If you are new to the world of major home renovation, this review is for you. SPOILER ALERT: by the end of the project, we were thrilled with the work and performance of FKB Direct. Here are the take-aways up front for your convenience:
-- Budget performance was EXCELLENT (within 5% of original bid)
-- Schedule was EXCELLENT (issues occurred beyond FKB's control)
-- Execution and Quality were EXCELLENT
This process began in late February 2022, and we did not get to the punch-out phase until October. The design process was interactive and iterative, and the communication from Rafi was very good. He and Susan provided multiple 2D renderings of our spaces until we locked down a final design. They would constantly say "YOU DREAM IT, WE BUILD IT," though we found that the more we dreamt in detail and provided feedback, the closer we got to a design that met/exceeded our expectations. I would say the design process took about a month, and then we entered the Waiting Game of the Arlington County permit process. Going through the permit process easily added ~4 months to our timeline. The delay bought us time to overcome major supply chain issues and long lead times with our fixtures and appliances, so that was a painful plus. We bought most of our own appliances and fixtures; at times, Rafi would recommend specific items, and for others we would purchase what we wanted and provide the specs to Rafi. This process worked great.
Fast forward to August, and we finally broke ground on the work. We took Rafi's offer to do the kitchen and bathroom simultaneously, and we also chose to live through the construction. THINK TWICE before you make this decision if you have another option; we spent the next two months living in the guest room and using a tiny microwave as our kitchen. If you haven't lived through a renovation before, you need to brace yourself and trust the process. Not only is it loud, dirty, and distracting, but you will also notice issues mid-construction that will scare the wits out of you. We aired many grievances throughout the construction, and Rafi must've said 100 times: "Trust me guys. When it's done, you're gonna love it. I promise!" I'm glad to say Rafi was right. The original construction schedule was around one month, and the actual schedule was closer to 2 months -- I consider that a big win. When we had issues, we raised them. Rafi addressed them. They never tried to nickel and dime us for changes or corrections. The final cost came within 5% of the original budget despite huge 2022 challenges with labor, supply chains, and inflation.
The final products are AMAZING! This was an expensive undertaking, and we feel we got every penny of value (and then some) out of it. Our friends and family rave about our new spaces, and we have passed on FKB's contact info to several folks since then. We wholeheartedly endorse them, their work, and their professionalism. We would hire them again for any future projects.