It pains me to finally breakdown and write that we STRONGLY DO NOT RECOMMEND Whitaker Remodeling!!!
We selected them to lead a remodel of our dream home. Unfortunately, they walked away from our renovation leaving it incomplete and forcing us to need to find new contractors to finish a job they started over a year after they started!!! They did reasonably quality work, but fell about a month BEHIND because of the painting subcontractor that they brought in to complete the interior paint for our remodel!!
To start, their painting subcontractor decided not to use any sort of tinted primer and went on the less expensive side of Sherwin Williams paint for the job. As a result the coverage was poor and it took more coats than planned (4 in some rooms). Whitaker Remodeling and their painting subcontractor even had the audacity to ask for more money because of this issue they caused by electing not to use any sort of tinted primer... which would have absolutely resolved the coverage issues. I was accommodating and agreed to pay a bit more (~$800) to cover the additional paint and supplies. This was the start of a series of issues related to painting that set us way behind on this job and ultimately a very poor experience with Whitaker Remodeling and their crews.
Whitaker started the job in late April, 2023 knowing we needed to move into the home at the end of July. We had to pay an exorbitant amount of "week to week rent" costing almost $2000 when our temporary housing lease expired at the end of July because the job wasn't complete. When we finally moved in, among other incomplete work, we had no functional sink in our kitchen and appliances were there but not hooked up. They continued to work on our job sporadically and at random times when available into early October 2023. They just fell so far behind because of their painting subcontractor that took almost a month longer than scheduled that it caused scheduling conflicts for them and our job became a lesser priority. The last time they showed up to work they only worked a few hours and said they weren't feeling well and would be back. Among other issues, they installed the incorrect cabinet above our refrigerator and explained that the correct depth cabinet was missing from our cabinet order. I gave them the go ahead to do so because we didn't want to fall further behind on the renovation. At around Thanksgiving time 2023 I found the correct cabinet STILL IN ITS ORIGINAL BOX in our garage... so the correct one was here the entire time!!! After not hearing from them for a month (early October to late November) we reached out and asked what was going on and explained that we found the cabinet and wanted to know when they would be back to replace the cabinet with the correct one, finish our backsplash, install our crown mounding and pot filler, reinstall the binds removed for painting, finish some drywall repairs, clean up paint spilled by the painters on our new hardwood floors, and clean up and replace some other miscellaneous things. They initially told me to order another cabinet face for the cabinet that they installed in error (costing me another $175 plus shipping for their error) and advised that they'd be in touch to schedule and finish everything up. Then, a week or so later they texted and advised that they'd keep us on the schedule but that they understood if we needed to get someone else out to finish up. I immediately called to speak with them and the conversation was cordial. Again, they said they felt bad that it was dragging on and were okay if we wanted to find another contractor to finish. I explained that at this point we were already into the holiday season (Thanksgiving and Christmas) and that we were satisfied with the quality of work and preferred that they finish even if it was after the holidays. They again said that they'd look to work us into the schedule to wrap up. We checked in with them in December, January, February, and March... and in April 2024 at their request sent them the final list of all open items. The request for this list left us feeling like they were finally going to finish up. Unfortunately, they went completely silent after a few texts in June 2024... OVER A YEAR AFTER STARTING OUR REMODEL that was supposed to be completed by the end of July 2023!!! We haven't heard from them since.
My only advice is that they do decent work, but DO NOT pay any amount until they complete your job. DO NOT agree to any sort of "pay as you go" agreement, even if it seems fair. If you pay as you go they take their time and feel no obligation... so will walk off your job if they get behind schedule too much and scheduling becomes inconvenient for them. I can only surmise that they figure they've gotten paid and owe you nothing... and will leave you looking for new contractors to finish what they started!!!
USE WHITAKER REMODELING AT YOUR OWN RISK!! read more
