RRS Design + Build

Randy and crew put in our new wood floors and redesigned our stairs. The project took a little longer than anticipated due to a few mid-​project changes (by us) and a couple issues with subcontractors. When problems arose (as I’m sure they do in any project) Randy jumped in and took care of business to make sure the job was done to the highest standard. We love our stairs and new floors!

Randy and Cara helped me take a small (VERY small) bath/​master bedroom and turn it into a spacious, modern and stunning master suite. I was probably not the easiest client as I was not entirely sure what I wanted. They helped shape the vision and then bring it to life and now every time I walk into the bathroom I am wow-​ed. I am grateful to have had them on the project. And they won a NARI award for the work! Yay for all!

As a colleague of Randy @ RRS I highly recommend him for your remodeling needs. From a designer’s standpoint, he is a pleasure to work with. He has a great aesthetic and keen attention to detail. He does a great job of executing the work according to plans.

I would hire RRS Design + Build in a heartbeat to do another remodeling project. Of the four general contractors that we considered for our most recent master bathroom remodeling project, Randy was the best at listening to our concerns, answering our questions, and providing practical, cost-​effective design options before we signed the contract.
My husband and I are not new to remodeling. We lived through a major project several years ago that involved the kitchen, master bath, and electrical in our 1959 ranch-​style house, and two smaller projects since then. Our biggest lesson learned from all of our projects is that there is no substitute for daily inspection and timely, effective communication. This is where Randy excels compared to all other contractors we have used. On the first day of the project, he gathered his subcontractors on site for the project briefing and Q&A session. Almost daily through the final phase of the project he phoned or texted to check in with me to report status and ask if I had any questions or concerns, and he was frequently on site to inspect the work. My concerns were almost always addressed within 24 hours.
Near the end of the project, Randy asked for constructive feedback about how he could improve his company. He was the first contractor we’ve had who did that, and I believe he took our suggestions to heart.
We are extremely pleased with our remodeled master bathroom. We look forward to working with Randy and his team on future remodeling projects.

Be careful if you review Randy/​RRS Design and Build.
I wrote a review in August 2014.
Then in January 2015 had problems with work they had done and contacted Randy. He said he would not assist/​correct unless I changed my reviews. Said this in voice message and in email.
My review was honest and even his wife/​partner acknowledged on Angie’s List that they had dropped the ball regarding the communications.
Randy…how completely unprofessional to try and coerce rather than standing behind your work.
This is quote directly from the email he sent to me:
«…As I mentioned in my voicemail we will do no work until corrective reviews are done on both Unilocal and Angie’s list. We have not taken your recent reviews lightly at our company at all. If you are unwilling to do so I’m afraid John’s recommendation will all I’ll be able to offer you…
Randy»
Side note — at least the plumber that did the work was ethical and came out despite being told not to and re-​attached the shower faucet that had fallen out of the wall.

We had so many problems with Randy Stringer at RRS Construction (also doing business as RRS Design + Build) that it is hard to summarize it without writing a mini-​novel. We had a TERRIBLE experience and if I could give him 0 stars I would. Our project was left unfinished, with all kinds of errors, and damage to our property. We had to hire another contractor just to fix the mistakes Randy made and to get the project completed.
As in another review, we met Randy and Cara at a home show and they were charming and seemed capable. (we had been given Randy’s name by another builder who «knew» him through the builders association — but hadn’t worked with him — so we went to meet him to see if he was a good fit for our project.)
At the home show, Randy touted his designer and that she would create designs for us. Which never actually happened because she was too busy per Randy. Did I mention that his «designer» is actually his wife and, per Randy at the time, she had a full time job with a medical company. No wonder she was too busy. She probably does lovely work but alas, we never saw it.
The problems and red flags with Randy surfaced very early on however we trudged forward thinking that, in the end, it would be a successful project. I actually documented every single day of the project in writing (and many photographs) for my own use — what Randy said would happen, who actually showed up (or didn’t show up) to do work, how long they were here, what they accomplished (or didn’t accomplish), the errors that were made (by date), the damage that was done, the items that were missing, etc.
First warning signs should have been Randy not documenting anything and then forgetting every single conversation we ever had. And the accusing us of changing things on him. When we asked him to provide us with examples of the supposed changes he couldn’t and didn’t.
And Randy not showing up (sometimes weeks at a time) to inspect the work of his team — instead he told us they were «texting» him photos. Really, you can’t find the time to stop by and inspect your jobs and ensure your people are doing a good job? Instead telling us you were kept in the loop via text messages with photos from them? In a small town like Austin when you have another job less than 6 miles away per your tile guy who was working both jobs? (and who told us that you had loads of problems at that job as well).
We then experienced Randy doing some of the work himself and doing it with major errors — framing out of alignment, moving plumbing fixtures without plumber’s knowledge which then required a complete tear out of sheet rock by plumber to fix and left us with different textured walls and many other problems.
Randy and his team did not show up for days and then weeks at a time due to other jobs then accused us of delaying the project.
Damage to our property by his people — his tile guy dropped a box of bathroom tile on our living room hardwoods and damaged them but never replaced or made any attempts to fix the damage. Damaged our deck when they performed tile cutting work outside and broke our alarm system sensors.
His people also took some of our tools — perhaps by accident — but when we asked for them we never got a response or our tools returned. Still do not have them.
Randy left the project unfinished. Sub floor exposed in closet, out of alignment sheet rock (we later learned he fired his sheet rock team after they did a terrible job at another property however he never fixed the crooked wall he left us with), unfinished walls, hole in ceiling with insulation exposed, hole in floor, poor grout job that we had to fix ourselves and on and on.
His tile guy constantly complained to us that he wasn’t getting paid by Randy, he couldn’t pay his bills, his truck was being repossessed, etc. all while we had paid Randy directly for the work. His tile guy (who owns his own flooring and tile company) didn’t show up when he said he would, always asking us for money when the agreement was for us to pay Randy, complaining over and over about the stairs (didn’t you notice the stairs when you came to bid the project given that the project was clearly on the 2^nd floor??), damaging our hardwoods and our deck and not fixing the damage, etc.
I could go on and on with more problems and details (remember when I said I documented it all?) however you get the gist.
We had to hire another contractor to finish the job. And by the way, we found the reputable contractor through Randy’s plumber who saw first-​hand the issues with Randy’s work and recommended someone else to us to get it done the right way.
I would advise to STEER CLEAR of Randy Stringer at RRS Construction (and RRS Design + Build). With so many good contractors in Austin there is no need to work with this guy, his sub par team or his complaining tile guy.