This is a review for both Robert Jenny Design and Robert Jenny Builders…read more
I recently hired RJD / RJB for both the design and build phases of a complete kitchen renovation, and overall I'm very pleased with the results.
During the design phase, my designer (Marlene) did a great job listening to what I wanted, and also observing my space and absorbing things I hadn't articulated. I provided her with general parameters, but didn't fill in all the details, both because I didn't know exactly what I wanted, and because I wanted to leave space for her to have input. She came up with a great first draft that was probably 80 - 90% of the way to the final design, and she made some great choices with regard to colors and layout - thing I might not have selected on my own, but really liked once I saw them. We then went back and forth and refined the design, with each of us providing useful input, and ultimately came up with something I really liked. During that phase she spent a lot of time walking me through different choices, and was very helpful. The design phase is billed by the hour, but I feel like I got my money's worth ten times over. It's ultimately a small percentage of the total cost, and was completely worth it since it delivered something I really liked. I initially wondered whether they might 'pad' the billing, but in no way do I feel that they did. If anything, it almost seemed like they under-billed relative to the time that was put in. Very fair pricing, and completely worth it.
For the build phase, RJD completely gutted the old kitchen, then installed new tile flooring, cabinets, backsplash, appliances & lighting, and painted not only the kitchen but the main living space. Each part of the build was done properly, and at least to my untrained eye, seems to have been done in a quality way. Once the initial build was completed, the inspection revealed some minor defects in the finish of some the cabinet doors (the cabinet manufacturer's fault, not theirs), and they were very good about working with the cabinet dealer to get the doors replaced. In the end, I was completely satisfied with every detail of their workmanship, and the pricing for all the work seemed fair. They obtained all the necessary permits from the city and completed official inspections of the work at the end, so it was all above-board.
In terms of cost, we settled on an initial budget, and they never pushed me to go with higher-cost items. They were very conscientious about trying to stay within my limit. Once the design was finalized, we agreed on the budget for the build phase, and they came in 100% on budget, not a nickel over. I was actually somewhat surprised at that, as I'd heard plenty of stories from other people who had used different contractors and seen costs go over-budget. I had steeled myself for that as a distinct possibility, and was happy to see things stay on track.
The one way we did go over budget was with respect to time. During the design phase, I was told on several occasions that the work would take about two weeks to complete. In the end it actually took seven weeks, which was considerably longer than what I was expecting. Understand that, during renovations, your entire place is a mess: the room they're working on, the space they're using to store all the materials, adjoining rooms that get filled up with dust, etc., so it's an inconvenience to have them take longer than planned.
Time delays aside, I was happy with RJD / RJB's work, and would contract with them again for future projects.
