Our first experience with Phoenix was through a referral from a mortgage broker when we purchased our home. We knew we wanted to update the kitchen and baths before we moved into our 1950s ranch, and were immediately impressed after our first meeting with Lee Fiata. He provided a very reasonable quote for the job, which included beautiful custom cabinets by Keystone Millworks. Phoenix completed the job on schedule and their attention to detail was outstanding.
Several months later we started down the path of adding a second story that included a master bedroom suite, a guest bedroom and bath, a laundry room and screened-in porch. Lee referred us to Bonnie Henry Designs for our architecture needs, and after meeting with several other architects we decided to use Bonnie and couldn't have been happier. She listened to our needs and feedback, and incorporated our ideas into the final design. Once we had plans we started interviewing contractors and receiving quotes, and once again settled with Phoenix for our renovations. Their quote was extremely competitive and Lee was very accommodating with our need to remain in the home during the remodel. Some of the contractors seem surprised or suggested that we might need to move out for portions of the build, but it never fazed Lee and he and his team were very creative on how to make sure it was least disruptive to our existing home and our family life. Also, Phoenix has partnerships with local businesses around town that will assist you in selecting anything you might need for the renovation, from appliances to plumbing fixtures to countertops, but they are also open to you sourcing your own products. We found that this allowed us to shop around and purchase exactly what we wanted, especially for lighting, but then it was also very easy to work with the partner businesses to select major items like countertops, tubs and appliances. For those items all we had to do was tell Lee what we had chosen and he handled the rest.
The project was set to start in early May 2013 with completion set for September 2013. Despite the very rough weather we had this year and a significant amount of rain, the project was completed on time and within budget. Lee was at the house almost every day that work was being done, and if we ever had an issue or concern he would always address it and make you feel very comfortable throughout the whole process. One of many examples of this customer service happened early on in the build process: While they were framing the second floor and before we had a new roof, a period of about two weeks, each night the house would be covered with giant tarps to project the house from rainfall. One particular weekend we had a good amount of rain and Lee was at the house several times a day to check on the tarp performance, which included a trip to the house at 4am!
Phoenix does sub-contract out certain work (like roofing, masonry, electrical, plumbing, etc.) however they handle a majority of the work internally and we were very impressed with the entire crew. The initial framing crew led by Bill and his team were very good as were the additional craftsmen team of Ismael Jr. and Sr. We also had the painting crew led by Hector at the house quite a bit between the interior/exterior painting and touch-ups, and they were also meticulous and very friendly. All crews were cognizant of cleaning up each night and there really was never a time when unnecessary tools or debris were left around the property. Even neighbors complimented that it was the cleanest work site they had ever seen. We lived in the house the entire time (with two young boys under 5!) and never felt like it was too challenging to have to live through the project.
In addition to the customer service, meeting of the timeline and budget, and having a friendly crew, the overall work quality was outstanding. We have had many compliments from friends, family and others who have commented that the craftsmanship is excellent and very professional. We have also had several neighbors walk by and comment how the second floor of the house looks like it has always been there and fits with the rest of the neighborhood, a credit to both Phoenix and Bonnie Henry Designs.
Overall we were very pleased with the work product and service we received from Phoenix Renovations and would recommend them to anyone in the Atlanta/Buckhead/Brookhaven area looking to build or add onto their home.
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