Catalyst Custom Construction

Catalyst did a great job on our bathroom renovation! They kept costs down and provided a lot of options and flexibility. They were great to work with and receptive to our ideas and feedback. Only thing that could be improved would be some communication on scheduling, but understand that can be tricky when working with so many different contractors. They helped us turn our terrible 80s bathroom into a nice modern bathroom matching our vision.

My wife and I regret trusting our kitchen and bathroom remodel to Mike Hessling and Catalyst Custom Construction. This was a $92,000 remodel from April 2021 to February 2022. Our kitchen demolition started in May without a BUILDING PERMIT. Only after I questioned it and finally threatened to stop the project did Mike obtain a permit in July. Mike’s team worked sporadically, mostly on rainy days, as they were framing another house. The work was, therefore, slow and always careless and shoddy (see pictures below). They actually installed one cabinet up-side down, and behind another cabinet left a Mountain Dew bottle, which I spotted thankfully before the countertop was installed. Mike’s most serious error, though, was not subcontracting the TILE FLOOR. The tiles are so uneven (with excessive lippage) that we recently had two tile installers look at the floor. We’re actually going to TEAR IT OUT and START OVER. It’s incredibly disappointing after 8 months of work on our house at substantial cost. I gave Mike the opportunity to work with me to replace the tile floor, but he hasn’t responded to an email and phone call. Photos 1 and 2. Uneven tile floor (excessive lippage). Photo 3. For comparison this is our master bathroom tile floor which was not installed by Mike’s team (no lippage). Photo 4. Toilet had to be shimmed because of the uneven floor. I caulked it myself to try to blend in the shim since Mike’s team didn’t bother with that. Photo 5. This is their caulk job along the tub. They covered it up with a floorboard shoe, which I finally removed when water accumulated behind it. I scraped out their caulk and re-did it. Photo 6. Careless grout line at the top of the tile shower surround. I scraped this away and got it looking decent. Photos 7 and 8. the kitchen cabinets were so uneven that the countertop installer didn’t think they could get it leveled. This is what they came up with. Photos 9 and 10. Bathroom vanity cut-outs for plumbing shows careless carpentry. Photo 11. For comparison this is my basement bathroom, which was not done by Mike’s team. Photo 12. Behind this vent, the duct was left several inches shy of the new cabinet base shoe, leaving forced air to mostly fill the space under the cabinet. I extended the ductwork myself just using some duct tape. Photo 13. A new partition wall placed by Mike’s team left the existing baseboard running through the wall. The drywall then had to be cut to fit around the baseboard. I ended up spackling it myself to fill the gap between the board and drywall. Simply removing the baseboard and re-cutting it would have saved the extra drywall work.

