Remodeling Specialties/Fred Sons

If you are a perfectionist and want a high quality kitchen remodel done this is the company you want. They were very patient with us and it turned out amazing. Our original budget was exceeded and we paid a lot for the work but the changes were understood in advance and well worth it. The crew was A+ and the owner/contractor did the design work which made the best use of our small space. All our expectations were exceeded.

Fred and his team did an excellent job replacing many floorboards in my home that were damaged by the previous owner's cats. In order to refinish the floors, they needed to do an enormous amount of prep - disassembling two walk-in closets, and removing stair railings and many doors. The dining room had a mahogany inlay that Fred's crew needed to match up. I can barely tell where the new boards meet the old. I also asked Fred to select new, upgraded baseboards for the dining area while I was out of town. He chose exactly what I would have and did an impeccable install. The clean-up on this job was a lot. The crew did their best - windows, door frames, washing tile over and over.... Be forewarned - floors are a messy business and I'm still dusting! Do this work before moving into a home so you never have to do it again! Fred's team is always pleasant, tidy, and professional. I enjoy working with them and especially appreciate the creative thinking of Fred. I've had several jobs done, large and small, by this crew, and have never been disappointed. While their price is higher than some, the work reflects that. In my experience, you get what you pay for and, especially in construction, you will end up paying for the cheaper work in the end.

The work went very smoothly. They have a small team so the same people are there everyday to do the work. They only sub-out plumbing and electrical work. It was nice to be able to talk to the same people throughout the project. Also Fred was very good about design selection. He accompanied me to tile and cabinet distributors and worked clsely in the selection of hardware. RS was probably not the cheapest option but they did great work so were a great value.

Fred and Brett were awesome!! My bathroom is exactly what I have always wanted. The tile work in my shower is amazing, you can really see the attention to detail. Would definitely recommend them for any remodel job!!!

SUMMARY OF WORK FOR BUNGALOW IN ROYAL OAK, MI 2nd Floor (June - July 2018): Removed furniture to garage, then removed floor, ceiling, all walls, stairs, and all electrical, and hauled away all debris. Then installed closed-cell insulation under roof deck, rebuilt ceiling, walls, stairs, electrical, built and installed L-shaped wood railing, installed hardwood flooring and moulding, painted all walls and ceiling, clear-coated new stairs and stair rails, and returned furniture. Total cost: $37,200. 1st Floor (Sept. - Nov. 2018): Removed furniture to garage, then removed floors in living room, hall, and two bedrooms, and hauled away all debris. Then finished and installed new door in kitchen, installed hardwood flooring and moulding, patched and painted all walls and ceilings, and returned furniture. Total cost: $23,300. SUMMARY OF SATISFACTION All work was high quality and completed according to contracted schedule. When unexpected but needed work was identified, Fred was easy to work with to make additions to the contract and quote additional costs. When we pointed out something we didn't like, it was corrected quickly at no additional cost. Fred's two support workers were very capable, talented, professional, personable, and a pleasure to work with. Each day they arrived promptly at 9:00 am, completed work by 5:00 pm, and cleaned up before leaving. Cost was relatively high, but we are very satisfied with the results.

Fred and his awesome crew did a great job on our bathroom. It was a big job, but from demo to finale their professionalism and meticulous attention to detail never wavered. They brought a wealth of experience to our project that included design ideas, advice, suggestions and workmanship that we highly recommend. We love our new, beautifully updated master bathroom!

Called Fred Sons (got Fred on the phone) and scheduled a visit for an estimate. I took the day off of work ($$$) and Bret Provins showed up for the estimate (colleague? his card said "Production Manager"). The entire conversation I had with Bret went in one ear and out the other. Promised to email estimate in 2-3 days. 5 days later, still no estimate, so I called. Brett said it would be there that night. No estimate. On the 6th day, texted Fred directly - Brett had taken down the wrong email address, even though I'd texted it *twice*. By the 6th day (it was a Saturday at this point) I get the estimate, which is a fantasy novel written by someone who wasn't mentally present at the visit (the one I took a day off of work for). Charges for things I *explicitly said* we didn't want done, things that never came up in conversation at all, and charges for things Brett said wouldn't need to be done. Frustrated, I called Fred (no more Brett for us) and he said "I don't work on Saturdays, so I can't talk to you" (no apology for the weird and complete time-wasting estimate, no apologies for the late estimate). He never called on Monday. I think our project ($5,000-7,000) must have been too small for his to care and/or things are hopping for contractors right now and they don't have to offer good customer service. Went with another contractor.

Quality work, professional team working for him. Very pleased with the job.

We had this company re-do work done by a different company. Fred and team were able to diagnose the problem, and propose a solution that fixed the issue. Fred and team executed that plan perfectly and we were very pleased with the quality of their work as well as the professionalism of the crew.

Fred and his crew were excellent. Very responsive, thorough, and honest. Work was very well done, including daily cleanups. Always on time, never canceled appointments, and very accessible by phone and text. Highly recommended!

The project took a little longer than we would have liked due mostly to permit issues from the City, but ultimately we were (and are) very happy with the results.

The work was excellent. He was pessimistic on when he could get to it, but as it had been out of order for a year I wasn't concerned. He ended up starting the work two or three weeks early and finished within about three weeks. I lost some pieces of the shower head during demo. He worked to track them down with the faucet company and they ended up sending a new unit with all of the parts. I appreciated the extra work there rather than him just saying to buy a new one. Overall, everything looks great and I'm happy with the quality of the work and the finish.

