Hometown Design-Build & Allens Creek Cabinetry

My wife and I had a really positive experience with Hometown Design-Build (HDB). If a family member or close friend was looking to do a significant renovation project and wanted high quality work, I would definitely recommend HDB to them. Our project was a gut kitchen renovation with some additional stuff thrown in. The additional stuff included updating a powder room, preserving an existing ~140 year old built-in butler's pantry, removing a partly structural wall, filling in windows, opening up a new window, removing a chimney that was original to the house, and re-routing a short staircase and hallway. The additional stuff is the main reason I'm glad we hired HDB. They have a lot of knowledge and experience with old houses like ours, and had good common-sense advice when it came to both the designing and the building phases of the project. They somehow managed to make the very new modern, high-end construction blend in with the very old, existing Victorian-era details in the home. It is a pleasure to come home to everyday. Our project cost a lot of money (more than we had originally planned) but I would not say it was expensive. I don't think we could have paid less for a similar quality and scope of work. In sourcing the work we also spoke with an architect and a larger kitchen+bath specialty shop, and HDB was definitely competitive, probably even cheaper for the same scope of work. We changed some things during construction that incurred extra costs, and I thought the charges for those additional items was reasonable. We were relocating to Rochester and the project began before we lived here. Dan (the owner and main design person at the company) was super helpful during this period. He was flexible about meeting us at the house when were happened to be in town, and helped facilitate some things (like our donation of existing house fixtures to Habitat for Humanity) while we were out of town. It gave us peace of mind to know that he was stopping by the house semi-regularly. He also recommended some roof and insulation contractors that we could use independent of his project. The people he recommended were excellent and also very competitive on price when compared to other quotes we sourced ourselves. We had hoped to have the project mostly done before we fully moved in, but the city of Rochester took forever with the permits. I don't think Dan/HDB could have done much about this delay. While no one wants to move their family into a construction zone when they first settle in a new city, HDB did what they could to make us more comfortable. In the end the delay may have been a blessing in disguise. Having HDB coming and going as we settled into a ~140-year-old home was very helpful. They had tons of advice for how to deal with little things that came up once we were living in the house, and fixed some small things without charging us. Just the advice they gave us has probably saved us thousands of dollars, not to mention time/headaches.

Dan, Jim, and Team did a wonderful job reimagining our kitchen. Throughout the process, they were transparent about the status, gave their opinions without any pressure whatsoever to make a certain decision, and built our new kitchen with readily apparent pride and craftsmanship. I'm stunned by how the final product matches the original renderings so accurately -- this was our first construction project that had no unpleasant surprises! The team was like part of the family, and we were on a first name basis with everyone who came in to work on the project. Our home was always left clean and secure, making it much easier to be here while the construction was taking place. Through temporary walls and a dining room magically turned into a temporary kitchen that the team set up, we had a somewhat normal life as this was all taking place. We absolutely wouldn't hesitate to hire Hometown again or recommend them to anyone seeking a team that will work closely with you and truly care about your home.

Dan and his team did a wonderful job bringing our kitchen remodel dreams to life. From the design process onward, we felt our vision and goals were heard and were the driving force of the project. The team was flexible and provided great communication throughout the remodel process. I would recommend Hometown Design-Build to anyone in the Rochester area looking for a personalized approach to redesigning their home.

We hired Dan to do a total renovation on our 1920s craftsman home and could not be happier with the results. Dan, Matt and Jim were incredibly respectful and professional throughout the project. Dan was able to help design an open concept layout yet keep the integrity and craftsman feel of our home. We were so thrilled with their work that we are now doing several more projects with them. Highly recommend Dan and his team!

We hired Dan and Jim 3 years ago to do extensive remodeling on our home on Keuka Lake. They're incredibly knowledgeable about the design and build process, and worked with us from planning and design through demo and construction. Their high level of responsiveness, effective communication and professionalism are especially noteworthy, given our location and the high demand for contractors. We will continue to work with them as we complete our checklist of projects. Thank you Dan and Jim!