This was an extensive home remodel project involving all rooms, except the master bath, in our 1957 ranch style house. The living room was expanded by moving a wall (and fixing a persistent ceiling crack), relocated laundry from basement to main level with installation of shower stall, removed a wall to open center of main level for kitchen island, new kitchen and pantry, filled-in and refinished oak flooring, installed new ceiling lighting on both levels, installed two basement egress windows for bedrooms, installed basement bathroom, relocated basement sewer standpipes, vacuumed ductwork throughout, installed vinyl flooring and lighting in basement utility room, installed heated floor in main level bath and a basement bedroom, replaced main level skylight, covered wood paneling with drywall on main level and in basement and then painted, installed closet and pantry shelving, replaced outdoor lights, and poured new concrete exterior steps. The demolition began on March 7, 2022 and we moved back into the house on December 23, 2022. Our house is basically new on the interior and we regularly comment how much we enjoy the final outcome! This project was impacted by the Covid-19 pandemic, especially with regard to start date and in the early months of the project. Health and supply chain factors were out of the control of participants in this project. Despite delays, Mike Hessling did not offer excuses. Our communication with him was matter of fact. We were frustrated by the pace of progress in the early months, but there were no constructive options. We enjoyed working with Mike Hessling and his staff. Mike is a man of few words, so lack of communication concerned us in the early going. However, Mike hired Heather to be his day-to-day communicator to expedite progress. Her involvement relieved our yearning for progress reports. We enjoyed the employees of Catalyst Custom Construction. Some were in early to mid-professional development as carpenters, which was fine with us. They were professional, always respectful of our concerns and special requests, and attentive to details of their work. Catalyst hired subcontractors for all trades except carpentry and the concrete work. We felt the quality of work done by the subcontractors was on par with the quality of work done by Catalyst carpenters. Egress window installations, plumbing, electrical, floor refinishing, shelving, and drywalling were well-done. The drywallers played and sang the best music of all of the tradespeople! We did have a plumber wash out some pails of tools in our new stainless steel sink and scratch it, but we realize that perfection is not possible in a project. It would have been beneficial for Catalyst to hire the masonry for the exterior concrete steps. This final component of our project revealed some lack of familiarity with concrete work. We now realize that we could have saved a hassle for ourselves and Catalyst if we had hired an architect to review our remodel plan. There was a microwave vent that needed to be exteriorized in proximity to a valley in our roof. Mike provided the solution which is good. The initial cost estimate was honored. There were some change orders requested by us, the home owners, and those costs were reasonable. As home owners, there were minor instances when we could assist the project and some financial credit was awarded to our efforts. In another instance, Catalyst purchased a door directly from the vendor, which saved us two thousand dollars. In conclusion, this project resolved dozens of needed improvements in our house, a list of which accumulated over the 41 years that we have lived in it. It was a long wait for completion, but the finished house is so pleasant for us and accommodating for guests.

When Mike came out to give me a quote, he told and told me he would get back to me in a week and could probably finish part of the work in the next two weeks and start the full remodel within a month. That was in January, and I'm writing this review at the end of March. I called him several times and finally caught up with him about a month ago, when he said he had had some family issues and would get back to me soon. But he never did. I spent time cleaning my house, speaking with him, writing him an email with all the details of my project, calling references, and waiting months for an answer. The very least he could have done was said he wasn't interested in the project.

It went outstanding! They weren't any inconveiniece, great communication, had everything ready to go.

It went very well. Everything was well done in an efficient, timely, and clean manner.

It's been excellent. I would highly recommend them.

The entire process was easy and done exactly the way we wanted it. Mike was great at giving us advice along with listening to what we wanted. Everyday work was completed mike cleaned up so it hardly looked like anyone was here. I would highly recommend mike!

Not once during our entire basement finishing process did I question our decision to work with Mike Hessling at Catalyst (formerly Apex). The entire process took just over a month to go from a completely unfinished basement to a brand new, beautiful, rec room, office, and 3/4 bathroom. Mike even dealt with all the curve balls we threw him along the way, switching colors midway through painting, adding an additional cabinet here. He is the kind of contractor you dream of. He's hands-on, there first thing every morning doing so much of the work himself! And the coordination with all the subcontractors was amazing. Everyone knew when and where to be and what exactly needed to get done. To top it all off, he came in right on budget as quoted (which was very fair). Mike's brother Adam was also key in the build, working hard with Mike or on his own.

Mike and his crew are quiet....no music, respectful voices, genuine smiles and just really nice people. He was extremely prompt. I mean, not even 10 minutes late! He cleaned up every night, kept me informed of any material delays and made the entire experience a breeze. I am picky! If I found a smudge of paint or caulk I would point it out and the next day it was fixed. He even came over one Sunday and finished the crown molding with his well-behaved kids. I would recommend Mike and Catalst Custom Construction without hesitation!

Mike and his team were very professional. He proposed several options, laid out the schedule, developed the budget, and communicated well throughout the project. Several unexpected issues were found when the kitchen soffit was removed (plumbing and electrical) and a rotten sill plate around the front door that he repaired at no extra charge. I have recommended Mike to several acquaintances and would hire him again for future projects.