Cherry Design + Build

Super late on the review.
Project took place on April — 2015
Sam and team designed and took care of our kitchen remodel and they did a fantastic job. Would highly recommend. Going to a large project as a remodel there were several points of concerns and I believe the team delivered.
Cost — I had 4 bids on hand prior to finalizing and Sam’s was right in the middle. I chose to go with him as he was builder/​owner as I like doing business with less layers and when the owner is very close to the project itself.
Lead time/​change of plan — The time between signing of contract and work start, Sam was readily available for questions and is flexible to the originally scoped out plan. We had plan to knock a wall down to create a doorway but changed our mind. Sam was quick to respond back with new work scope and cost impact. Given the fact that we just shaved off money from the project, we were never pressured to keep with the original plan to keep with higher dollar amount.
Construction — They team was great, showed up at 8AM consistently and cleaned up the best they can at days end. Final product was as discussed, very well done. No complaints.
Timing — scoped out 6 weeks, completed in 6 weeks.
After Service — This is where I believe the team impressed the most. Given the scope of the project, there WILL be slight oversights it’s expected and no big deal. Mine was an overlooked caulking under counter top and improperly installed dishwasher. I email Sam as I discovered the problem and he had a guy at my house the next day to take care of it. Need to emphasize that these event happened after the final payment has been made.
Overall, really enjoyable set of guys that delivered on time, within cost and provide solid after service care. Feel free to message for any specific questions or reference.
Currently thinking about re-​doing our basement and Sam is again on top of our bid list.

Cherry Design and Sam Adams crew are A+ in our book. Easy to work with, Good craftsmen, Great integrity. Thanks Sam
Brian Decker
Designer Design Inc.

Sam and his crew just finished up a to-​the-​studs kitchen remodel for us and man, it looks fantastic! Somehow Sam’s design managed to make our small kitchen more open, and give us more counter space, and give us more storage space all at the same time. It’s functional and beautiful and perfectly executed. He pays attention to every little detail — for example, our old sloping house has floors and ceilings that are far from level. Each of the cabinets are installed at an incremental angle so that our countertops and stove are actually flat despite the fact that the floors they’re installed on are not. The tile above the countertops that reaches the ceiling is cut at an incremental angle so it’s in line with both the countertops and the (sloping) ceiling. Tiny details that we didn’t even know we cared about — he nailed them all. He and all his crew were a pleasure to work with, professional, friendly, and they kept things as clean as possible during the remodel, which made a huge difference as we were still living in the house when it was under construction. He finished the job exactly when he said he would, and the only cost overruns were where we changed the project mid-​stream. I can’t recommend Cherry Design & Build enough — everything about our experience was 100% positive. Any future work we do on our house, there’s no question we’ll be going back to Sam!

The Cherry Design + Build team turned a dilapidated outbuilding into an incredibly sweet cottage for us. Sam’s got a great eye and gave us good advice. He worked with our budget and ran with our interest in using salvaged materials where possible (to gorgeous effect). When there was a problem with the concrete floor that his subcontractor poured, he was on it immediately and made sure that everything got fixed to our satisfaction. His team is friendly and considerate (and made sure our neighbors never got irritated with our construction project), and they do beautiful work. I would highly recommend them.

Smart & Quality Work are the best characteristics you can hope for in a contractor. Sam bid our job quickly, and was the only contractor we spoke to who could think outside the box to fix a simple yet complex problem we needed addressed. He came in on-​budget and on-​time and the level of the work is top-​notch. I have already recommended him to friends and will absolutely use him in the future.

Sam built me a great second story deck, replacing a rotting roof over my back porch. Also had to punch out a whole in the wall and installed a door for access to my new deck. It’s beautiful and I am super excited to spend time out there, just in time for the summer. Sam managed the project start to finish seamlessly, was very friendly and great to work with!

