added to our home instead of being primarily repair/upgrade work. We are happy with our relationship with DesignFirst and look forward to using them again in the future.