Renaissance Inc - The House Whisperer

Much of the work was completed by subcontractors, including electrical, plumbing, drywall, carpentry, tile work and granite counter tops. We were very pleased with the electrical, plumbing, and carpentry work. The drywallers missed mudding several spots which we ended up finishing so we could complete our painting. We also thought they could have been neater. They did, however, do an excellent job matching the new ceilings to the existing ceilings. The tiler was late starting in both bathrooms and didn't clean the grout off of the tile in the hall bath. But, the tile with decorative borders looks great! The installation of the granite counter tops were our biggest disappointment. The hall bath counter top was installed first. When the plumber installed the faucet, the pull for the drain stopper hit the granite back splash, but it was still functional. When it came time for the master bath counter top, we showed the company rep. (Mees Distribution) the faucet problem in the hall bath and made it very clear adjustments needed to be made in the master bath so we wouldn't experience the marginally functional drain stopper pull. At template layout and prior to installation, we and Todd explained the situation with the faucet and were told they would take care of it. They even sank the master bath back splash into the the drywall. Well, when the plumber tried to install the new faucets, the pull couldn't even be installed, let alone be functional. The problem was resolved with a push button stopper, which Todd absorbed the cost. As an added problem the installers broke one of the side splashes during installation. The installers took it back to their trailer, repaired it, and installed it without telling us it was broken. After they left, we could see caulking in the crack and could even feel it. A company rep came back out and completed additional work on the side splash and it is now less noticeable. He offered to replace it, but we really liked the look of the granite and feared the damage that might occur during the replacement. All in all, the granite is beautiful, but the installation was very disappointing. (Note) We don't hold Todd responsible for the granite problem as we choose Mees as the provider. We are very pleased with the finished product. Todd did a great job scheduling the subcontractors, inspectors, etc. He and the subs were all great to work with and flexible when unforseen problems arose or when we requested changes, such as the heated floor. The final cost was right in line with the estimate along with the additional changes we chose to make during the process. We would not hesitate to hire Todd again or to recommend him to friends or family.

They did a great job at a great price. He was very detailed-oriented.

Todd had great ideas and advice. The project went extremely well. It was a pleasure working with Todd. He understood our old house and the finished new kitchen is wonderful to cook in. Highly recommended.

They are very personal and friendly. They could have cleaned up more at the end of each day.

It was all in all a more pleasant experience than I anticipated. Every sub that Todd used was competant, well-mannered and non-smokers. Although the finished plan was not exactly what I originally thought I wanted, Todd worked with me and the kitchen designer to come to a compromise that was workable given the restraints that inevitably came up. He was very good at coming up with solutions to problems that popped up. I love the new kitchen.

We enjoyed working with Todd, and his subcontractors were professional, clean, and efficient. He was able to keep the project on budget and on the timeline. As this was our first big remodeling project, we didn't clarify a few things that weren't stipulated in the original estimate (such as painting the walls or installing the towel bars, etc) which was likely due to our assumption that these services were included. We were pleased with the quality of the workmanship for Todd and all of his subcontractors. The companies he works with provided quality products (for cupboards, granite) that we are satisfied with. I also appreciate the good communication and responsiveness he gave us. When he said he would meet us at a certain time, he followed through or called if he was running late. He informed all of his subcontractors how to deal with our pets (scary dog and cats who try to sneak out), and he was responsive to email and/or phone inquiries. We will be happy to recommend his work, and look forward to working with him again for our next project.

