Homework Remodels

I contacted Homework Remodels a couple of years ago to give me a quote on a complete kitchen remodel. The owner of the company, Steve Shinn, answered my call and after some brief discussion, he offered to come to my home and look at the space. He was there the next day.
We first walked around a bit so that Steve could get a sense of the style of the home. He asked a lot of good questions about what I envisioned in terms of the remodel and he asked about my budget. We agreed that the kitchen needed to be gutted (it was an original 1956 galley kitchen — basically untouched) and that the goal should be to end up with a more open feel and a more contemporary look. I was adamant that I wanted the end-​product to be a very functional space, as I am an avid cook and I knew it had to be a top-​quality kitchen. Steve had some great ideas in terms of how to accomplish those goals.
One of the best things that Homework Remodels did was propose some flush-​mounted cabinets. He explained that we would need to build into the wall leading into the laundry room in order to create some depth for the cabinetry. I thought that was a fantastic idea, as it would create additional storage space in my kitchen — much of which was going away due to opening up the wall between the kitchen and the living room. I readily agreed to this proposal.
Homework Remodels also suggested that I use some type of glass on the new flush-​mounted cabinets to lighten things up a bit. All of the cabinetry in that room is dark wood (espresso), so I thought the use of ribbed and slightly opaque glass would really look great. Great idea!
The project ended up being a bit more involved than originally contemplated. One issue was that, in opening up the wall between the kitchen and the living room, we learned that the footings in my 1956 home were too shallow to pass muster with the City. The footings were required to be deeper and Homework Remodels was able to handle it without a problem. We also needed to widen a door to accommodate the new french-​door refrigerator that I had ordered. Steve worked with me in terms of coming up with a reasonable price to widen the door.
In the end, I now have a beautiful kitchen. Totally redone and totally functional. My opinion is that Homework Remodels did an excellent job on this project and I would recommend them to others.

Steve was very quick getting back to me and quoted me what I thought was a fair price for my master bath remodel. Aaron the Project Manager was always very polite and cordial, and they swept & cleaned up after each day they worked on my project. I was very happy with the outcome and their whole design process. I would recommend them for a bath remodel and definitely use their company again for my future projects.

I appreciated that Steve called me back right away, he could not take on my renovations but introduced me to Todd Whittaker drywall company .
Thank you

Original Review from February 2013:
Thanks to the «Homework» team for doing a fantastic job on our bathroom (complete remodel) and kitchen door to our 1920s «historic neighborhood» home. My wife and I are thrilled with the craftsmanship and attention to detail. The primary contractor, Rod, is just a great guy and clearly cares about the satisfaction of each customer. He noticed a few slight imperfections that we didn’t even notice and fixed them himself —and its that kind of attention to the little, tiny details that really makes a difference.
During the planning process we received several estimates from different companies, but we were impressed with Steve’s straight-​forward approach. When a delay on our end meant that he could not finish the job as initially promised, he was upfront about that, and didn’t fib or downplay it just to get our business. We found that refreshing and hired your company. A decision that we are glad we made. My wife and I give you our highest recommendation
DECEMBER 2015 UPDATE:
A few months ago we realized we had a serious leak in our bedroom. The remediation company thought the causation was the air conditioner and removed the heavily damaged wood flooring in our bedroom. As they continued remediation efforts we noticed «new» water pooling in our bedroom closet and realized the problem may be our shower. We called Steve at Homework Remodels and told him about the problem and asked him to come out and take a look. Steve came out the next day with his team and examined the problem. We couldn’t be home due to work, so we «trusted» Steve to let us know the problem. Steve removed part of the wall between the bathroom and the closet to examine the shower that his company had put in a few years ago.
Steve then called me at work to tell me that the problem was a big leak in the shower that his company put in. It seems the subcontractor made a serious mistake in order to get the waterproof «liniing» in and made it vulnerable to leaks. Steve then assured me, without being asked, that his company would fix the problem and fix everything. My wife and I were estatic to find that when something goes wrong, there are still folks who stand completely behind their work and their promises.
Now a few weeks later, the leak has been repaired and the shower completely redone (correctly). We are very happy the work and the continued integrity of his company. Keep in mind, we weren’t home when he inspected the leak and he really could have blamed it on anything –or even applied some sort of «quick fix» to the leak and covered it up. Instead he was completely honest and fixed it the right way. I have complete trust in Steve, Rod, and the Homework team and highly recommend them.

Met with Steve from Homework Remodels to quote out a master suite and bath remodel. He seemed friendly enough. We spoke on the phone prior to him coming out. I was clear about what we needed done: floor raised, support beam added, deep soaking tub etc… His only concern at that time was that I understood he was a real company with actual overhead. I assured him that all of the companies I would get quotes from would be real companies.
When he arrived, he spent 15 minutes here before telling me he couldn’t do the job. Couldn’t or wasn’t interested or didn’t think we were serious I’m not sure. It sounds like this company really isn’t equipped for anything more than a fluffy remodel with no building structure changes.

Homework remodels was a pleasure to work with and did a top quality remodel of our outdated bathroom. I would highly recommend Homework Remodels. They were always on time and really focused on the little things to make sure that the process was a smooth one for us.

Based on the couple of positive reviews here on Unilocal,I contacted Homework remodels for assistance with my renovation. I think Unilocalers got this one wrong…
My experience is from one year ago and just now got around to writing the review.
We did not have a very good experience with Homework Remodels. We have a 1940s historic red brick house that needs some exterior work. I contacted Steve, he came out and we discussed everything I wanted done to the house including new roof, new gables, new front porch, new front door, repair and restore casement windows, etc. From then on, I have not heard back from Homework Remodels (except the one time they called to tell me someone was going to come and look at the casement window exteriorly). NO quote or contact ever received after that!
I guess he must be doing really well and doesn’t need my business.

Steve Shinn of Homework Remodels has been a invaluable consultant on the slow but steady renovation of our 66 year old midcentury modern home. He helped us prioritize the work we needed done, then found reliable and skilled contractors to update our 60±year-old roof and air conditioning systems. He was sensitive to our need to maintain a historically intact roofline and recommended a foam process that has has since made a world of difference in the weatherizing of our home. The under-​eave board replacements also matched the historic character of the home. The crews arrived on time, coordinated well together and respected the surrounding property throughout the hot and messy job. We’re thrilled with the results.
Steve is clearly passionate about energy efficiency and is a leader in his industry asthe first remodeler in Phoenix to get certified as a Certified Green Remodeler, and has since been certified bythe Building Performance Institute as a building performance analyst. We’re so glad we chose Steve to help us make very important decisions that we anticipate paying off in the decades to come.

Homework Remodels is a full service design/​build remodeling company, specializing in historic through Mid-​Century Modern homes. Unlike many (most?) general contractors in town, Homework owner Steve and his staff really ‘get’ the MCM aesthetic and the challenges associated with remodeling older homes and their hidden ‘secrets’. In addition, they work with a group of sub contractor (electricians, plumbers, HVAC, carpenters who also ‘get it’.
Better yet, Steve is willing to work with his clients to determine the scope of work. This is perfect for weekend warriors like me, who want to do some of the the work themselves, but want a little help with things like rewiring. Homework was able to seamlessly coordinate ther various subs to ensure the the remodel went as smoothly and quickly as possible.
Also, Steve is a great design resource. He has a lot of experience working in older homes and with limited budgets, so can come up with solutions to problems that many contractors would shirk from. Our kitchen is a case in point. Steve was able to help us change a 1970s kitchen remodel disaster into an amazingly functional and sleek looking modern kitchen that still manages to respect (and even accentuate) the mid-​century bones of our 1951 ranch.