INFUSE DESIGN

Infuse Design is the best! We could not be happier with our remodel. Mark was with us every step of the way -- from concept to design to construction to the final amazing results. He listed to our desires, brought his amazing design genius, collaborated with us, advised us, encouraged us, was excited for us, and now we love our house again. Our project was on time and on budget, and Mark was open, direct, patient, and kept us very well informed. Infuse Design operates with the highest of integrity and I could not recommend them more -- I would trust them with any project and look forward to the next time we work together!

We have had the pleasure of working with Mark (Infuse Design) on an extensive period remodel of a 1909 Craftsman house. The project involved a new kitchen, new bathrooms, finishing the basement structural improvements, and several surprises over the course of a year. Throughout the ups and downs of such an extensive evolving project, Mark remained calm, positive and solution oriented. The craftmanship and attention to detail has been top-notch, including the work done by Raymond and all the excellent sub-contractors. They have all been extremely flexible and accommodating to our timelines, due to Mark’s good relationship with them. Mark has been wonderfully creative in designing spaces that met our needs while preserving the character of a 1909 house. He has an eye for pragmatic changes that make a huge impact, such as redirecting the stairs to create much needed kitchen wall space for cabinetry. We would simply not have thought of that as an option. The end result is truly outstanding and we are so pleased with living in our dream house. Overall, we highly recommend Mark and would not hesitate to use his services again.

Mark is spectacular. He has a great personality, and was always a pleasure to work with. He is passionate about his work and a collector of precision high-end tools that were fascinating to see put to use to expertly fit square objects into our out-of-square and out-of-plumb home. He uses the finest construction materials you could hope to have, and leverages a network of loyal and well-vetted sub-contractors. We watched Mark transform our eyesore of a kitchen into a period-appropriate space with modern functionality. The archway he opened up between our dining room and kitchen matches perfectly with the interior details elsewhere in the house; you’d never know it was a recent change. The new interior moldings blend seamlessly with the rest of the house. He installed new custom cabinetry with perfectly-level slab countertops despite a sloping floor. This was our first major remodel, and we would not hesitate to call Mark back again. All along he was straightforward about the price, worked his heart out to keep the project moving along, and above all else, delivered a finished product to die for. It’s now been over a year since the project was completed, and the only “problem” we’ve had is needing some touch-up paint on the crown molding. That was fixed free of charge. Stop searching and get on Mark’s calendar.

Outstanding. Mark is prompt, personable and made every effort to insure our vision became reality. He came in under budget and on time and we were extremely pleased with the results.

I was completely pleased with all the work that Mark did. He is attentive to detail and organized, he communicates clearly and regularly and does outstanding work. He has reliable subcontractors who also do good work and he is keeps track of their work. He is a pleasure to work with and I am extremely happy with the results. He has completely transformed our basement and made our upstairs bathroom a totally different space. I appreciated both his input on design (supportive, helpful but not over-bearing) and his excellent carpentry/build work. Overall, extremely pleased with the work. Would strongly recommend Infuse Design.

The level of carpentry that Mark brought to our project paid tribute to the first-rate custom cabinets we’d had built, taking our fun-house of a room and making sense of it all. When the counters were being template, they commented not just on the fine cabinets, but on the flawless installation. I wish we’d used Mark from the start as he was very easy to work with, friendly, clear, on-time and budget, professional, funny, and trustworthy. When he returned our key to head to the job we’d borrowed him from it was a sad day – but he left us a gorgeous kitchen.

