Kerr Design Build is an award-winning Vancouver-based renovation and luxury home builder with over 30 years of experience. The company, formerly Kerr Construction & Design, has won multiple awards, including the Georgie Awards and SAM Awards. Our expertise as custom home builders allows us to successfully complete renovations or new home constru read more...
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I was very please with the end result of my renovation. Although it took somewhat longer than planned to complete the renovation most delays were outside the control of Kerr and due to materials not arriving on time. I liked that Kerr offered a fixed price contract so that there weren't any surprises in the end.
The Construction Manager, Mark Austin, and the Designer, Nisha MacNeil, were both excellent. Nisha made the design process easy, was able to understand my tastes and make great cost effective recommendations. Mark made sure all work was done to the highest standards, was always prompt in addressing any of my concerns and a pleasure to work with.
Overall I would highly recommend Kerr Construction.
I have done many renovations in the past, and this was easily the best managed project I have worked on. Mark is a great hands-on manager with a very can-do attitude. Whatever I wanted done, he found a way. He also made valuable creative suggestions, drawing on his extensive experience. He is a good communicator and helped me to foresee potential problems and guide me through solutions before making final decisions. He was always contactable if I had queries. Wherever problems arose he responded immediately, remained unruffled, and sorted them out to a high standard without delay. So I always felt 100% confident that the job was in good hands, and am thoroughly delighted with the high quality outcome.
We hired Kerr Construction to tear down our 25 year old bungalow right down to the concrete foundations, and rebuild it 50% larger as a Craftsman-style house. From demolition to move-in was only 6 months(!). Job was done cost-plus (our choice) and it was very well managed. No headaches, no big problems. And at the end our new home (3400 sq. ft) won a Georgie Award when it was finished! We loved it!
This company has made so many mistakes on our renovation, I really would need a book to describe it. We eventually had to get one of the partners to come in an manage the job as no one else apparently had the authorization to deal in a full, frank and fair fashion. In point form:
-put the footings for two structures in the wrong spot
-put the siding for the entire house on wrong (even the manufacturer would not warranty the installation...we had to argue with them to redo it correctly
-they did not dig out the crawl space to save time and money, but when it came time to give a credit for the work not done, they then said, "we were never going to dig out the crawl space". We had to fight them for it and it was CLEARLY written on the quoted plans. They finally gave us a credit of $7000 after we refused to pay them anything further and threatened them with mediation through the home owners protection act.
-they failed to insulate the new floor up to code. One worker told the inspector that he had done it properly. However, when we and the inspector checked...it clearly was only half of what code required. We again had to have them rip up the floor and put new insulation in (since there was no crawl space).
-they altered plans without our authorization
-they are unable to manage their sub trades. All of which made mistakes that we, as homeowners, had to supervise ourselves.
-they have misquoted their contract so utterly and completely that the job could never had been completed as signed.
-we were supposed to be done in July....as we are 4 months, going on 5 months overtime, they now are saying we have to pay for a heated tent for them...even though they are the ones that are late??!!!!
I cannot stress enough...DO NOT USE KERR CONSTRUCTION. I will try to update this again if we ever do get finished!
We definitely want to respond to this review.
Kerr Construction is a reputable, award winning company and has been in business in the Vancouver area for over 20 years.
We treat all of our projects in a professional manner and work diligently to have our clients dreams realized in their renovation.
There are numerous testimonials to confirm that point.
On this particular project firstly, we are still working there and completing the project for them and in a reasonable working relationship.
Our company has taken active responsibility for any of the said mistakes and in fact, remedied these at our own cost in all cases.
The initial slowdown on the project had to do with the Design phase which took longer than expected to satisfy their wants.
There was never any unwillingness on our part to deal with any of the problems that came up and we were never threatened or needed to be threatened with mediations.
No plans were altered without agreement and change orders signed.
We have always managed our own sub trades and the homeowner did not need to get involved.
We have been working steadily on this project and it is really magnificent.
Ms. Hsu was certainly jumping the gun on this review since we were scheduled to meet hours after she posted it.
It would have been far more logical to wait until the meeting and then if anything was not resolved do whatever she felt necessary to do.
On the basis that we are still working there with their blessings and actively dealing with the clients on a day to day basis we are requesting that this review not be posted. It just breeds bad relations for us and our Project Supervisor and crew. We have not communicated with them directly on this posting and chalk it up to some gross misunderstandings.
Yours truly,
Susan Kerr
Kerr Construction
Kerr Design Build has a TrustScore™ of 4.3. The average TrustScore™ for other businesses providing similar services in Vancouver and the surrounding areas is 3.1. For detailed information on how TrustScore is calculated, click here to learn more.
The following elements are used to calculate TrustScore:
Customer Reviews | Last 12 Months | All Time |
---|---|---|
Total Received | 1 | 24 |
Approved | 1 | 24 |
Unverified | 0 | 0 |
Suspicious | 0 | 0 |
Overall Rating | 3/5 | 4.4/5 |
Complaints Received | Last 12 Months | Last 3 Years |
---|---|---|
Suppliers & Creditors | 0 | 0 |
Employees & Sub-Contractors | 0 | 0 |
Transparency | |
---|---|
Posted License Information | Available upon request |
Posted Liability Insurance | Available upon request |
Posted Workers Compensation | Yes |
Company Website | Yes |
Social Media Profiles | |
Endorsed by Peers | Not yet endorsed |
In Business Since | 1985 |
Member of TrustedPros Since | 2006 |
TrustedPros does not validate certain information provided by contractors and vendors in conjunction with the creation or maintenance of their profile and we cannot endorse or guarantee the performance of any contractor. TrustScores are provided for informational purposes only. We urge you to use the TrustScore™ in conjunction with the tips provided in our Hiring Guide to maximize the probability of hiring the best professional for you project.
Kerr Design Build is an award-winning Vancouver-based renovation and luxury home builder with over 30 years of experience. The company, formerly Kerr Construction & Design, has won multiple awards, including the Georgie Awards and SAM Awards. Our expertise as custom home builders allows us to successfully complete renovations or new home constructions with our design talent, knowledge, and experience. We prioritize understanding our clients' wants, needs, and expectations and handle every aspect of the project from concept to completion within the agreed-upon schedule and budget.
Kerr Design Build was awarded Best of TrustedPros in 2016 for General Contracting in Vancouver.
Kerr Design Build was awarded Best of TrustedPros in 2015 for Bathroom Renovations in Vancouver.
Main contact(s) | Ryoko Donald |
Alternate Phone Numbers | 604-263-0343, |
Listed with TrustedPros since: | 2006 |
Residential work | Yes |
Commercial work | Yes |
Warranty | Warranty details not yet provided |
Accepts credit cards | No |
Year established | 1985 |
Offers financing | No |
24 Hour emergency service | No |
Legal structure | Incorporated |
Licensing information | Licensing information available upon request |
Insurance information | Insurance information available upon request |
Check local laws pertaining to license requirements and verify license and insurance details provided by the contractor prior to hiring.
Kerr Design Build has contributed 44 responses to the following questions posted in the 'Ask the Pros' forum