DESIGNfirst Builders

A mixed review—great final product, terrible process Our experience with D1 was pretty rough, but we couldn’t be happier with our final space. I wrote a review on a few other sites, but Houzz has a character limit. So just as a summary: -Cost was all over the board and the sales team did not talk with the architects/designers. What we signed was pretty different than the original vision. It felt kind of slimy the way they got the cost to where we said we needed it--turns out they cut out a lot of preferences to get there. Once the contract was signed and we were handed off to the architects, the project got out of control. When we started to dig into the scope of the project, the cost ballooned over 50% until we just stopped it all together and asked for our money back--which wasn't an option. It was months of back and forth and a total mess. -The original design also had significant incorrect dimensions--that was a pretty major error that was never really owned by D1. We cited that as the reason we wanted our money back--the thing they said they could build us, they in fact, could not (unless they were going to add two feet to our upstairs living space!) -The actual work was fantastic--but once again, the process was very challenging. We really played the role of "project manager," which is why you pay them. There were mistakes, miscommunications, timelines that were not kept, change orders that should have been included in the original scope, slimy price negotiations. It was just a pretty miserable experience. Angie's list doesn't have a character limit, so I wrote about them in detail on my review over there :) Overall, we we loved working with Rod, our architect, and had a good experience with most of the contractors. The final product is very nice, but the process was brutal and we will not, (and have not) used them again. Update: After my review, I received a call from the owner, Dan. We spoke at length about the project and he was very apologetic. He learned some things about our project that he previously did not know and I was able to expand on our experience to help him better understand some of the challenges. He was grateful for the feedback and assured me that the entire team is doing a debrief of our project to prevent some of these mistakes from happening again. Specifically, he mentioned that the "change order" process will be tightened up to avoid confusion for the home owner. I really enjoyed my conversation with Dan and it meant a lot to me that he reached out. If Design First indeed addresses some of these issues, I would have no problem recommending them or using them for a future project.

We hired DESIGNfirst to help us with design and remodel of our existing kitchen, dining room and bathroom late 2019. They developed plan for us quickly and revised the plan to fit our budget. Despite a pandemic lockdown in March they worked with us to design a custom kitchen layout and pick materials via videoconference. The work started on schedule in May 2020 and was completed by late July on time and within budget. We experienced only a minor order delay with the kitchen faucet and sink due to the pandemic. We were very happy with the project manager Gary and the construction team who proved to be very flexible. Great attention to detail and they kept us apprised of future work effort each week. They also were able to address some shortcomings with existing attic insulation when walls were reconstructed. The remodel looks great and we will enjoy the open layout for years to come!

Off to a good start! Our designer, Danielle, was very thorough and had great ideas/suggestions. Ready to move on to the next stage and looking forward to the start of our major kitchen remodel.

We worked with Linda at DESIGNfirst to scope out initial designs for multiple variations of a major multi-floor / multi-room remodel of our home. She was extremely helpful in proposing and developing design ideas and effective at working with her team to turn around our proposal variations in a timely fashion with high quality. We ultimately held off on our remodeling plans for reasons completely unrelated to the outstanding work Linda and DESIGNfirst provided. We hope to revisit our remodeling plans at the right time, and when we do, we know who we'll call!

Design first did a remodel of my second floor, they transformed my bedroom into a master suite with all new flooring and added a master suite bathroom. My husband and I could not be more pleased with the quality of work and how polite and clean all the workers from Design First were. Highly recommend them, can't wail for Design First to do another job at my Elmhurst home.

We are very pleased with our new kitchen. This was our first major renovation, so we were of course concerned about cost and time--and not knowing really what questions to ask. DesignFirst was a great partner throughout the project. Their designers came up with a thoughtful design, but were also happy to tweak things that we wanted to change. The customer portal was very convenient and allowed us to review all the choices we had made, payment milestones and records, and progress photos. They have a good selection of styles and materials, but were happy to let us source some of the items and install them. We had specific tiles and drawer pulls in mind. The project manager was always very responsive to any questions as the project went on. We were a bit unlucky in our timing as the Covid lockdown hit our project right after we gutted the kitchen, somewhat surprisingly our timeline was not really impacted, though it was obvious that the company and contractors were having to jump through extra hoops to get things done on time. One thing that was key to our project was the relationship that the company and its lead contractors have with the city inspectors. Their contractors were obviously known for working to code and making any changes the inspectors asked for correctly. Our inspections went smoothly, and this is one of those areas where "you get what you pay for." I think we paid a fair price and got great work in return.

