Designer Kitchen And Bath

The owner was difficult to work with. Work had to be redone. He did not listen to what I wanted. The shower had to be redone due to the poor quality of the work done. When the shower was redone, it was discovered that work I had paid for was not done. Supplier told me the tile that was used for the shower floor should not be used for that purpose due to the type of tile and difficulty to cut. This particular tile should not have been cut on the job site. The tile on the shower floor that had been cut on the job, looked like it was cut with a dull blade. The contractor should have known this would be an issue with the tile selected. He never suggested using a different tile for the shower floor. In fact, he suggested using this tile for the shower floor. The shower head the contractor selected did not hold up and could not be adjusted to meet our needs. When the toilet did not work, it took him 3 weeks to replace it. The contractor convinced us not to have a curb on the shower. Because of the steep grade of the shower floor, the only flat place in the shower where I could stand was on the drain. The punch list was never completed. I had to pay another contractor to complete the list. In addition to paying for the shower twice, I paid double for other items.

Terrible experience. Owner is disrespectful. Bathroom hanging cabinets in 2 bathrooms fell off of the walls. Kitchen cabinets had to be re-hung because original screws were not in studs. Undermount kitchen sink separated from the countertop twice. David (owner) refuses to honor warranty. We had to hire an outside contractor to fix majority of the Designer Kitchen & Bath (formerly DreamMaker Bath & Kitchen) sub standard work (David gave us credit for the extra money we had to pay). Latest - David refuses to fix the kitchen sink - without examining the problem, he concluded that the sink separated because we modified the plumbing!!. STAY AWAY FROM THIS PLACE 28 December 2014 Everything I said is well documented. Anyone interested, please contact me. At no time did we threaten the Designer Kitchen & Bath (formerly DreamMaker Bath & Kitchen) with bad reviews or anything else. Other contractor we hired had to repair or re-do substandard work done by the Designer Kitchen & Bath (formerly DreamMaker Bath & Kitchen). At no time did we seek free work from anybody. The kitchen sink was recommended by the designer of the Designer Kitchen & Bath (formerly DreamMaker Bath & Kitchen). The kitchen sink's supports were removed by the Designer Kitchen & Bath (formerly DreamMaker Bath & Kitchen) contractor on recommendation of the Designer Kitchen & Bath (formerly DreamMaker Bath & Kitchen) designer. The supports provided after the kitchen sink's first fall were anchored into the drywall, not into the studs. Caulk was applied directly onto the silicone left from original sink installation. Again, everything I said above is documented. Please contact if additional information is needed.

Kristin is an excellent designer. She is so wonderful to work with on any project. The project was completed timely. Everyone loves my bathroom.

All of the work went well. I thought a little slow but found out that the time frame was very good. I was please with the work on both bathrooms.

There were some things that had to be redone, due to some paint & glue problems, but there was no disagreement. Any work quality issues were handled quickly and without rancour. Rick did a great job at the end of the day, and i was very pleased with his work. i would use him again, and would recommend him to someone else. DO make sure the RICK is supervising the crew. When he is not there sometimes the work suffers.

We opted on using another contractor, but definitely will keep this one in our head for possible future projects.

I have been looking for somebody to call to do a remodel and I read that article because I’m looking for a bath and kitchen but then I thought, I will start small, I have other little projects and I thought to see how they work out, to see their price and their quote was very clean, neat and organized, very detailed. I was very impressed with that.

They just start from scratch with building new kitchens and stuff like that. They didn't perform any work as they don't do remodeling. They were not very responsive. They did contact me, it wasn't a prompt response. They gave me a call back. They did not come out.

