K&W started out feeling like a great choice, the were attentive and thoughtful during the estimating and design phase and had many of the high quality products I liked. So, although their bid was highest of all the others (by far), I was assured they could meet my schedule to complete my flooring job by mid-May (and this was very important to me). Unfortunately, once they got in, it seemed like everything they installed had something go wrong or they damaged something else in my home. They did step up to the plate and try to make it right by fixing it but in the end the job wasn't finished until mid-July. A 3 week job turned into a 3 month job!
The wood flooring and installation work was great. However, the flooring I chose in one room was a slate tile and it was installed in a manner that left large unevenness between tiles. Understanding slate is not exactly even like ceramic tile, some variation is expected but this was extreme to the point of having 1/4" and higher trip hazards everywhere and full side/edges of the tile above the one next to it. I communicated this concern as it was going in, but no change was made before grouting was done. They "fixed" it by chipping off the corners of the slate leaving it with a damaged appearance. There were several areas of carpet that were not secured down and although they came back to fix it, it is now already coming up again!
Overall the communication between the two "project managers" I had was horrible. I would call one and the other would respond several days later and my message would get only partially communicated to the other. By the time they responded, often it was mis-communicated and too late such that the subcontractor had already completed the work I had concerns about. I was told things during the estimation phase of work, that led me to believe they were doing certain things differently/higher quality than would be typical, and that was part of the reason for higher cost, and then in the end they did the typical approach anyway.
One redeeming factor is that they always admitted to their screw ups each time and tried to rectify it. When they damaged my countertop laminate, they replaced it. Although, if I had had more time I would have chosen something different--something that better matched my new décor. I was given 3 choices and a couple days to make a decision on it. It is no worse than the one I had, though.
All in all, in the end I think the work done in my home was an overall improvement and I really like the styles, materials, colors, and design. I will get used to the damaged appearance of the slate in time. My biggest disappointment is that I feel like I was ripped off. I thought I was paying a higher price than the competition in exchange for higher quality work that would meet my schedule and I wouldn't have to deal with the headaches of managing multiple subcontractors. I didn't get that at all.