Steel City Home Improvement & Kusiak Construction

It was great! They were very professional, cleaned up after themselves, and completed the work in a timely manner. Furthermore, they did excellent work at a competitive price, and I would definitely recommend them.

Kusiak Construction was very professional to work with. Ed got back to us right away from the on set of our first phone call and with all follow up questions that came up afterwards. He came out to give us an estimate and within less than a month the work was completed. Our final bill was spot on with the estimate, no surprises. We are pleased with the work performed and would recommend.

Bob (the owner) was professional and accommodating to our needs. He met with us several times (on weekends) to go over our design plan, giving us good suggestions on items that we did not consider and to help us meet our budget. Once the contract was signed, a work timeline was put in place, and everything went according to the plan. Alvin, the team foreman, did a great job coordinating all the subcontractors, arrived on time each morning and went over the progress and plan for the day. At the end of each work day, the work areas were cleaned up and ready for the next day. The electrician worked with us to decide on the placement of the canned lighting, light switches and outlets and to work within our budget. We are pleased with the electrical work. We had a molding design done on one of the walls and the Carpenter worked with our design idea and gave us suggestions on how to improve the design. He did an excellent job and we are pleased with the way it turned out! The project was completed on time and we are happy with the entire experience and the finished product. We would definitely recommend Steel City and plan to use them again on future remodeling projects. Everyone that comes over comments on what at an excellent job they did and how awesome the molding wall turned out.

It went great - they did an excellent job in a timely manner and we are very please.

I called to get an estimate and Bob, the owner, came over that same day. He was so nice and gave me an estimate that I considered to be fair. So we picked October 19 for the painter to come. Steve, the painter, was on time, very efficient, pleasant and he was done and all cleaned up by 11:15 (he arrived at 7:15). I will definitely use them again! As a matter of fact, I am thinking about getting new flooring in my kitchen/laundry room. When Bob was here to do the estimate on the painting, I asked him about the kitchen as well. I will definitely be calling him soon.

They were very good but there was just some detail that they had missed. There were some things that needed to be brought up in the quote like the other company I checked with. They were very personable and were very upfront. They told me what was needed and what would it cost me.

When I called, Bob returned my call right away. He came out promptly at a convenient time. He was willing to work with us (a not-for-profit organization) to keep our costs low by reusing the existing frame and other parts as requested. It took a couple of weeks for the custom-ordered door to be delivered, but they came out right away again and installed it when it arrived.

Mr. Popovich arrived promptly, was courteous and cordial as he explained what his company could provide, we also complied a wish list of a few other projects around the house that are pending, however I decided not to use Steel City at this time.

His prices were very good, but he didn’t have the color siding that I wanted. He also couldn’t do the bay window like I wanted them done. His pricing was better than others, so if he couldn’t done the work I would’ve hired him.

I was very pleased with the job they performed. They were able to start within a week of accepting the quote, This was big for us since we got a similar quote from another place that couldn't start for a month. They completed it in a timely manner, and I love the way it looks! The foreman was very friend;y, as was Bob. I would definately call them again if we want another area redone.

The experience has been excellent! They’re people I can trust; I’ve had them in my home working while I wasn’t here, and I’ve been at ease. The workmen are all gentleman. They have a lot of integrity, are easy to deal with, and have done a great job! They’re not always the least expensive, but their bids are fair and I feel like I get what I paid for. They’re just a good company to work with overall and are the first ones I’d go to for anything.

Overall, the experience was very good. The employee that came out was very thorough, answered all of my questions and had some good ideas.

Other people came out to find the leak, they couldn't, but, Steel City found it, and fixed it. We used them in the past, too.