We hired David Leva, his designer Kristin O'Dell and his fabulous team of contractors for the third time on this job. We did a complete gut and remodel of our master bathroom. He and his team had previously done a kitchen remodel, family room remodel, guest bathroom remodel, and replaced most of the floors in our house. Details of remodel are as follows: remove all existing floors, cabinets, toilet, jetted tub, shower, fixtures, lights, electrical outlets, removed wall paper, fixed previous water damage on drywall, moved plumbing for new sinks and shower, extended shower area to encompass one end of bathroom, demo on old closet to prep for new closet system. I am sure there is more, but we literally took the bathroom down to studs, fixed some previous issues from builder and water damage, replaced some copper pipes, and started over with brand new everything. My previous two reviews say it all about this company and team. I would not have had them back in my house for a third time and spent the money if we did not trust them 110% on all aspects of the job, start to finish. Have a budget in mind and stick to it. If you want to start adding more expensive materials or add work, expect to pay for it after the fact. No surprises ever from them on costs on any job. If we added more expensive materials or wanted more things done that we had not put in initial contract, we paid for it and understood the job could be delayed. No problem! He is not the least expensive company out there, but he stands behind his name, his designers, and his contractors. You get what you pay for, and I would never dream of having anyone else in my house!

David was great about getting to the house in a timely manner to do the assessment. And he was very flexible and available about meeting me at the showroom. A great selection of colors and materials, and David was helpful about pulling things based on my preferences. Once the team got here, they were very good about staying on task and getting things done in a professional manner. They were careful about keeping floors covered and cleaning up at the end of each day. I love the final outcome and would use David again because he was knowledgable, friendly and flexible. The negatives: I lived alone a the time and work from 8-5, so it was important for me that the team arrive on time every day. Several times during the week only one of the workers was here on time, while the rest arrived after 8 am. When they were removing the old tile from my bathtub and putting in the "niche" they broke through the wall on the opposite side, into my hallway. It became clear that there had been a previous "patch" job done by the previous owner that contributed to the ease of breaking through that wall, and while David's team offered to "repair" the patch, I ended up calling in my regular maintenance guy to do a more professional drywall repair and repaint. Lastly, I did get the lowest priced granite (this is a townhouse in a middle-income neighborhood that I did not want to "over-improve" for the area). The first night I left water on the granite countertop for a few minutes, causing a dark stain in a prominent area. It freaked me out, but did eventually dry up. I called David about this and he told me to go to Home Depot and pick up the sprays and sealers to seal the granite. I went to Home Depot late that night as I didn't want any further staining, hunted the stuff down with the help of the salesperson, and spent the next hour trying to figure out how to do the sealing so I didn't ruin my new countertops. David called the next day and said he could come by and seal the countertops for me -- but that was a bit late. Again, overall I enjoyed working with David and his team, but in the future I would endeavor to be much more specific about what I needed and my expectations.

I had the initial visit with David Leva to discuss the scope of work at a high level. Everything he said sounded good so I left the meeting thinking he would be a likely candidate to handle my bathroom remodels (one master bath and two guest baths). However that was the last time I saw or heard from David as he then handed over all subsequent discussions to Kathryn, his designer, and assigned her to be my general contractor. After a couple of meetings with Kathryn I decided not to go with Dreammaker for several reasons: a) She was very nice, courteous and personable but I did not get a good impression of her as an experienced and knowledgeable remodeler, b) I did not like Dreammaker's policy of collecting 70% of the money upfront, before the work started, and c) I did not like their policy of not providing a copy of the proposal until a $500 retainer was paid. Kathryn and I sat down together in one short meeting to go over the proposal where she flipped through several pages that listed the scope of work and the total amount at the end but would not provide a copy for me to take home unless I paid $500. Seriously? How was I supposed to digest all those details in such a short time to decide if I wanted to hire them? Shouldn't I have had a chance to review their proposal in details and carefully first to make sure things listed were accurate as per my specifications? All other contractors that I was considering for the job provided a written proposal and had a much more reasonable installment payment schedule (e.g. 30% before work begins, 10 or 15% for each milestone afterwards etc). I'm surprised that they had several positive reviews on Angie's List but it appears that at least a couple of them were from the same person. Nothing wrong with that ... it's good that they have happy return customers, but I would rather see positive reviews from many different people than multiple reviews from a few.

We are completely satisfiled with the work Dreammaker did for us, and we can't say enough about Kristin O'Dell's attention to detail, great eye for design, responsiveness to our every wish or concern, and helpful suggestions along the way. Kristin also checked on the service providers, ensured that the house was cleaned up as work was performed, and saw to the security of our home through managing the alarm system as contractors came in to work. We have already had additional discussions with Kristin on the next projects we would like Dreammaker to do for us. Since we had such a positive experience with Dreammaker, we are confident of the result of future projects.

