I contracted with Design Build San Juan (hereafter referred to as DBSJ) for remodeling of my house on San Juan Island. The initial contract was for DBSJ to act as contractor, but that was later changed so that the homeowner would be considered the contractor, and DBSJ would act as a subcontractor to the homeowner. Services provided by DBSJ were the design and layout of the interior spaces, including lighting and cabinetry, as well as framing needed to support the interior modifications.
The initial mistake made by DBSJ was in the dimensions needed for bathroom cabinetry. When the dimensions of the cabinet were determined by DBSJ and the cabinet purchased by DBSJ for the homeowner, it was later determined that the overall depth of the cabinet when chosen did not include the thickness of the doors, resulting in the cabinet being excessively deep to fit properly with the sink/countertop. To correct for this error, new cabinet boxes were purchased by DBSJ, and the wall studs trimmed to permit the cabinet to be recessed. The new cabinets were paid for by DBSJ under warranty and the homeowner trimmed the wall studs with no compensation offered by DBSJ.
During installation of kitchen cabinetry, it was noticed by the homeowner that an interference condition existed between the trim ring of a recessed light and a cabinet door. DBSJ would not admit fault, despite having sized the cabinet as well as having determined the location of the recessed light. This error of not including the thickness of the door in the lighting plan layout was the same mistake made in the bathroom cabinet design/layout. The thickness of the cabinet door was not included when the overall depth of the cabinet was used during design and layout of the kitchen cabinetry and lighting. The homeowner elected to cut the cabinets down at his cost and risk in order to reduce the overall depth of the cabinet. No compensation was offered by DBSJ to the homeowner for this extra work which was successfully completed.
After remaining kitchen cabinets were installed, the microwave oven could not be installed in its cabinet. Investigation by the homeowner showed that the height of the cabinet was insufficient to allow installation of the appliance. DBSJ had used the external dimensions of the cabinet for sizing, not the internal dimensions as needed to ensure the required clearance. DBSJ ordered two new cabinets at no charge to the homeowner, but which resulted in a three month delay while new cabinets were being manufactured and delivered.
The kitchen sink purchased by DBSJ specifically to fit the cabinet sized and procured by DBSJ did not fit as it was too wide. Upon being notified of the situation, DBSJ advised the homeowner to trim the sides of the cabinet box as needed to allow the sink to be installed. The homeowner was instead forced to purchase a new sink, correctly sized to fit the cabinet, and the sink was installed with no other problem. Cutting the cabinet sides would have compromised the structural integrity of the cabinet, and the homeowner elected not to follow the unacceptable advice of DBSJ. It should be noted that this error of using the external cabinet dimension, and not the internal clearance dimension, was the same as made for the microwave cabinet. The same error, but DBSJ refused to acknowledge it and the homeowner was penalized by having to purchase the correct size sink, as well as the delay experienced waiting for the sink to arrive.
DBSJ was also contracted to install a total of six new sliding glass doors for the homeowner, and this work was successfully accomplished. However, when the homeowner was painting the exterior trim on the doors, it was discovered that only three of the six doors had been properly caulked. The doors had not leaked, and there was no damage to the house as a result. The homeowner completed the caulking of the doors.
The errors noted above reflect an inattention to detail in some of the work done by DBSJ. As noted, some of these mistakes were not acknowledged by DBSJ as being their fault. These errors cost the homeowner both time and money.
The unwillingness of DBSJ to own the errors that were made by DBSJ during the work on the project resulted in the low rating. I would not recommend DBSJ to anyone looking for quality design work. read more