Excellent. Mark’s attitude and personality is what makes him standout. His easy going demeanor and positivity made our kitchen remodel such a great experience. I can tell he loves his job and it shows in his interactions and work. I can’t wait to work with him again and would recommend him without hesitation. Some additional highlights for me include: Problem Solving: in past projects, I would dread getting a call from the contractor with a problem. That call never came from Mark. Issue with the faucet install, incorporating an existing cabinet, installing appliances when the original installer could not, just a few examples of Mark providing solutions and keeping my stress level down. Subcontractors: Mark’s subs are top notch, especially on the things that are most noticeable like the paint and tile. We choose to have our cabinets painted on site. Seeing how much prep work had to happen before the painting makes me realize why the finished product looks so good. Customer Service: Mark’s experience and eye for design is an added bonus. Even on little things like how the edge of the tile design should look, grout color or tile pattern on the floor, we relied on Mark to provide the best option. Fixing a stuck door, making our double hung windows operational, removing an unnecessary electrical box, Mark went above and beyond the original scope of work. Always reachable by email, text or phone, on budget and on time, I couldn’t ask for more in a contractor. I have remodeled several homes and Mark was our best contractor! Mark exceeded expectations.

Mark did a fantastic job.  The quality was very high, and I am extremely happy with the work that was done.  His bid was the most expensive of the four bids I got, but I chose him because I felt I could communicate well with him (he is a truly nice guy) and I felt confident he would produce quality work.  His bid itemized the costs of various items (labor, cabinets, tile, etc?), but he did not describe the work that was to be done (remove chimney, move wall, etc?).  I attributed this to the fact that he is a single contractor without additional staff to do the more extensive paperwork that some of the other companies had.  So I wrote up the work myself and shared it with him so that I knew we were in agreement about what was to be done.
The job started out a little slowly.  The original estimated demolition date was around Sept or Oct, but it didn?t start until Jan 15.  Mark had become very busy.  The remodel business had picked up significantly, and Mark was working on other jobs while trying to design my kitchen cabinets (the first step before the demolition could begin) and keeping his business up and  running.  I asked more questions than many of his clients and had a lot of particular ideas about functionality.  So to keep things moving, I ended up working directly with the cabinet company to finalize the design.  When the demolition began, the pace of the work moved along nicely, and I felt the construction went well.
Mark was very patient as I asked questions and was good at giving general design advice.  He steered me away from putting frame-less cabinets in the kitchen since he said those were too modern for my traditional home.  He was right.  I love the way the traditional cabinets look.
He was always able to fix things if there were problems.  For example, the cabinet company put the smaller cabinet of the floor-to-ceiling cabinets on the bottom instead of on top.  Rather than losing time by returning them, Mark was able to modify them so that they were as expected.  And he was very conscientious about trying to recycle as much as possible.
The sub-contractors all did great work.  There was a little difficulty matching the pattern of the original 1929 plaster on the living room walls, but this is a very difficult thing to do.  After a couple of attempts by the drywall guys, Mark brought in a specialist who was able to match it much more closely.
Mark also worked on a number of small additional items unrelated to the remodel such as closing up an unused cat door and shoring up a weak spot under the front door that a previous contractor had created.  All in all, Mark did a great job and I would highly recommend him.

I am thrilled with the results!  The project completely changed my home.  I have an early 1900's Craftsman and Mark's design and construction created a modern kitchen which fits perfectly into the traditional features of the house.  He creatively came up with ideas to increase storage in my kitchen and make it more functional in a way that was more effective than my original, very expensive architects did not.  His work was excellent and he has very good attention to detail.  He was open to modifications as we went though there wasn't much I needed or wanted to change. The construction went over the holidays so things were a little slower then but otherwise we stayed on our schedule relatively well.  Mark was very responsive and always available.  I think the cost was reasonable and came very close to our proposed budget. Overall, a very positive process.

We are thrilled with our new kitchen. Mark did an excellent job of integrating an 80s remodel with a 1930s built-in hutch & cabinets. We had the existing cabinets repainted plus a new bank of cabinets, new hardwood floors installed, new granite countertops and a beautiful glass subway tile backsplash, in addition to all the plumbing, duct and electrical work required to make it work. The painters did an amazing job repainting the cabinets. Love the tile and granite countertops. Mark was incredibly helpful with design suggestions and a joy to work with.