Sam and his crew were excellent people to work with. We would definitely hire them again. They remodeled our kitchen, replaced two windows, redid all the baseboard trim, doors, door trim and door jambs, and coordinated refinishing the hardwood floors on the first floor of our house. We had to deal with some significant delays in our project, but they were never the cause of the delays and always helped guide us in resolving them. Their advice was very helpful. Because of delays, our project ran right up against our wedding that was in our house. Sam and his crew worked as hard as they could to ensure we had a functional kitchen for our wedding. It was not only functional, but looked beautiful. The whole house looked amazing, all thanks to Cherry Design + Build.

Sam of Cherry Design + Build built out our second floor/​loft space and built our stairs. He came, consulted, and had a bid to us within 2 days. Throughout construction, he kept us well informed and stuck to the timeline (woohoo!). He’s easy to work with, affordable, and we love our new space! Highly recommended.

I received these guys as a referral from a roofing company I was getting bids from. Without looking at the reviews on Unilocal, I gave Cherry Design + Build a call. They came out the same day to take measurements, sent me a bid that night (just like Sam said he would). We gave them the nod because the price was in line, they were on time and when we said we needed it done quickly, they were able to start in two days.
I am SO glad we went with Sam & Eric. They were ON TIME (like, actually showed up when they said they would)! I’ve had prior work done in our house & sometimes I would wait 30 minutes before receiving a call that X company was running late– or were going to be a complete no show. NOT with Cherry. They were awesome. I’ll hire them again– most definitely!
In my opinion, they went above and beyond! We LOVE our new deck!

We were in the 2^nd phase of re-​modeling our Seward Park home. We had a master bedroom closet system to be installed and decided not to do it ourselves, even thought they shipped from Technik with self-​install instructions. We figured we would like to have them professionally installed.
Did a quick review of who was available in our area on Unilocal and after reviewing comments and websites, decided to call Cherry Design+Build. Sam stopped by and reviewed what had to be done and BAM! He had an estimate to us in less than 2 hours. The estimate was very reasonable so we contracted with him to install the system. Sam showed up promptly on the day of installation. When he was done the closet system was installed beautifully.
We feel like kings, after living for a year with no closet system to hang or store clothes in our remodeled master bedroom. If we have more home remodel or install project, we will be calling CD+B again.

We’re now wrapping up our remodel, which involved moving an interior staircase, rearranging walls to create new bedroom spaces, and adding skylights, closets, and a kitchen cabinet. Sam came in with the lowest bid, along with very prompt and polite communication, so we chose Cherry Design + Build for the project, and are glad we did.
For us the timeline was especially important. We were anxious to get the largest parts of the work done during the summer and move back into our house in time for school to start. Sam and Eric understood this, and thanks to their efficient work, we were able to get back into the house in plenty of time. They brought in subcontractors for certain elements of the work (e.g., asbestos removal, electrical), and coordinated those visits into the project schedule without a hitch. And though we had a design ready from an outside architect, Sam and Eric clearly have good design eyes themselves, finishing the work attractively and elegantly in all details. Sam was also great about staying in touch. While we were out of the house, he emailed us pictures and updates every few days, and answered our questions promptly.
In a world where the word «contractor» usually brings forth complaints and groans, if not horror stories, we were wonderfully pleased with the Cherry team. They showed up on time, did the work smoothly and well, paid attention to detail, and were pleasant and friendly to have around when our schedules overlapped. We’ll be happy to hire Sam and Eric again for future projects. Thanks, guys!

Sam and Eric («Team Cherry») just finished an extensive kitchen and fireplace remodel on my 1952 mid century home. I had interviewed several contractors and Sam impressed me with his ability to not only design the kitchen but to build it as well. I decided to hired Sam because I liked his work ethic, the way he communicated and his honest approach. These attributes remained throughout the whole project. Overall the remodel went very smoothly thanks to the talent of both Sam and Eric. It was a pleasure having them around. Thanks guys!

We recently worked with Cherry Design & Build to make turn our duplex house back into a single family home. The design process was instructive and actually kind of fun. Sam was open to our ideas while also providing great insight and guidance. We ended up with a fabulous and functional design.
The construction process went smoothly. Sam and his crew were neat, tidy, and respectful of our space. They were always cheerful and happy to explain the process to us. Transforming our house from a duplex involved rebuilding the stairway, creating a new landing, building new walls and ceilings, dry wall, painting, removing of popcorn ceiling, new lighting, doors, and installing bamboo flooring. Every detail was beautifully attended to from the switch placement to the trim.
We plan to work with Sam and his crew on both our minor and major renovations moving forward. We cannot recommend them enough!

