Skandia Design and Remodeling

I want to WARN anyone that looking to spend money with Skandia Remodeling. Paul Olsen remodel estimate was $75k and told me if I want to secure spot on schedule that I have to put $7500 down so that he can start in Feb 2022. so I put down money on Oct 13, 2021. Design was slow going so I ask to get money back - but contract show as design contract with no specific start or finish date and non-refundable (my mistake to not read carefully). April 2022: we finally show 3d rendering which turn out to be $120k and not included everything we want and he can start in June 2022. if moving forward $120k or stop now loose $7500 and don't get anything, not even plan, their plan is only pre-limitary not actually contractor plan. Hire designer is cheaper and you got full construction plan with more detail so you can get contractor bid. as of now, Paul hardly answer only his daughter (Meaghan Woehlert) who in Florida reply. since, I post this he finally reply and say he will not do the remodel. it is my lesson learn the hard way with this company. He can easily do this to anyone, as soon as you sign contract and give him money, he show you the design and he can just tell you he won't do the construction. you back to square one with money lost. There also no detail contract - their contract is 2 page that won't include detail and no cost. I asked about it and they said this is how they do business for decade. a lot of unknown. I want to warn anyone who want to do business with Skandia to be careful what you getting into. HAVE EVERYTHING IN WRITING specially date or you may be wait forever.

Paul, Meaghan and their crew did a fantastic job on our full basement remodel. Always available, transparent and honest as we threw curve-balls changing aspects of the original plan. The whole team was professional and we will definitely be hiring them again for other house projects. From design, construction and finishing work, this team made it seamless and easy to work with. The results are stunning!

We hired Skandia Design to do a total Kitchen Remodeling during Covid. Paul owns the company, manages the workers, and acts as construction manager. Meaghan, Paul's daughter helps with the design work. Upon initial visit, we provided Paul and Meaghan with our ideas and desires. They listen intently and provided design drawings with detail. We worked together modifying the final design, and they were incredibly supportive of our ideas and suggested changes. They provided a fixed contract budget which we felt was very reasonable. Working with Meaghan we then picked out the materials to be utilized. Paul's workers and staff were the most courteous and friendly we have ever met. He hires only the best within each trade. Their work flowed exactly as scheduled and planned and the timetable for completion was followed exactly. Paul was on-sight almost daily to check on the project. Paul was very open to small changes as the construction progressed and no additional costs were added. The workers were here daily and kept the workspace controlled for dust and always cleaned up before they left. The Project came in exactly as contracted. Paul even provided a cleaning service for the whole house clean-up upon completion. We are thrilled with the outcome and the workers loved the daily cookies provided.

Working with the team at Skandia was amazing, the entire process from design to construction was handled seamlessly. It was amazing during the design phase to see what our kitchen was going to look like before any construction was started. The final product actually turned better that what the design looked like and we couldn't have been happier with the results. Remodeling a kitchen can be very stressful but the team communicated expertly along the way and kept us on schedule and on budget, I would highly recommend Skandia to anyone who wants a professional and high quality remodel job done right!

We hired Skandia to remodel our 40 year old kitchen and take it from a dark, closed off kitchen, to a bright, warm and open kitchen that we are proud of!! We were so very pleased with Paul and his crew during the entire process!!! Paul, along with his daughter, who did the design themselves, had so many ideas to improve our kitchen... many more ideas than we could have ever thought of. We appreciated the creativity and helping us think outside the box (we never through of knocking walls down and opening it up until he recommended it)... at the same time, we came to the table with a few ideas of our own (once we liked his idea of opening up the walls, I came up with the idea of the arched opening, which is our favorite part), Paul always listened and help us incorporate our wishes into the design, and then proposing other ways to add character and functionality, all while staying on our budget!!! Paul was very budget conscious and never pointed us towards something that would take us over our budget! !! We appreciated his easy going nature and he was never pushy!! The subcontractors were prompt and on time with there section of the job, and his subs did excellent work! !! We really grew to like a few his subs and considered them friends!!!! Paul and his subs were kind and polite to our family, little girl and our dog!!! They finished our remodel in 7 weeks time, which far exceeded the original time line and our expectations!!!!! We highly recommended Skandia to do any project in your home! !!!

My project was a root-and-branch kitchen design/rebuild. The original house dates from 1897 but it's been jerked around and added onto quite a bit so that the kitchen is now the very visible center of the house. I wanted to roll the kitchen and old dining room plus a disused bathroom into a single large live-in kitchen with a laundry area that could be closed from view. I also wanted a mudroom and a second sink to deal with heaps of muddy produce from my all-seasons vegetable garden. Paul Olson at Skandia had a nifty 3D program that allowed us to visualize and play with the layout. Two walls were removed; the mudroom was built out onto the existing back porch. Walls, ceiling, floors (including the ceiling below in the basement) were stripped to the studs. Skandia did all new flooring, sheetrock, paint, lighting, plumbing, windows, counters. I shopped for the appliances but Skandia installed them, including a massive range hood that was difficult to duct because of my low ceilings. I do a lot of cooking. I grow all my own vegetables, and make all my own everything. I've lived over twenty years in this house. So, I had a lot of views on how I wanted my kitchen to be. Like, a kitchen door should have all the fiddly little individual glass panes that take two days to paint around, not just one big pane with lined divisions. I need the counter lowered where I roll pastry. I wanted new cabinets, and a lot more of them, but reusing as much as possible of the original vertical grain fir... All this to say, I may not have been the most easy-going client to work with. Too, the hundred-plus-year-old house has no straight lines or level surfaces. There were random hot wires in the ceiling and mummified rats under the floor. Of the three design/build contractors and one architect I interviewed, Paul Olson at Skandia was the only one who seemed really interested—I don't mean in landing the job but in the house itself. He got the vibe. Paul has an artist's eye and experience with period styles. He walked me through all the kerjillion design choices and kept me real with the budget. When I needed to pare down he helped me pare, and where I wanted to splurge he enabled (that fabulous green stone countertop!) His cabinetmaker, Alexei, even built me a red lacquer "Chinese" cabinet for my collection of CDs. Skandia was not the lowest bidder. But Paul stuck religiously to his estimates. There was not one single surprise. Every single workman who came to the house seemed to have known Paul since their dads went to high school together. The men were uniformly competent, punctual, and a joy to have around. Especially, Paul's right-hand man Bil Frost must be the handyman in the mind of God. Bil never left the house without cleaning everything. There was no detail too minute, too fiddling, to often, too back-breaking. Haul the old fridge to the basement? Sure! Need to cut out the basement door frame to make it fit? Hey, no problem. I blush to think how often I heard Bil say, "She wants..." But I got it, whatever I wanted. The job took three and a half months and cost a staggering amount of money. I love my new kitchen with a sick passion. I would hire Paul (and Bil! I would adopt Bil) again in a shot. And actually the whole look and flow of the house are so improved, if I sold the property today I believe I'd make my money back.