If you are unsure about who to hire for your next project, I would save the time and stress deciding who to go with and hire Hometown Design Build. Dan and Jim recently completed a pretty major renovation of the first floor of our home, which included the removal of walls and a complete redesign of the kitchen and dining room, access to the backyard, demolition of an existing fireplace and chimney, and redesign and rebuild of a front room fireplace and built-ins. Our main desire was to be able to live and grow in a house we love but whose existing framework did not serve our family’s needs – Dan not only made that happen, but the finished product has far exceeded (in both look and quality) what we ever imagined our home could be. We trusted his advice and ideas, and the people he hired for jobs that he and his father were not themselves able to do were the very best in the business. Dan is a calming, attentive, and grounded force – qualities that cannot be understated during a large-scale home renovation – and he is far more mature and knowledgeable than people I’ve worked with who are twice his age. We could not be happier with the work they’ve done, and will absolutely be hiring them for our next project.

We met Dan and Jim just a few days after our house fire which was a total loss. We immediately felt confident that they were the right company for the job. From demo to design to rebuild, they managed it all. Dan had great design ideas for the house and worked with us to incorporate any changes or ideas we had. Jim latched on to my love of wood and incorporated it though out the house from the kitchen hood and island to the fireplace mantle that he built with old barn wood he had. We had to deal with delays because of Covid, but they always kept making forward progress. They were responsive to questions at any time and were good about letting us know advantages and disadvantages of choices that we were making. The subcontractors Hometown used on our house were as good as they are, and many times told me that we had made a good choice with Dan and Jim who do things right. If there ever comes a time when we need to do another project, we would have no hesitation calling Hometown Design-Build.

Dan and his team completed our project with quality, craftsmanship, and attention to detail. Dan is honest, easy to work with, and has high integrity. His communication was responsive and he listened to us as customers. We highly recommend Hometown Design-Build!

Project was the addition of a bedroom suite and remodeling of kitchen. They were professional and thorough throughout project. Explained each phase of project prior to beginning. Finished product is exactly what I envisioned.

We hired Hometown Design and Build to carry out a rather major remodel of our house, tearing out the old kitchen and pantry and bumping out the back of the house to add a sunny nook breakfast area and full bath. The house was built in the late 1920’s with gumwood trim and arts and crafts style. We wanted the space to have all the modern conveniences while maintaining the style of the rest of the house. They worked intensively with us to design the space, select the cabinets, countertops, flooring, windows and tile. They saved as much as possible of the old gumwood trim and reused it creatively in the new space. They even mounted a pair of stained-glass windows that my wife had made into our new windows. There was not a gumwood door available for the sliding pocket door into the new bathroom, so they contracted out to have one custom made from poplar which they stained and varnished to match the old trim. The result far exceeded our initial expectations in every way. The project did take several months to complete, and the dust was sometimes overwhelming. If you want a quick and cheap job done, you should probably look elsewhere, but if you want meticulous craftsmanship by skilled and conscientious contractors who listen to your ideas and do their best to make them happen, I recommend Dan and Jim Ludwig and their company.

Hometown Design-Build was our contractor for a complete kitchen remodel that included removing and expanding walls and total rewiring. We appreciated the thoughtful suggestions regarding the design and products we purchased, quality of workmanship and attention to detail. Jim and Dan Ludwig were extremely helpful in making a multitude of decisions e.g. location of lighting, height of the stove hood, ceiling molding, cupboard handles. The herringbone tile backsplash adds a wonderful aesthetic quality to the kitchen. All of this at a reasonable cost. Jim and Dan Ludwig are terrific people with whom to work - honest, personable and efficient. Our kitchen is so functional and beautiful!

I cannot stop raving about Hometown Design-Build. They recently renovated our mudroom and playroom after some flood damage. Dan and Jim Ludwig were professional, knowledgeable and INCREDIBLY talented. We cannot say enough good things about them. THANK YOU! We absolutely love our new spaces. There is nothing these guys can't do.