It was a great experience working with Todd and his crew. We interviewed four companies from Angie's List and awarded the job to Renaissance. Todd came out for the initial bid and gave us some excellent ideas for the remodel. He was the first one to submit a detailed bid. i knew we would hire him as he was the only one to listen to what we wanted and design the room accordingly. This was our first experience with remodeling, so we wanted someone to help us design the bathroom as well do the construction work. I first went to pick out the tile and then cabinets. Todd has a list of vendors to visit with contacts at each place, so you can set up appointments and they will work with you. They are a wonderful group of talented people ... each and every one is excellent. They had great ideas and helped to select tile, cabinets, granite, etc., that worked well together. Todd also helped us with selection of materials, floor tile, in particular. He knew the tile we had picked out would not look great, so he went back and picked up some other samples of ones that would look better. He was right!!! Demolition went smoothly. We had a cast iron tub that was fairly difficult for Jeremy to remove as he had to do it in pieces... but, he didn't complain. We gave the garage code to Todd and his employees, so they would have easy access. They were always very respectful. The work did seem to take longer than I first anticipated. I believe a lot of that was due to the holidays, as some places are closed that time of the year. Todd kept us informed regarding deadline changes, which was appreciated. I had hoped it would be finished by Christmas, but the shower glass (custom) could not be done because the factory was closed. Todd offered to put up a temporary shower curtain for us if that would help, which we declined though we really appreciated the offer. It is that kind of thing that made us appreciate Todd all the more. (As an aside, he actually fixed a pipe under our kitchen sink that had broken when I couldn't get a plumber here the same day to fix it. He had the part on his truck, so he went to work to help us out. Unbelievable!!!) The finished bathroom is amazing!!! The whole room is beautiful, colors are excellent, materials exquisite. We would definitely hire Todd again. Finally, I believe one of the main reasons we like Todd is not just the excellent job he does, but that we know he stands behind his work, even after the job is done and the check has cleared. We had him back once to touch up some grout and he was here the day after we called. Thanks Todd and Jeremy for doing such a great job on our house. Look forward to working with you again!!!

The experience overall was very good. Todd Smith was the general contractor and he was extremely nice, helpful and professional. He helped with the design and suggested/recommended but did not insist on the various subs for some of the jobs/materials (e.g. granite countertop, tub door installer). We went with his suggestions and found all of them to be good and professional. In addition, the subs that he used automatically (plumbing, electrical, plaster) were all nice, good and professional as well. Todd coordinated things and when there were issues he took care of them quickly and professionally. The granite company initially cut the countertop the wrong size and Todd made sure they expediated the re-cut at their own expense. When the glass cover for the ceiling light/exhaust fell out the next day (after I had put it in myself) he got a replacement cover at no extra cost and put in himself (correctly!). After the new tub doors had been installed, one of them seemed to stick a little. He had the door installers come back out and fix the problem.

We picked Renaissance Inc. based on their rating on Angie's List & because they are local to our city. We received a quote from Todd at Reniassance, as well as 2 other remodelers. Todd's quote was the lowest, though that is not always a good reason to hire someone. What clinched it was his rating on the List. From the beginning Todd was great about answering our many questions and arranging for us to pick out our finishes. His assistant & subs were also great. There were a couple of hiccups along the way, but Todd was great about making it right as much as possible. We added heated floors to the master bath at the last minute, but Todd got it done! We are extremely pleased with the end resut.

Todd is one of the most professional contractors or service providers I have ever worked with and his customer service is beyond anybody else's. He really does want you to be happy with every detail. And you will be. Todd checked in with me most days to be sure that we were both always on the same page. And Jeremy did a great job with everything in the kitchen...and all with a great sense of humor! He was at my house most days and I absolutely trusted him not only in my home but with my dog too! I traveled for business during a lot of the renovation and had no qualms about having Todd and Jeremy in my home for days without my being there. They are the best and I would hire them all over again. Thanks, Todd and Jeremy!