Up front, I should mention that this remodeling was done as part of the first home purchase for my spouse and me. We shopped for materials during a time when we were living in separate cities and working out the details of a move, job changes, etc. Neither of us had previously lived in a home that was remodeled to this extent, which may have contributed to some confusion as to responsibilities and time requirements on our end. All estimating work and general project management was done by Bob Popovich, the owner of Steel City. In addition, our mortgage company took excessively long to process final payment to the contractor, which unnecessarily added stress and frustration to the process. This is a very general summary without all of the details of each issue encountered. The good: Workers did a great job creating a new doorway and installing a door. The stain on the new door & trim match the existing woodwork well. Steel City?s workers were very friendly. The workers showed up on time every day they were scheduled to be at my home. Materials offered directly by Steel City are good. The laminate flooring, bathroom exhaust fan, kitchen cabinetry, and tub surround look nice and seem to be holding up fine (6-ish months later). Steel City was willing to accommodate our desire to handle painting by ourselves, allowing us to maximize our budget. They were flexible in coming to the house twice on weekends to provide estimates and take measurements early in the process. Contractor was willing to work with us to use vendors of our choice, including making trips to IKEA, Sears Outlet, and lighting stores more than 30 miles away. They allowed us to include appliance purchases in our mortgage renovation loan as part of their estimate. In the one instance where we have required work covered under warranty after the contractor received final payment, Steel City effectively dealt with the issue. In general, everything looks good. Friends & family compliment the looks. The bad: Dishonesty and half-truths about things that did not go as planned/previously discussed during the job. It was difficult to get clean-up work done and we did most of it ourselves every day after the workers left. Poor communication about scheduling & time lines. Very poor communication Steel City's office, Steel City's workers, and us about problems. Various small things were done incorrectly, initially skipped, or never resolved (uneven cabinet alignment, baseboard installation/re-installation & alignment, flooring installation, moving electric outlets prior to backsplash installation, sealing stone backsplash, touching up scratches & dings on cabinets after installation, etc). All of these things added together are a problem for us. In one bathroom, the flange was cracked at some point during removal of the old toilet or installation of new toilets, resulting in a leak that affected the floor and basement below. The contractor made four attempts to reinstall the toilet before a plumber was finally called in to diagnose and fix this problem (the option of a plumber was refused after the second attempt). Wall patching/dry wall work was not done well the first time, requiring return visits and resulted in painting delays. I was left with the responsibility of letting third party contractors into the house and explaining to these people what work was required (plumbers, electricians, & tile installer). Our garage was used to store waste materials; Steel City let this material pile up and removed all at once rather than clearing waste each day. When items were purchased ahead of time, they were stored at our home (often for weeks) rather than at the contractor?s facility. Based on order date information provided by Lowe?s, there was a delay of more than a week between when we selected our bathroom vanity when it was actually ordered. This resulted in a trip charge because the granite installer had to make a second trip to the house to measure for the vanity top. Various items that were part of the original estimate were estimated at the lowest price (also lowest end) that one would find in big box stores and these ultimately came in over budget (lighting, vanities/tops/faucets, back splash material, cabinet handles, etc.) Some fabrication & installation costs were not included in the initial estimate (granite & backsplash). We were asked to submit a payment request and sign that the job was complete at a point when there were unresolved issues. We had to request that Bob walk through with us to go over a list of items that needed to be completed. Water hook-up for the refrigerator was initially tapped into the hot water line. When this was fixed, a ceiling tile in the basement was broken with no offer to attempt to fix it. Parts to one bathroom vanity were lost. A new sink had to be purchased to get the parts and doing so was made out to be a favor to us. We did not open the box or assemble the sink, thus we were not responsible for keeping track of whether the parts were in the box originally and what might have happened to them. Had we known going into this that Steel City had few suggestions on where to look at tile, lighting, trim, and other fixtures other than going into the big box stores, we may have selected another contractor that had these items in his showroom. Ultimately, I suppose the job could have gone worse. We do not have any horror or disaster stories. The workers were professional and trustworthy. As problems popped up during the remodel, it quickly became a "when it rains it pours? situation. Usually in that happens one would take care to stop the rain as soon as possible. Had responsibility been taken for mistakes, had apologies been offered, and problems addressed proactively, I would have walked away from this process with a better feeling about the contractor. That is unfortunately not the case.

I called Kusiak to schedule an appointment for an estimate and left a message. A woman from the office called back about an hour later and let me know that they do roofing and would have to sub-contract for the garage. She stated that I will get a call back from two different people because of the two different projects. It's been about three weeks and I have not recieved any calls. Needless to say, I have scheduled my work to be done by a different contractor.