My husband and I have now worked with Mark on 3 projects, most recently concluding in April 2014. Mark is not only a fierce advocate for his clients garnering reasonable bids in a variety of areas and holding his sub-contractors to high standards, but he is affable and someone with whom it is easy to communicate. If we had questions, he was readily accessible by phone or e-mail and stayed in touch with us throughout the process with any concerns he had for us. His sub-contractors were prompt, well-priced, reliable and hardworking, moving our project forward. Further, has a "can do" spirit that takes the impossible and makes it a reality. He was eager to problem solve seeming design conundrums and we were always happy with the results. We would recommend Infuse Design without hesitation.

We live in a 1926 house and hired Infuse Design to remodel our basement.  We wanted to work with someone who had experience working with older homes because to be honest, nothing is level or plumb in a 87 year old home.  These issues require accommodation and some very creative thinking, to make the finished product look right.  Mark and his team nailed it and resolved all of my "pre-existing" issues with our house, quickly, and cost effectively.   
We created:  2 bedrooms, 1.5 bath, Laundry, Media Room and storage.  
Structurally we did an Earthquake Retro-fit, removed an old chimney, leveled sloped floors to the best of our ability.  Moved 2 pony walls which had popped off the sill plates and re-attached one floor joist which had been moved for a heater vent, many moons ago.
We are nearly complete on this project and Mark has done a very good job keeping on budget and making things happen as quickly as he can.   
Old homes tend to have a few surprises once you open the walls and Mark was very good about giving us 2 or 3 options to consider each time we ran into an issue which needed addressing.  Outside of that, he did exactly what he was supposed to do and managed the project and sub-contractors, executing our plans and wishes at every stage of this project.  He has a neat group of subcontractors he works with and all of them were hard working, and highly professional. 
We have had a lot of fun working with Mark and we are excited to sit down with him again in a year or two to begin work on our bathroom and kitchen.  

We live in a 1926 house and hired Infuse Design to remodel our basement.  We wanted to work with someone who had experience working with older homes because to be honest, nothing is level or plumb in a 87 year old home.  These issues require accommodation and some very creative thinking, to make the finished product look right.  Mark and his team nailed it and resolved all of my "pre-existing" issues with our house, quickly, and cost effectively.  
We created:  2 bedrooms, 1.5 bath, Laundry, Media Room and storage.  
Structurally we did an Earthquake Retro-fit, removed an old chimney, leveled sloped floors to the best of our ability.  Moved 2 pony walls which had popped off the sill plates and re-attached one floor joist which had been moved for a heater vent, many moons ago.
We are nearly complete on this project and Mark has done a very good job keeping on budget and making things happen as quickly as he can.  
Old homes tend to have a few surprises once you open the walls and Mark was very good about giving us 2 or 3 options to consider each time we ran into an issue which needed addressing.  Outside of that, he did exactly what he was supposed to do and managed the project and sub-contractors, executing our plans and wishes at every stage of this project.  He has a neat group of subcontractors he works with and all of them were hard working, and highly professional. 
We have had a lot of fun working with Mark and we are excited to sit down with him again in a year or two to begin work on our bathroom and kitchen.  