We have never hired a contractor to do any renovations in our home of this magnitude. Frankly, I like to do the work myself because I know it will be done exactly the way I want it and I may learn something in the process. We decide that we wanted our bath to be something really special and that was going to take a lot of intricate tile work. Plus we didn't want to be without our bathroom for two years while I tried to fit it in on the weekends. We had to hire a contractor. I had heard the horror stories like everyone else and dove in with much fear of what we were getting into. We called two contractors. I had done my homework and found all the questions I was supposed to ask and was ready to drill them. The first came in and had a well established local contracting business but the first interview was a little awkward and we knew he wasn't the one for us. The second interview with Todd Smith from Renaissance, Inc (The House Whisperer) was great. He clearly knew his stuff, had the answers we wanted to hear, he was easy to talk to and had a professional attitude. He took the ideas we had accumulated and saw our vision pretty quickly and added his own suggestions too. After talking with Todd we know he was going to get the job. We had been prepared for what the cost might be beforehand so we were not surprised by Todd's initial quote. The quote came in a little higher than we expected but we wanted some pricey stuff. After the agreement to proceed, Todd gave us a list of companies he has done work with and names of the people to contact. Tile, cabinets, and plumbing... As Todd said "Now the fun begins. Time to go shopping". Our first mistake in this process was not listening to those names he gave us. After two less than inspiring visits to the tile supplier, we dropped the person we had been working with and found who Todd had suggested. She was great and we soon had exactly what we wanted. Since the tile was the most complicated decision we had to make, it was a relief to have that over. We did the demo ourselves to save a few bucks. After the demo, Todd's crew got to work. They were always friendly. One of them was there nearly every day working on something. Terry, his very talented "tile guy" was there on some Saturdays too. They cleaned up after themselves. We loaned them half our garage for storage and trash cans. We saved some money by putting out the construction trash cans with our own instead of them hauling it away. Todd checked in every few days to let us know what was happening next, communication was not a problem. We found some materials ourselves on-line cheaper than Todd's suggested supplier so we bought them and he took that portion off our allowance on the quote. When it came to the final bill, there were some overages because we had a change order and we requested some upgrades. Todd was always fair and honest. Overall, all our fears about hiring a contractor are gone. Hire Todd

It went very well. There were a few unexpected glitches beyond the control of the contractor and he was very quick to alert us to the problem and how it was being resolved. We were always very well informed throughout the project. The most amazing thing about their work is that they meticulously clean up at the end of each workday so that you never knew they were there. I have never experienced such attention to cleanliness. The contractor also was very sensitive to our tastes and style and worked very hard to meet that. I can safely say that the master bath turned out as a piece of art.

I was overall very happy with the work. Jeremy did a great job and was very concerned about doing things right. The job did take longer than expected because of permit problems and a few unforeseen things that occur in remodeling an old house. But now that it?s done, we are glad we chose Renaissance.

Wonderful! Renaissance is the only way to go!!! I hope I hit the lottery and will invite them back to do more work!!!

I called the top 5 rated contractors on Angie's List to provide an estimate for the above job (all contractor's had all "A" ratings). All 5 came out and only Todd actually provided an estimate! The process went as well as one could expect - our goal was to have this complete by Thanksgiving, and Todd assured us that was not going to be an issue - most likely it was usual glitches (HH Gregg delivered wrong appliances, size of stove did not quite fit space, etc.) that caused the job to go right to the wire. Good news was that Todd and his team worked as hard as needed to be done, so the job was complete the day before Thanksgiving (wife had a few mild heart attacks). We are very pleased with all the work that Todd did. His subs are top notch - very professional, no issues at all leaving them at the house alone to complete their work. Would work with Renaissance again.

This is the second time we've worked with Renaissance, Todd also completed a basement remodel for us in 2007. As was the case in '07, the job went extremely smooth from start to finish. Very easy and accommodating around scheduling the initial estimates and follow-up. Todd showed a great amount of patience with us related to scheduling, as my wife and I went back and forth on deciding to move forward or not. Once we decided to move forward we were able to get on the schedule and begin the re-model. Todd was very cognizant of insuring we had one working bathroom at all times and scheduled his work accordingly. He always returned any calls very promptly and provided answers to any questions we had. As decisions had to be made throughout the project he gave us plenty of time to discuss and insure we were making the best decision for us. The secondary bathroom was pretty painless with just the floor being replaced. This was completed in one day. The master bath took longer due to the custom nature of the shower, but still within the time initially estimated. Todd and his crew's attention to detail insured we would be happy with the outcome and we are. We had the walls of the shower tiled and custom pan completed with Mosaic tiles. One wall was done with glass block to match an existing window. And finally the door that Todd had installed was perfect. It really sets off the entire room and gives it the custom look and feel without going overboard. It was a pleasure working with Renaissance for a second time and we'd definitely recommend them to anyone interested in bathroom or basement remodels.

They were extremely good to work with. We were given updates on a weekly basis and Todd was very good at letting us know when there were delays. The job ended up costing more than budget, due to small allowances for fixtures and tile. The most impressive thing about them was how clean they were throughout the entire process. The house was always spotless and there were never signs of major work having been done, as they were so fastidious in cleaning up. This made the entire experience as good as remodeling can be.

