Kenyon Woodworking

We had just had a baby so we were not on any timeline or hurry to get the project completed. We consulted with Kenyon at our house and visited his workshop once in Lake in the Hills to check out some wood samples. We were kind of clueless but had a feeling of what we wanted. He was great about suggesting things and drawing up plans just based on that. We liked his style and we're comfortable with letting him lead. There were a couple of projects ahead of us so that was fine as we made our decisions about what we wanted over several weeks. Kenyon was great about checking in from time to time and then got started in October in earnest. He let us get our own hardware but put up with several texts back and forth as we couldn't decide between two choices while in the store. Ha! We were shocked and pleased that he called before Thanksgiving and said he could install before the holidays. A nice surprise! The install took about 5-6 hours and his daughter was the helper for the day. They both were completely professional and conscious about their dust and clean-up afterwards. The piece is beautiful and functional! He checked on us a couple of days later to make sure all was well and it was. About a month later, I decided I wanted one more shelf in the hanging closet portion and he gave it to us for free as he had some scrap leftover. I found him to be easy to work with, prompt in all communication (love the texts) and his craftsmanship is second to none. My parents are already considering another project with him, too, as they loved our closet/dresser.

Kenyon is a talented cabinet maker but made some mistakes. In spite of pictures sent to him with an example of prairie mullions and a hand done drawing by him showing the same he came with a completely different mullion set up so he needed to re do that. When the addition contractors were ready to install the trim they found the trim to be poorly made, poor wood with holes, blotches and even nails and the oak trim was not sanded. In the entire inventory including the ones for the rest of the house, they could only find enough to do the windows and Kenyon did replace the missing pieces within a few days. He admitted to me that he had someone else do the work and he didn't check the work and apologized and said that there was no excuse. The contractors wanted to charge me for the wasted time involved suggesting I pass this expense on to Kenyon but I told them in no way could I do that and they backed down erased the $400 upcharge. As compensation for the stress and wasted time Kenyon said that he would install the trim in the dining room and living room at no charge and he removed all the bad trim and said he would make replacement trim. He was already paid in full for the trim. On 8/13/13 Kenyon came with his teen age daughter as his assistant and installed the left hand side of the cabinets. He didn't have time to complete some trim pieces and the tv bracket but said he would come back before the wedding. I paid him in full and gave him an extra $250 to be able to buy new Oak Wood for the trim. When I began to clean the glass for the cabinets I discovered that at least half of the 12 glass doors had serious scratches and one had a couple of cracks about 3 inches long. I was very upset. I contacted Kenyon and his response was that he had told me that it was recylced glass. I told him that he did not tell me it would be scratched and cracked and that it never would have been acceptable. I offerred to split the cost of replacing the glass. His comeback to me was that he would replace two panes at his cost but the rest would be at my cost and that he would not install the TV bracket or the TV or the trim in the living room and dining room. This making promises and then rescinding them was common with Kenyon. His response to me in reaction to my and quot;complaintand quot; about the glass was that I would and quot;never be satisfiedand quot; (remember the trim and mullion mistake were his mistakes). It got ugly. I have all the email exchanges. He then had several excuses as to why he couldn't return to finish the job before the wedding. No one else noticed the missing trim so we got through the wedding parties at my house and the cabinets were much admired as was the trim he remade that was installed in the new addition. Yesterday he wrote asking when he should come to finish the cabinets and that he made the trim and we could settle the accounts for $750. I wrote back my expectation that he keep his promise to install the trim in the other rooms, that I had someone else install the bracket and TV so that was not a problem. He hit the roof and told me it would be a wash, he would not come back and finish the cabinets (that were already paid in full) and that he would sell the trim to recover his money. Since I gave him $250 to buy the wood he is already ahead. The e-mail exchange has been ugly including calling me a liar when I told him I had spoken to the woman who had referred me to him. I called her again and she said that she doesn't want to get in the middle of this. This man is so unprofessional and so short sited to blame me for the costs involved in rectifying mistakes he admitted making. Several times he claimed I agreed to something I did not even though it is his memory that is faulty as was