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About Us
WHEN YOU WANT THE BEST, CHOOSE DIRECT-TRADES
Whether you simply want new kitchen counters or are undergoing a total bath remodel, you can call on the services of Direct-Trades.. Let us show you why we have won the 2014, 2015 and 2016 Best of Houzz Awards. With guidance, you’ll find the best stone and tile for your home projects in the North Texas. www.directtrades.com
Services Provided
Backsplash Installation, Countertop Installation, Countertop Sales, Custom Countertops, Granite Countertops, Quartz Countertops, Stone Installation, Tile Countertops, Tile Installation
Areas Served
Addison, Allen, Dallas, Frisco, Garland, Lucas, Murphy, North Dallas, Parker, Plano, Richardson, Rowlett, Sachse, Wylie, Southlake
Awards
Houzz.com awards for Service in 2016, 2015, and 2014
Category
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Business Details
Business Name
Direct-Trades
Phone Number
(214) 213-2080
Website
Address
Call for Consultation
Plano, TX 75074
Typical Job Cost
$4,000 - 15,000
Followers
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Credentials
6 Houzz Awards
2 Houzz Badges
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51 Reviews for Direct-Trades
Newest first
Bonnie & Bud Barlow
Average rating: 5 out of 5 stars
We selected Trish Mengle's company, Direct-Trades, to replace our kitchen countertops and backsplash, in part because of her competitive bid against 2 other companies. However, the determining factor was her focus on producing a quality renovation that exceeded our expectations. Unlike the companies providing the other 2 bids, Trish spent time building trust with us and showing that she would give us whatever help we needed in deciding on the right granite and tile for the project. During the removal of the existing countertops, her installer noted that the base cabinets provided insufficient support for the new granite countertops. She recommended an excellent carpenter who responded quickly to solve the problem. As a result, we experienced very little project delay. Her countertop and tile installers did an excellent job, demonstrating high competence in their work. We would recommend Trish Mengle and her company without reservation. In fact, we were so impressed with the results of this project, we've hired her company to renovate our master bath shower.
March 18, 2019
Clayton Householder
Average rating: 5 out of 5 stars
Trish and her team installed a granite wrap around desktop for my office. The installation was a bit difficult as the team that installed the actual desk moved it after the granite was measured. Trish's team worked through this obstacle and exceeded my expectations. This is my fourth project in my house with Tricia's team. Highly recommend. FYI, I am also a contractor in a different space and do not give out praises unless they are warranted.
February 18, 2019
Lynnette Howard
Average rating: 5 out of 5 stars
Trish with Direct-Trades had done work in one of our previous homes and did a fantastic job! When it came time to have work done in our new home there was no question as to who we should call. Our bathrooms had flooded due to a sewer line clog and both bathrooms had to be completely gutted. Flooring throughout the entire house had to be replaced as well as sheet rock repair. Trish gave us an outstanding referral for the sheet rock repair, which her company did not do, but she handled all other repairs (flooring, tile work, granite) We asked for a bid for the work from Direct-Trades as well as another contractor. Direct-Trades came in several thousand dollars less expensive. Trish was very conscientious of our budget, which I greatly appreciated! She also knew that we had been out of our home for several months and the need to get out of the hotel and back in our home. She lined up each trade that had to come in with very little time between them. All the workers were very kind and respectful. Not only did she contract the work for us, but she was also available to give decorating advise when we needed it, which was extremely helpful. I would not hesitate in referring Direct-Trades to anyone.
December 18, 2017
Comment from Direct-Trades:
Thank you Lynnette! My job is very rewarding when I feel I am truly "helping" my clients!
Doug Kaiser
Average rating: 5 out of 5 stars
Trish Mingle with Direct-Trades is a true professional. Trish is very knowledgeable, has great ideas and suggestions, and is committed to a quality work product. Trish was easy to work with and genuinely concerned with making sure we were 100% satisfied with the work performed by Direct-Trades. We have worked with Trish on several projects now and have been very pleased each time.
December 14, 2017
Comment from Direct-Trades:
Thanks Doug! We look forward to working with you on your next project!
Linda Lawrence
Average rating: 5 out of 5 stars
Trish was amazing to work with. She is dependable and really knows this business. Her team was dependable and did a great job. They finished the projects in budget and in the time promised.
I highly recommend them and would hire again.
December 12, 2017
Venu Gopal
Average rating: 1 out of 5 stars
We hired Trish (Direct Trades) to do kitchen and bath remodeling. The first item on our list was to replace the laminate counter tops with granite.
