2nd Life Home Remodeling

Fantastic! They were on time everyday. Project was timely. Communication was excellent.

4.5 stars. In the end I would recommend them to anyone looking for a trustworthy family business who will go to great lengths to ensure a good remodeling experience. What went well: -CoConstruct Project Management App that was used was great for communications, scheduling, and finances throughout the project -Reasonably priced in line with most mid-grade remodelers -Good, trustworthy owners and workers -Recommended trustworthy subcontractors who were easy to work with -GREAT response to mistakes, concerns & feedback throughout the project -End product was a much more functional and beautiful kitchen, bathroom, laundry room, and mudroom. What didn't go so well: -Promised 6-8 weeks, project was 80% finished after 10 weeks, 100% finished after 16 weeks (2 separate cabinet delays) -Some of the initial work wasn't completed with high quality (but response and ultimate resolution was good) -Communications & Expectation management were mostly good but could've been better -A few initial design mismeasurements caused downstream change orders and more cost for both contractor and client.

First, I'd definitely use them again. Second, I'd give them a 4.6-star review. They did total renovation of my kitchen (including removing a wall) and main bath. Cost was more than I wanted, but in line with the 6 other detailed estimates I received from other very well reviewed (4.4 or higher) contractors. It took 2-1/2 months for main work, plus another month intermittently for a few touch-ups. They even helped identify a problem with my poorly insulated attic, which I then had fixed (by another company) towards the end of the renovation. Hiccups along the way, which is to be expected in a job of this size. But they worked with me and I couldn't be happier with the results! PS Cost listed below does not include the kitchen appliances or cabinet hardware.

I was very happy with the communication, degree of freedom, and workmanship. The shared app used during construction kept everyone in the loop on what was happening and future plans. Questions or concerns were addressed promptly. While there were, of course, surprises, they were dealt with promptly and professionally. Items that another firm said couldn’t be done, were just dealt with as a matter of course. I was very pleased with the results and the process.

Team did a good job and was very responsive to issues as the came up.

Team was very professional and friendly. Quality of work was excellent. I would highly recommend to friends and family.

I cannot say enough good things about 2nd Life Home Repair & Remodel. We completed a full second floor remodel of a Wauwatosa bungalow. When we ran into issue due to unreasonable demands by the Wauwatosa City Inspector trying to force us to make unneeded updates to sections of the house not even being remodeled, 2nd Life fought tooth and nail on our behalf and brought in many other experts to help. They are professionals through and through. Communication was amazing and the team completed all of their work on time (minus delays caused solely by the City of Wauwatosa Inspector) and on-budget. They were transparent on everything, the project management was well laid out and easy to follow, and the quality of work was top-notch. I will use 2nd Life for all future remodels! You will not regret contracting with them, they are on your side!

2nd Life was very professional and organized. Their quote was lower than others I got, but I never felt that I compromised quality. They remodeled my bathrooms by installing new toilets and a tub with tile. They were timely, respectful of my home, and were detail oriented. The new bathroom is so pretty and I would happily work with them again.

2nd Life Home repair Was great to work with. Although we did not go with their service because we ended up not doing the project because my family relocated, Tim was awesome to work with. He came by multiple times to look at what we wanted to do, and he spent the time to share his knowledge on the type of project we were doing. He was able to provide us with information he had based on projects he had done for house in the area as far as things that may need to be done to bring the room up to code based on our house being 100 years old. The quote They gave us was very reasonable, and we were ready to pull the trigger, but we ended up selling the house as it was. When I talked to him about just doing part of the project, he was able to quickly write up a quote and let me know when they could do it. They were great to work with and very responsive and quick.

The project consisted of hanging drywall, mudding, and priming an entire converted attic (think extreme angles!). The new walls look great. The 2nd Life team was friendly and cleaned up after themselves. I would definitely hire these pros again.

