Mel Kelley Design/Build LLC

The drawings and estimate were prepared professionally and easy to understand, helping me to understand exactly what I was getting.

Our front door had been installed by a contractor with Lowes. There were several problems with the door after the installation - the door didn't close well and the whole door frame wiggled. In addition, we hadn't finished the inside of the door framing and needed to have that completed as well. The door had to be pretty much removed and re-seated in the opening. There was some warping that had occurred since the original installation and they did the best they could to get it all to fit well and solidly. The trim work and paint was done very well. Overall we are very satisfied with the work they did and their attention to detail.

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Great

It went very well.

It took 2 phone calls and 1 1/2 weeks to connect with Mel and make an appointment for him to see our master bath and discuss what we wanted to do. During our meeting I asked him for thoughts beyond what I outlined and liked his suggestions. He said the quote would take a couple of weeks. No problem. That was May 7th. On May 30th I left a voice mail asking him the status of our quote and letting him know we were anxious to get started. A week later on June 6th I left another voice message. As of 6/10 I have had no contact or follow up from Mel. Even if we were to receive a quote at this point I doubt I would use him because I would find it difficult to believe the work would be on schedule. Honestly I would have been happy with a phone call saying he was behind schedule or anything, but do find no contact whatsoever to be unacceptable.

Mel met with us at the house to get an idea of what we wanted. Two weeks later, Mel returned with plans, which he reviewed with us, and an estimated cost for the work. He had his laptop with him. We discussed changes to the plans in an effort to lower the cost of the project. Mel discussed the changes with us and what the consequences of the changes might be. He also gave his opinion as to whether or not he felt our requests were good ideas. Two weeks later, Mel returned with the contract, a budget, and a detailed list with documentation of what the project would actually cost. At that time we signed the contract and gave him the check for the first installment. Payments were budgeted over the course of the project, which I liked. I knew exactly when payments were expected. Mel took us shopping to choose counter tops, cabinets, toilets, faucets, flooring, etc. He guided us to choices that were within the confines of our budget. He told us when we were making choices outside our budget range. We could opt for more expensive items, but Mel was clear that those options also made the project more expensive. During our project Mel ran into problems. The shower unit was ordered 4 times until one arrived undamaged, which took the project into January. Mel finally asked the company to place the unit in a wooden crate for shipping so the unit arrived undamaged. The damage to the three previous shower units was small and could have gone unnoticed. Mel inspects every unit carefully prior to installation for flaws and damage. Mel also considered driving to the factory in Ohio to obtain a unit. Faucet units were more expensive because they use metal parts as opposed to mostly plastic parts. Mel does not skimp on quality, which makes him a little more pricey than other contractors. Our project began before the Christmas/New Year holiday. Mel was conscious of and asked about holiday activities in our home so he could better coordinate the work we were asking him to do. Workers came in to work on scheduled days off when things didn't go according to plan. If workers were not able to come, Mel came himself and worked. We had a shower area in the basement, which was not in operation at that time. Since we only have one full bathroom in our home, Mel had Don hooked up the basement shower so we would not be without a shower until our unit could be installed. Once the shower unit was in place we were allowed to carefully use it until the permanent installation was done. After the flooring was laid, Mel discovered the piping for the new heating unit was much smaller than the old one. He had the flooring company return to replace the flooring tiles around the new heating unit so the holes in the flooring were the correct size. Mel has a very good sense of color and what goes well together. I become overwhelmed by too many choices. Mel, aided by our budget constraints, narrowed the choices so that we were able to make selections more quickly. He also advised us as to what colors or units would go well together. In February 2012, we had problems with the shower unit faucet. We called Mel to ask about it. Right away Mel ordered new innards for the unit and the parts were delivered within a few days. Mel will stand behind his work, even after the job is finished. I am pleased with the outcome of our bathroom/laundry project. I love the colors we chose. I would not hesitate to hire Mel Kelley again and am happy to recommend Mel Kelley. I am willing to talk with persons considering his services.