Overall, the end product was okay. However it was extremely frustrating getting to the end. I guess the job was just too big for them. I was told it would take one week for the bathroom and 4 weeks for the kitchen/den. Because I was aware remodels were rarely finished on time, I mentally prepared myself for the work to last 8 to 10 weeks. About 4 months later, the work was complete. The one perfectly punctual element of the project, was requesting a check from me for the various phases of work. I never knew when the workers would or would not show up. Early in the project, I was laying in bed on Saturday and heard folks entering my house. I was never told anyone would be coming to my house on Saturdays. The response I got from the designer was "Ooops, we forgot to tell you we work on Saturdays?" In fact, there were often times when the workers barely came during the week. But Saturday usually ended being convenient for them! For me, that is a day of rest after a hard week of work. Finally I told them to pick on someone else. After I decided what color I wanted the bathroom walls to be painted, I went out of town for over one and a half weeks. I thought surely the bathroom would be painted when I got home. After all, it was one small wall plus a little more in a 5 x 7 foot bathroom. Nothing in the house had been touched the entire time. In the reverse, I would be told folks would be there on a certain day and no one would show. Over time, it felt more like disrespect than just a lack of professionalism. And all this was in spite of the fact that the designer knew I planned to have the front bathroom remodeled next. I am actively getting estimates for the front bathroom and a closet expansion. DreamMaker will not be bothered for an estimate. Finally, there were one and one half boxes of floor tiles remaining after the new floor tile had been laid. I had to ask several times for the unused box to be returned. After all, I had paid for them. I finally got a new box when they were waiting on my final check. They are just so disorganized. It is not about your schedule. It is all about theirs. Customer service does not appear to be part of the business model. I am just grateful the work is done. There are a couple of small gaps between the tiles of the kitchen backsplash. I am not asking them to fix it. I will just have the next contractor fix it. I cant bear to deal with them any more.

It went very well for my first remodel ever!

We give DreamMaker Bath & Kitchen of Stafford a D, an A for there work & a F for service. We followed the procedure of there's, $500.00 fee,several visits,signing a contract & picking out all material. Then 2 months later, the work began. I wish we had never picked them. We are senior citizens. They put us through H***. We worked with Kathryn & the owner Dave.We were told it would take a week & half. It took 7 weeks. Here is what took place. Because the first week was strange, I thought it would be wise to log what was happening: Week 1 - Wed & Thurs. only, complete demolish of bathroom Week 2 - worked Mon. through Thurs. only , Week 3 - worked Mon. through Sat. I must mention here that because of errors made by them , they had to order the porcelain tile for the shower,two or three more times. This delayed the work. The first time Katheryn said the other lady was to have ordered it but didn't. Then when it did come in they installed what they had & it was not enough. So it was ordered again. According to Kathryn, it was my fault that they had to order more. I changed my mind & wanted the tile up to the ceiling in the shower. I NEVER CHANGED MY MIND. THE FIRST DAY I WALKED INTO THAT PLACE , I WANTED THE TILE UP TO THE CEILING. Week 4 - worked Mon. & Tues. only , on Tues. they measured for the stone & glass in the shower I know that this takes a day or 2 to get cut & install. By Fri. I called Kathryn, left a message & never received a call back. I made a lot of calls to Kathryn. When she answered it was usually this," O, I was about to call you". I got so tired of hearing this. Week 5 - NO WORK ALL WEEK My husband called Dave ( the owner ) He had no idea that no one was working there. He would look into it & call us back. We never received a call back from him. Week - 6 Mon., stone people came to install the vanity top, but had the wrong size sink. Had to go back & recut the top. Came back on Thurs. & installed. Tues. the glass man came & installed the glass wall. Fri. 2 guys came to make corrections. but still not complete.- touch -up paint, shower leak, shelf to be installed. Week - 7 only day- Freddy came with another guy, finished the work. This was the first time I saw Freddy. This was horrible service. They worked when they could fit us in. We never knew when they were coming. I constantly called to see if they weren't coming so I could leave & run my errands. I believe they left other people hanging, just like they did us. They took on more work than they were capable of getting done. I would not recommend them to anyone. I retired from a major grocery chain. I worked in the booth, listening to customer complaints. We would never treat customers the way we were treated here.

