Virtus Design

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When my partner and I decided to relocate to the upper west side of Manhattan with our young daughter, we were fortunate to find a junior 4 unit in a full service building. The downside was the apartment had not been touched since the early 1970s and was in appalling condition. It needed a complete renovation--from the walls to the fixtures to the windows. We were impressed by Virtus Design's reviews on Angie?s List and met with them. They explained the process (building permission, DOB filing, etc.). Since Virtus is a full service design company, they took care of all aspects of the sometimes daunting project. The design was just what we wanted; they enlarged and modernized the bathroom, gave us more closet space, transformed the kitchen from a dark cavern into a light filled space with more cabinets than we thought possible, designed millwork and storage units in every room, and found beautiful flooring. The effect is calm and harmonious. Chris Leahy, the contractor Virtus works with, has a first-class team and was very responsive to any questions. We had weekly meetings throughout the renovation. Frederick Wildfoerster, the president of Virtus, designed the apartment and sourced the material taking all of our requirements into consideration. Caroline Mihalek, the project director, was a great help in organizing the team and taking care of all the building and city requirements, which was a task in itself. We have moved in and could not be happier. We enthusiastically recommend Virtus Design to anyone planning a renovation.

They didn't do any work for us. They came over and we told them very exclusively what our budget was, what our objectives were and basically they came back with stuff that was beyond our budget, it did meet our functional requirements and was actually not going to be anywhere close to what we have budgeted for this so while I don't get that they do good stuff. They are completely home guest to the people who they are talking to unless they have shitloads of money to pay for the stuff and they don't care about the budget, so they were very nice, but they were completely ignoring what we said what we wanted. What it made even worse is the first estimate that we got was when the three of them came off there was a designer, there was a contractor and there was a budget manager and they came back and gave us this proposal, which was way beyond what we were going to be able to sent and we went back to them and said this is not that budget we wanted and this is something we cannot afford to do. My impression is of them is they are only interested in doing things with people who have endless amounts of money and don't really care about the budget. We gone on to do this with other people who actually understands what budget means and that kind of stuff. They were very nice and seem to be knowledgeable. They didn't really listen to us on price and they didn't do anything to find alternative contractors because the contractor seem to be extraordinarily expensive. For instance we had independently gotten an estimate to paint our apartment and the estimate was $8000 and they were going to charge us $18,500 so they charges three times as much to paint the apartment as an estimate we have gotten before. Instead of getting other contractors what they did was they just cut out essential parts of the renovation. I would not use them again.

they came out to look at the job and then went back to the office and gave me an estimate the was fair and good.

They got back to me promptly and thoroughly answered the questions I had. I ended up designing my kitchen myself and didn't go through an interior design firm, but if I ever do, Virtus would be at the top of the list of potential firms.

They arranged to see me within two weeks after I called them; they were very prompt. I heard about them on Angie's List. We are still gathering information about this project but they are definitely in the running to do this job. I felt like the architect that came to my house to do the estimate had an idea in his head and he would not come off that idea. We were trying to tell him that we had several other ideas but he kept pushing for his idea. He was professional, punctual and a lovely man but it kind of put us off a little bit that he did not really seem to want to listen to our ideas.

I am still in the process, but everything has gone PERFECTLY. The hardest part was getting all the permits, which they completely took care of. We meet weekly with an agenda that insures we aren't waiting on this or that item to arrive or be chosen.... There is progress every week. We have not been held up by inspections. They work with the super of my building who is very picky, and who stops by daily. The building is old and some of the demo work caused problems in my down stairs neighbor's apartment. They took care of it INSTANTLY and everyone is satisfied. Frederick LISTENS to me. He does not try and impose his personal style on me, as one of the designers I interviewed did. When we went looking for plumbing fixtures, what he picked out was so perfect that I hardly looked at anything else. I was traveling for the first part of the work, and I received regular reports and pictures. While I was in Europe, I had a question about my bathrooms. My idea didn't work. Two days later I received an email from Frederick with the best solution in the world! Basically, I went from two very small and un-user friendly bathrooms to a lovely master bathroom and a lovely guest powder room. However, for an over night guest, the only way to get to the shower was through my bedroom. And I wanted to fix that. As I said, my idea didn't work. The two rooms share a common wall. Because of the design and location of the bathrooms - already decided, there was a common wall between my lovely, big shower stall and the powder room. Frederick put a shower door in the wall! It is completely opaque glass, so you can't even see a shadow of some one in the shower. There is a lock from both sides. All I need to do is unlock my side of the shower, and my guest basically has their own full bathroom! Chris, in charge of the work, is so experienced, and his crew is so proud of their work, that I hardly need to inspect it. Any question I have, Chris has the answer. He's very calming. They all are.

