I had a frightening experience with an employee driving a Schroeder Design and Build company vehicle today. I was merging into the right lane with my turn signal on to make a turn into a grocery store, and the driver of their van who had a long grey beard aggressively sped up to block me from merging, almost ran my car off the road. As he passed, he was yelling at me through his window. I had my kids in the car. It was reckless, aggressive driving that put me and my kids in real danger. I was genuinely scared and kept distance from his car and passed the grocery store to not go near him. No one should have to worry about being intimidated or endangered by someone representing a professional business. read more

We recently had Schroeder replace our old sun porch with a 4-season room, and overall we are very pleased with both the process and the end result. During the design phase, the architect, Jessica, was incredibly helpful and responsive to our questions and concerns. We also threw in a curveball only a couple of weeks before the planned start date when we asked them if they could add a basement room underneath the new room; the original plan had been to have just a crawl space. They rolled with it and amended the plans and permits in record time. When we had trouble coming up with how we wanted to use the new room, we met with Jessica again and she had a great suggestion that we ended up going with: make it our living room rather than a home office as we'd planned, and turn our existing living room into an office, with a wall and door added to create an entryway separating it from the front door. Despite all the last-minute changes, they started on schedule and completed the bulk of the work in about 3 months, including several unrelated add-ons we requested. There were some challenges along the way; for example, when they removed a set of sliding glass doors, the wall above them dropped a half-inch because the doors turned out to be load-bearing. But the end result is everything we hoped for and more. During the actual building process, the project manager came to our house often to check on progress, answer questions, etc. Towards the end, the company promptly addressed any issues we had. We are very happy with the work overall. The new living room and home office look amazing, and we now have an extra basement room. No company is perfect, however, so there were a few negatives. For instance, we had a minor flooding issue in the basement due to a hole made during the digging, and there was a painter who seemed to show up only when they felt like it. And we had some confusion over the financial side when we couldn't make a draw on our HELOC immediately due to the invoice being issued during the holidays when it was impossible to schedule the required inspection, and the Schroeder folks kept on calling us about it despite our telling them there wasn't much we could do to force the bank to release the funds given the timing. However, all of these issues were resolved, nothing was damaged by the water that got into the basement, and the project was completed on schedule. We tend to judge a company not on whether there are problems (because that's almost inevitable, especially with a large renovation project), but on how they handle such issues when they arise. Schroeder was responsive to our questions and concerns, and we would absolutely work with them again; in fact, we plan to hire them when we get to the next update we want to do in our home, probably in another couple of years. read more

Schroeder Design Build - Pictures on the left are the sun porch that was removed. On the right is the new living room that Schroeder built. - General Contractors Near Me - Fairfax, Virginia

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Our project with Schroeder, estimated at 12-15 weeks, wound up taking more than a full year. It was an unnecessarily stressful, frustrating year, that their own employees referred to as "embarrassing" and "incompetent" at various points. The project was mainly focused on our kitchen, 1 bedroom, 1 bathroom, a staircase, and a fireplace facade. After 15 weeks, all that had been completed was demolition and some rough-ins - for months, we lived in a demolished home with no kitchen, just waiting for updates (pic 1 below - our living room and "kitchen"). The big problem was that Schroeder failed to identify one of the only walls we were removing as load bearing. It took months for them to just come up with a plan to address it (we were told their engineer was on leave). When the plan was finally drawn up, their engineer failed to account for an exterior door, so it took another week to run the calculations to determine that the load would hold over the door frame, and another 2 weeks for the county to review that letter. Eventually, the beam was installed someplace different than we had discussed, which caused downstream problems. We then failed inspections 5 times over several weeks - the first time, the wiring was just hanging from the ceiling (picture 2), no fireproofing had been done, and the inspector was baffled that he was even being scheduled. The second time, the right permit hadn't been requested, approved and issued. The third time, Schroeder didn't have the approved plans in the house for the inspector to review... and on and on. We didn't have even a barely-functioning kitchen (e.g. floor, sink) for over 6 months after demolition. To make matters worse, they did not do much cleaning until a new project manager came on several months into the project, so we were left trying to clean drywall dust and various demolition debris after the good days when any work happened. It was a comedy of errors that could have been avoided through better planning and more consistent management. From demolition to completion over a year later, we went through 5 different project managers, at least one of whom was fired mid-job. Several subcontractors, including tile, drywall, and paint were either fired during the job or (we were told) shortly after because the work they did was so poor. The people Schroeder hired to do some of the most detailed work had little-to-no experience in what they were asked to do, including tile and paint (it was the same guy for both), and the concrete pour for the fireplace (it was cracking after days so we wound up having to just tile over it - again with the unqualified tile guy, even though we were told they brought on someone with more experience). When plans changed after the walls were opened up, the drawings were never updated, so subsequent sub-contractors were left having to figure out solutions on the fly. Change orders were built before they were approved on multiple occasions, which led to tense conversations. This was written based on detailed notes, messages to and from Schroeder, and time stamped photos and videos. read more

