Are you thinking of using Vanderbilt Brownstones Kitchens and Baths?
smokey1974…should we be worried that these guys are opening bike shops all over Brooklyn? Seems is they were scammers in construction, they’ll be scammers in these shops as well
brooklynsthebest
in Construction 10 years and 1 month ago
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16 replies
lockjam | 13 years and 5 months ago
Don’t. Â They used to be Clinton Hill Design & Build, also referred to on this forum as CHDB. Â I used them to renovate my brownstone, originally slated to be a 3 – 4 month project. Â The project took almost a year. Â It took this long for no good reason other than they just didn’t show up for weeks at a time, never answered my phone calls or called me back and only assigned one sub-contractor to work on my home in other weeks. Their sub-contractors (thankfully) do good work, but they also openly mock the business practices of the GC’s they work under and work very slowly so as to get paid as much as possible. Â Nick Haven and Lenny Zella, the principals at this company, do not manage individual projects with any sort of business sense. Â There are no project-specific ledgers. Â They don’t return phone calls. Â Honestly, they’re such con-men that you’ll find yourself wondering how you possible hired them in the first place. Â It’s basically the cliche’d Ponzi scheme that you hear about in nightmare scenarios about contractors. Â They did not finish my job, leaving me to clean up the details after I moved in. The only reason they’re now called Vanderbilt is to avoid the bad reputation, lawsuits and fallout from Clinton Hill Design & Build. Â Do yourself a HUGE favor and avoid these guys like the plague.
tanner | 13 years and 5 months ago
When lockjam says you’ll ask yourself how it is possible you hired them in the first place, I can say from my experience that the answer may be: because Nick seemed terrific, down-to-earth, committed, and professional when I met him. Â Unfortunately, after that, the only times I saw him were when he needed to collect a check (um, and even then, he always asked ME to come to his office to bring it, rather than actually show up on the job) or when I demanded that he come for a walk-through. Â He didn’t even know the names of the guys who were on the job–not even the foreman. Â And unlike lockjam, we had equally as bad of luck with their workers and subcontractors. Â It was all a terribly unfortunate learning experience for me. Â I feel embarassed for having allowed myself to end up in such a position (that is, to get screwed).
CRussen | 13 years and 5 months ago
Yes, I agree with the first two posters. DO NOT USE THESE PEOPLE UNDER ANY CIRCUMSTANCES. They took our money and walked out with about $10,000 worth of work undone. The only time they got in touch was to ask for money. We’ve been moved in for six months and are discovering an alarming number of mistakes and poor work that we’re having to hire other people to correct. I, too felt embarrassed after being scammed by these guys.
t281 | 13 years and 4 months ago
From another client/victim of the Clinton Hill Design Thieves. WHOMEVER YOU USE DO NOT USE NICHOLAUS (NICK) HAVEN EVER TO DO ANY WORK FOR YOU. They not only failed miserably on my project but also billed me for work and expenses that they did not pay. They billed me 95% of the sub-contractors work and had only paid them 10% so when I confronted Nick and Lenny about this and many other things they basically asked for more money to finish. So I needed to take over the completion of my project and pay the subs twice and pay 50% more than the project cost since Nick basically stole from me.
CRussen | 13 years and 4 months ago
I honestly think they estimated our job low (but not too low!) so we would pick them. In the beginning, Nick and Lenny were involved, concerned, and seemed passionate about the renovation. I guess that’s how they suck you in. I guarantee Nick set foot in my house to oversee the work MAYBE three times, when I DEMANDED he be there for walkthroughs. We weren’t living there, and were staying with my in-laws on LI while the work was being done. Fortunately my husband works in the neighborhood and would stop by every day. He would then relay questions to me about what was going on, since he wasn’t experienced in renovations. The work proceeded at an absolutely GLACIAL pace. When I complained to Nick about the details that were being missed and having to be redone due to the lack of supervision, we had a walkthrough, during which he showed up in his fancy cowboy boots and clomped through the plaster dust saying things like “muy rapido” to the Latino workers (which embarrassed and appalled me, as I don’t think he even knew their names). He basically dismissed all my concerns with sighs and rolls of his eyes, and then would blow a gasket complaining about the increased man-hours required to fix the things that had been done wrong due to a lack of supervision. At the very end, after we had paid 97% of out bill and he was hocking me to give him the rest of the money (with TONS of work still to be done), he actually insinuated that it was MY FAULT that he couldn’t make payroll that week. “Didn’t our guys do a great job for you? Don’t you have a beautiful house?” I finally blew up and told him that I’d given him all the money he would see until everything was done, and his mismanagement of funds was not my problem. I only hope he wasn’t telling the workers, “well, she owes us money and refuses to pay, so that’s why no paychecks this week, guys!” When I finally wrote them to tell them I was taking my story to the Department of Consumer affairs, I got an email back saying that Nick and Lenny felt bad about the whole thing and wanted to come in (and I quote) “to finish the job with their own two hands.” I laughed and wrote back that I would never let them or their subs anywhere NEAR my house again.
smokey1974 | 13 years and 3 months ago
Ok, I have one for you. Lenny Zella / Nick Haven showed us a proposal for blown foam insulation and we agreed it was a good idea. We pay for it ($$$) and come to find out “they” used blown fiberglass instead, which is a fraction of the cost and Lenny Zella / Nick Haven pocketed the difference. Nice right? When we call the company that we have the proposal from, provided to us by CHDB (Lenny Zella / Nick Haven) they tell us that they provided a quote, but were never commissioned to do the work. Just one example of how they “operate”.