Owner Fred was kind and polite on the phone. Follow up from initial call was good. Gave me an approximate cost sight unseen. If you don't want to come out and look at a job, don't quote a price. Price he quoted via phone was very expensive compared to two other companies that bid this job.

It went well, the work completed was flawless.

Fred Sons decided not to perform the requested construction, thus presenting Angie's List as an unprofessional, unreliable service.

After calling many different places, Fred was the only person that was willing to come to my house to do the job despite the fact that I would not be able to hire him to do my kitchen. If I had my choice and could hire him, I would do it in a second. He was on time, professional, and had lots of great ideas. Thanks again, Fred!

Fred and his team did a great Job all through the project. Since we chose to use our own electrician he did a great job communicating with us on when we would need to bring in the electrician to do the work. He pulled permits and walked us through the process of dealing with the city. He also did a great job helping to research materials and discussed options based on past projects. Fred Framed in all the walls using steal studs, installed a custom drop ceiling around some very complicated duct work. He then insulated the walls with sound proof batt. All the electrical boxes were wrapped in a sound proof clay that prevents sound from traveling through them. He then installed QuietRock ES, which is a specialized type of drywall that helps sound from traveling through. All the joints were sealed with acoustical sealant. Two exterior grade doors were installed in the room to provide a good weather stripped seal and to provide sound proofing qualities better than even solid core interior doors. He also created a custom access panel for getting to a storage space under the stairs. Finally he installed trim and painted everything per our specifications. An excellent experience start to finish. The price for such a small space may on the surface seem high, but Fred was half the price of one company that came out and also the material and labor cost associated with making a space sound proof almost doubled the cost.

Remodeling Specialties were great to work with. Professional, timely, and detail oriented. Our project turned out fantastic. We would be happy to work Fred Sons and team again.

Everything went smoothly. Fred and his amazing crew are always there to help. They are great at not just getting the job done right but also following through on the details, keeping you organized and on task, and even going above and beyond when life gets hectic. Managing a renovation, selling our previous home, work, and family is a lot. I appreciated having a few people whom I knew I could trust in my home to care for things as well, if not more, than I would. This project was pretty large and involved. We tore out the kitchen and powder room and part of a small family room at the back of the house in order to rework the space into a more open, usable area. The new space has high-end appliances, soapstone counters, butcher block counters, stainless and marble and mirrored back splashes, beautiful cabinetry, reused and new doors, archways, wood floors (some new and some original), and one large paneled window. We also added a new wall between the two living areas to house a lot of the mechanicals. This provided a nice area for large, built-in bookcases on both sides of the wall. In the master suite we also opened up a wall and added a small set of stairs into a spare bedroom, creating a large walk-in closet. We had the fortunate luxury of not living in the home during construction but this meant we were not on site to make decisions every day. Fred and his crew communicated well with us and let me know when I was needed. We planned ahead well enough, and with a meticulous architect, that there were few, if any, surprises along the way that couldn't be handled easily. This is the fourth job that Fred and I have worked on together. We get along well and communicate well through the process. I appreciate his input and rely on his expertise and knowledge. He is honest, forthright, and quick-witted.

We were very satisfied with the job. Would definitely work with him again.

Fred and his direct team did a very good job of managing the project, maintaining a clean working area, listening to customer requests, etc. We faced some challenges with sub-contractors, (e.g. Surface Encounters sending incorrect sinks, going to the wrong address, etc; Henderson glass incorrectly measuring door size). Unfortunately, this did result in longer project timing than expected. Fred worked diligently to make sure these issues were corrected. I really appreciate his focus and desire to deliver a quality renovation.

It went brilliantly. Fred and his team do impeccable work and clean up after themselves when done. He and Brett and Lynn are friendly and respectful. The wood floor was an especially tricky job. It was made of small pieces of flooring in a parquet design and was very scarred up and worn. They did the extra work of not using a drum sander which they thought might leave marks. The job was actually a quite small one that some contractors might not want to take on, but Fred was fine about it. It was the second time Fred has done work at my house, and again, he was clear and informative about his quote, did the work as agreed and on time, and was fair about revisions. I would definitely hire Fred again.

It was fine. They came shortly after that. His quote was just too high. His ideas and designs were fine. His quote just came in higher than somebody else's.

The project went very well. Fred's crew is professional and highly skilled. The job was large. It involved taking out a small walk-in closet and completely gutting a small 3/4 master bath. We then built a gorgeous new master bath with walk-in shower, suspended double sink vanity, marble counters, high-end plumbing fixtures and features (recirculating hot water pump), recessed lighting, and fine detail ceramic tile work. The existing floor joists had some previous rot that needed to be repaired as well. We took the opportunity, while the floors and walls were open, to add closed-cell spray-in insulation throughout the home. A new pocket door completed the bath. Fred's crew was on time every morning and left at an appropriate time in the afternoon. They worked with my family schedule (dogs, cats, family party, travel, etc). They used a lock box on my front door and I felt confident that I could leave them to their work. My house has been safe in their hands.

Project was fast and clean. Initially I was concerned about the high costs but Fred worked with me on selecting windows and doors in my price range. Fred and his crew were in and out in just a few days. The change is a huge improvement. I had some trouble working the crank out window and Fred came back over to show me how it worked properly. There was extensive brick work to be completed during the job and Fred contracted the best pros in the business to work on that part of the house. I was impressed with all of the finish work all around.