Design Alternatives Inc.

After consulting and comparing other companies, we choose Design Alternatives to build a home few years ago. We initially had great confidence in their abilities, and we liked the fact that they were a local company. Despite their many years of experience, we found them to be lacking competence and professionalism in several areas. Mistakes were made that such an experienced builder should not make. There were gaps in the design drawings, pricing (we ended up spending WAY over budget) and attention to details were missed that you trust your builder for. For instance, door openings were made that weren't standard sizes. Consequently, we were forced to buy custom made doors and greater expense. Our confidence was eroding as the build continued and we let them proceed. In hindsight, we should have stopped the building and insisted on more accountability. Some flaws were corrected, but not all. On site project management seemed lacking. The most significant error made was that the entire staircase was built backwards and despite the obvious error, it was installed. The consequence of this decision is that we have a cavity to the basement from the living room, installed in such a way that a door cannot even be installed to close it off. Some the trade workers were very skilled and competent while others were quite lacking. Problems from the latter have continued to plague us. Near completion of the project, we were fed up and just wanted them off the site. We ended our relationship with Design Alternatives and brought in our own trades to finish the work. We are still redoing work that we paid Design Alternatives to do that was substandard. The screens of the screened in porch did not last one year, and they blew out of the frames. We paid for the work that was done. We are not unreasonable people and do not expect people to work for free. When we had our final building inspection for the occupancy permit, the inspector was at a loss for words for the descrepancy between the drawings and the backward staircase. We hope this review will help other consumers. Nuff said.