Lars Remodeling & Design

I would highly recommend Lars Remodeling & Design. They were true professionals from beginning to end. The minute Jason Larson walked into my house and saw outdated kitchen, you could almost see his brain at work. It all sounded great, so off we went. During the demolition process thru completion, we assigned a personal rep. who came daily to make sure every the project stayed on target. Our remodel was extensive that we had a number of vendors to visit - everyone he took us too were great!

Review: Please note I have 72 pages of supporting documentation. As far as complaint dates on the next page there are too many but I have supporting documentation.

I contracted with [redacted] construction to remodel my bathroom in May 2011. While going over the tile selection [redacted], the project manager for [redacted] convinced me to upgrade to epoxy grout. [redacted] told me epoxy grout would not stain and was super easy to clean. The tile and grout work was done approximately late Nov and completed about December 1, 2011. After the incident occurred I found out [redacted] tile contractor used someone who had never done epoxy grout before.

The epoxy grout was not installed correctly or in accordance with the installation directions and troubleshooting guide within the directions. If it had been there would not have been an epoxy haze left on the face of the floor and wall tiles that took them over a month to remove. During this time they used many combinations of different cleaners, 4 within a day or two of the installation, epoxy haze removers, specialized equipment and specialty contractors to try and remove the epoxy glaze from the face of the tiles. During their numerous attempts to remove the glaze from the face of the tiles they took no precautions to keep the chemicals off of the grout while they tried to remove the glaze from the tiles.

In Sept 2013 I tried to clean the grout with a tile brush and a little soft scrub. I could not get the small section I worked on for about ½ hr. clean so I contacted [redacted] tile installer to ask him to come by and take a look at it. He suggested [redacted] which I bought and tried on a little area as well. [redacted] did not work. I then contacted [redacted] to explain that I could not clean the grout. At first [redacted] told me that they do not cover grout related issues after a year. I explained that this issue was not apparent until I tried to clean the grout.

At that time I believed you would still be able to clean the grout it would just be very difficult to do. I requested a refund as the product was not as sold or represented to me. I contacted [redacted] to clean the grout in my home as well as the bathroom which he was not able to and sent an email re: there was a problem with the grout which was sent to [redacted].

When I realized the grout could not be cleaned I contacted [redacted] to correct the problem by replacing the grout which they initially agreed to do and scheduled a tentative time. I thought it would be a good idea for them to see what was involved as the tile contractor would need to tape off cabinets etc.

On Nov 14th, 2013 [redacted] , the tile installer, came by with [redacted] from [redacted]. [redacted] was afraid to let [redacted] repair the grout as he thought he would ruin something else as the grout joints were too small. Tom and I discussed their concerns with them and we agreed it was OK not to replace the grout that was close to the cabinets. In addition [redacted] was also going to contact tile installers that had more experience doing this on [redacted] behalf and bring them by to see the job. No one came by or contacted me as promised.

After that [redacted] wanted to get the opinion of [redacted] the rep from Laticrete, to see if this problem could have been caused by [redacted]. [redacted] told me if it was caused by the initial incident [redacted] would stand behind it and correct the issue.

[redacted] the rep from Laticrete came out and explained in an email that using chemicals and epoxy glaze removers on the grout will effect the products basic integrity and stain resistance of the grout. [redacted] also remembered my home as he was there when the initial problem occurred with the epoxy haze in 2012. Here is a direct quote from his email to [redacted] and me.

“As for the epoxy haze removal products, it works similarly. Epoxy haze removers can also damage an epoxy grouts stain resistance as well as the product’s basic integrity.”

[redacted] then suggested that the tile installer paint the grout. I asked [redacted] to check into the permanence of this as I did not want problems later on pealing cleaning ability etc. [redacted] was going to research and get back with me on my questions. I emailed him a follow up Jan 9, 2014 and he again broke his promise stating it was past the 1 year warranty period and they would do nothing. This latent defect is a result of the incorrect application and removal of the epoxy grout. Problems with the epoxy grout were reported within a day of the original installation.

About an hour after I responded to his email, I received a call from [redacted] of [redacted] who told me to get estimates to colorize and they would reimburse. I told him to put in writing as they keep making promises but have not kept their word. [redacted] said he would have to check on how to word it as they were concerned about liability.

In good faith and based on my conversation 1/14/13 with [redacted] I checked with RD solutions who matches Laticrete on the grout colors. Their phone is [redacted]. I asked them how long the colorant would last. I was told there are no warranties and it should last over a year. I suspect that is why [redacted] changed their mind as they knew it would not be a permanent solution.

My master bathroom is a low traffic area. Most of the time I am barefoot or in socks. I use a shark steam mop throughout my home to keep the tile clean. Over the past months I have scrubbed the grout with soft scrub, in different areas. Some of the areas come clean but it is not consistent which gives the grout an uneven discolored appearance. In addition there are many low spots in the grout.

The discolored grout ruins the appearance of my bathroom. To fix it properly the tiles will need to be removed and the floor redone.Desired Settlement: I would like a refund for the cost to have another contractor remove and replace all floor tiles, provided they are still available and will match the wall tiles.

