
Amethyst Contracting Inc
About us
Amethyst Contracting Inc, is an established progressive design, build, and remodeling company with over 30 years in the field. We are women owned and operated and offer a fresh perspective in a field traditionally male oriented. We are known for our unique holistic approach to design, and are a hands on builder giving each client a one of a kind result. Can't wait to chat!
Business highlights
Amenities
Free Estimates
Yes
Warranties
Yes
| Number of Stars | Image of Distribution | Number of Ratings |
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| 95% | ||
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"Back in 2013, Kristi Minser owner of Amethyst Design was hired to design a sunroom addition for a stately home on [Member Information Removed] in the city of Milwaukee. The sunroom was a pristine pretty little piece of architecture and sailed through the Milwaukee historic preservation committee and subsequent city approvals. Upon completion of design and approvals, Amethyst Construction was hired to build the sunroom. Kristi was told that they were hired because the clients believed there was no one better than the designer to handle the day to day construction decisions. From the very first day of construction, every decision made by myself and my crew was questioned. The crew was stopped and / or reprimanded by the owners on a regular basis, the clients always insisting they knew more than the professionals. Rough carpentry, finish carpentry, tile, it didn’t matter, they knew better. My head carpenter who has 40 plus years of experience, although frustrated, finished, and as best he could, accommodated the owner’s eccentricities as did the rest of the crew. Getting progress payments from the clients on time and in full was an issue from beginning to end. As for the insulation, the sunroom had a flat roof and of course quite a bit of glazing so the entire addition received closed-cell polyurethane foam insulation because of its high R value and impermeable nature. After explaining to the clients that the insulator sprayed the correct depth of foam to achieve the proper R value per code and that it is prohibitively expensive (and unnecessary) to foam the full depth of large ceiling joists, because the owner still insisted there wasn’t enough, I had the insulator return at no charge to the client, and spray an extra couple inches. Above and beyond in my book… Every once in a while one is going to get a client who just can’t be pleased. This is why in the past years since completion of this project (yes they waited years to write this) I have made it a point to get to know my clients and make sure that we’re a good fit before accepting any design build projects. In the end my goal is to make really wonderful places and spaces and make really wonderful experiences for each and every one of my clients."
"This project was a pleasure! The client asked us to replace her existing sun room with a new sun room that fit seamlessly with her house and was suitable for use year round. The client was easy to work with and was able to quickly make thoughtful decisions during the entire design build process.The interior cabinetry, furniture and finishes she selected on her own were terrific. Yes admittedly there were a few days of lag during the project. I use small quality crews and there are sometimes small waiting periods when one or another is finishing up a prior project. I do try to make these as minimal as possible and step up the remaining construction schedule to make up for them as I was able to on this project. As for the glitches: 1. Because the entry to the sunroom was less than 2 feet above grade and the door swung inward no exterior landing or railing was required by code. The first inspector that came by indicated that because a screen door could possibly be added later and would swing out that he was going to require a landing right away instead of requiring one if and when the screen door was installed. Although I was scratching my head at the logic, in the end there wasn’t much choice but to build a landing. At no cost to the client we built a small landing with steps to the walk. Because the owner was not happy with what we built, we worked with her to design something more substantial at an acceptable price. As a note, we had a different inspector for our final inspection who said he would not have required the landing or railing at that point in time – argh! 2. We did indeed discuss changing out the French door lock set early on. At the time of the quote we hadn’t come up with a surefire way to replace the lock set and deadbolts into the floor so although I had it in my notes I did not include a price in the proposal and in 2020 hindsight I should have. The lock set change out, which should’ve been a simple matter and a minor expense, because of the spacing and configuration, ended up to be quite difficult to replace. My carpenter, myself and the client spent a good deal of time researching replacement lock sets and combinations of such and we finally realized that it was probably smarter to replace the old dinged up doors with upgraded new ones. In the end the client opted for the new French doors which are quite a lovely addition to the project. Yes the price for the full lite French doors the client ultimately selected including removal and disposal of old doors, adjustments to existing door frame, installation of new door and furnishing and installation of a new lock set was about $2000. Again, it was a pleasure!"
"Thanks [removed member name]! Due to [removed member name]'s decisiveness / responsiveness this is one of those projects that waaaay exceeded expectations. The addition of really great sconces to light the stair and pendants placed intermittently with the cross beams along the cathedral hallway / sitting area is stunning and her carpet choice is just gorgeous! Almost all carpeting I've done has been for my basement projects which is usually lower priced than for the rest of the house - that combined with the carpet selected made for a hike in cost from what I anticipated. I did address this with [removed member name] before ordering and she gave me the go-ahead. I think there must have been a miscommunication between the two of us when I forwarded the new carpet pricing which was for cost of material only. I don't add a percentage to items I order and in fact pass along any design professional savings I get from manufacturers / dealers to my clients and I did supply [removed member name] , as I do all clients with receipts. I have created an updated carpet pricing scale for house proper vs. basement and also for a low, medium and high grade carpet which should fix the problem... ~K~"
"Terrific client to work for - whole crew loved him! Lovely home..."
"[removed member's name] were a true pleasure to work with! Their ability and willingness to work with me as this project progressed resulted in a truely great kitchen. We were able to repurpose cabinets into a lovely buffet which looks original. The new upper cabinets fashioned after an existing transom window also lend an authentic air. Very happy with this one!!"
"[removed member name] were a true pleasure to work with on this project. Their willingness to work with me as the kitchen progressed resulted in a really great kitchen! The new buffet fashioned from repurposed cabinets looks original which was a goal and the upper cabinets fashioned to replicate an existing transom window adds design continuity. Thanks guys!"
"The [member name removed] have been a pleasure to work with. [member name removed] is just great! Look forward to future collaborations..."
"Thanks you 2! [removed member name] are really cool fun artistic people. They shared my sense of design being an adventure. They allowed me latitude to explore the avenues of possibilities, offering intelligent feedback along the way and adding great ideas of their own. We tailored both kitchen and garage / studio to meet their unique needs in today's world while maintaining the home's unique historic architectural integrety thru detailing of the new architectural elements."
"Every successful project is a collaboration between myself, my crew and my clients. This one has turned out to be truely spectacular! Bill and Dawn are kind, savvy and decisive. They had a vision and great sense of style which made the project for me a complete breeze. Even though Dawn is one busy lady, she made time for me on a daily basis to iron out any details that arose, this is soooo important. Thanks you two!!"
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