If I could give a minus rating I would and if you value your sanity and more importantly your checkbook, DO NOT do business with Top Home Remodeling (Lee Reichman-Khaimov) in Woodland Hills. After a very, very long and high-pressure sales pitch that went onf or hours, I signed a contract and what a mistake that turned out to be! My projects with THR was to remove old flooring and replace it all with waterproof vinyl planking throughout the house (minus the 2 bathrooms), and to gut/remodel the 38-year old kitchen with removing the old cabinets, backsplash tile, tile floor, and raising the drop ceiling, then installing new cabinets, backsplash tile, new quartz countertops, lighting, painting walls and installing the new and/or reutilized appliances. I could write a novel about it all but here's the highlights:
1) being lied to; was very rude and unprofessional; wouldn't provide a detailed phase/line item cost estimate, only a full "project" cost estimate with a progress payment schedule; never gave the promised $250 Home Depot gift card as my sign up gift; never provided close out documents after final payment was made; always vague with work process; wouldn't provide advance trades schedule information; became difficult to work with once I started questioning things; was always "too busy and unavailable" to discuss project issues; wouldn't order chosen backsplash tile citing "cost" of it; less than stellar/professional work done by her 2-man crew; difficulty with clearing up some issues with the cabinet and electrical subs;; only showed up for the progress payments which she always started those visits with "I can't talk with you about the project, just give me the check, I have to go to another client". How rude and unprofessional can one get???
2) Was presented with change orders that were grossly overpriced. One was for recessing a 30" length of sink drain PVC pipe into the wall so it wouldn't interfere with the backs of two new cabinets. First verbally told me it would cost $1400, which I didn't agree to (so I did some research on my own). Two days later she presented the written change order document for the work now priced out at $2400! I refused to sign it and shared my research-- the material cost: $25; labor: approximately 2 hours per 4 different construction tradespeople I interviewed at the house so they could see the project requirement. Had my longtime plumber do the work - cost was a mere $300! What an attempted rip off!
2) the other was where she pressured me the afternoon before the electricians were to show up that I had to sign a change order to upgrade my electrical panel, telling me I wouldn't pass the City inspection without it. After some more back and forth discussions, I reluctantly signed it for her cost quote of $5850 since I had nothing but an empty hole in my house that once used to be my kitchen and I could see her leaving me high and dry for who knows how long citing schedule slippage if I refused to sign. Afterwards, when I asked both City and SCE inspectors about it during their inspections, they both refuted that a panel upgrade was needed; both inspectors (also electricians) also told me that at most it would have only cost between $2500-$3,000 which would have included the stucco wall repair! She definitely planned the timing of that "needed upgrade" chat so that I didn't have the chance again to ask around for different quotes like I did for the drainpipe.
I have done a lot of work on my house over many years and have dealt with various contractors and tradespeople on all of those projects -- all successfully, all professionally handled. I have never, ever dealt with a contractor who was so difficult, unprofessional, greedy and dishonest in their business dealings with a customer. THR may have a pretty, glossy project brochure to share with potential customers, showing various pictures of what they supposedly can do, but beware of Lee's tactics. After my experience and what I see posted from other disgruntled, dissatisfied customers from contracting with her and for the same or similar reasons, I don't know how she/THR gets any decent reviews! There's definitely a pattern. She could care less about it all as long as she makes a huge profit at the customer's expense and I'm sure I'm not the only one she has "taken to the cleaners". What was to be an eagerly awaited home improvement upgrade event became nothing but a nightmare full of stress and a drained bank account. Beware of Lee and her company Top Home Remodeling! read more