Contractor Reviews & Testimonials
Hear from some of our happy customers.
Peg Longo has been dreaming about her new bathroom for a long time. She collected her ideas and clippings from magazines. However, she needed some professional design assistance. In this video Peg shares her experience about working with Irene Designs.
On November 10, 2016, Irene Designs, LLC received the Connecticut Better Business Bureau’s honorable mention award for Superior Customer Service. (At left, Paulette Scarpetti, CT BBB President/SEO, presents the award to Irene Samson, the Owner of Irene Designs, LLC). See the full post here.
From the beginning, Irene and Gene were exceptionally accommodating. They came out and looked at the projects we wanted to have done and gave us some great ideas. Irene went back to her office and worked up several potential designs while remaining in contact with us during the whole process. When needed, Gene would stop by and take additional measurements. Upon completion of the design stage, Irene and Gene had us over to their office to review the proposed designs. Once the design was chosen, Gene went into action within days he was there and the demolition started. As things progressed Irene was there to make sure things were on task and to handle any potential problems. A major problem was encountered and within 24 hours we had a couple of design proposals. During the construction phase, all the workers were extremely knowledgable, polite and in-tune with any special requests we had. The work area was always neat and cleaned up at the end of each day. Irene spent many hours with my wife and I shopping for all the essentials that go into a project of this size. The end result was fabulous, functional and done on time. As with any project this size, there minor touch-ups and Gene or his crew were right there to make sure they were done to our satisfaction. The entire process was great, never any undue pressure and the pricing was reasonable.
– Fred B.
I worked with Irene Samson on the remodeling of my raised-ranch style home. After touring through my home and taking pictures and notes, Irene asked what I was looking to do. I told her I wanted a larger master bedroom, a master bath and a walk-in closet. I had 3 bedrooms and I thought I would convert 2 of the bedrooms into one large bedroom, bath and closet. Irene accomplished this though her solution was to convert 2 different bedrooms than the ones I had in mind. She showed me several designs and layouts which helped with the decision making process as I could see what the end result would look like. Irene also suggested some other useful and decorative ideas such as a linen closet, shelving and oversized windows. She assisted me in selecting tiles for the bathroom and knew my taste and style by paying close attention to detail currently in the house. She offered suggestions for lighting and ideas about the walk-in closet that were very helpful. Irene also gave me various ideas to consider possibly for the future. She was not “pushy” but wanted to bring up some ideas that I may not consider on my own. Irene also ensured that any usable doors, windows, closet doors or whatever that I already had were used if at all possible to save on costs. I enjoyed working Irene. I would use her services again and recommend her for any remodeling projects. She has great creative ideas to share, her prices are reasonable and she is a pleasure to work with.
– Pam K.
After making the decision to renovate our home last year, we decided to hire Irene Designs. We had considered four contractors. However, the combination of Irene’s talents as a consultant and Gene’s abilities as a contractor seemed to be the best choice for our renovation project.
Gene’s experience in construction and remodeling plus his ability to resolve unanticipated structural problems was appreciated. He always worked closely with us to assure that the finished product would meet our expectation. Likewise, Irene was always willing to discuss options for modifying and decorating our home. Her recommendations for the kitchen floor and design of the backsplash for the kitchen countertops plus the tile patterns of the bathrooms all helped to make these rooms focal points of our remodeling project.
– Chip & Barbara
Our vision was to open up the space and create a more connected flow between the kitchen, living room, and dining area. Irene Designs did an outstanding job of taking down walls and creating the open-concept design we dreamed of. The transformation is incredible—our once old fashioned kitchen now feels like a spacious, inviting heart of the home.
What really stood out, though, was how wonderful the contractor was with our pets and kids. We have three young children and a couple of pets, and they made sure to keep everything safe and under control during the remodel.
ful new space. Highly recommend this contractor to anyone looking to make their kitchen dreams come true!
Irene actually accompanies you you to pick out countertops, cabinets, flooring, backsplash, etc. Again she suggests ideas that incorporate our ideas. There is no pressure to use any supplier or contractor. She explains what is going on and keeps you project within a proposed budget.
Construction was completed by a great group of sub-contractors and Gene supervises all of them. They are exceptional with their work. I would highly recommend the entire team to anyone wanting to remodel.
Additionally, Gene did a nice job managing the overall project so there was never a lag in workflow. Although it is a long process, the quality of the work, attention to detail and constant progress made the overall process as painless as possible.
The excellent results speak for themselves. If you’re considering a remodel you owe it to yourself to contact Irene Designs.
Just wanted to add - we had Walter back to build stairs off the deck and a railing on the back stairs. Walt’s experience, attention to detail, his willingness to always go the extra mile, strong work ethic and master level of craftsmanship combine to make the completed project the extremely high level you don’t often see. And, he was a pleasure to work with. Again, if we need more work done in the future, our first call will be Irene Designs.
Looking for a better plan, we found Irene and hired her to take a look and give us some ideas. We were blown away when we got to see her ideas in 3-D representations! She really opened up the space, and had ideas we hadn't thought of at all, including built ins to make the space comfortable and attractive. We received several iterations, and were able to combine the things we liked into a good final plan. It was amazing to be able to get a good idea of what the space would look like after the renovation.
Irene then produced all the plans needed to move on with the reno, and has followed up by meeting with us for consulting on choices for cabinets, flooring, countertops, connecting us with vendors for each thing.
While moving to Irene's plan meant an increase in the budget, we will end up with making an ordinary renovation into an awesome place to spend our retirement years! Irene is highly recommended!
Waynette L. Bailey
Irene came up with several new kitchen designs (11 options) and we were able to see them all in her 3D renderings. We were going back and forth discussing our new options and making changes. The plan we settled for had our garage door moved a couple feet to extend the wall space for kitchen cabinets and to allow for a smooth traffic flow around bigger island. We got two walls taken down instead of one. Irene came up with an idea to get rid of the front hallway to add room to the main area. Our powder room and coat closet were relocated towards the garage wall, and it looks great.
Our kitchen remodel was performed by another contractor but having clear interior design concept along with architectural drawings laid a good foundation for the project and helped in the estimating process. Irene also assisted us in the selection of cabinetry and finishing materials.
We are very happy with the project outcome, and we will reach out to Irene Designs again when we get to our master bathroom design next year.