Todd made the entire process a joy. Every day, when I would come home from work, I would be excited to see the progress he had made. When I decided to upgrade the cabinets and have them hand-made, Todd suggested an excellent carpenter, Dan, who designed and constructed beautiful arts-and-craft style cabinets using cherry wood. His tile guy, Larry, was a real artist. Todd also figured out a way to enable me to have a sink in the kitchen for most of the time he was working, which made life much easier. The finished product (both bath and kitchen) are amazing, and I have referred him to several of my friends, who have also praised his service and expertise. I will definitely use him in the future for other remodeling projects.

They installed new cabinets, granite countertops, a new sink, a new floor, new lighting, repaired the exhaust fan, installed several new electrical outlets, installed a dishwasher, painted the walls, installed a tile back splash (a beautiful job) and repaired the kitchen door. He went out of his way to buy the lights and the dishwasher. Todd Smith took care of it all. Everyone that he had working for him were absolute professionals. They were very nice, friendly and honest. I cannot say enough about him and his crew.

When extra problems came up they were great with going with the flow to find a satisfactory outcome.

Todd and his crew removed everything from the kitchen including the drywall on the walls and ceiling. I chose to do all of the painting and wood staining myself and did that at the appropriate times as the remodel progressed. The electrical was all redone, the telephone was moved, and plumbing was done for the new location for the cook top and to provide water to the ice maker in the new refrigerator. Todd and his main man, Russ, did a wonderful job installing the cabinets. They also had to work around several unforeseen challenges that inevitably crop up in remodeling jobs, unleveled ceilings, strangely located heating pipes, etc. The subcontractors that Todd uses for the electrical, plumbing, and drywall were all really nice people, did a fine job and I was comfortable having them in my home. Rhian, the tile lady who did the backsplash stone work was great and very helpful. Todd promised I would have a usable kitchen by Thanksgiving and I did. A great experience all around.

Todd and crew did an outstanding job, and our formerly scary bathroom is now absolutely stunning. We chose him in part because we were interested in preserving a somewhat historical feel in our 1920s home (with a modern edge), and really appreciated his sensitivity toward historical character. He worked with our vision and brought it to life. When the inevitable surprises came up in the construction process, Todd was quick to suggest changes and work-arounds that made the result as good as or even better than what we originally had in mind. He kept to his schedule, finishing in the 6-8 weeks he promised, which we particularly appreciated because our only alternative was a toilet and shower stall in the basement. His subcontractors are as competent and professional as he is; special kudos to Rhian the Tile Lady, whose work was spectacular. Everyone's care and attention to detail is truly top-notch, and Todd was really great to work with. We definitely plan to call on him again.

We hired Renaissance, based on the recommendation of a friend who has him do several home improvement projects. Todd Smith himself did not personally work on our project and subcontracted the whole thing out. With that being said, he did a very good job of overseeing the project from beginning to end. The job was timely and on budget. Todd always replies to phone calls right away, and follows through with relaying the information to the workers.

My wife and I were looking for a contractor related to built-ins in our family room and finishing our basement. We are so happy we found Todd Smith. Todd was terrific to work with from the first time he stopped over concerning a preliminary discussion/estimate, all the way through completion and even follow up after the fact. The communication, professionalism, and willingness to listen as well as provide solid input around our ideas, all was appreciated. Todd was able to expand our ideas, due to his background and other work he had completed. This only added to our experience. The built-ins are terrific and the comments we've rec'd from friends are all extremely positive. The basement is that much better. Todd worked with us and was available anytime a question came up. He offered great ideas, based on his experience and really was in tune with our overall vision. We had some concern, using someone we didn't know, but couldn't be happier with the outcome.

Todd always returned our phone calls quickly and was always easily accessible and great to work with. He was a great "hand-holder" for us as we were very nervous clients as we had never undertaken a project of this magnitude before. He was at our home when he said he would be and worked diligently the entire time. He covered the furniture and our things of value and cleaned up as he went. He was very neat and thorough. Overall he was a joy to work with and very helpful with great suggestions and solutions to problems along the way. We were very happy with Todd and his work.