Kerzner Inc.

My husband and I started our relationship with Nick back in 2008 when we were looking to have a total remodel of our kitchen and dining room. The experience was positive from the start - we met with Nick at our home to get a realistic idea of a budget - and he was very honest and fair with us in letting us know what it could truly cost to do what we wanted to do - when we decided to move forward with the design process, Nick explained every step and all the associated cost and how the process would work - he also met with us on several occasions to share the designs and to tweak based on what we indicated we wanted to see changed. Nick was also extremely patient with us - it took us almost a year to decide to pull the trigger on the kitchen remodel - when we finally contacted him to move forward he was happy to explain the next steps to us and answer any questions we had - once we moved in to the actual demo and build phase, the individuals Nick used for the process from the project manager to the external sub contractors were all professional and polite - and we were kept appraised of everything that was happening - the weekly meeting with our project manager gave us an opportunity to express any concerns and ask questions - and we always knew we could call Nick with any issues we had. The remodel (which included the kitchen, the dining room, two hallways and a deck) was finished right around Thanksgiving of 2009 - we absolutely love the kitchen - the price was pretty much what we were told when we signed the contract with the exception of a couple of change orders which came about when walls and ceiling were opened (and we were told upfront that this could happen and would result in price differentials so there were no surprises) and it looked even better in person that it did on paper. We loved it and the work so much that we just went back to Nick and signed on to have two bathrooms remodeled - we are comfortable with his process and the way he does business, he does wonderful design work and really listens to the customer and helps you navigate through the process and really think about what you really want to help ensure you are happy in the long run - he's also fun to work with. I can't wait to see the bathrooms - and we know when it comes time to remodel another room, we won't hesitate to contact Nick again.
One other thing I'd like to add - we have crazy work schedules - and Nick has always been extremely flexible about our meeting times, meeting with us well after normal business hours, on Sundays and even once on Christmas Eve day - to me this is an unexpected touch which makes me want to continue the business relationship even more.

Recently had a basement project completed by Kerzner, Inc. Was overall very happy with the final result. The bathroom is beautiful! There is a lot of coordinating with a project such as this with plumbers, carpenters, electricians, drywall, etc. I thought Nick, Jeff and the subcontractors all did a great job communicating on the progress of the project. Nick does a great job being realistic about change orders and the cost of making upgrades, so to avoid surprises. The quality of the work was tremendous and are very happy we chose to work with Nick and his team.

From start to finish we were delighted with the process to finish our basement.
The planning stage was informative and gave food for thought whilst ensuring that all of our requests were included.
The process throughout was always well run, with all contractors treating our home with respect at all times.
Some one was always contactable and got back to us within good time.
The finished product is all we hoped for. finished to a very high standard. Would certainly recommend.