Business

Response:

This letter is in response to the Revdex.com

complaint that we received on January, 23, 2014. I have been in

communication with the complainant several times in the past week to schedule a

meeting with her in order to see the grout and understand the nature of the

complaint. Thus far, I have been unable to secure a date to meet but will

continue to reach out to her to try to schedule this meeting and seek a

resolution to her grout issues.

Sincerely,

President, Founder, Optimist

LARS Remodeling & Design

4703 Spring Street, La Mesa, CA 91941

619-CALL-LARS (###-###-####)

We recently went through an extensive renovation of our home which entailed moving our kitchen to a different location, expanding a bedroom, remodeling two bathrooms, adding a bedroom and an office, and adding a den. Everyone from Lars was amazing! They worked within our budget, gave us numerous options, and they were extremely accommodating considering we lived in our house during the renovation. Everyone was very professional and knowledgeable. We had estimates from other companies but Lars stood out because they really thought outside the box to make our wish list a reality. We liked the ideas they brought to the table and even almost a year after our renovation completed, they continue to stand behind all the work that their trades completed. We knew we were in good hands when we signed our contract. We highly recommend Lars to others looking to complete a renovation. You won't be disappointed!

We were very satisfied with the remodel of our master bath, guest bathroom and then especially our office with the most beautiful entertainment center!!! [redacted], Project Mgr. was always there, on the spot, getting things done when necessary. Thanks [redacted] for a new wonderful relationship. Will miss you too!

Here's my Yelp review that Lars tried to remove:

They got a truthful, but negative review (even though I pointed out positive things), so they got Yelp to remove my original review, citing privacy concerns (I used a full name, just like other reviews, yet they didn't ask to remove those). Due to this paragraph I have to edit even more due to word limits so I can't say every single thing that went wrong.

But know this, if you write a negative review to try to inform consumers- I was accurate/respectful in my review (They called me the same day it was posted, asking me if I'd remove it), they may try to find a way to remove it. They should've just taken accountability instead of doing this questionable (at best) action of trying to prevent a truthful review from being seen by consumers. I'm going to inform Revdex.com of what they did, as this is quite disturbing. Here it is: no last names/no privacy concern violation.

They sold us on idea of full service design-we lived out of town (a little bit of a scare tactic, they said if we did it ala carte things could get messed up, people not finish projects and easier if they did it all. All valid points). They were highest bid (double or more vs. others).

Of course, there are typical delays of remodelling. I get that. What I don't like is unprofessional behavior/unethical/bad customer service.

They had some of the worst contractors. Their electricians ate fast food INSIDE our home & threw trash on our property bringing ants. The electrician & another staff got in a profanity laced screaming match at our home/kept dropping F bombs. He quit on the spot, stomped in our house grabbing his kit, scratching our NEW floors. Neighbors heard- were gonna call the cops that's how loud it was. 'Til now one of the lights just turns off after less than 10 minutes.

They left lights on, windows open, doors unlocked overnite, despite multiple notes I left asking them to lock up.

They mismeasured Ex: originally installed shower head/tiles off center, cabinets crooked etc and the project manager (who ended up quitting the company) told us "just put a shower curtain no one will see it" and "no one will look up" (at the cabinets). They made a big hole leading to outside in the wall and he said "normally that's not our responsibility to fill the hole" What? You guys made a HOLE in my bathroom (bugs/rats could come in) and you're telling me you're not going to fix it?

Got a new project manager. I believe in second chances. Didn't improve much. Mismeasured the space needed in b/w fridge/cabinets. Their original solution: asked if I could get a smaller fridge. When I said something to Lori she actually told me "your expectations are too high" For wanting proper measurements? They ended up cutting out a doorway to fit it in, ruin NEW floors. No proper ventilation space. Delayed our project even more.

Some contractors had unlicensed student workers do some work and gave a bid to my neighbor for a fraction of the cost of what we paid. Another brought his daughter to my home while working. One of their own workers even badmouthed them.

Items disappeared from my garage. Simplest things like installing a towel rack, 2 kept falling off.

Nail in coffin: after ALL the issues we had, the owner came to our home. He apologized then downplayed it by saying that I was the one at fault for not knowing what to expect since this was our first remodel (can you be any more patronizing), he said this isn't one of their big jobs. I guess $106K+ isn't valuable business. I asked him to discount due to all the issues; he said it'd leave a bad taste in his mouth to come back to fix stuff (I interpreted that as blackmail. Complain, we won't fix your stuff).

They tried to charge me extra for a dumpster trip (some neighbors threw junk in there). I said they needed to lock the dumpster. They removed it. But the final bill was much higher than what should've been so I'm guessing they put in the fee there.

I would've contacted Costco/Revdex.com but I was dealing with some serious, high stress family issues consuming my time that I just had to let this go. I just paid the extra money and wanted to be done with them.