We worked with design first after interviewing at least 6 additional contractors/companies. Our project consisted of kitchen/family room, powder room, mudroom. We were impressed with D1 reported history of staying very close to budget, and we felt like we knew what we would be getting with (pre contract signing) renderings of our space. We also had friends that used D1 for a major rehab job and were happy with the work. The process of design and planning, materials selection, and demo were fairly seamless. The actual construction phase had some minor hiccups, as expected with any project. For the most part D1 handled these professionally and satisfactorily. The time frame of the project went beyond the estimated completion date due to cabinet delays. It's easy to get frustrated when in the moment of such a project, but ultimately our product is fantastic, and thinking back on it, it wasn't so bad. It was worth the wait for those cabinets! From a budget prospective, we went over on some line items and under on others, for pretty much an on budget finish. We were really happy with that. Our finished product is amazing! It is truly my dream kitchen. We spend loads of time in the space and I am so happy that we updated it. Before the project, I didn't notice the details (especially trims of cabinetry and such) of a space like I do now. I would walk into a recently redone space and think that it looked great, but now I notice if the fine details were addressed or not. Design 1 pays attention to the details and puts them into your project design. It really makes a difference and looks so much more professional and tailored. We are 1.5 years out from our project and anything that I have called D1 about, they have come out and addressed for us, in a timely manner. I have been really impressed with that follow up. We still completely love our space and haven't had any "I wish we would of" moments, the design and functionality are great! I would recommend design first without hesitation and I would consider them for future projects in my home.

My previous experiences with remodeling were typical – contractors who never returned calls or didn’t show up for appointments and crews who did not treat my home with the respect and care it deserved. I was pleasantly surprised when I hired DesignFirst since I did not experience any of these issues. They worked with me from the very beginning through to the very end. They helped me with the initial design concepts. They worked with my village’s building requirements, submitting the architectural plans for the home remodel, applying for the work permits, and leading the village’s initial and final inspections. They took the overwhelming task of selecting flooring, cabinetry, etc for my bathrooms and kitchen and made it fun! The work crews were always on time, extremely professional, and just nice people. If you are new to remodeling or cannot/do not wish to participate in a most time-consuming process, let these experts handle it for you with the utmost respect and care. When you comparison shop, DesignFirst will come out higher than others. Their care, thoroughness, and expertise is worth the price!

They did a great job with our Bathroom. They are a bit pricey but you get what you pay. The designers were really easy to work with and changed the blue prints 100 times with no issues. The Bathroom Quality turned out good and was executed timely. I would use again.

DESIGNfirst is a great company! Professional, reliable with great design work! We got a free in-home consultation with them, and really loved the advice they offered for our kitchen.

DESIGNfirst transformed a small, crowded, outdated kitchen to a stunning, new useful space worthy of mention in HOUZZ or another home magazine. The new layout made the space more efficient by improving the traffic flow and blending the inside spaces smoothly with the outdoor space on the deck and in the backyard. We are absolutely pleased! From the beginning, the designers, architects and craftsmen were sensitive to our needs and we were consulted on all aspects of the project. We were taken aback when Tony Slade (owner of DESIGNfirst) recommended that the cooking area (formerly facing the back) and eating area (formerly facing the front) were to be reversed so that the foot traffic flowed towards the eating area and then out to the deck via a sliding glass door. This was a brilliant move, pivotal to improving the function and enjoyment of the new space. Another great idea from Tony was a 8 1/2 ft. pantry with sliding doors, looking like custom-made cabinetry because of the finishing touches and the crown molding. The2 1/2-month renovation had its challenges but was not even close to being a nightmare. A hepa filter was used to clean the air for a family member with breathing problems. Plastic zippered barriers were good at keeping the rest of the home relatively clean and warm during a very cold winter. Project managers, designers, architects and workmen were knowledgeable and respectful, open to our questions and requests with prompt responses. The initial budget was a big chunk of change (big gasp) and added features were well worth the additional costs (more gasps) - opting for nicer pantry and sliding doors, professional spray paint job for the pantry doors (our painter said that he couldn’t have duplicated that finish), refinishing the living room floor to match the new kitchen floor, having insulation blown into the attic, bumping out one wall, etc. The added space enables us to keep our dining table open to its full length of 81”, great for entertaining and general use. Our new kitchen is our favorite room in our home - beautiful, functional and roomy. We owe our thanks to Tony for the design vision and to his crew for carrying out the work. (other photos available)