Trish was very amicable and pleasant to work with with. She went with us to multiple granite shops where she has a contractor relationship. We finally chose a granite and got two slabs. The payment was not to the shop but to Trish (this is not unusual). We paid about $3350 for granite only (based on our later experiences, we think a little more than half of this went to Trish and a little less than half to the granite shop).
The installers came to install and when they were almost finished, they broke one of the larger pieces (over seven feet long).
We asked Trish what were the options moving forward - our kitchen was in disarray half-finished. She said she will try to find a granite remnant and did some calling around for about half-an-hour. The broken piece was so long that it seemed the prospects looked very slim for finding a remnant that large.
We did not want our kitchen to be disarray for an undetermined amount of time. The right thing to do would have been for Trish to buy another slab and cut it so that the broken piece was replaced so we could have our kitchen back again. TRISH NEVER OFFERED THAT AN OPTION. INSTEAD SHE MADE SURE TO COLLECT ANOTHER $2610 FOR INSTALLATION IMMEDIATELY, EVEN THOUGH INSTALLATION WAS NOT FINISHED. Being naive and trusting, we went ahead and paid her.
We needed to get the work moving forward and done, and thought about paying additional money to buy another slab (we should never have had to do this). But since we were also not perfectly happy with our choice of granite, so we decided to go ahead and replace the whole thing. Trish initially helped us look for new slabs but this was taking so long and she seemed to be in no hurry even though our kitchen was a total mess and unusable at this point.
In the end we went shopping by ourselves, and not only did we find granite, but the shop also installed it. The new granite + installation cost us $4,100 while we paid Trish $5,964.82 and was left with a mess.
I had to drive far to go pickup pick the sinks that were with Trish's installers. I thought they were rude and un-cooperative.
The old granite pieces were taking a lot of space in the garage, so we had to finally give them away.
We wrote an email to Trish that given all that happened, she owes some compensation. BUT WE NEVER HEARD BACK FROM HER.
As far as I can tell looking at her website, it does NOT appear the 'Direct Trades' is insured and bonded. She never offered to put us in touch with any insurance so a claim can be filed.
So use this service at your own risk. We also know people who have been happy with her work - but this was our experience.
Addendum:
Trish's reply of Dec 14, 2017 is incorrect. The slab WAS broken during installation - the picture shows the slab that broke during install. It did not break during any demolition as she describes. And while we were trying to figure what possible next steps were, she made sure to collect the installation fee as I described - even though installation was not complete. She could have easily bought another slab and remade the broken piece and we would have gone with that. In the end, we were out a few thousand dollars as a result.
December 8, 2017Last modified:November 3, 2019
Comment from Direct-Trades:
I have not ever, never will, and nor did I leave this job in shambles as described by the client.
Here's what transpired:
I arrived at the job site around noon on a Thursday (if I am not mistaken). The client showed me the small L-shape bar top that was broken (not the 7 ft long piece). I immediately called the supplier to locate another piece, full intending to fabricate and install a new piece at Direct-Trades' expense. I was on the phone for about 60 seconds. The supplier promised to send me a list of fabricators that purchased the same material, which they did. To be clear, the 7 ft piece that the client refers to, was installed, in tact, and the joint was perfect! Notice the installer in the black shirt. He was putting the finishing touches on the joint, which turned out perfect, by the way. I DID NOT CALL AROUND FOR 30 MINUTES LOOKING FOR A REMNANT FOR THE 7 FT PIECE BECAUSE IT WAS NOT BROKEN!!. After my short conversation with the supplier, Mr. Gopal stated his wife did not like the color. And he inquired about changing it! This was a complete shock as they hand selected the slabs and I was present. Mr Gopal even stated it was not my fault. What a horrible sinking feeling they must have had! I can't even imagine how they felt. Mr Gopal was adamant that my installers stop the job and remove every piece of granite that had been installed. I suggested that we wait for his wife. She came in about 10 minutes later. She said the same thing. This was a first for me. I offered to leave the sink piece in place and I would call my plumber to hook up the sink just so they would have a working kitchen. The clients did not want to do that. Looking back, I should have insisted on sending the plumber. They continued to say, "just take it out". My installers proceeded to remove the granite. The 7 ft long piece (where sink was located) broke during the demo process. The client wanted us to take the pieces back to the shop. I encouraged him to let us place the pieces in his garage, thinking he could sell some of it, at the very least. Yes, I did ask for final payment and I certainly did not feel good about what they were going thru. The job was fabricated and installed except for the small L-shape bar. The following Sat, I met with the clients to help them select a new color. It was daunting for them, I could tell. After looking and pricing new granite, Mrs, stated they wanted to re-install the granite that was sitting in the garage! IT WAS ON THIS DAY, THAT I TOLD THEM THAT THE 7 FT PIECE BROKE DURING THE DEMO AND WE COULD NOT RE-INSTALL IT. Just to be clear, my team did NOT break the 7 ft piece installing it. It broke during the demolition process. They hinted around at compensation and at this point, I am asking myself what could I have done differently? Why would they ask for compensation for the 7 ft piece? They both agreed to take it out. I would have easily given them credit for the L-shape piece but they fired me via text, asking if they could come pick up their sink at out shop. That credit would have been between $150-$200. When I put myself in their shoes, I imagine I would be feeling overwhelmed, considering all the money that was spent, just to find how unhappy I am with the color. That has to be an awful awful painful feeling. I am sincerely sorry they had to endure this horrible situation. As for the price, our margins are in the neighborhood of 20%. Granite pricing varies greatly based on color, supplier, and all fabricators do not receive the same price point. I absolutely would never ever, under any circumstances, leave a project in such a mess. Looking back, and in the future, (if a client is unhappy with the color and wants the granite taken out) I will insist that we leave the granite in place, at least over night. I regret not insisting we do this.