We began working with David Leva and Kathryn Hoelter at Dream Maker in an effort to remodel our kitchen a few months ago. After multiple meetings with each, including an in-house consultation with Kathryn where our budget was illustrated and various measurements of the space were taken, we agreed to fund a retainer of $500 to enlist their design services. Following this expense (a small one, considering the budget) service rapidly went down hill. Kathryn missed meetings scheduled days and weeks in advance and was regularly late (upwards of 30 minutes) to those she made. When an estimate and scope of work were finally submitted after weeks of delays, the budget was nearly 100% higher than our illustrated budget. No effort or communication was made prior to delivery. Furthermore, Dream Maker were unable to illustrate in any detail (e.g., labor and materials) how their estimate was developed. After working with them for additional hours that day following the submission of their proposal, and scheduling a follow-up two weeks later, Kathryn no-showed the follow-up meeting at their showroom, coming in only after she was called by David (who claimed to be unaware of the meeting). After weeks to prepare, they were unable to provide an updated proposal within our budget. After chasing Kathryn and David time and time again, taking multiple days off work for meetings they didn't deign be on time for, and essentially wasting $500, we chose to end our unfortunate engagement with this company. We gave them every chance to make up for their poor efforts and service, only to be rewarded with apathy and disinterest. I would not trust them with my home or my money, nor would I recommend that others do so.

They did exactly what they promised. The estimate was for a 5-day job, and that was exactly what they did. They were always on time, and worked hard all day! The plumber did a good job. The tile guy also did excellent work, and he was very painstaking in his work. They did minimal damage to the floor tile which I wanted to keep and the walls around the shower. They also cleaned up nicely every day when they left. David oversaw the whole process and kept in touch every day. I plan on working with him again in the future for some more remodeling in my other bathrooms. I'm very happy with my new shower!

* wouldn't give price over the phone *claimed all MDF particle board wood the buy for perdini for kitchen is made in Forno Italy- not China. * Would not quote price over the phone, very shifty in my opinion *Charges a "design fee", won't let person order and install themselves. *When asked about negative reviews on Angie's List made excuses. *sounds like someone selling ikea-type quailty for 5-10x the price.

The remodel went very well. It exceeded my expectations. Mr. Leva offered wonderful suggestions that really complimented my vision. He is very much aware of all the newest options. And his workers all behaved very professionally and were obviously experienced craftsmen. I was particularly impressed with the tile work. He clearly has an eye for detail, as does Mr. Leva.