My husband and I carefully spent several months deciding on a design and who would perform master bathroom shower repairs. We originally were going to replace a neoangle corner shower and tile flooring. We discovered a slow leak and sub flooring and drywall behind wall tiles were also damaged. We decided to change bathroom design and have larger shower. Due to repeated problems with shower tiles and grout, we were initially planning a Onyx shower. 2nd life advised us of Schluter system and our design instantly changed. We are so happy we went with their suggestions. We used Kristy from The Tile Shop per their recommendation. She was great and so were all the other subcontractors they use. They are very particular on who they use on their jobs and use the same people. They also have their regular employees. Tony was fabulous with all tile work. Jim, which they also use for carpentry, was great especially with wainscotting applied to bathroom walls. Dave was the electrician and very pleasant and professional. Brian and Allen from Hartlaub plumbing were on time and did all the rough plumbing and installation of all faucet, shower, and slipper tub hardware. We selected our quartz vanity top selection ahead of time. 2nd Life made sure our bathroom floor and new vanity were placed early in construction process so quartz could be accurately measured for cutting. Was a big time saver. Glass shower walls and door are beautiful. We placed in two recessed lights. We ordered our own Champagne Bronze accessories that match all our faucet hardware. We ordered our own vanity lights and mirrors for some cost savings. We spent a lot more than we originally planned, but our finished bathroom is well worth it. Lastly, all the hard work and professionalism from The Marek family made this the most enjoyable construction project we have undergone to date. Renee is fabulous with her organization, ordering, and scheduling role. She was always available when we had any questions. She is as picky as I am :). From demo to completion of our 100 square foot bathroom was only 5 1/2 weeks. They use a program called CoConstruct. Great time saver! Thank you to Tim, Jeremy, and Benjamin also. ***Update*** I forgot to mention Zach who was here almost everyday and worked mostly beside Tony. He made sure things were cleaned up also at end of work day and pictures taken. Thank you Zach also! The company is a member of Nari and BBB which was important to us. 2nd Life lives up to their standards and their ratings.

The remodel was great and added functionality to our attic. We love the work 2nd Life does. I would highly recommend them.

Installers were great. Friendly and knew what they were doing.

Overall from the initial quote to completion, Tim and his staff were very professional, punctual and overall did an amazing job! I needed a microwave installed above my stove and a new cabinet made. I also had quartz counters and a tile back splash installed/put in. The cost was very reasonable compared to other companies I received estimates from. They were able to fit us in for the project right before Christmas and they worked several days through to complete the project. They also addressed our concerns promptly and worked with us to ensure we were happy with the final outcome. I highly recommend this company for any kitchen remodeling project.

2nd Life remodeled my main bathroom. New vanity, floor tiling, new shower fixtures and new tile surround. They did an amazing job! They completed the job in just over one week (due to a purchasing error on my end and some broken tiles that were delivered and had to be reordered) which is faster than any other company from which I received quotes. The bathroom is absolutely beautiful. I originally considered going with a company that did a drop in fiberglass surround and vinyl flooring and I'm so glad I didn't. This cost about the same as that company and the result is SO much better. The guys that came to do the work were prompt, courteous, and did a **** fine job. They cleaned up after themselves every day and made sure that we could still use the bathroom because it was the only place we could shower. If I still lived in Wisconsin, I would hire them again in a minute! (Photos below show before (blue walls) and after (gray walls))

I had a relatively small project to install some kitchen cabinets and above range microwave. 2nd Life and Tim treated me as if I was one of his much larger customers. For anyone that's been blown off by other contractors for bigger jobs before, this was a nice change. The team was professional and courteous, and flexible in their scheduling as 1 of my cabinets was damaged in shipping, requiring them to come back for an additional day. Very pleased with the price and results and will definitely be using 2nd life for larger projects in the future. Thanks guys!

Very good, with some hiccups along the way but very responsive to my enquiries and adjusted as needed. Start date was July 3 and end date was Aug 25. Some delays due to July 4th holiday so went a little longer than plan. Kitchen remodel is an extremely dusty, dirty job and they did their best to contain, and my house has two entries into the kitchen from dining room and sunroom. They offered cleaning service that I took advantage of and so glad I did as it was a pleasure to walk into the house when they were completed and not have the smell of dust. Pictures are being provided to show the complete transformation of my kitchen; unable to add additional photos to show the before which would have given you a better picture of what they did. I had used 2nd Life previously to remodel my bathroom and they did a beautiful job there also. Having 2nd Life do my remodel was the best choice; Tim and Renee are great to work with and met all the challenges that my 1928 house presented, along with some funky remodel choices made in the past. You can't go wrong with if you chose 2nd Life and you will end up with what you planned and imagined the transformation would be. Thank you Tim, Renee for my beautiful kitchen.