Here's what transpired:
I arrived at the job site around noon on a Thursday (if I am not mistaken). The client showed me the small L-shape bar top that was broken (not the 7 ft long piece). I immediately called the supplier to locate another piece, full intending to fabricate and install a new piece at Direct-Trades' expense. I was on the phone for about 60 seconds. The supplier promised to send me a list of fabricators that purchased the same material, which they did. To be clear, the 7 ft piece that the client refers to, was installed, in tact, and the joint was perfect! Notice the installer in the black shirt. He was putting the finishing touches on the joint, which turned out perfect, by the way. I DID NOT CALL AROUND FOR 30 MINUTES LOOKING FOR A REMNANT FOR THE 7 FT PIECE BECAUSE IT WAS NOT BROKEN!!. After my short conversation with the supplier, Mr. Gopal stated his wife did not like the color. And he inquired about changing it! This was a complete shock as they hand selected the slabs and I was present. Mr Gopal even stated it was not my fault. What a horrible sinking feeling they must have had! I can't even imagine how they felt. Mr Gopal was adamant that my installers stop the job and remove every piece of granite that had been installed. I suggested that we wait for his wife. She came in about 10 minutes later. She said the same thing. This was a first for me. I offered to leave the sink piece in place and I would call my plumber to hook up the sink just so they would have a working kitchen. The clients did not want to do that. Looking back, I should have insisted on sending the plumber. They continued to say, "just take it out". My installers proceeded to remove the granite. The 7 ft long piece (where sink was located) broke during the demo process. The client wanted us to take the pieces back to the shop. I encouraged him to let us place the pieces in his garage, thinking he could sell some of it, at the very least. Yes, I did ask for final payment and I certainly did not feel good about what they were going thru. The job was fabricated and installed except for the small L-shape bar. The following Sat, I met with the clients to help them select a new color. It was daunting for them, I could tell. After looking and pricing new granite, Mrs, stated they wanted to re-install the granite that was sitting in the garage! IT WAS ON THIS DAY, THAT I TOLD THEM THAT THE 7 FT PIECE BROKE DURING THE DEMO AND WE COULD NOT RE-INSTALL IT. Just to be clear, my team did NOT break the 7 ft piece installing it. It broke during the demolition process. They hinted around at compensation and at this point, I am asking myself what could I have done differently? Why would they ask for compensation for the 7 ft piece? They both agreed to take it out. I would have easily given them credit for the L-shape piece but they fired me via text, asking if they could come pick up their sink at out shop. That credit would have been between $150-$200. When I put myself in their shoes, I imagine I would be feeling overwhelmed, considering all the money that was spent, just to find how unhappy I am with the color. That has to be an awful awful painful feeling. I am sincerely sorry they had to endure this horrible situation. As for the price, our margins are in the neighborhood of 20%. Granite pricing varies greatly based on color, supplier, and all fabricators do not receive the same price point. I absolutely would never ever, under any circumstances, leave a project in such a mess. Looking back, and in the future, (if a client is unhappy with the color and wants the granite taken out) I will insist that we leave the granite in place, at least over night. I regret not insisting we do this.