Mel met with us in October to get an idea of what we wanted to do. He took measurements and gave us ideas about what was possible for the space we had. He returned 2 weeks later with drawings, a preliminary proposal, and an estimated cost. In the proposal, Mel researched the cost of fixtures and budgeted on the high end for estimating purposes. We asked for revisions in the drawings in an attempt to bring the cost down. Mel had his lap top with him and adjusted the drawings on the spot. In the preliminary proposal, Mel estimated the porject specifications: Project preparation Framing Demonlition General Demonlition Wall Framing General Pllumbing Bathroom Plumbing Wall coverings Ceiling coverings Interior doors Interior Trim, stairs and accessories Cabinets and counter tops Floor covering Interior Painting and wallpaper Project finalization When we accepted the final proposal, we signed a contract and paid a 3% retainer fee. Mel scheduled a day of shopping in early November. He took us shopping for the fixtures, cabinets, wall coverings, countertops, etc. Mel is very knowledgable about what goes together and what will look good together. I appreciated his assistance in that department. Mel tracked our choices for ordering purposes and for budgeting purposes. We were informed when we were within our budget and when we were not. Construction started before Christmas. There was trouble with the ADA compliant shower stall, which had to be ordered 4 times before one arrived undamaged. Our house only has 1.5 bathrooms. Being without the shower was inconvenient and Mel did his best to keep our bathroom up and working as long as he could. We did have a non-functional bathroom in the basement, which Mel hooked up for us to use while we waited for the shower. Mel finally asked the shower company to ship the shower stall in a wooden crate. That shower stall arrived undamaged. Construction was spotty between Christmas and New Year, but Mel's staff did do some work during that time. After the new year work progressed at a steady rate. Mel requests 3 % down when the contract is signed The final payment is 3% plus any extra costs that were add during the project. The remaining balance is divided in to equal payments and paid out as Mel and his crew begin each step of the project, for example: start of demolition, start of framing, start of electrical work, start of plumbing, etc. I found this payment process to be a good way of working. The bathroom and the laundry room are beautiful. I appreciate having the laundry on the first floor rather than the basement. I highly recommend Mel Kelley Design/Build

The contractor came to the house to talk with us about how we wanted to remodel. He had his laptop computer, measuring tape and notebook with him. He listened and asked lots of questions about what we wanted and how we envisioned the space. About two weeks later, the contractor returned with a preliminary proposal. The proposal included the project specifications for the Hall bathroom remodel and Laundry room: Project preparation, Framing Demolition, General Demolition, Wall Framing, General Plumbing, Bathroom Plumbing, Wall Coverings, Ceiling Coverings, Interior doors, Interior Trim, Stairs and Accessories, Cabinets and Countertops, Floor covering, Interior Painting and Wall Paper, and Project Finalization. The preliminary proposal also included budgeted allowances for fixtures, cabinets, flooring, plumbing, etc., which was enlightening when we saw the final cost of the project. We also saw copies of the blueprints and drawings. At this time, we again discussed the project with the contractor and made some changes to the blueprints, which he made right in front of us on his computer. When we accepted the prelimary proposal, the contractor scheduled a day to take us shopping for cabinets, fixtures, flooring, plumbing, etc. When we decided to partner with the contract, we paid the contractor 3%. The balance of the contract was paid in 4 equal payments: Upon acceptance of proposal, At the start of contruction, At the start of plumbing and electrical, At the start of finishes, Our final payment was the final 3% of the project plus any extras we added during the project and was paid at punch list completion. A detailed statement was received at the completion of the project along with a detailed invoice of the extras we'd added to the project. Mel Kelley is particular about his work, the materials he uses and contractors he uses. He had to order our shower 4 times until the shower arrived undamaged. The last shipment the he requested the shower be shipped in a wooden crate so that it arrived in good shape. We wanted to utilize the old heating register in the bathroom, however, heating registers have changed so much since our was installed that we had to purchase a new one. The new ones have much smaller piping. Our flooring had already been laid, and there were huge gaps were the old pipes had been. The contractor had the flooring crew return to the house and redo the flooring under the register to make the floor right. Mel was available through the whole remodeling process, right down to choosing paint colors for the bathroom and laundry room. On the shopping trip, he was there to advise at every step and has a very good sense of color, texture, and style. Questions were explained and answered. I found Mel's step by step process very informative and helpful. I also appreciated his payment plan. I knew exactly what the project was going to cost before I ever signed my name to paper.