We had a fantastic experience with Mark - he had great ideas, followed through with the work, was responsive and punctual, and stayed on budget. Mark is a great communicator and responded immediately to any concerns we had throughout the process. He showed artistic and quality concern as well, steering us towards 'doing it right', whether in the materials or the design decisions that we ultimately chose.
Design: We initially reached out to Mark because we wanted some sanity between the design and what it would take to build it. Focusing just on the design portion, we met with Mark, talked about our vision for the space, and some ideas we had in mind. He measured the area and we met several times afterwards, revising the options of what we might do. The process was iterative, starting with something, talking, and modifying.
As a heads up, the design phase can take longer than one thinks... there's a ton of decisions to make in a kitchen remodel. A Lot. Ultimately, we had to make some tradeoffs and sharing the ideas with our friends revealed more good ideas. We received printouts from Mark on all the elevations which we taped up and lived with for a while, figuring out a lot of functional details. All this led to a few more revisions. And then we still had more decisions to make - think cabinets.
Cabinet work: I'm going to call this out separately since it was a big part of the budget, overall design, and critical set of work around which all the other subs had to coordinate. Since we wanted to maximize the space to its fullest functionality, we ended up meeting and going with Seattle Custom Cabinets which we'll review separately, but Mark was very helpful in all questions and issues there, helping to navigate communication and fielded little detail questions - and there are a lot with custom cabinets (e.g., "3 drawers or 5?", "Where do the spices go?", etc...) Given the long timing from getting the right design to getting a place in the queue with the cabinet maker, this phase of the work was most critical in terms of gauging the overall project start and finish.
Issues along the way: In a project this big, the unexpected happen - and we had a few. Mark handled them very professionally and in ways that you want your contractor to act. Here are three examples: 1) Upon kitchen demolition, a rafter in another part of the house fell off its ledger joist and launched into the bedroom via a hole in the ceiling. Mark took the initiative to let us know right away, clean it up, and ensure that the area was quickly addressed with drywall and paint. 2) We freaked on the Windows - despite seeing the specs and choosing the windows ourselves, after they were installed, we realized we wanted even bigger windows than planned. Mark worked with us to find the right new owns and fit the bigger windows and their arrival into the overall project. 3) A few paint drips at the very end, hard to see, but they were there... the paint subs were amazing and Mark insisted on perfection. I was prepared to let the hard to see spots go, but Mark insisted that the painters take the doors back to the shop and have them redone.
The Financial: Mark was very clear on his estimates and always had the receipts for each invoice (invoices came at the end of 1 or 2 weeks). A few times I asked for clarity and where we could cut costs (ultimately, we postponed some exterior fix-it work to save some money) and Mark was always quick to work with us. He uses Quicken to track the costs, which is appreciated - I asked for some sub totals for tax purposes and he was quick to provide us with that. As per the contract, he followed through with a heads up before performing any work that would go over estimate, and gave status updates on where we were in the totals.
Overall: We loved working with Mark! He really does have it all, from design, to getting expert subs, to doing actual finish work. His expertise made cooking on a hot plate in the basement all worth it. It really feels like a magazine-level remodel.

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Mark from Infuse Design was amazing. We had multiple estimates done from various contractors and the information that we got from Mark was more complete than the other contractors that we called.
Mark had good suggestions about how to solve problems. He was extremely patient. He really just wanted us to be happy with the remodel - so whenever we wanted to change plans Mark was able to give us solid estimates on cost adjustments and was never flustered with our indecision.
Mark was also concerned about the impact of the remodel on our family - so during the remodel, he would give us warning about when we may be without our laundry, let us know when painting may be too smelly for us to be in the house, and really checked in often to see if we were doing ok living in our basement.
I liked the way that Mark handled payments also.  He would give us a detailed bills with copies of receipts for materials and subcontractors.  When we reached the middle of the project, he sat down with us and went over all of the money we had spent and all of the estimates for the remaining work.
We are very happy with the quality of work that Mark did and we were really pleased with all of the work of the subcontractors that he hired. The painters, in particular, were amazing, Our 1931 house had many layers of paint and wall paper and now our house has smooth walls and fresh paint - they look new.
When the project was close to complete, Mark went through and made sure every detail was completed to our satisfaction.  He went through and fixed anything he saw that wasn't complete and he had us create a list of every little detail that we noticed that was either incomplete or imperfect and made sure we were happy before he took final payment.
The whole experience went very smoothly and we are really happy with the results.

The project went very well. We had never used a contractor before because we just didn't know who to trust...too many horror stories about them running off with your money and leaving the project unfinished. A friend found Mark's Infuse Design on Angie's list to remodel her bathroom. He did a great job and was very reputable (and she is REALLY picky)

We had to wait to hire him as he was really busy, but it was well worth it. He pretty much listened to what we wanted, but I was open to suggestion, and he did give some good advice.

