Riverside Construction LLC

Designer was easy to work with, had good suggestions, and worked within my style. Construction was on time and pre-existing issues were identified and resolved. Crew were respectful of my belongings. Any surprises during construction were resolved to my complete satisfaction. Recycling of my re-usable cabinets and appliances was facilitated by Riverside. Very easy to work with and actually listened to what I wanted. Very pleased with the final result.

Great. Andy and his crew extracted our ideas and put them into practice. Couldn't have asked for more. I'd add a photo if I could figure out how.

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Some red flags were raised (and perhaps should have been heeded) when initial planning SCHEDULED appointments were not met on time and even (admittedly) "forgotten." Later, when some of the work done was "questioned," things like "...it's just not done that way..." were offered (hint: perhaps it should be done the way the payer WANTS it...!!?). Riverside Construction acts as a general contractor. They only do the design, demolition, some final trim, and painting. The rest of the work is done by hired "partners." The quality of work done by these varies, BUT in their defense, it falls on the general contractor to determine "how it's done" (as, apparently they are well-versed here...?). The design, electrical, plumbing and drywall work was done in an EXCELLENT manner. The installation of appliances in the kitchen (by Clark of Indy) was also done VERY well (but here again, the SCHEDULING of it was screwed up by Riverside and delayed by several days). So what were the problems? I basically had to refinish the flooring myself. The flooring we wanted was the original hardwood floor, which only had to be refinished in the dining room, but in the kitchen had been covered by nailed plywood and carpeted, and later linoleum-tiled. We LIKED the "stressed" look we'd get after uncovering it, if properly sealed and refinished (which was not done... I had to do it myself). Quite a bit of the uncovered kitchen flooring had to be taken up and re-nailed. When this was done, no vapor barrier was installed over the subfloor, and larger "chips" were not puttied/sealed, so you could see light from the basement through them (!). The cabinets in the kitchen were installed over only subfloor, with not even a plywood cover (nor vapor barrier, as mentioned above). The quartz kitchen counter was installed so there was a considerable gap between it and the refrigerator (because the upper cabinets wouldn't allow the refrigerator any closer). It was pointed out that perhaps a same-material "lip" should be added to the counter, to not allow crumbs or small items to roll off and fall onto the floor between the lower cabinets and the refrigerator. This was TOTALLY ignored, so we had no recourse but to contact the counter people directly to remedy the situation. When Riverside was asked to cover the cost of this repair, they agreed, but with MARKED reluctance. Reluctance was also displayed and sensed when it had to be demanded that some final clean-up be done. MUCH of the finishing puttying was done quite poorly, and is still either not done or had to be redone. We paid "top-tier" pricing for the remodeling of two rooms. These are VERY small rooms (~10X12...?). In the kitchen, the cabinets chosen were less than "top-tier" quality (although they were what we wanted). No price adjustment was offered. We had to demand the promised pull-out drawers, as they were installing "stationary" ones in the pantry. Riverside ALWAYS received their installment payments IN FULL AND ON TIME, when demanded. It is generally felt we GREATLY overpaid for the work done, and we were "dropped" to a great extent when we demanded the kind of attention we thought we were buying. A "before-and-after" book promised after the work was deemed complete never materialized nor was delivered. Figures....

From beginning to end, the process was thorough, with each step/detail explained completely so we knew what would be happening when, what to expect, and how we could communicate with them about any issue/concern. They were very professional, courteous, and they made every effort to clean up after every phase of the remodeling each day. When we saw a problem, they quickly corrected it to our satisfaction. While the whole process took quite a while, the final product made the wait worthwhile. They were on the high end of costs, but they proved to be worth it in the long run.

The final quality of the work was excellent -- the new bathrooms are beautiful and functional. The company did an excellent job of explaining their approach and providing cost estimates of the work. They were able to connect us with an interior designer who was very helpful in making selections for all aspects of the project. Once the work got underway, it took a while, a couple of months on the first bathroom alone, but there seemed to be continual progress. The work is of high quality. In one case during the remodel of the first bathroom, tile work in the shower didn't meet Riverside's standards, and they had it torn out and done over again. The second bathroom went faster. In the end, we probably spent more than we wanted to, but the results are excellent. The quality of the work is excellent, and the bathrooms were worth the wait. The company has great people who are very professional and know how to do their jobs.

My interaction with Riverside Construction LLC was very good. I like how they set things up and how they approach a problem. I liked the amount of detail they were willing to go in to, to help you decide. They give you a lot of information on what they are going to do, and help you understand what your agreement is with them. I like that they approached the problem holistically. They are not your standard contractor, they are a design to build, so they start from the design and then they do everything. If that is what you want, then these are great guys for that. We decided to go with a different contractor because his experiences are a better fit with our project.

They are very easy to talk to. Good communication. When I would call they would call right back within the hour. Good follow up. There were no surprises.