Below are the actual emails exchanged. I have masked my email address, actual address and an employee's name. The actual emails are available on request. The story actually goes from Finish to Start since many of the emails exchanges are included in replies so it was easier to go from end to beginning. From: buddyj@ To: kxxxx.dreammaker@gmail.com Subject: RE: xxxx Bissonnet Date: Sat, 2 Mar 2013 14:35:54 -0600 Thank you for yours. This email chain, along with the rest of our correspondence will be posted with my review on Angie's List today. Buddy Date: Sat, 2 Mar 2013 14:29:20 -0600 Subject: Re: xxxx Bissonnet From: kxxxx.dreammaker@gmail.com To: buddyj@ Buddy, Thank you for considering DreamMaker Bath & Kitchen for your remodeling needs. With projects of this magnitude, for the next step of our process we require a signed design retainer agreement and $500. Half of the retainer will be applied to your project if you contract us to remodel. Thank you for your time, Kxxxx On Sat, Mar 2, 2013 at 1:45 PM, Kxxxx Hoelter <kxxxx.dreammaker@gmail.com> wrote: Buddy, David and I can come in tomorrow to meet with you for 2:00. I will present a "soft" proposal with allowances and estimates for material. For more precise product selections, DreamMaker Bath & Kitchen requires a $500 design retainer / agreement to continue. Is this the stage you are at? Kxxxx On Sat, Mar 2, 2013 at 12:41 PM, Buddy J <buddyj@> wrote: Yes, either one would work for me, after noon is fine. Date: Sat, 2 Mar 2013 12:36:42 -0600 Subject: Re: xxxx Bissonnet From: kxxxx.dreammaker@gmail.com To: buddyj@ Hi Buddy, Either this Sunday or next Sunday works for me. How would sometime after noon work for you? Kxxxx On Sat, Mar 2, 2013 at 10:26 AM, Buddy J <buddyj@> wrote: I am available to meet you today or tomorrow at your location. I could meet you during lunch sometime next week, but my time would be limited due to the time to drive to Stafford and back. I could meet you next Saturday or Sunday. If none of these are convenient, then we just won't be able to meet to discuss the remodel. Buddy -- Kxxxx Lxxx Kxxxx.DreamMaker@gmail.com Design and Sales DreamMaker Bath & Kitchen 4007 Greenbriar Drive, Suite C Stafford, TX 77477 Off. 281.242.2112 Fax 281.242.2117 Cell 281.xxx.xxxx -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- A phone call between K @ Dream Makers occurred after the email below where she apologizes for the delay and can I come out to meet her. I tell I can not come out the next week but will contact when/if I am available and that I may also talk to other contractors first. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- From: buddyj@ Subject: FW: Estimate for xxx Bissonnet Date: Mon, 18 Feb 2013 18:16:06 -0600 This is my last attempt to reach out for the estimate. A courtesy of a "we are not interested" would have been appreciated. Buddy From: buddyj@ To: david.dreammaker@gmail.com Subject: Estimate for xxxx Bissonnet Date: Mon, 18 Feb 2013 08:03:41 -0600 I have not received your estimate of the work at xxxBissonnet. Kxx Hxxxr-Lxx came by on January 31st. If you had decided you were not interested in the project, I would have appreciated notification as I have kept 2 other contractors hanging while I waited for your estimate. Buddy From: buddyj@ To: david.dreammaker@gmail.com Subject: Estimate for xxxx Bissonnet Date: Fri, 8 Feb 2013 16:45:53 -0600 I have not received your estimate yet. Kxxxx told me it would be ready by the end of this week. Can you give me a estimate of when it will be ready? I have two other contractors waiting for a decision. Thank you, Buddy ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- We set up an appointment that I have to delay due to a death in my family. After several phones calls attempting to setup another appointment, January 31st is set and someone does come out spend at least two hours at my house. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ From: buddyj@ To: david.dreammaker@gmail.com Subject: RE: request for quote Date: Tue, 15 Jan 2013 14:50:23 -0600 That is fine. Thank you for your prompt response. Subject: Re: request for quote From: david.dreammaker@gmail.com Date: Tue, 15 Jan 2013 14:41:10 -0600 To: buddyj@ I am out of town at a training class. If it is ok I will call this evening. David J Leva DreamMaker Bath & Kitchen 4007 Greenbriar Drive, Ste. C Stafford, Tx 77477 w) 281-242-2112 f) 281-242-2117 m) 713-724-7306 Sent from my iPhone On Jan 15, 2013, at 2:13 PM, Buddy J <buddyj@ > wrote: I am in the West U area at xxxx and Bissonnet. xxxx Bissonnet to be exact. My cell is 713.xxx.xxxx, email buddyj@ I have a two story town home with 2 full baths upstairs and a half bath downstairs. It appears that the bath tub drain (based on my testing) in the master bath (up) is leaking and has ruined the downstairs dining room ceiling. I'd like to fix my issue of course and completely remodel both upstairs baths, perhaps enlarging both by using an unused hallway and a space wasting built in that are next to the baths. I'd like to see about adding a walk-in shower to the bath downstairs as well. I found you on Angie's list

David Leva is the owner at DreamMaker Bath and Kitchen. Kristin O?Dell was the designer and project manager. We worked with Kristin to develop a detailed 9 page scope of work that defined 30 tasks from stripping and re-staining cabinets to removing an extra TV cabinet, and replacing tile. Kristin worked with us to develop colors and design that fitted our tastes. During this initial design process, but before the final construction contract was signed, we took Kristin?s design recommendations and then made multiple vendor trips to select everything from granite, sinks, and tile to all of the paint colors. After the construction contract was signed, the material procurement such as tile, sink, faucet, granite, tile, and a downdraft ventilator took about 30 days. Once construction work started the project took about seven weeks. Because we all put effort into defining the details before work started, the project went smoothly and the change orders were less than 7% of the job. As with any renovation, it is important you put the time into defining the details of the work you want done, before the contractor starts work. Kristin O?Dell was knowledgeable, very easy to work with and responded immediately to the usual minor items as work was in progress. The construction foreman and his craftsmen were all very agreeable and easy to work with. Work progressed steadily without any unusual downtime. I would be very pleased to see them on another job in the future.