Schroeder Design Build built a second story addition for us (a "pop top"). This included removing the roof, and building the new 3rd story (we call it the pent house) which included a bedroom with walk in closet and full bathroom, den/office, and new stairway from second floor. They did an excellent job and I would definitely recommend using them. read more

Four years ago, we used Schroeder Design & Build to replace our front patio and add an oversized 3rd car garage underneath it. The added space is phenomenal, we can park a car and still have rows of storage shelves, 3' deep and 10' feet high. We also love hearing how the addition looks like it was always part of original home. They designed and executed it with that goal. That added significant value to our home, well done! Once you work with them you are part of their family. Four years later and they still check in with us to ensure complete satisfaction. Thank you, Mark! read more

Schroeder Design Build - General Contractors Near Me - Fairfax, Virginia

Do not use this company. Their level of dishonesty and lack of integrity is absolutely shocking. We were quoted specific quotes from their project manager and then once we went through the planning phase (and measurements and drawings were made -- and paid for) they adjusted their quote, reflecting a materially higher price, explaining that 'material prices, such as lumber' had gone up (even though the market didn't reflect such price increases). Even though we ended up losing our initial payment, we knew we had to walk away. Would never start a major home build out with a company that demonstrates such dishonesty from the get-go. Think twice before signing a contract with this company. There are much better options out there. read more

Creative, talented, hardworking, and super efficient. I highly recommend this company for your home improvement.

We are extremely pleased with our experience with SDB. At the initial consultation, Andrew Schroeder brought copies of the layout of our actual model house, because SDB has done work on a number of other houses in our neighborhood, and had detailed and specific knowledge about what could be done and what could not be from their experience, as well as ideas from previous work on the same model house. Their designer worked closely with us, taking us to multiples stores for flooring, tiles, and furnishings, until we came up with the materials that matched our very personalized tastes. She and Andrew also provided several creative alternative ideas for our renovation that we had not thought of that we liked and selected. During the actual work, we had a regular weekly meeting where progress was reviewed and any changes or modifications worked out. They kept us well informed and prepared for each step. The renovation included moving laundry to a second floor laundry room which required significant plumbing, gas line, and ventilation work which was done without problem despite the complicated layout. And despite some weather related complications, SDB completed the work a full month early. SDB did excellent work on our house, and we have referred them to many of our neighbors and friends. We look forward to doing further work with them soon. read more

We are extremely pleased with SDB. We have had three major projects with SDB over the last 14 years, one very recently. They include three additions: (1) adding a 2 car garage and studio above including moving our laundry room to the second floor, (2) a major addition of a 4 car garage/Woodshop, studio addition, and major kitchen redesign/remodel, and (3) replacing our screened-in porch with a wonderful sunroom (with HVAC conditioned crawl space) overlooking the local park. Their crews worked diligently through all kinds of weather always considering our comfort while we continued to live in the house during construction. Their timing was pretty much on the mark and making numerous change requests from us went smoothly. One has to remember that nature does often get in the way of schedules! Good project scope/ budget control. Lead carpenters are a key position and all three have done an excellent job executing project, meeting schedule, and insuring homeowner needs/issues met/resolved. Liked the design process to define what to build. Good Schroeder/ owner interactions to get customer needs/wants. Selection coordinator for kitchen fixtures and cabinets, lighting, plumbing was excellent help. Subcontractors all very good and we have used them separately outside the projects. Great to have high quality suppliers and subcontractors. Overall, the it design and build work process they use is well honed. There are always punch list items to complete and resolve. Schroeders have been very good in this area. Schroder Design Build continues to evolve and so do their subcontractors as they continue to ask for nothing but the best work for their clients. We would highly recommend them to anyone. read more

We hired Schroeder in late 2019 to redesign a home built in the 50s and needed a full renovation. what we found out - very expensively - was that this was waaaaay over their capabilities. We ended up firing them after about 6 mos. Below are our reasons: As a client who wants a home redesign and expansion - we should have been able to talk to a real architect. Andrew hid, yes hid, that architect from us. We never saw him or her, nor chatted via phone, in person, or zoom and tried to quietly pass off their CAD person (who was nice but not a real architect) as the one responsible for the design. After a few rounds of really bad design and no one taking responsibility for it, Andrew began just designing it himself and then we felt we had to design it to correct all the horror we were receiving! And we knew something sketchy was going on. We got a home design that looked like a Best Buy store. And for $40,000 the architectural drawings we received did not include all the design specifications such as electrical, plumbing, engineering that they should have. The next TOP 10 in the Metro DC Design Build group we hired delivered all of that in the first round of architectural plans. DO NOT HIRE SCHROEDER. But here's what should scare you the most as a home renovator: 1. Andrew called our banker several times to ask how much we could afford - He made our banker feel very uncomfortable. 2. Andrew refused to show us exactly what design plans were submitted to the appraiser. We asked multiple times for these files. He avoided sending them every time. 3. The bank's independent appraiser actually complained about Andrew, saying he "just doesn't get it" - when our home's value was coming in low or ways to improve it's value. 4. They lead you down a path that is above your budget and then start taking things away or charging more. For example: you expect new drywall in a complete renovation project but yet we heard "We were planning to reuse 50+ yr old drywall - you want new drywall? 5. There was no "what can we do to make this right" from Andrew when we told him he was fired. There was no refund to correct the clearly insufficient design skills of whoever the ghost architect was on our project. Never would I recommend them to anyone. We threw away 6+ months with them. $40,000+ on sketches that were not worth $5,000. Of recent May 2021: I went back into one of the vendor stores that Schroeder introduced us to and spoke with one of the designers that helped us 18 months ago. I told the vendor our situation and this person said they had others leave Schroeder and work directly with the vendor. They weren't surprised with our situation. read more