We are providing a negative review of [redacted] Inc. due to our experience with them. Our goal is to provide our opinion of our experience in a detailed and fair manner.
03/04/2015- Initial consultation and signing of design agreement. Told at that time that based on our kitchen layout and what we wanted and that the design would not go over the design retainer unless we wanted significant changes after the initial design was completed. We were told that the $1500 design retainer was non-refundable and that if additional design money was needed we would be asked for additional retainer money. Nick [redacted] showed up late to this meeting.
04/16/2015- First design plans given to us with white cabinets and oak cabinets, dishwasher added, large cabinet added, and soffits removed. Basic layout of the appliances was the same as our kitchen was, as well as the basic similar layout of cabinets. We asked at that time, to have cherry cabinets for the kitchen instead of white cabinets. We chose to have cherry cabinets at this time prior to the proposal being presented. Nick showed up late to this meeting.
04/17/2015- We were given another design plan showing the kitchen with cherry colored cabinets which was the design we chose. We were told by Nick that he was able to put the cherry cabinets in the design quickly and just printed it out for us. He also presented us the proposal which we agreed to and put down $6500 towards the proposal amount in good faith money. He told us at that time that if for any reason the sales agreement price is over we could cancel the proposal and receive our $6500 deposit back. The proposal did not specify cabinet wood type, or many other specifics which we had to choose at the selection meeting. Nick showed up late to this meeting.
04/24/2015- We had the material selection meeting at the Kerzner Inc showroom in Oconomowoc. The meeting was scheduled for noon. We got there 10 minutes late and Nick did not show up until well after 1:30 p.m. He hadn’t even left his radio show taping location until after we arrived at his showroom and were there for a while. We chose the selection we wanted which took about an hour and fifteen minutes once Nick finally arrived. During that meeting I asked Nick about design fees and he stated that we were still within budget and unless we made some drastic change we would not need an additional design retainer. Nick also felt that based on our selections we should be within the budget of the proposal.
May 2015- There were three separate dates for walkthroughs with the plumber, electrician, and cabinet person. The first date Nick’s assistant arrived at our house and stated that not one of the sub-contractors was able to show up. The second date only the electrician and cabinet person were able to show up. The third date the plumber showed up. Three separate dates with the first date being a complete waste of time for which I had to make arrangements to be there and was given no notice prior to Nick’s assistant showing up that no one would be there that day.
06/03/2015- Nick provides us with the sales agreement which is almost $3000 over the proposal estimate. After seeing the sales agreement my wife tells Nick it’s too much money and over the proposal. At that time Nick stated that on the way over he was told about an $800 drywall savings which was not in the sales agreement. He did not tell us about this prior to presenting us with the sales agreement. He only told us after we seemed very dissatisfied with the price. He also told us that he may be able to get lower prices from the sub-contractors and can check on that. Nick also told us that if we went with oak cabinets instead of the cherry we picked we would be closer to the proposal price. He stated that he would try and make contact with the sub-contractors to see if he could get a lower price on the work so he would be closer to the proposal price. I told him at that time that my wife and I would consider the sales agreement and contact him in a few days to decide what we were going to do.
06/07/2015- Email sent to Nick outlining our decision to reject the sales proposal based on the price being almost $3000 over the proposal budget. We also found several changes in language which occurred from the proposal to the sales agreement which we had not been told were going to happen and did not agree to and include the following:
- HVAC work and language removed and was not included in the proposal.
- 45 day project start time rather than a 30 day start time as outlined in the proposal.
- Flooring was changed from kitchen through to the small bathroom to the kitchen and rear entryway. No mention of flooring the small bathroom like in the original proposal.
We believed these to be significant changes we did not agree to in the proposal and would cost us additional money.
06/08/2015- Spoke with Nick by phone and he explained that he could get the electrical cheaper and with the drywall and cabinet wood changes he could get the price down. I explained to him our concern with the costs being above the proposal and the price of the sales agreement. I also explained to him that we were not interested in going with a cheaper wood type and was concerned several things were not included in the sales agreement that were in the proposal. To spend the amount of money he proposed we were not willing to go with lesser materials.
06/11/2015- Email sent to Nick which again with our decision to reject the sales agreement. He did send several emails concerning wanting to speak with me by phone. At this point I felt everything should be in writing and documented. I did not feel he was being fair with us due to the many changes in the sales agreement as well as the price fluctuations and dealing he was then trying to do.
06/12/2015- We sent an email sent to Nick telling him again that we were going to reject the sales agreement and wished to have our $6500 deposit returned to us based on the proposal language. I also told him we were more than willing to return the design plans to him.
Nick send a reply email stating that he could have had us deal with the electrician directly where we would pay the electrician and Nick would not be involved with the electrical portion of the job. This would have put us in the position of having to deal with a sub-contractor and any issues that would arise from the electrical work as [redacted] would have not been in charge of that work. This was also not included in the proposal. At the time he brought up how his design time is billed and what happens if the project is delayed or cancelled. He states I’m sure you know I have a considerable amount of time in this project. At no other time throughout the entire process does he mention anything about any costs or charges above the design retainer. He also states in every business transaction there is negotiation and compromise. When we signed the proposal and agreed to that we were not made aware we needed to negotiate or compromise from that agreement to something costing us more money than we agreed and /or receive less service. That was not written anywhere.
The design retainer agreement provides for what we can be billed for. At no point in the design agreement was there any wording or agreement by us which stated that we agree to pay an amount beyond the retainer and not notified that the design fees have gone beyond the design agreement. The agreement states an additional retainer maybe required. We were never notified or agreed to an additional retainer for design fees.
Nick charges us 37 hours of time @$90 an hour for a total of $3,300 to design our simple U-shaped kitchen which consisted of very little demo work, our appliances staying pretty much where they were originally and a design that was similar to our kitchen. He even charged us for 1.5 hours that we were sitting waiting for him to show up to the design meeting because he was late. He charged us 6 hours @ $65 an hour for a total of $390 for walkthrough time. One walkthrough nobody showed up and as stated above we were not told until his assistant came to the house and told us no one was coming The second one only two contractors showed up. The third the third contractor finally showed up. The total time of the three walkthroughs where anyone was at our house was no more than 45 minutes yet we were billed for 6 hours of time.
He charged us for design time that we felt did not occur and we found that to be unacceptable. He also charged us fees without telling us that we had gone over the design budget even after we specifically asked him to notify us if the design budget retainer had gone over. After all of this in order to get our money, a deposit of $6500 back, he tried to get us to sign a mutual settlement agreement, which stated we could not speak to anyone about our experiences or complain about our experience with Kerzner Inc. So in order to get the money that was owed to us (our deposit) we had to agree to those terms. We drafted an acceptable mutual settlement agreement which protected us and not his business. After much back and forth an agreement protecting our ability to speak of our experiences was reached.
All in all, after settling with Kerzner Inc. we were charged $2,635 for design fees and we got nothing out of it. The designs had to be returned to Kerzner Inc. and we were charged beyond our design retainer. I would suggest anyone using a contractor choose a designer that provides a detailed accounting or up front design costs and allows the homeowner to keep the designs they paid for. We were very unhappy with out experience with Kerzner Inc.

My sister and I had our prospective kitchens remodeled by Kerzner Remodeling & Construction this summer. Kitchen number one, was completed without any drama. The kitchen was completely gutted and rebuilt. It turned out the way my sister envisioned it. The remodeling of kitchen number two was not as complex as kitchen number one and completed as I envisioned it. There was a slight delay due to a countertop issue, but the project was finished and the workmanship in the kitchen is flawless. Would I use Kerzner again? Yes, the workmanship is flawless and the end projects are beautiful.

I have owned my home for 23 years and have worked with a handful of home improvement companies, none of which came close to Kerzner (hence this review). I cannot say enough good things about the entire process-seamless! As for the outcome, I am Very VERY happy with my new kitchen counter and backsplash-it could not have turned out better!! Nick, Steve and Jeff...from start to finish - absolute professionalism and expertise. I have found my go-to guys for any future home improvements, NO QUESTION!