Only good thing I can say: they eventually completed the project- not w/in orig timeline

Price is what you pay; value is what you get. Didn't get what we paid for. The $106k+ is for the skeleton for 2 bathrooms/kitchen & few other things. I spent several thousand more beside Lars getting new toilets, knobs, flooring etc. When they fix their mistakes they make it sound like they're doing you a favor. No, that's just doing your job.

If you end up having a problem, they say they'll make it right but it seems like lip service. I'd skip the whole "full service design" (I ended up being my own project mgr) & get better contractors ala carte for a fraction of the cost. ALL my friends said we got ripped off.

Why review 3 yrs later? So consumers can be aware, learn from our experience & make an informed choice.

Biggest financial mistake of my life!

Jason of Lars Remodeling and Design has proven to be both reliable and well established in customer service and satisfaction. He is set on providing their customers with all their desires for their additions. Clients years later can expect the same service response for any questions they may have. Jason stands behind his company to be sure his customers are happy and taken care during the remodeling process and years after the process. I am very happy with his company's top notch work.

We did a major home addition and remodel of our kitchen through Lars, adding almost 600 square feet (extending our dining area and adding a room upstairs). Jason Larson (who owns the company) is genuine, honest, and down to earth. These qualities really reflect in his business and ethics. Our house was only about 10 years old but we wanted it to be more functional. We wanted a remodel where no one could tell where the old house stopped and the additions/changes began. And this is exactly what we got. We love the end product of our remodel. And we have received so many compliments from our neighbors on how the house really fits into the existing scheme of the neighborhood. While no major remodel is going to be without bumps, Jason and his team worked hard to make sure we were ultimately satisfied. I am very grateful for Jason’s involvement with our project. We are going to enjoy many years of enjoyment from our investment.

My husband and I recently had our two bathrooms remodeled by Lars Remodeling and Design and we are extremely pleased with the outcome. Our main contact person was Lori Drake who was very patient with all my questions and always got back to me on a timely basis. All the design staff and construction crew were very good at their jobs, came when they said they would, and were very prompt to fix any small problems that happened along the way. And the entire project took less time than was originally scheduled. There was a complete understanding that remodeling, particularly bathrooms, can be very disruptive and they tried to make it as painless as possible. And now we have two beautiful new bathrooms.

We completed a major remodel of our downstairs by Lars in Nov. 2013. We completely gutted our kitchen, added wainscoting, tongue and groove ceiling, built-ins, etc. I am so pleased with the final product- I love my house now! [redacted] was our sales person and she saw everything through to my satisfaction. She was always available and responded to all my concerns. I highly recommend working with her and [redacted] was a fantastic design person.

NOTE: The first paragraph of this review is about our negative experience with another contractor and is NOT about Lars Design & Remodeling. The rest of the review is about our positive experience with Lars Design & Remodeling.

Back in 2010, my husband and I attempted to remodel our entire house, using another contractor, but it ended up in disaster due to fraudulent actions taken by this contractor. This contractor's plans never made it through the City of San Diego's approval process, so in the end we wasted thousands of dollars on completely useless preliminary design plans and we were unable to recoup the money we spent. Needless to say, this negative experience left us feeling frustrated, defeated, and unmotivated, so our project came to a standstill for over 4 years.

In 2014, my husband and I felt ready to begin our home remodel process again, but this time we extensively researched and interviewed 5 reputable home design and remodeling companies. Ultimately, Lars Design & Remodeling appeared to be the company that would best suit our needs, so we went with them.

We selected Lars Design & Remodeling because we were impressed with their business model. [redacted] and [redacted], the initial Lars staff we met with, both spent a great deal of time with us, attempting to create a preliminary home design we both approved of, without charging us any money up front! Lars' practice of "no charges up front" took us by surprise because the other 4 companies we interviewed all wanted to charge us between $1,500.00 to $2,000.00, just to come up with a preliminary home design.

When we officially signed up with Lars, we naturally had concerns about the amount of money we were about to spend on our home remodeling project, as well as its final outcome, primarily due to the negative experience we had with the first contractor we attempted to use. But, during the course of our project, the Lars team assigned to our project, ([redacted]), alleviated our fears when we saw firsthand the level of experience, knowledge, expertise, competence, and professionalism each one of them brought to the table. As was to be expected with a project of this caliber, some minor unforeseen issues cropped up, but the Lars team always handled them with the utmost professionalism, patience, and to our complete satisfaction.

In the end, Lars Design & Remodeling gave us a Dream Home that turned out better than we ever imagined and we absolutely LOVE our new home, we're extremely pleased! From our positive experience with Lars Design & Remodeling, we feel confident in recommending them as a reputable home design and remodeling company, who focuses on customer satisfaction, quality, and providing the customer with an outstanding product. Thank you Lars Design & Remodeling, for making our home remodel dreams come true!

[redacted] was the Lars rep that sold me on their capabilities, and then really came through, offering such creative design ideas for the selection of cabinets, flooring, granite, etc. My remodel involved taking down a couple walls relocating sink/stove, eliminating and resizing windows, and it's just beautiful. The construction crews were careful to be sure my cats didn't get out and they cleaned up every day. I interviewed five of the large remodeling firms and Lars reviews were consistently great - they were a perfect fit.