Sam, Eric, and Tucker and their subcontractors did an amazing job redoing 2 of our 3 bathrooms. Sam’s initial walk-​through and preparation led to smooth process from start to finish. They were ready for anything they would come across (including indecisive house-​owners), and the age of the house (built in 1901) did not throw them off their plan. They even took interest in the house’s history when they uncovered newspaper from the decade it was built.
They were on-​site when we expected them and always made sure the area was as clean as possible when leaving for the evening. Overall, working with Cherry Design + Build was a very positive experience, and they are definitely the frontrunner for our upcoming kitchen remodel. Let Sam put in a bid for your next job!

This review is for a series of three projects that Cherry Design+Build did for us over the last 5 years. They include: a to-​the-​studs kitchen remodel, the installation of a dormer and new bathroom on the top floor, and an expansion of the existing bathroom on the main floor.
Overall, the experience with the design phase and the build phase was outstanding. Sam was very attentive to incorporate our functional needs in in every way, while drafting designs (that we loved) that updated our 1915 Craftsman to the modern era.
The craftmanship for construction and finish work was impressive — from the demolition (the crew cleaned up fastidiously every day before they left), to the choice of cabinets, flooring, and fixtures. The kitchen in particular has shown to be a truly functional design, 5 years later we still find it easy and fun to cook in, and continue to regularly get compliments on how great it looks.
We would work with Sam again (in fact have a brand new project in-​process) and recommend him wholeheartedly to folks who are considering a renovation of any kind. He seems especially skilled with older houses — keeping period details intact, while enhancing with well-​matched modern design and building.

REMODEL: Front Porch (including sealing foundation, installing french drains, residing, gutters)
DURATION: ⁸⁄₁₁ to ⁹⁄₁₄
COST: $ 43,000
DESCRIPTION OF WORK:
Extensive front porch remodel to address structural and drainage issues for our 1920’s era single family home. The project scope required work on every surface of the house from the foundation to the roof. The porch was completely removed exposing part of the attic. The full front foundation of the house was excavated for water seal and installation of a french drain plus tight lines for the downspouts allowing water to drain safely into the back yard. A basement egress window was also installed, so the concrete foundation needed to be cut to accommodate that window. The entire house front was re-​sided, painted and needed to have a seamless appearance with the historic character and the existing roof line. We have a narrow lot so the crew had to work around existing trees and planting beds.
COMMENTS:
Sam Adams, the owner of Cherry Design Build, was very professional, responsive and trustworthy throughout the entire project. He was respectful and thoughtful as he worked with us using our architect’s plans. He was diligent in understanding our intentions and also very good about pointing out potential issues as well as suggesting helpful details where the plans were less specific. He understands older homes (his home is of a similar era and his website shows his renovations to his own home… a plus in appreciating his attention to detail).
Sam also has outstanding subcontractors… all equally attentive, careful in their work, responsive, and very effective/​efficient. Someone was on site EVERY day… so we had progress that was stunning to us and the neighbors. Sam’s ability to time his subs so that there were no lags in production speaks to a real understanding of the business. This business acumen showed whenever changes came up… he was crystal clear on the fixes and the costs. He got agreement with us and documented that agreement immediately. We were always clear about what was happening. Cherry Design Build was not the least expensive bid and they weren’t the highest, which we believe demonstrated the «goldilocks» approach of just right!
Of special note was the tremendous respect Sam and his crew (Tucker and Eric) showed with each other and with their subs. One of our neighbors commented that she overheard a discussion where there was some confusion around a task. She was stunned at how respectfully they treated each other and resolved the issue. They were also kind to the local kids and very good with our cats. Finally, they were very, very tidy! Our site was very organized throughout the process… which was a relief given our tight lot. As a result, we had no real surprises and we engaged them to install some closets in the basement while they were here! Our experience with Sam and his crew was a wonderful one and we will ask them to do any further construction work in the future.