October 2019 by Nickie G.
I have been considering doing a remodel of my house for a long time now, but then I would get overwhelmed trying to choose a contractor and I would just give up. This time I decided to contact Trace and from the start I could tell that they worked in a different way than those one off contractors. First someone came out to my house to get an idea of what I was thinking and then put together an estimate/proposal. Then they come out with the designer (if you want to hire one) and others to measure in depth, look around to see what would need to be done, take pictures, etc. I hired the designer because I needed one to draw out the new bathroom and closet for me. So for another month or so we would have meetings to look at blueprints, alter blueprints, approve fixtures/tile/carpet/etc. You do this until you are satisfied with how everything is. Then it is time to start! Before the start of construction, the aforementioned people come over with your actual project manager. This is your main contact during the remodel. Mine was Adam Engel and we worked together well from the start - we were in constant communication throughout the remodel and I never felt stupid about bringing something up to him. They change your lock out to your door and use a lock box for the key, so they never have the actual key to your house. Many have asked if I worried about having people in and out of my house when I wasn't there....but there were never any problems. I also appreciated that Adam tried to make it as painless as it could be. For example, we had to be without a shower at all in the house for a little over a month of the 3 month process....he made it a priority to get one of the showers working as soon as possible so we didn't have to keep going down to the pool house to shower. When construction is complete, multiple people come over to do a final walk through on the house and mark out things that need to be fixed. Paint guy, tile guy, etc. may all have to come back out. Problems with the cabinets were fixed. Anything that's wrong they come back and fix. And this includes after it is already over - my main shower was leaking a little water on the floor and they came and fixed it that day. The way that Trace does the whole remodel process really went a long way to make me feel less freaked out and more in the realm of understanding on what was going on. It was a long process, but I think that in the end it was worth it to ensure I knew what was going on. Also, they may be more expensive than others, but you get what you pay for. The quality work was never in question and you don't have to worry about them just never showing up and finishing the job! I am totally pleased with the way my upstairs bedroom/bathrooms/closet looks and I will DEFINITELY use Trace when I decide to remodel the kitchen/den....I'm already working on my plan in my head!