Called last week and received a call back in less than 12hours, set up date for proposal and work was done next day! Very happy with the work did a great job . This was not a big job so I thought I would have to wait so pleased with everything they did.

They were very prompt and very courteous. They were understanding and I got my quote the next day by email and I was just holding off because they wanted half down. I am a woman alone, I am 56 and one of the things AARP says is don't give half down to anybody. I thought the price was fair even though I have been told lately it is a little high.

There price was little a high, but their quality of work and professionalism were great. They had a more detailed quote then other estimates and that's why I went with them.

After contacting Steel City Home Improvement by email, Mr. Bob Popovich responded within 24 hours. We made an appointment for him to see what we needed done. It was apparent that our three seasons porch was poorly constructed. It was definitely under supported. Mr. Popovich emailed an estimate to us the next day. We took another two weeks to get other estimates and determined Steel City was the best estimate and covered all the work we wanted performed. When informed we would like Steel City to do the work, Mr. Popovich brought out his foreman to also look at the porch to be sure he had included all the specifics so there would be no surprises. Mr. Popovich was prompt, courteous, friendly and professional. The work began on September 26, 2011. The men working here were prompt and kept the work area neat. They continually kept me informed and asked questions when necessary. They informed me when they finished each part of the job and helped me take pictures and videos of the work as it progressed. They also answered any and all questions I had regarding the work performed. The job went smoothly and they removed all debris. They finished all work on time on October 3, 2011. I couldn't be happier with the job done by Steel City Home Improvement and would definitely contact them again should the need arise. It was a pleasure doing business with them. I am glad I check Angie's List. This contractor has an A rating and I also rate them an A.

The project should have taken 3 weeks, but it took 3 months. They installed the wrong toilet and never switched it out. They installed a different pedestal, because they said the one we chose wouldn't fit, but they never gave us an explanantion for why it didn't fit. They also installed a new shower that leaks, when the old shower did not. We basically got a bathroom that we didn't want. I also thought they were overpriced.

Bob Popovich scheduled a mutually agreeable appointment, wrote up an estimate on site and scheduled the work for the following week. His worker showed up on time, installed the door and frame correctly, made all necessary adjustments, and consulted with me about the adjustments where appropriate. The work was done well, the job was handled professionally and the price was reasonable.

They had the best price for more products. We were in the process of purchasing a home doing a remodeling loan. They were familiar with the process of how the payment schedule will work with the mortgage company. They knew what they had to include in the estimate to make sure everything was covered by the bank. Bob, the owner had good suggestions on different materials to use in different rooms, floorings, counter tops and other things.

They did a good job. It took them 3 or 4 weeks to put the siding on. Perhaps, in the middle of the time we had probably the second worst below zero we've ever had in this area and few days the temperature was below zero. They obviously didn't work on those days. I was pleased. They cleaned up very well after themselves. The siding looks good. They were at good price, but just a lot of money. I would use them again in the future.

Work-wise, Kusiak was great. Someone came out the day after we called to quickly look at the leak, then they sent out a repairman the next day. He came one day to inspect and tell us what he suspected was happening, but couldn't do much because it was winter and everything was frozen. A few weeks later, he returned unannounced to clean off and salt the affected area, then returned a week later to make the repair. The repairman was quick, efficient, and very nice, and I was pleasantly surprised by Kusiak's follow-through. My only complaint would be little communication. We never received an estimate, nor where we notified in advance that the repairman would be coming (luckily I was on maternity leave and was there). The repairman said he didn't deal with the estimate or billing, but that we should receive info from their office, which we didn't. Fortunately it was a small repair and not overly expensive, but we still should have received an estimate in advance. We would use them again in the future, but we'll take it upon ourselves to follow up about pricing and scheduling.

It went well, the work was done quickly and in a timely manner. Mr. Popovich always responded to phone calls quickly, the work was kept in my price range and we got exactly what we asked for. He was also good about me asking to tack on other jobs as I went along.