We were building a custom home, which looking back on it now, having lost years off my life, I…read moremaybe should have rethunk (entirely aware that that word lacks existence in the Oxford English Dictionary) the fact that I may not have as many years as I'd like with my grandchildren. But, I digress.
First, we had an amazing builder (You're an idiot of you don't have this dude build your house--Keith DuShane/V2 Construction) who was more than willing to honor our request of staying local. I walked into Exceed, met by a very professional staff, who by the end of the project, I now consider friends. I feel sorry for them on that account, but they seem cool with it. Bonnie Cosman is truly awesome to work with, along with Katelyn, and of course Haig and Hawley, the owners.
Exceed was there for us every step of the way. They did our, tile, counter tops, hardwood flooring, carpeting, and cabinetry and the coolest master bath sink ever. (Something Haig found on my behalf when he saw my Houzz idea books). Their tile guy is, in the ever-lasting timeless catch phrase that defines my youth and resonates with me on a daily basis, "Too Legit to Quit." Be's ballsout crazy talented. And their wood flooring guy--holy hells bells that guy was sent to Earth to perform for us mere mortals, having been blessed by the God's of Woodworking. His name is Toby. Did I call him Toby Keith behind his back because I have no idea what his last name is? Definitely. Yet, he holds no likeness physically nor social/emotionally to a redneck country singer who may have coined the term 'merica.' But, I digress.
I have very specific tastes and ANY idea I came in with regardless if how unhinged it was...Haig's response was. "We'll see if we can make it work. Let me do some research." Some of my ideas didn't pan out because, well, they were ridiculous and I'm sure the staff thought I should have been sent up river to live a lonely life with a pack of wolves, however, they held their tongues on that one, but, I digress. The staff always gave me alternatives and I ended up with a kick ass house and I got to work with kick ass people. Thank God they never actually kicked my ass, although, I'm sure it may have been on their "to-do in my head" list.
I appreciated their honesty about their products, as well. The original selection I had for kitchen flooring was batshit expensive, unbeknownst to us, and when the pricing came back...holy balls! (Ya know, if balls were holy). However, they were honest (not the balls...Exceed. Mind out of gutter, folks!) and didn't gloss it over. Haig was equally floored (no pun intended. I'm not great with puns.)at the price and advised me in a different direction...a way to get the same look but with a different product.
Each time I came in, they had ALL samples ready in organized piles on their design table, split up by rooms, so I knew exactly what everything looked like. I stayed past closing on many nights, no complaint on their end.
There was one snafu about our kids' bathroom, which, honestly, was a communication issue on both of our ends. They tried to meet me half way and we came to a reasonable conclusion. Problem friggin' solved.
Exceed and our builder seemed to work well together as well. And they were available to us ANYTIME!
My father is a small business owner as well, so I know how important these reviews are, and it is very easy for people to only post negatively because they are in dire need of coffee or alcohol or anger management or Taco Bell.) I don't mince words and I would have no problem leaving a negative review if I had something negative to say. So, I'm not going to mince words here--If you have problems working with these people, you need to do some self-reflection, couch time, a one-way ticket to Shrinksville, whatever floats your proverbial boat. Your family is silently thanking me right now...if you have family...otherwise, just people are thanking me.
One additional comment...(maybe...we'll see how off course I'll get)--Your not shopping at Home Depot here people! These are knowledgeable design experts and because you get the benefit of that knowledge inserted in your brain matter, you may just have to pay for it. Gasp!
Feel free to contact me and I'll show you pics of their work...or not, I'm good either way. Go in peace. God is good. Or Yahweh. Or Buddha. Or one of the myriad of Hindu Gods. Not Satan...can't get on board with that one.