Mark is a delightful person, easy to work with, and has some great subs who work with him. He and they were always on time and very professional and always took care to keep the rest of the house clean.

Of course there are always a few minor errors, but Mark was always very up front with his little goofs and always fixed them. For example, he drilled the wrong width holes in the drawer fronts for the handles and right away offered to order new fronts at his expense. As it turned out, I actually preferred the size he drilled and exchanged the handles.

We also had a miscommunication as to where the lighting should go. He changed it and paid for the drywall subs to fix the holes.

All in all, he and the subs did a beautiful job and we highly recommend him as a contractor.

Oh, and our dog highly approves of him.

We interviewed four contractors for this project and chose Mark McPherson of Infuse Design because of his reasonable price estimate and his time-and-materials billing method. We also liked his flexibility, low-key manner, and good design and problem-solving ideas. We had already done much of the design work for the kitchen layout and chosen a custom cabinet company, but Mark came up with ideas to solve several design problems such as integrating the contiguous spaces, and he made sure it would all work. He also had good ideas to solve technical problems that came up. He made sure the companies we had chosen for the custom cabinets and countertops did their parts properly and rectified any mistakes, such as when the new floor was dented by a tool dropped by the countertop installers and the electrician broke a light fixture. He worked with our schedule to get the demolition done and the flooring installed while we were out of town, and kept the subsequent stages progressing well despite the complexity of the project. His subs were all competent, on time and polite. He kept the site as clean as possible and carried away the debris on a regular basis. The project came in at about the price we were expecting, given that we added scope to it as we went along. The cost amount given above includes everything we spent on the project including appliances, custom cabinets, countertops and flooring. The project took about three months overall.

When starting this process, I was fully warned by my friends and contractor dad of the pain, anxiety and stress this undertaking could involve.  HOWEVER, working with Mark was one of the easiest and fulfilling projects I have ever done.  The final outcome is absolutely amazing and he was successful in giving me the perfect kitchen for my small living space.  Being my first remodel, I was not sure what to expect when dealing with contractors.  Mark was extremely friendly, open and creative.  He allowed me to present all my ideas and desires for my kitchen and provided helpful input to bring all my ideas together.  Throughout the project, he provided me suggestions, to better use the space and work with the open concept that I had never considered and actually improved my original vision.  I always looked forward to hearing his input or opinion with everything I found.

When it came to the budget, I also didn't know what to expect.  Although he knew the estimate was outside my original thought for the budget, he provided me an honest and what ended up to be an extremely accurate estimate that I could work too.  It was very refreshing that when things started to go over based an the unexpected discoveries, Mark actually set up a meeting with me to discuss the changed and ensure I was still comfortable with the costs.  He would even make suggestions at where we could save a little money here and there.  I would definitely say he was worth every penny.

During constructions, I decided to stay in my small one bedroom condo while Mark was working.  Surprisingly, in the 6 weeks he was there, I think I only saw him two or three times.  He was very aware of my schedule and was able to complete all the work when I was out of the condo.  I was shocked that every day when I came home, everything so super tidy and I never felt like I was living in a construction zone.  All my belongings were well protected and my place as well as the building always remained clean and well kept.  My building manager and neighbors were amazed by Mark's friendliness, kind nature and respect he had for everyone and everything.  There was not a single noise or mess complaint.  On top of all of that, he was so kind to my small pup when he had to be in the condo.  I think my little Louie still misses having Mark visit him and play while I was away at work.  Despite having me in the condo, a ton of condo rules, a dog that needs lots of love and attention, Mark was able to complete the project quickly and on schedule. 

Aside from his professional nature and exemplary work, Mark is an amazing person to get to know.  Throughout this whole process, Mark treated me as a friend.  He has stories to share about his own projects, his family and just some of his hobbies. The few times I ran into him, he always had a few extra minutes to hear about my day, the stresses of work or even just a funny story about my dog.  It really was a comforting feeling to know he was someone I could talk to, trust and share a laugh with when all was done.

