Next Level Austin

It sounds impossible to have a wonderful kitchen remodel while you are living in your home, doesn’t it? However, that is what happened to us when we hired Janice Hanks of Next Level Austin.
Janice was in on every decision and listened to us carefully. Her ideas were better than what we could come up with! We are still so inspired by our kitchen and Janice’s thoughtful and creative touches are everywhere.
The work was done timely and considerately. We appreciated how Janice took time with us, listened to us all while never being late for a meeting.
Janice’s creativity blended with practicality is unique.
Plus she is fun to work with! She will not disappoint!

We had a very mixed experience with Next Level Design with our bathroom remodel.
On the positive side, the designers had many good ideas with a nice consideration of both practical and aesthetic issues. We also liked the vast majority of their ideas once implemented. Additionally, the designers were very responsive to our requests for assistance and feedback on new ideas and questions. They were also very accommodating to our schedules.
On the less positive side, they exceeded their original quote for the cost of the design by nearly three fold. Some of the additional cost was due to unforeseen questions, decisions we made, or issues that came up; however, much of the additional cost could have been avoided had the designers been more organized and detailed in their initial design. For example, Ms. Hanks approached our second meeting with little recollection of the design plans from our first meeting, which her assistant had documented, and we had to remind her of agreed-​upon design plans several times after our first meeting. Also, the initial design plan was missing a number of details, such as precise measurements and design components (e.g., materials and paint colors) and this lack of detail necessitated additional meetings.
At our first meeting, Ms. Hanks also said that she would use an assistant at our meetings who would cost less than half of the cost of a full designer. In fact, she never used the assistant after our first meeting and always employed a second full designer at all of our meetings, which also increased the cost.
Additionally, we were disappointed that the designers were less knowledgeable of the range and cost of vendors in the area. For example, we were stalled on deciding on a countertop for months because Ms. Hanks’ vendor required that we purchase a full slab when less than half a slab was all that was needed; and the resulting quote significantly exceeded our budget. On our own, we were, however, able to find a local vendor who would sell us countertop by the square foot.
Finally, we were dissatisfied with a small number of design elements and Ms. Hanks was sometimes helpful and sometimes less than helpful in working through these issues.
Ms. Hanks has many excellent ideas but we would be hesitant to recommend her services to anyone working within a modest budget.

Janice Hanks shows up at your door as a classy, highly sought after professional designer, but I am convinced that she wears a superhero costume underneath that business attire!
Where do I even start? I have worked with Janice on numerous occasions/​homes, from paint colors and staging to «whole house» top to bottom projects. She has been a game changer for my business and my own home. I am a Realtor, and when I bring Janice into a listing, I assist my sellers in selling higher and faster than the other homes in the neighborhood. Anything she touches turns to art, and she has left my clients speechless by her results.
On a recent listing, I sat down with an amazing client who said «We hate this house– get us out of here». The home needed a new roof, new paint, and updating everywhere and would be considered a «handyman’s special» if we listed– and we had a very small remodel budget. We also needed to sell this home high to get the seller what she needed out. I immediately called Next Level Austin. Janice picked out roof singles, exterior paint, interior paint, staging, door handles, and everything in between. With my listing strategy and Janice’s magic, we were able to list high and receive 3 full priced offers immediately. The only hiccup was when the seller fell back in love with her home after she was under contract with a buyer– Janice is that good! I promised her we could use Janice on her new home when she invests in one, and we both got excited. Working with Janice is a blast!
I did the same thing at my house. Having the wrong «feel» in your home is frustrating. I called Janice in and did whatever she said. I trust her this much. My home feels like a showcase, and my investment was less than half of what I expected it to be.
Janice is the best in her field and works with your budget. Working with her pays itself back twenty fold– I tell my clients when we are focused on their bottom line, we cannot afford NOT to call Janice– and I mean it.

I can’t say enough wonderful things about Janice Hanks of Next Level Austin. Next Level Austin specializes in interior (and exterior) design in home and office remodeling and in new construction. My husband and I worked with Janice four years ago with a complete remodel of the 1980s home we bought in central Austin, which had «great bones» but was very dated and needed a total overhaul. (Peach colored padded raw silk walls in the formal dining room, anyone?)
Janice was involved in every decision — from paint colors to flooring (new wood floors, tile and carpet throughout the entire house), lighting, plumbing fixtures, new granite countertops, down to helping me select new cabinet hardware for the entire house. The kitchen was a major part of the project — walls were moved, an island added, new appliances, new granite countertops, and many other changes. We had a tight timeline since we were still living in our previous house, which we had already sold, and the buyers wanted to move in. We worked with a fabulous contractor and between Janice and our contractor, we got the entire project completed in less than three months.
We updated the three bathrooms, but we left the old, small shower and bathtub (which we never used) in the master bathroom. Late last year, we decided that we were ready to do a total remodel of the master bathroom, with the main goal to get rid of the old shower and turn the bathtub space into a large, walk-​in shower. We contacted Janice again and worked with her to design the new bathroom (the old bathroom was completely gutted). As with the prior remodel, she thought of wonderful little touches that really made the new bathroom gorgeous; things I would not have thought of. She helped us select the paint and tile and made sure everything pulled together seamlessly. Every time I walk into it, I can’t believe how beautifully it turned out!
Janice is truly gifted, and her ability to choose colors and textures is phenomenal. She is able to look at a dated house or room and visualize what it *can* look like; something I have a hard time doing. She works with her clients to learn their tastes and style, and she then pulls it all together to create a space that is perfect for the client, whether the client’s taste is classic, modern or something in between.
I would recommend Janice Hanks and Next Level Austin to anyone who needs assistance with design. Check out the website; there are many gorgeous photos of her work (including some of my kitchen and new bathroom!).