They were on time and pleasant to work with. They provide unique ideas that really opened up a discussion for great new possibilities. Very professional and friendly.

Project description: First floor "open concept" renovation/remodel DESIGNfirst met or exceeded our expectations in every facet of the project. Here is what impressed us. 1) First, a DESIGNfirst architect created what looked like a "three dimensional" color drawing of their design for our first floor. 2) Once the design for our renovation was agreed upon and references were visited, only then was a contract signed. 3) Then a personal portal for our project on the DESIGNfirst website was created for all communications. All emails, contracts, architectural drawings, photographs, and the project plan were stored and maintained within our personal password protected portal. 4) The project plan created for our renovation was completed on time per the plan. DESIGNfirst never fell more than a day or two behind plan and in most cases was ahead of plan... which reallly amazed us. 5) Payments were made prior to the start of each new phase of the project. This made me feel very good about writing a check. I knew before I ever put pen to checkbook that one phase of our project was completed and another phase was about to begin. 6) Different skilled craftsmen were brought in for each phase of the project, e.g. design, demolition, framing, electrical, drywall, flooring, cabinetry, siding, roofing, painting. I was amazed at how many different individuals worked on our home. 7) Yet, what impressed me the most about the entire project was that a project manager was assigned to our project. Having a project manager was not unique. However, when I asked our project manager what his responsibilities were as our project manager his answer was unique. His response was one simple sentence... "To make your wife and you happy!" and that was exactly what he did throughout the project! 8) One last, but maybe the most important point to be made... every DESIGNfirst craftsman treated our home like a residence and not like a new construction site. Plastic walls were put in place, with zippers, to catch the dust but not us. Floors were covered throughout the first floor. And, at the end of every work day the entire area, inside and out, was swept clean and tools and materials were stored so we could live our lives with minimal mess.

