Urban Renovations No Longer In Business

Stephen Caldwell and crew took our remodel ideas and improved them to create a more ergonomic design, 25% more space space, and an aesthetic look and feel we envisioned - and far more. They were professional, polite and friendly, and worked diligently and continuously until our project was complete. They treated our project much like their television show and from start to finish took less than 3 weeks. We have recommended them to all of our friends and everyone who has seen our remodel has been amazed at the superior workmanship and quality - even more so when they hear the timeline... even our contractor friends are impressed.

A 100% recommendation from us with no hesitation!!

When I purchased my home it was left in very bad shape. No one had done any updating to it for a number of years. There was a lot of work to be done and Urban Renvoations did a wonderful job. Not only did they put in new floors, the old floors had to be built up due to old vinyl tiles that could not be removed. They had to do a large area and the porcelain floors came out beautiful. Upstairs they removed all the old carpeting and put in beautiful hardwood floors. The front door and side doors were also replaced. The front door was a custom order glass door and it came out absolutely beautiful. Not only did the doors have to be replaced, but due to the lack of care from the previous owners, the water had been leaking in and damaging the ceiling in the basement. Also when renovated the bathroom floors, there was water that had been leaking from the tub onto the floors, which had to be repaired first. They made one large bedroom out of two, removing the closets from both, putting in a large walkin closet, closing up the second door and repairing the ceiling where the rooms were joined. They painted the house with beautiful results and replaced the baseboards. I am a real estate broker and I would refer them to any of my clients without a second thought. Great Job guys.

I first learned about Urban Renovation (UR) from watching HGTV's Marriage Under Construction. I liked the way Steve (the Contractor) interacted with the designer and the home owners, took his time explaining things etc... I tuned in every week and was always saying to my fiancée: “I like the way Steve works – we have to remember him for our home” which we purchased and moved into the summer of 2010. We are so glad I did!!
When it came time to select a contractor I thought of Steve and thanks to Google discovered Urban Renovations. But TV is one thing, - this is our home and I have heard contractor horror stories so I did some research again and the review I found were really good... but I am thorough so I reached out to the designer (Melissa Davis) that worked with Steve on the show and asked her what she thought - again the response was very positive. So it was time for the "gut test" - meeting Steve in person to see if we clicked... well, needless to say that we did! Here is what I can tell you: he was prompt, "got me" and took his time to explain things, was open to me breaking up the job (when we could afford to do the closets we did) kind of thing. So it was a ‘green light’ on all fronts so he we hired him.
Andrea takes care of the admin side of things - this system seems to work for them and definitely worked for us. They kept me in the loop, were well organized, FAST(but did not sacrifice quality), and detail oriented. Never was I left wondering about anything. They were open to me using my own electrician and trying my hands at some of the demo stuff - they encouraged questions and were overall wonderful to work with.
The best thing I can say is that my words are backed up by my actions and I have recommended them to anyone in need. As a result, my colleagues (2 of them have hired UR - one for work on a rental property (rave review as well) and the other for a complete kitchen gut and remodel currently in progress) another is lined up for meetings and our next door neighbor is using UR to work on their home as well. I would never recommend someone or a service that I did not personally think was outstanding. Happily the reviews from my colleagues are very, very good!
Now, some may say that they are priced a little higher (I found them to be fair with their price– this is hard work) but I also believe you get what you pay for – they are fast, they are exact and they will ensure that you are satisfied. In our previous home we hired a contractor and he worked for one day and we never saw him again…. So for a couple of extra dollars you get a PROFESSIONAL job with Urban Renovations. You also will get the sense that this small business is run by people who care and are interested in putting out a quality product – themselves and their workmanship.
Your home is the biggest investment (well ours is anyway) and we wanted it done well and we did not want to have to worry down the road – with UR I have every confidence – they do/did it right the first time!
I would definitely encourage you to allow Steve and his team the chance to pass your "gut" test but I can foresee them being extremely busy. I wish them nothing but continued success and hope they can continue to fit me in with my projects (which they have been great about doing by the way) You will not be disappointed!

I had a vision for my loft and Urban Renos was able to make it a reality. Most importantly they were able to do so in a timely manner, at a fair price, based on quality workmanship. The team was very easy to work with, they answered all my questions and clearly communicated with me through-out the process (i.e. no surprises). Urban Renos was also able to provide custom elements above and beyond the standard requests, in particular they were able to build a mantle out of reclaimed wood that provided a perfect finish to the fireplace! I was very pleased with the end result and I would definitely recommend Urban Renos to friends and family...Thanks!

I made the mistake of choosing this company, based on an appearance on a television show. At the beginning, co-owner and general contractor Stephen was as charismatic in person as he was portrayed on tv. Funky and easy-going, he assured us a stress-free first-time reno experience, solid workmanship and that no corners would be cut. We trusted him. Afterall, he has a tv image to uphold.

When most of the work was completed, we politely questioned the quality (and safety) of some of the wonky finishes (panel doors cut improperly, a dryer vent hose that was leaking and stuffed with insulation, potentially unsafe and unattractive electrical work (wires crossing plumbing, electrical outlet behind a water faucet), a half working heated floor, etc). It seemed like the more they tried to fix, the more mistakes they made. We got nothing but excuses. When we informed them we were not happy and gave them (at their request) a list of items that needed to be addressed for our 100% satisfaction, they assured us it would be done.

There were more excuses, and 10 days when nobody was on site. It was only after we sent a final "to-do" list and asked for our two house keys back and they were paid the bulk of their money, did they decide to walk off the job.

The cost of our basement reno turned out to be about double the original estimate of $17,000. Even though they got twice as much as first expected, they claim they had lost thousands of dollars by adding products and services that we didn't even ask for.

While we held back 10% of our initial estimate, there is no way it will cover the work needed to correct all of their unsafe and unattractive work.

What was even more alarming was that they used pictures of my home and posted them on their facebook site. I was game at first. But then they started posted comments and pictures of my basement, insulting me for failing to be specific on what kind of doors customers should expect(pre-fab vs slab).

My husband and I also sourced a lot of the materials and trades for this project on our own, including tile, tile grout, lighting, cabinets, countertops, with little to no expert guidance.

They also left my backyard riddled with shards of tile, they dumped paint on my lawn, and left four empty paint cans and bags of garbage in the backyard.

I don't consider myself a picky person. We let a lot of things slide (there are too many to mention, but I have a photo record of everything)for the sake of keeping the crew happy. I made coffee every single day they were on site and we even treated them to dinners and beer.

I'm sad about how it turned out. But hope that others will learn from my mistake.