JM Design Build

DO NOT HIRE THIS CONTRACTOR!!! The contract to refinish our basement was signed in August 2018. The work was to be completed by Thanksgiving or Christmas 2018 at the latest and it is currently still unfinished as of November 2019. We were knowingly lied to about permits from the beginning. After continuously requesting to see permits and inspection reports, the Project Manager, Jerry Salupo, finally admitted no permits were applied for at all (February 2019). The initial 8-week delay in project start was because it “took longer than usual to get permits”. The first line of the contract states that they were responsible to obtain all permits and inspections. We then stopped access to home until permits were issued. After this, they could not get their plans approved by the local building department even after several renovations. The work was not done to code and has caused a very dangerous situation that must be addressed at our own cost. They installed only 1 egress window and it doesn’t provide enough space for even a child to climb out (where 6 small children sleep). They are responsible for knowing the code. This is probably why their revised plans would not be approved by the building department. They charged extra for work not done: to move a wall they put in the wrong place; to level floors (over which they laid flooring anyway causing the floors to buckle and warp); to remove awnings (with no attempt to repair the damage caused to the porch soffit). Most of the drywall work was done by an unsupervised apprentice. It needed extensive repair. Only one person was working, intermittently, and we were not told when or if anyone was going to show up or pulled after only a few hours They gave constant excuses as to why work was performed poorly or not done at all, often claiming of ignorance or surprise at poor work. The Project Manager did not supervise or check on work. We often had to call him to complain and called the owners to come out on several occasions. We sent the first Certified letter with deadlines for resolution before terminating the contract. They did not pick it up for a month. The deadline to contact us had passed by then. In an attempt to give them one last chance to rectify the situation, we sent another Certified letter on October 22, 2019 and left a voicemail telling them it was coming. When the second letter came back “Return To Sender”, we called again, talked to the Project Manager who agreed to pick it up at our home the next day. It has never been picked up.

Like the rest of the reviews from the past year, these guys talk a good game when you meet them and leave you disappointed with the finished product. When you go with a professional to do a project, you expect them to do it right and with quality. Not these guys. I’ve been trying to contact them since July about the grout eroding from your tile floor, which was done in March. Their website claims a 5 year warranty, but I highly doubt they’ll respond by that time comes. If you have any imperfections or dents in your wall, don’t expect them to patch them properly. They’ll just paint right over it and think that’s good enough. I’m no professional by no means, but these guys are a joke. I’ve fixed many things things they cut corners on. You’d be better off doing it yourself because they sure don’t have a clue how to run a business let alone give a quality end result. I could go on about their mishaps, but I’ll spare you the details. Please learn from me and don’t give these guys your business.

Five years ago this company installed a composite deck for me. They claimed it was TREX product. It was not. They got it from Home Depot. They claimed they knew how to install it. They did not. Boards were installed too close together and they warped within months. JR came back the following spring to try to fix it. As the picture show, this was a complete failure. Pooling water, warped and wavy boards make this project a complete failure. Total incompetency!

After a good initial meeting it was all down hill from there. While remodeling our first bathroom multiple things were installed improperly. The bathtub,tile, exhaust fan all had to be redone. While trying to shove a supply duct between two joists they managed to bust a hole and knock down a light in our kitchen ceiling. Then they were going to just put the light back up without patching the huge hole in our ceiling. Luckily I was home at the time and caught this.The gentleman that butchered our first bathroom was taken off the job. We should not have allowed them to continue with our master bathroom. They had a new gentleman work on our master which seemed to be working better...that was until they finished our bathroom and my wife was taking shower one week later. I was in the kitchen below and water started pouring through our ceiling. They forgot to seal our shower floor properly! We obviously didn't use them on our kitchen remodel. While working on my kitchen remodel we found that they incorrectly pitched the drain pipe in our master shower and switched the hot and cold water lines. We found multiple other issues including electrical problems that were fire hazards. I spent hundreds of dollars fixing their problems and Jeremy the owner was supposed to send us a check to pay for their mistakes...5 months later I still don't have a check. I would like to warn anyone out there not to use this company. We have spent much more money than we ever imagined trying to fix their problems.

Very disappointed. Company was polite in the beginning and then rude throughout. Workmanship was lazy and aloppy. We still have a lot of repairs we have to make as a result of their work. In addition, workers used our tools, equipment, and our personal items/food and left permanent stains on our counters. Would not recommend to my worst enemy.