The project is still ongoing. My review is of my interactions with Convivium on the quotation process. I was highly satisfied.

They beat everyone hands down and made me the most comfortable. Had I gone through with the project I would have probably used them because they explained things very well.

In progress. Excellent so far.

Convivium responded promptly, showed up exactly when they said they would, returned emails and phone calls punctually. They were very professional, easy to talk with, and gave the estimate in a timely fashion.

Caroline / Val were very good at responding to client's email requests and they showed up on time to see my apartment for an estimate. Caroline also provided some suggestions in how to remodel the bathroom/kitchen. However, I was upset at when she gave me the estimates of the remodeling. Just the labor cost of the demolishing and remodeling without updated appliances or materials, it was already well over $33,000. I have a studio apartment with a very small kitchen and bathroom. There weren't much paint job to begin with. They even charge me $2820 for the paint job. I know it's just an estimate. But it should be at least a bit more reasonable. With just the labor cost already billed for over $33,000, it would probably cost double for that once I picked out the materials for the tiles, cabinetry, and appliances. After talking to Caroline on the phone regarding the cost, I just didn't feel like they were giving me an honest estimates. I stopped calling them back for further discussion of the work.

They were professional and they did the design work very aesthetically. They were very reliable. I am still getting some more bids for the job. I would recommend them for a more of a high end job. They seem to know what they are doing.

When I decided to renovate my home outside of New York I asked my friends for referrals and that's how I found Convivum Design. Peter and Fritz responded promptly and came out to take a look. They had wonderful design ideas, Peter's long experience with Robert Stern combined with Fritz's expertise and great taste convinced me that they were the firm to do my project. Since they both worked for many years in Italy and I love Italian design it was a real meeting of the minds. The design process was fun and the actual installation not as arduous as I had expected. Mark the contractor completed the job on schedule and was clean and organized. My budget was always taken into consideration and Peter and Fritz were fun and accommodating. I am planning to buy a new home and will definitely hire Convivium Design, Inc. to redesign it.

I was referred to Convivium Design by a client of mine and was very happy with the entire experience. The design was just what I was looking for for both the kitchen and the bathroom--traditional but timeless and classical. Convivium handled all the building requirements, provided and supervied the contractor, millworkers, installation and final clean up, Frederick and Peter were always available to answer questions and their staff kept me informed during all phases of the process. Steve the contractor did his best to makethe experience as smooth as possible. I love the result and recommend Convivium to my clients.

We called Convivium Design to get a quote to renovate two bathrooms and a kitchen. As an out of state landlord it is important that I find a contractor who can communicate effectively and clearly. Caroline arrived at our building right on schedule and was knowledgeable and professional. Her quote was priced in the middle range of quotes we received and she was certainly in the running to get the contract. Ultimately, we decided to use another contractor who was much closer to the property. Definitely give Caroline a chance to bid on your project.

Convivium worked closely with me on every phase of every project from design/development to material selection to the final walk through. It was a very enjoyable experience to work with such a professional team. This firm is kind, confident and sincere. I highly recommend them to anyone who wants a thorough job beautifully executed. Convivium's talent is equal to other firms in NYC, like Robert Stern.

The experience was a pleasure from start to finish. The experts at Convivium Design listened to me and found beautiful selections of products from me to choose from. They paid close attention to every detail and kept track of the money spent to stay within my budget. My home has had an amazing transformation and a realtor told me I increased the value of my property by 1/3. The Convivium Design staff was professional, meticulous and well informed. Now I want Convivium Design to do my master suite and home office. I am recommending them to my friends and neighbors.

from start to finish the job went very well. Convivium designed me a beautiful master bathroom suite and came in under budget with exceptional quality. I would recommend them for any job.

Frederick Wildfoerster of Convivium Design worked with me on every step of the process. He prepared the design and presented me with a selection of materials. The project was well managed and even though there were the inevitable delays caused by the building management. Convivium was always available to answer any questions. The finished product is very beautiful and practical. I would not hesitate in recommending Convivium Design and look forward to working with them on future project.