Homewerks Inc.

We chose Homewerks to remodel 2 bathrooms and our kitchen and we are so glad that we did. It turned into a great decision and we recommend using them. Initially, we had some reservations with Homewerks (due to some online reviews and a bad experience my parents had with their sister company, WindowWerks). Through the efforts of our designer and project manager, we gained confidence in Homewerks and we are proud of the results of the project. We would use Homewerks again in the future.
Designer — Our designer was Kathy, and we clicked with her from the moment we met her. She is friendly and knowledgeable about what goes together (i.e. colors /​tiling). After signing the contract, we started deciding on colors /​vanities /​tiles right away. Kathy had several examples in the showroom — and also met us at different showrooms/​stores in both Orland and in Chicago. She was able to quickly ascertain the kind of bathroom design we wanted and worked toward achieving that with her selections.
Kathy also handled problems that arose that we did not even know about until after the fact. For example, the hall bath’s backsplash became discontinued — which would have been a huge disaster as we had designed the bathroom around that backsplash. Kathy called several vendors and got a shipment of the last box of backsplash. We also had issues with the master bath quartz. Kathy handled all of these issues on her own and never seemed stressed and always presented different options to us. When life handed her lemons, she made lemonade for us. Which is exactly what you want in a remodeling company. A condo remodel is stressful enough and having a company eliminate some of the stress for us was much appreciated.
Contractor — Our contractor from Homewerks was Greg, and he was really good. I would use him (and his team) again in a heartbeat. During the demolition and remodel part, Greg was in constant contact with me. If I would text him a question, he would answer within minutes. A day would not go by that I didn’t hear from Greg. During this construction time, plans sometimes go awry and quick decision making is needed on the home owners part. It is a little nerve wracking for someone like me who likes everything planned way in advance, but Greg and his team made this process much easier. They would give me their opinions and while sometimes they needed answers right on the spot, sometimes they would give me a night to think about it.
Greg and his team worked extremely efficient, always abided by our condo rules, and cleaned up the condo when they left each day. I had no concerns about them being in our condo w/​o us there and I trusted them implicitly. While the time frame for our job was going to be about 8 – 10 weeks (according to the contract we initially signed), they finished everything in about 6 – 8 weeks — much to our pleasure.
While the positives outweighed the negatives, I would be remiss if I didn’t mention some of the issues we did have with Homewerks. As I look back, none were monumental, but they felt large at the time. We thought that the construction would start soon after the custom vanities were in. However, our project manager was on other projects and wasn’t available. It was several weeks before the demolition started — which when you’re trying to plan things, was a little frustrating for us.
While I really enjoyed working with Kathy, there were times where she was a little absent minded and not as communicative as I would have liked. I used email for a lot for communication with Kathy so as to minimize personal calls from my work. However, I found that days could pass before I would hear back in email from Kathy. Having done a remodel before, the details and communication are very important once demolition starts, and me being organized with exact measurements/​layouts beforehand is key.
One other issue that did arise related to the master bathroom backsplash. Kathy said she would order several samples, and we would then look at them at our next meeting. However, several meetings went by (as well as weeks) and those sample backsplashes never arose. Due to time constraints, I ended up ordering sample backsplashes online and having them over-​nighted to me (at an extra cost). Eventually, I chose one of those samples. But I just wish Kathy had been more forthcoming with me in that she had not ordered the other sample backsplashes.
Homewerks was not the cheapest remodeler that we interviewed — nor were they the most expensive. What we really liked about HomeWerks was that they were a one-​stop shop. They would help us on the design as well as do all the demolition and the remodel. Can I guarantee that you won’t have problems if you choose them? No. B/​c there is no perfect remodel of a house. There is always bound to be some problems that arise. It’s a matter of choosing the company that you work well with, and for us, Homewerks, Kathy and Greg fit that bill.

I picked Homeworks from an ad in our local paper and it was a great decision. I found the Sales person Mary Jo knowledge, experienced, and very professional. They promised I could get my bathroom remodeled in less than 1 month from ordering the supplies and completion of the bathroom and they did what they promised. The project manager Ron Linares is by far one of the best in his field. He is a perfectionist and goes above and beyond to give his customers all that they expect and more. He truly cares about doing an excellent job and helped guide us thru the process bringing all his expertise to the table. After that was completed we decided to hire Homewerks again to do the Master Bathroom insisting that Mary Jo and Ron Linares will be working with us on that bathroom. It has also been completed and again we have been extremely happy. They stand behind their work and I would highly recommend Mary Jo and Ron Linares.

The team at Homewerks did an exceptional job with the design and remodel of our kitchen. From start to finish this experience exceeded our expectations. There were 2 elements of the process that were truly impressive:
DESIGN AND CUSTOMER SERVICE: Kathy was a great listener and because of that she truly understood what was important to us in the new kitchen and how we wanted it to function. Kathy’s ability to take our thoughts and make them come alive in the renderings and ultimately in the finished product was outstanding. Throughout the process Kathy’s open communication, recommendations and guidance enhanced the end product.
PROJECT MANAGEMENT: Dana was an exceptional project manager. His attention to detail and his transparency regarding timing and process were appreciated. Also, we were impressed with how he insured that there were very few days when there wasn’t any progress being made on the kitchen. Given the number of skilled workers necessary to coordinate we were incredibly impressed

We have not yet had work done but are in the shopping process. We’ve had a beautiful drawing done and had hoped to move on a kitchen project ASAP. Unfortunately a problem with our existing flooring has put a kink in our plans. Having to reconsider our plans now as we have to replace flooring too. Through it all they have been fantastic. Good shopping experience so far.

We have signed up for bath remodel. So far it has been a good experience with Andy — hopefully Home Werks will continue to push their rating up by the time they finish the project.

what part of «no» don’t you people understand?! stop calling me!!!

Worst experience of my life! Ordered all new windows & doors beginning of May with the guarantee that it would all be completed by July 12^th. It is Sep 3^rd & it is still not complete. As a result all of our other home improvements have been put on hold. Nickel & dime you to death so what you think is the price doesn’t end up as the price. Sales man nowhere to be found after we gave the first downpayment check. Would never recommend this company to even my worst enemy!