common misunderstandings of the written word. The person who had a cabinet made who referred me to him has an old house and the use of recylced materials was in keeping with wanting the cabinet to look as if it came with the original house. He assured me that mine would look new. His ego is easily injured by anything that is pointed out to him that needs correction. He promised that he would deliver and complete the job even though a few things remained, swearing on his daughter's head but apparently it has no value. He lost the job of my next door neighbor. He lost potential work from my contractor who does a lot of high level work in my town. Their evaluation of the trim was that it was the worst trim that they had ever seen. He told me not to e-mail him after saying something awful. The man needs to have the last word. There are other equally talented carpenters out there without the personality problems this man has. I had two other referrals that I sorely regret not having persued. It is a shame that such a talented buy doesn't use quality control, has his ego involved with and quot;mistakesand quot; and does not know how to deal with customers. He is also so financially strapped that he kept asking for advance money even though the work was not completed. The cabinet is basically completed. I will need to hire someone else to put in the last pieces of trim,,replace the defective glass doors, and install knobs and handles. I will live without matching trim in the rest of my house. What strikes me most about Kenyon's response is his exaggeration and faulty memory. To claim raised panels would cost $4000 when the whole unit was $10,000 is ridiculous - the fact is I wouldn't have given him the job without the raised panels. I gave him in extra $500 for the raised panels.Other items I paid extra to have. Clearly I was willing spend a lot of money - so to say that I agreed to scratched and cracked glass to save money is ridiculous. It just isn't the truth. He admitted to the badly made trim - and he removed all the remaining trim because NONE OF IT was acceptable. This was the conclusion of the contractor who did the addition, deck and porch on my house. Kenyon ADMITTED to me that he had someone else make the trim and he didn't check it. The mistake on the mullions was HIS MISTAKE as what he made did not even match HIS OWN DRAWINGS of what was to be built. What was wrong with the remaining casings was not just sanding. He is a liar. In front of me he admitted that the casings were unacceptable. He offered to remake all of the trim as nothing was salvageable. Out of all the casing for the addition AND the rest of the downstairs the carpenters could only find enough for 4 windows and then had to wait for Kenyon to remake enough trim for the door large doorways. He remembers what he wants to remember and yet all the things he put in writing (I have ALL the e-mails) seem to have no bearing. He wants to hold me responsible for HIS mistakes. I never agreed to defective glass. For $200 I could have had new glass.Where in the world would he conclude that I wouldn't be willing to spend $200 for new glass when I gave him $11000 for a cabinet and casings. What he thinks he should have gotten for this cabinet - I never would have hired him to do it - and for the money I was agreeing to I wasn't willing to have a plywood cabinet. The fact that the cabinet looks gorgeous doesn't mean it is perfect. I have been interviewing people to complete the job. One carpenter was appalled at how Kenyon installed the glass in the glass doors. He said it was amateurish as he used clear caulking rather than trim. Again Kenyon exaggerates. I contacted ONE previous client - the one who referred him to me. When I told him I had talked to her he called me a LIAR. Now he admits I contacted her. His offer in response to my complaint was presented as his FINAL OFFER in which he said that he would only replace two panes of glass....not complete all of the work he promised. Anyone who wants to read the e-mail exchange between this man and myself is welcome to do so. Anyone wanting to see for themselves where the quality faulters is also welcome to do so. To claim that he has talked to people who have done work for me is such poppycock it's laughable. BEWARE before you have this man do work for you. There are many competent and professional craftsman out there - and on Angie's list. His reactions have been so out of proportion and shockingly unprofessional that when he admitted that his reaction to me reminded him of his divorce I thought that he was being candid with me and self aware that I did raise the question of what in his family of origin would contribute to his reactions. Clearly I misinterpreted his sharing and he was not being candid at all. Although our contract required half upfront and balance upon completion I kept feeling sorry for his financial woes that I gave him so many advances that it left me completely vulnerable. In spite of this it is he who wasn't trusting me when he has proven himself to be totally untrustworthy. DO NOT CRITICIZE THIS MAN. He has no conscience. That is why he sleeps fine at night. To swear on your daughter's life and then not keep your promises is something I will never understand. What a waste of talent. Yes, I do think he has psychological problems.