This was the second time that David and his crew came int o our house in less than 3 months. Earlier this year in February, we had them come in and redo our kitchen/ family room (see previous review for company). I will reiterate all the sentiments expressed in our first experience with DreamMaker. No renovation is ever "easy", but David, Freddy, and all the crew associated with the project made it go as smoothly as humanly possible. I had the same workers from our kitchen project back in for the bathroom, and I have never met a harder working group of contractors! They listened to my wants as the homeowner and took extreme care with keeping the mess to a minimum during the project. We have one more major renovation for the inside of our house, the master bathroom. David and DreamMaker already know that they will be coming back for this last project in our house. Again, I highly recommend David Leva and his team for a renovation that you can trust. He cares about making sure your project is done correctly from start to finish, and even beyond completion if the need arises. He still calls to check in and see how things are going from our projects. Now what contractor do you know in any field that cares about you after the check had cleared? David Leva and DreamMaker, that's who!

DreamMaker's owner, David Leva, came out and spent a good amount of time measuring and discussing design plans for our small bathroom remodel. He promised to send a quote/proposal to us in a week, but we never heard from him again. We were very disappointed in this lack of professionalism.

I couldn't be any happier with DreamMaker Bath and Kitchen, both as a company providing services as well as individuals who really do care about making your dream kitchen and/or bath come alive! The level of quality and professionalism that you receive are second to none in my opinion. From start to finish, David and his team (which on my job included the crew leadman, Freddy, and his team of guys) always made sure each step of the way was done to our satisfaction and expectations. Our house and space were treated with great care and respect. I expected a huge mess, but the mess was very well contained and cleaned up everyday, to the extent it could be. Everyone always showed up to work on time and didn't leave each day until the task at hand was completed. If something needed to be corrected, it was done then and there. The skill of the guys on the crew was top notch! As an aside note, when you hire David and his team, if you have any tile work to be done be sure to request Mr. Juan! He is awesome and very precise when he works!! Our project took exactly 4 weeks, and that was pretty much what we were expecting at the start of it. If I had to describe the work and company in one word, my word would be quality! I will say that there are definitely less expensive contractors out there, but I would also caution that you get what you pay for! We knew going in that the re-model was going to be expensive, and it was, but I have never once second guessed hiring DreamMaker to make our dream kitchen come to life. As I write this, we have already signed another contract with David and DreamMaker to have the floors in the front of the house redone in tile, and a complete gut and remodel job done on our 2nd bathroomin a few weeks. The same crew will be coming back to do this job as well! Another review will follow that when the work is compete! Another dream realized with the help of this company!!

I am extremely pleased with the renovation. My bathroom has moved into the new century. The workmanship was excellent From the outset, there was good communication through the consultation process in which David quickly assessed the current state, my desire for a future state and matched it with my budget. I had choices for tiles, tile layout, paint colors, hardware fixtures, and light fixtures. The showroom allowed me to touch and see samples of each choice which helped make the decision process easy and worry free. The contracting process was very clear spelling out actions and terms for each step of the process. On site all the workmen were very respectful of my home. The first day of the project, de-construction and supply move in day, was one of those horrible rainy days, I thought for sure I would be mopping up after a days work at my house. I was so wrong, everything had been covered with plastic and drop clothes. This respect for my home continued throughout the project. The good communication continued throughout the project. I knew each day what was going on at the house on the project without having to be there and monitor the work. I really loved this as a I work long hours and didn't have time or desire to micro manage the project. David kept me up to date with e-mails and phone messages which was exactly the way I wanted to be involved.