CRussen | 13 years and 3 months ago
We just found out that our new gas furnace (we converted from oil) that was installed by one of their subs is too big for our house, is not up to code, and will cost us close to $4,000 to fix. If we want to take out the current (BRAND NEW) furnace and have a reputable plumber replace it, the cost goes up to $7,500\. We’re basically having to pay TWICE for things. It’s really bad news every time we turn around.
smokey1974 | 13 years and 3 months ago
arglebargle – I am really sorry to hear that. Seems strange that a new furnace would not be up to code? If it is oversized, is that a hazard? CHDB is the gift that keeps on giving. Carpenters are coming over tomorrow to install flashing on our windows and doors since they leak water. You would have thought flashing would have been installed to begin with right?
CRussen | 13 years and 3 months ago
It’s not the furnace itself; it’s the piping. No Hartford loop, problems with the water supply to refill the boiler, and all sorts of other things that three other plumbers and a state plumbing inspector (a neighbor) pointed out. I have no idea how it passed inspection, but according to the DOB it did. We’re missing flashing around our brand-new front windows too. Fortunately we don’t get water in there. Yet.
smokey1974 | 13 years and 3 months ago
arglebargle- Please let me know what plumber you decide to go with and how professional they are. I am looking for a plumber that can also handle radiant floor heating. Would love to find someone good that’s local that knows this type of equipment. Flashing is critical, if you have to wait to get that fixed, keep a close eye on your window frames for moisture, and repair them when you can. Thanks and good luck.
smokey1974 | 13 years ago
IMPORTANT!!!! lockjam, tanner, t281, arglebargle please contact me for important information on Clinton Hill Design Build, CHDB, Nick Haven, and Lenny Zella visualizeyourvoice@gmail.com
pastemployee | 11 years and 5 months ago
THIS WILL BE THE WORST DECISION YOU COULD MAKE FOR YOUR RENOVATION! (VANDERBUILYT DESIGN BUILD OR CLINTON HILL DESIGN BUILD) Full disclosure, I used to work for them and they still owe me money for my last week of work (August 2013). Well they owe me, the architect, their landlords, past vendors… catch my drift….. Its a small office, so unfortunately for them I could hear all the conversations. They try to squeeze every dollar they can out of you once they have started the job by not taking responsibility and saying that you caused the problems. They are late on their work and the craftsmanship is subpar. Past clients like Eddie Falco can attest to this. They have special arrangements with their vendors to hide up charges in receipts. They are very sneaky. Save yourself the headache and stay clear. If they are the cheapest estimate you get it’s for a reason. You have a better shot at employing strangers in front of home depot than wasting your money with this company.
ihaterenovation | 11 years and 4 months ago
Oh my goodness – the nightmare never ends with these guys. They finished my job, but then disappeared before getting the C of O underway. It’s taken TWO YEARS to get my C of O – none of their subs filed the appropriate paperwork – none of the subs were licensed! I had to finally hire new plumber, electrician etc. to apply for the inspections and fix all of the problems that came up during inspections. The only good thing that happened was that I lost a tremendous amount of weight through stress. Kidding aside, a lesson learned – they are THE WORST.
t281 | 11 years and 3 months ago
THEY ARE THE WORST.
pastemployee2 | 11 years and 3 months ago
STAND CLEAR I BEG U, im a past employee there (use to be a carpenter there). there is so much to say i don’t know where to start, ITS JUST A BIG SCAM, sometimes u feel like telling the homeowner but they always seem so close to NICK, I’ve worked there for 5 weeks and haven’t gotten payed, there was time i was using my own money to buy materials to complete the job, there subs are terrible and when they don’t get paid from nick they don’t sign off the jobs, Nick and Lenny bully workers….the job site has 2 or no workers for weeks (foreman and helper). when they want a check or the homeowner is coming by, they send 8 to 10 guys on the job site then as soon as the home owner leaves, all workers leaves 5mins after…its all games, they force the foreman to lie to the client, i remember one monday at a meeting Nick told the client that their kitchen cabinets are already built we are installing on wednesday, when i followed up with the woodwork shop, the materials to build the cabinets was not yet paid for…they appoint a foreman/supervisor not by skill but by his nature to bully others, so all details on the job has been missed, my o my people I BEG U, STAND CLEAR
brooklynsthebest | 10 years and 1 month ago
They now own Bike shops in Brooklyn. Great. (sarcasm obviously)