We had Schroeder Design and Build vault the ceiling in our living room. They did a fantastic job, were efficient and friendly, and very communicative. They took the time to work with us on the design, and in the end we were very happy with the whole process! Highly recommend! read more

SDB has completed 4 jobs for me over a 5 year period and one job for my sister-in-law. Clearly this suggests a strong pattern of satisfaction! Their entire system is one of competence and integrity. Every job was started on time and finished brilliantly within their predicted timeline. One of the things of which I am especially fond is their willingness to stand behind their work. If something they have done breaks later, they will happily come back and fix the problem. They have regularly scheduled 6 month walk through to check for such problems following the completion of the project. The staff and workers respected my property taking great care to protect against dust and tracking dirt. They left the property well cleaned at the end of each day as well as after the project was finished. I proudly recommend them on a regular basis. read more

We have used Schroeder Design and Build for several projects, some of which include a bedroom addition, sunroom addition, family room bump out, and a major kitchen renovation. We always felt they listened to our needs and we were confident we were dealing with true professionals who would stand behind their work!! After the completion of a project, SDB would come back at the six month interval to make sure there were no problems (we never had a problem but knew that if we did the company would make it right). Everyone we dealt with at SBD made us feel comfortable and answered our questions promptly. Our projects began on time and were always completed according to the timeline. We have recommended SBD to several neighbors and friends who have also used this company for their projects and they were as pleased with the results as we were. We will continue to recommend SBD!!!! read more

Having used SDB 3 times for projects at our home, all I can say is that they are a quality company. Two projects were inside our house and one was outside. Each time we met with the owner/designers and reviewed our wants and needs. They listened to everything we had to say and suggested some revisions which were even better. All of the contractors who did the work were very conscientious of our home and belongings and cleaned up every day. And the management team contacted us several times during the projects to see if we had any issues. They pride themselves on customer service and we never had any issues with them. read more

While Schroeder Design Build had a great reputation, they outgrew their ability to perform at an excellent level. In my experience, the project failed to start on time, was not completed within the timeline, and in the end I had to ask them to complete the project and get out. Plumbing was installed incorrectly,had to be reinstalled, plumbing leaked at multiple points, and just experienced a new leak the other day seven months after completion. I have a bathroom wall that isn't square, and when you look down at the square tile on the floor it is obvious. Schroeder tried to cut corners and hide mistakes. Example, quartz backsplash was cut too long, so rather than have the piece recut or remade, they just cut a hole in the wall and pushed it through. Dryer duct was relocated and leaked blowing hot moist air into my home. While they promised weekly progress meetings, they failed to show up for even half and were late for most others. Even letting their crews work on weekends, the project ran more than 4 weeks beyond original timeline. Considering that this was an unfinished room and a bathroom pull and replace, I can't even imagine them in any serious construction project. I seriously would not think of using them again and I would not and do not recommend them. Schroeder is suffering from Classic growing pains and what was once a great small organization has lost their focus on performance and now focuses on marketing and other fluff. They made my prior contractor who I thought was only OK seem stellar. Honestly, look elsewhere. Update 2/11/2016. Based upon my review here, Schroeder Design Build contacted me. While I appreciate their follow up, I really expected the attention during the project and not afterward once I had posted a less than stellar review. However, that being said, they did reach out to me and fix the leak. I will live with the other failures of the project and know that I'll never get the time back that it took out of my life. Hopefully, they will continue to improve and perhaps I was just the unlucky customer in the wrong place at the wrong time. I do know that they do strive to be a professional company, they just really missed the mark for my household. read more

We cannot say enough good things about SDB. We are repeat customers and have highly recommended them to other family members and friends. SDB takes pride in their work--and comes back 6 months later to make sure all is well. During our remodels, SDB held weekly meetings with us so there were no surprises. Their team made our renovation as stress-free as possible, and we couldn't be happier with the results. Thank you SDB! read more