Bathroom was completed in the 2 weeks as figured, was disappointed with some of the details of the finished work.

Tim came and provided an estimate. Provided a list of parts that I could pick up since I already had the faucet and dishwasher onsite. He come onsite and removed a large cabinet (33') and remade the space to fit the dishwasher can cover the open space. Installed the faucet and dishwasher in one day. He did a great job and was very quick to schedule.

Tim did a great job, and really was able to deal with the unique renovation issues associated with a house built in '63. We replaced custom built cabinets with standard cabinets, but kept our granite countertop. This was a major jigsaw puzzle and Tim's carpentry skills saved the day. Tim was willing to let us do our own demo and worked with us on the time frame. Overall, we were pleased with the job.

Great communication. Tim let's you know what is happening every step of the way. We had our kitchen remodeled to our specifications. Tim met all of our requests. Pre-remodel: Getting a quote was easy. Just call and set up an appointment time for Tim to come out and determine your needs. In a few days a quote is emailed to you. We made some changes and quickly received an updated quote. Once quote was descriptive to our needs we got on their schedule for the remodel. They were able to start work much sooner than most companies. During remodel: Tim and his staff arrived daily on time and during the times they pre-indicated. Communication was great as to what they would be doing daily and quickly fixed any hurdles that came along. (Our house was built in 1922, so hurdles were expected) They also cleaned up daily before leaving for the day, leaving our house much more livable. Post-remodel: They have a one year warranty on their work. We had a very small issue arise a few months later with our flooring. They came out right away to assess the issue. We scheduled a repair time that worked for us and they came out and fixed it, no issues. I would highly recommend Tim to anyone needing remodeling. We will for sure be using them again for our next project.

We've had a standalone microwave which was taking up counter space. In order to install a microwave over the stove, the existing exhaust fan and re configuring the cabinet above the stove had to be done to allow for the installation of the new microwave (not included in the price. The cabinet was removed and replaced with a shelf, an outlet was installed to accommodate the microwave, and there was not need to re-stain the the new shelf area. This turned out great. He also removed some decorative posts from a hutch which dated the area. This opened up the area between the kitchen and dining room giving a new perspective. Staining was need to match the existing top. We also needed assistance in putting hinges on cabinet doors that close together. The cabinet doors had to be shaved ever so slightly in order to ensure a proper fit. Another success. Finally, we have two outer security door that were showing their age. I could of kept on painting them myself or do it proper and have them removed, sanded, and spray painted. I am very happy I chose this option. Most of the work was done on June 1st, The microwave was installed on the second and the doors were returned and installed on June 3rd. I will not hesitate to use them again

Tim has always done great work for us. He's a real pro, does not overcharge, and the work is always well done. Highly recommend 2nd Life!

This was extremely disappointing for us. We went with 2nd life in large part due to their positive reviews on Angie's list. I wanted to post this review, along with photographic evidence, so that nobody else has to go through the same thing we did. Full disclosure, they did provide a discount of about $450 when all was said and done. That being said, we still paid $2,700 for a job very poorly done. We are now having a tile contractor rip out and reinstall the shower surround, which will cost an additional $1,400. A brief outline of the shoddy finishing: -The faucet switch was not even screwed on all the way. I had to fix this myself. -There was no silicone placed around the faucet switch or faucet. Any decent handyman knows to do this. I had to do this myself. -The shower arm was not threaded with enough plumber's tape, causing leaking into our basement after a few days. I had to fix this. -The shower surround was installed at a crooked angle, clearly shown in the photo below. -There was no caulking done along the upper/outer edge of the shower surround. I had to do this myself. -There was no caulking done between two edges of the tub surround (the pieces required finishing with caulk to seal the edges). I had to do this myself. If you want the job finished sloppily and without care, hire this company. They clearly subscribe to the "mine over matter" saying - if it's not mine it doesn't matter.

Arrived on time, did good work and worked cooperatively with me