Barbara Ryer
Average rating: 5 out of 5 stars
After a very bad experience with a previous contractor (took 4 months to finish a 3 week job and would only communicate by text) I met Trish who was a godsend. When it came time to renovate a guest bathroom, I contacted Trish at Direct Trades. She understood my vision, explained how the job would be tackled and submitted a reasonable quote. Her contractor was able to take on every aspect of the remodel, from demo to tiling, plumbing and electrical and completed it on time, even working on weekends to get the job done. Trish is professional, honest and stays on top of the project from start to finish. She and the contractor worked with me to make sure I was satisfied with the finished product. I highly recommend Trish and her crew.
January 12, 2017Last modified:January 20, 2017
Lorie Gassert
Average rating: 5 out of 5 stars
Trish was outstanding! She was attentive, helpful, and patient with us as we worked through a very difficult construction project. She made getting our counter tops picked out and installed easy and virtually stress free. I would highly recommend her services to anyone!
January 11, 2017
Max Buchanan
Average rating: 5 out of 5 stars
We highly recommend Direct-Trades for any of your granite/hard surface needs.
My wife and I have used other fabricators before using Trish and wish we had used Direct-Trades from the beginning.
They were on time and at the house when they were supposed to be.
They picked up the stone and fabricated the pieces in a timely manner as well.
Over all they are the best pick for your surfacing needs.
When we need some more work done, they will be the ones to complete the task.
Max and Donna
September 26, 2016
vicki_musall
Average rating: 5 out of 5 stars
Great communication. Trish really listened and made suggestions. The countertops were installed VERY professionally. My husband likes to do things himself so it looks good and is done right. Her crew helped us with 3 Bath countertops made of Quartz. The job was done perfectly! He was happy!
September 11, 2016
We had our kitchen countertops upgraded from laminate to granite and we chose a very beautiful granite, Alaska White. We had another company do the fabrication and installation for us, and it was a very unsatisfying process. For many reasons, but the major 2 reasons were as follows: the other company did not match up the color/pattern at the area of the seams, and they did a very poor job at the seamlines. The seams were wide, very chipped up, and colored in such a way that they were obvious but unsightly as well. We tried to work with them to correct the issue and they attempted to correct the seams but still did a very poor job. So we decided to stop working with them and contacted Trish at Direct Trades.
She came out to see the job and agreed that her company could help to improve the granite color mis-match and the quality of the 2 seams. She used our leftover piece of granite; took that to their fabricating shop, cut a new center piece and prepared a new sink cutout. They also removed the other 2 adjacent slabs of granite that were part of the seams and cleaned the cuts so that there ware more smooth-appearing cuts. Then they re-installed the pieces to create a better seam. The color Manuel chose for the seam filler was a much better choice to blend into the pattern which made it more appealing.
I am including pictures of the work: before the correction by Direct Trades and after their work was complete. You can see there are much better seams and better color matching with the end product. Since we decided to only work with our remnant piece vs spending another $3000 to buy new granite slabs and recut all 3 pieces, the color match is not perfect, however a HUGE improvement on the initial job performed by the prior fabricators.
We were very pleased with Direct Trade's willingness to help correct the poor job of another company. They came out a couple of times to discuss the project and come up with a solution. We were pleased with their patience while waiting for us to decide how we wanted to proceed with the job correction; and we were pleased with their work and honesty. (Specific example, after removing our brand new sink and taking it to the shop with him to cut the new sink hole to fit, it was brought back to our house to re-install with the counters. Manuel noticed our sink had been dented during transport back from their shop to our house, and he promptly found a replacement sink for it, no questions and no hesitation. He just took care of the situation!)
I would highly recommend Direct Trades for your kitchen upgrade. They will do it right the first time!! We wished we had chosen them from the beginning!
June 13, 2016
WOW!!!! I am more than thrilled to finally get to see the finish product of our kitchen remodel. It's fantastic!
Not only was Direct-Trades (Trish) super professional, but very helpful in participating on suggesting the best choices for our remodel. Trish made sure this project ran efficiently & smoothly to our satisfaction. This dream team is truly a team to have remodel your kitchens & bathrooms.
Thank you Direct-Trades......you have been a blessing to us!!
May 6, 2016
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Frequently Asked Questions
How is Direct-Trades rated?
Direct-Trades is currently rated 4.8 overall out of 5
What services does Direct-Trades provide?
Direct-Trades provides the following services: Backsplash Installation, Countertop Installation, Countertop Sales, Custom Countertops, Granite Countertops, Quartz Countertops, Stone Installation, Tile Countertops, Tile Installation
Where does Direct-Trades provide services?
Direct-Trades provides services in the following areas: Addison, Allen, Dallas, Frisco, Garland, Lucas, Murphy, North Dallas, Parker, Plano, Richardson, Rowlett, Sachse, Wylie, Southlake
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