They designed and built a family room addition and converted a portion of the the garage to a full bathroom. Overall it went very well, and make no mistake they were very good. But since everyone could stand some improvement, I will be forthright about what went well and what needed improvement. The initial design phase for the space was a great experience and they were very patient with us. We went through three rounds of various ideas before we settled on the final plans. When we met with the architect, he had some extremely helpful suggestions and as the building began, my husband and I often commented to each other how glad we were for the architect's ideas. In particular, he suggested that we move the whole room so that the new roof line could be centered between two of the upstairs windows. It has become one of the things we like most about the addition. We found that their interior design staff was not very much help. Although, we have strong ideas about what we like (both of us have some art background), and we ended up just going our own way on the bathroom ideas. We found that their tile prices are too high, so we bought the tile on our own. They told us from the beginning that we were not obligated to buy all our materials through them--and that is a big reason for recommending them. We liked that about them. And they have a particularly good tile installer who really created a work of art in our bathroom. We had some trouble with the installation of the ceiling in the main room. When the drywallers put up the ceiling, it was very obvious that it was wavy. My husband was very unhappy with it, but Design First called back the drywallers back and they took it all down, shimmed the ceiling joists and put the drywall back up. The carpenters also were very accommodating when one of the windows was not centered on the wall. My husband wanted them to move the window and they did not complain at all. In fact, the carpenter encouraged my husband to tell them whether we were happy or not. They moved the window without much trouble and without any griping. In general, once the building work began we felt that we were not left for very long without someone showing up to work. We never felt abandoned; they worked pretty steadily. We also were pleased that they had a port-a-potty on site for the workers. We thought that was very professional of them. We were also very pleased that they were able to match two brick colors that are in the original part of the house--a white brick and a red brick, from 1963. I wanted a fireplace whose brick would match the white brick in our entry hall because from the entry hall you can see straight back to the fireplace. And the white brick in the entry way is original to the house. And I wanted the outside chimney to be an exact match to the existing, original brick on the front of the house. They were able to match both bricks, so from the inside and the outside the addition feels very much a part of the original house. I also wanted the mantel finish to match the wood in our entryway--also original to the house. The interior designers were very helpful on this score and their shop carpenters created a lovely modern maple mantle. Over the white brick, it's gorgeous! We were also pleased that they cleaned up after themselves. We had some misunderstandings over some of the electrical requirements, and my husband was a little annoyed but we did manage to get things clarified. One thing to note: my husband was very careful about watching all the line items in their cost reports as the project went along. It's a good thing too because he found two errors which would have cost us about $1700. They were very obliging and fixed the line items without any fuss. One thing that surprised us was some stalling that occurred over the permits: we were being required by the village to upgrade our electrical service when it was clear to the electricians that we didn't need to. Design First told us that they had had trouble with this office before and did not think that we would be able to get around this. But my husband was having none of it: He went in to the village office, talked to a couple of people, wrote up our request for a variance, and got the requirement waived. It saved us $3000. We were surprised that Design First was not able to do this; however, we chalked it up to lessons learned. Just because you have a contractor doing a lot of work for you does not mean that you don't have anything to do. Whether Design First should have been able to get this waiver for us or not, we really don't know. But they were honest with us and encouraged us, as the homeowners, to do all we could do to get it waived. I also want to say that their project manager did a good job interfacing with all the workers. There was some miscommunication here and there, but that seems all par for the course. He was even tempered and seemed well-suited to his work. There were two other instances that did not pass the plumbing inspection and Art, the plumber, came back twice without delay to fix things. Overall, we were very happy with them and we love the finished product! We love our new space! And we would definitely recommend them to others. (I would give them 4.5 stars, but I can't figure out how to do it on this site.) Project Date: 7/1/2014 Project Cost: $68,000

First Design came out to our home surveyed the Master bathroom we told them what we were looking for to be remodeled. They came back within a few days with actual 3D designs and a rough estimate. In the mean time we were told to go online (Houzz.com) and look at other bathrooms to get an idea as to what we were looking for as in cabinets, tile, flooring etc. The price was a bit of our range we did want to keep it 25,000 to 30,000 the max. But after going into the design room and start picking out cabinets, tile, flooring, etc. and what we actually wanted that is how the price started increase. When they came in to start the job the demolition team were great and same with the group who came in and framed the bathroom. Tiling took a bit longer than anticipated but that is all right because he did a fantastic and beautiful job. The only problem I had with was getting the electricians back to place the makeup mirror and box in the correct space but that glitch is minor compared to the overall final project. We love our bathroom and have had more compliments on the design and the quality of the work. And all in all everyone was very professional and we are satisfied with the work they did.

They designed and built a covered deck for us, with round columns. They also added new windows, new siding, worked on the roof, and a new patio. I was really impressed with everything they did and the way they communicated. We love the results and the people that worked on our house were great. We wou7ld go with them again. Project Date: 2012-2013 Project Cost: $110,000

Amazing. Their communication was fantastic. They were honest, decent, reliable and offered advice on making it make sense. In the end we didn't use them because we didn't use anybody and decided to save more money and do more. We will go back to them when we are ready. They are great.

We hired Design First to do some light remodeling in our kitchen and major remodeling of our bathrrom. They were competitive, quick, and cleaned up everything when the work was done everyday, But what I liked most about them is their fresh ideas and great advice they gave when choosing designs. Their work had qaulity results. I would definately recommend them.

Design First completed a major kitchen remodel for us. This included over 25 cabinets, granite counter tops (including full backsplash) and porcelain tile throughout the 1st floor. We received quality products, exceptional customer service and an outstanding re-design of our kitchen. I got my double oven, cooktop and 100 inch buffet area for entertaining! We love our new kitchen!

We are in the process of doing an addition with a new kitchen and dining area. The design is beautiful and all of the employees have been wonderful to work with. Our only complaint is that the project is moving slower than we were told to expect and days have gone by with no progress. We are anxious to finish! Pictures available upon request!