My wife and I had a pleasant and professional first meeting with JM. This relieved us as this was different than other quotes. We were given a tidy 6 week schedule for work. That was basically the last time things went according to plan. After the first week, what we were told rarely took place. Our home was often left a mess. We had workers use our personal groceries as if it were a convenience store. We constantly had to check and double check work and re-ask for simple tasks to be completed. We lost power in 50% of our house for 6 weeks and their team could not figure out the issue, suggesting a total rewire until I had an outside electrician come in, who fixed the issue in a matter of hours. Plumbing work has lead to leaks on multiple occasions. There were multiple days when we would have one or two worker show up for 2-3 hours and leave. I am still cleaning up paint off of my floors in several rooms. Although JM usually responded to our requests, it was often after the 2nd, 3rd time leaving us feeling like they didnt care. They ran out of material and lost items that we purchased delaying the project even more. The final product took 15 weeks. I am writing this review 2 weeks after they have left because my house is now gushing water AGAIN from a shower that they installed. I chalked a lot of what happened up along the way to the nature of renovation, but this goes far beyond unexpected hiccups. I already am concerned about what my house will look like 6 months from now if we are having issues less than 2 weeks after they have packed up. I would not recommend them to my worst enemy. **Updating my review*** Although I was not at all satisfied with the process for much of the project, JM did come back to completely rectify all of the issues that my wife and I had. They came back until we were both satisfied and stayed within the original terms of the contract and as a good will gesture, fixed an issue that was not their doing. I am appreciative of that and we are very satisfied with the final result.

JM Design Build far exceeded our expectations with the entire process. While vetting several builders in the Cleveland area, JM shot up to the top of our list for a couple of reasons. My brother-in-law used JM to do a remodel of their kitchen/dining room, and I was very impressed with the quality of their work. I was also impressed by how responsive and courteous they were with their replies. You'll be shocked at how prompt the responses are. I don't like to bother people on the weekend, but that didn't stop JM from providing me details and info during the weekends, when I wasn't expecting it. We were very happy how accessible Kevin the owner was during the entire process. They were very easy to communicate with and treated us with patience as we went back and forth with questions regarding the scope of the project, and trying to fit within our budget. We determined JM Design was our builder of choice because: 1. They were very responsive, courteous, and up front with all the information we were looking for 2. The quality of their work was easy to see with pictures from their website, and seeing the work they provided for a family member 3. Their price was fair compared to other quotes we received (Not the cheapest, but we’ve made the mistake with going with the cheapest too many times). 4. We had a very unique and challenging design in our minds. Rather than suggesting less complicated or easier designs, JM loved the idea, and confident they could make it a reality 5. They invested the time to respond to dozens of email/text questions/concerns and made several trips to our home to help us discover the best plan for our budget Once we signed the contract and started the build, I was surprised that JM Design Build continued to treat us like they were earning our business, as other contractors we've used didn't seem to be as pleasant once they secured the business. As each working day would end, JM's team would clean up the job site, leaving it secure, and removing any hazards, which allowed my family to continue using the back yard, and my dog to run around without the threat of stepping in anything that could hurt him. These guys were very flexible during the build as we wanted to make last second minor changes, Kevin the owner worked with us to provide multiple options, and worked with us to provide multiple drawings of the project so we can get it right. JM was very diligent while working with our city to follow very specific building codes, and inspections. We cannot say enough about the building team. It didn’t take long for the experience and expertise of their carpenter Neil to show, as the small details of the project were very impressive. Our neighbor went out of her way to tell me how she was impressed with how detail oriented the build team was. She said, “I knew you were going to get a quality product because how detailed everyone was being.” Kevin the owner pointed out a couple of things that he thought weren’t perfect and that we didn’t even notice, and they would fix. My wife and I are extremely happy with the final product. We were expecting the worst based on our previous experience with multiple builders, but we ended up with the best. JM Design Build finished our project on time, and never once came to my wife and I asking for more money than we agreed on. In fact I know they had to make additional fixes they weren’t planning on, because of mistakes or poor work done by the previous builder of the deck. JM Design Build IS THE FIRST builder/contractor that my wife are happy to refer.

My husband and I worked with Kevin and his team at JM Design Build twice in the past two years, first to upgrade our master bath, then in our kitchen. We also had them build a custom entertainment center. They were great to work with and did great work. Their prices were reasonable and they were reliable, professional and friendly. I love our home even more with these beautiful additions. Many thanks to Kevin and his team for great work.

My family and I used JM Design Build when remodeling our kitchen! After interviewing a few other perspective contractors, we decided to use JM Design Build and could not have been happier with our choice. As a whole, everyone we came into contact with was respectful, knowledgeable, and hard working. JM was extremely accessible, helpful with selections, and produced a great finished product! We could not have been happier with the timely fashion that everything was concluded and the quality was excellent; it was more than we ever expected! Their design team uses cutting edge ideas and was able to give us additional feedback on some future remodeling projects in our home.

JM Design Build handled the installation of my quarts kitchen counter. Everything was handled professionally. They arrived on time every time, did great work and cleaned up. They are nice guys that you would want to do business with. I will use them again.

Great company to work with. Jerry and Sal are very talented and hire the best specialists to get a great out come for a project. Have used them three times for major work and will use them again when it comes time for additional work.