All in all, it was an amazing experience and I couldn't have asked for a better result.  I am already plotting how to make my bathroom match this amazing kitchen I have.  Can't wait to start my next project.

The contractor Mark and I had both hoped that we wouldn't find what we did: deteriorating galvanized steel pipes under the floor- some of which showed signs of pinhole leaks. He immediately contacted a plumber he has worked with as well as another firm so he could get competing bids for the work. He chose the new company and they were able to do the work the following day with Mark making useful suggestions that would minimize damage to interior walls as they connected the pipes to the water source in the basement. Mark is careful with the subcontractors and I found them all to be very professional and competent. My old house is not level on any surface, and Mark as well as the subs all took this into careful consideration, which involved ingenuity on everyone's part! So, with unexpected problems such as the plumbing, we were about $2,000 and one week over estimate. I feel as if I have made a good friend in Mark, and my dog Bruno keeps looking out the window, hoping to see the truck of the nice guy who brought him treats and hugs everyday!

We evaluated a number of contractors and eventually chose Infuse Design because Mark was the most willing to work with us around our budget and design decisions. He was also very personable and easy to discuss ideas with. Overall, our experience with Infuse Design exceeded our expectations: 1) Quality. Both Mark and the subcontractors with whom he works were hardworking, diligent, honest and excellent in their craftmanship. He was very "hands on" in overseeing the project and we felt very comfortable that he shared our vision for these spaces and would execute this aesthetic with the utmost quality and care - as though it may be "his own kitchen." 2) Value. Mark was very willing to work with us and offer suggestions to allow us to achieve our aims for these spaces and also, help us stay within our budget. 3) Timeliness. All elements of the project were completed in a timely fashion and as outlined at the beginning of the project. The entire project took a little under 4 months. 4) Professionalism. Mark was always responsive and prompt in answering our questions and willing to work within our schedule to meet. He involved us in the decision-making of all major elements of the project in a pro-active fashion and was forthcoming with solutions and suggestions for our design challenges. 5) Flexibility. There were several new elements that were added during the course of the project. As these design changes surfaced, Mark was accommodating, creative and enthusiastic in exploring how these could be accomplished. 6) Cleanliness. For the most part, the "crew" was meticulous in protecting the rest of our house from elements of the remodel (dust, odor, debris) through careful and thoughtful use of barriers between these areas.

Beautiful! Mark provided the necessary coordination and effort to successfully meet our deadline, involving tearout, prep work, product selection, pickup, assembly, and installation. The subcontractors for the countertop, Marmoleum, and backsplash tile work did a commendable job. The work area was always left neat and clean. I found it easy to have confidence in Mark to be trustworthy, creative, precise, and reliable. I had similar confidence with Colby, his assistant. Infuse Design would be easy to recommend.

This project went very well and we could not be happier with the finished space. The retrofitting of the new stairs into an existing space was less than straight forward. A few surprises were encountered, and Infuse Design did an exceptional job of problem solving, finding creating solutions, and communicating well with us throughout the project. The owner Mark McPherson has a talent for design, and specializes in reusing building materials. Our basement is not only a functional space, it has character and is warm and inviting. I would also like to add that every one of Infuse's subcontractors (drywall, plumbing, electrician, heating, framing, hardwood flooring, and insulation) were very respectful of us and were very accommodating to us living in the house during construction.

Working with Mark McPherson from Infuse Design was a delight from start to finish. He was professional throughout the process and delivered a beautiful kitchen. We were very pleased with all of the subcontractors that worked on the project as well. Not only was it an excellent professional experience it was a great personal experience and we now consider Mark a friend.

We could not have asked for a more positive remodel experience. The results are better than we hoped for and still came in within budget. Mark McPherson is honest, reliable and creative. He and his crew, James and Colby, take great pride in their work, from keeping the jobsite clean to creating beautiful living spaces. Mark also employs top subcontractors, whom he oversees effectively. Having workers in the house for seven months could have been a nightmare but instead was actually a pleasure. Mark is a great guy who does great work!