NYKB

DO NOT USE NYKB. Signed contract for four bathroom remodels, but never used for completion. NYKB would not give our $60k deposit back, when we canceled before any construction took place - canceled because of breach of contract on their part, manipulative tactics and trying to charge for fixtures 20-40% over retail prices plus trying to charge a $3,000 shipping fee from their warehouse in NYC to my apt in NYC, which I fought to get removed - we have had to hire lawyers to try and get our money back even though no construction had been performed or materials have been ordered by them.

NYKB also, confronted us with change orders for $30,000, presented incomplete and faulty plans, with some bathrooms without plans. We later found out that the plans had inaccurate measurements because NYKB took the measurements with a metal measuring tape, instead of with a more accurate laser measuring tape used by our recently hired design team, etc.

NYKB has a whole scheme going from the minute you sign their contract to charge you more and more money based upon dishonesty. They trap you into paying more and more money with up-charges and insane hidden charges, causing the project to cost way more than they initially quoted.

You have to carefully watch and argue every scheme that NYKB throws at you even before construction starts - My husband and I were afraid to have them do any construction work - hence we canceled the contract before it started - because we figured out, in advance, what their dishonest "charge-us-more-money-scheme" was all about.

NYKB installed a shower enclosure for my son in 2007. When I visited him, I noticed that the water was somehow getting out and puddling on the floor. So I called NYKB to ask if I could purchase another silicone for the door, thinking that the water was coming through the gap between the strip and the door. Mia, who was very agreeable, looked up my son’s original contract and said she would look into my request and get back to me. She called me later in the day and offered to send a representative to my son’s apartment to look at the stripping and fix the problem, at no charge. She even asked me when i would like the rep to come. Mia emailed me later in the day that the rep would come the very next day. The rep came as promised and inspected the silicone strips, diagnosed the problem, and suggested a solution. He then replaced the strip on the bottom of the door with a new improved design strip and sealed it with silicone as well as replacing the silicone seal on another part of the enclosure. After allowing the silicone to dry, as instructed, I took a shower and was delighted to find the problem 99% solved. I say 99% only because the slope and shape of the top of the tub wall does not allow water to flow inward and into the tub. So, to keep the water that has puddled on the top of the tub wall from falling onto the floor, when I open the door after a shower, I quickly scoop the water into the tub. I am very happy with the solution that NYKB implemented and am impressed with their customer satisfaction commitment even though they installed the enclosure 6 years ago. I should also say that the enclosure itself including the door hinges are all still in excellent shape.

I went to check out their show room last week after scheduling a consult through their website and had a wonderful experience. The designer I spoke with in person was very helpful in showing me how to articulate some of my ideas for my apartment’s kitchen and I also got a lot of really valuable feedback. The consult itself was also totally free.
They know what they’re doing, and they will be at the top of my resource list for future renovations.
Awesome!

This company has changed it’s name from New York Kitchen and Bath to Klein Kitchen and Bath. It doesn’t seem their business practices have changed. I was interested in purchasing a small co-​op which needed an updated kitchen and bathroom. I chose a kitchen from Ikea myself, as they have a great kitchen sale going on. I asked if I could get the kitchen and bath installed for around $ 30,000. They asked me my maximum budget and I said $ 50,000. They didn’t think it could be done for so little (they haven’t even seen the place) and suggested I work with one of their designers to get the full costs down. It was apparent they could not install even the kitchen for $ 30,000, and this was a small kitchen with all the pieces assembled and ready to hang. I asked if someone could come out to give a more accurate estimate and they said they really don’t do that. I was asked to bring the floor plan from the apartment and they could determine costs based on that. They also wanted me to look around the showroom and sounded a bit irritated that I was interested in using another company to buy the actual pieces. I had a bad feeling, so I checked the reviews and was shocked. It also sounds like the 5 star reviews were written by the same person because they seem to sound the same and use the same words over and over. I feel sorry for the people who had such terrible experiences and thank you for sharing so that others don’t have to suffer the same fate. I wonder how they got shut down and are able to continue to operate under a new name? Does anyone know?

I had quotes from a couple of other places and NYKB was a little more expensive but the plumbers, electricians and designer offered with my contract really helped me make the decision to hire them. For me, that slightly higher expense was worth it since I had those choices and the work was done by one contractor rather than having to keep track of multiple jobs. NYKB’s Designer, Barbara Fiume, handled my issues in a professional and courteous manner. It’s not easy to find a company that really understands customer service, so working out the kinks with Barbara and Perry Hiiman, the owner, went well because they actually get it!
Barbara is the person who schedules the installations and she worked with me to coordinate the time I would have to take off of work including the fact that I was going to have a house full of overnight guests for a wedding five weeks after the intended start date. Of course I wanted it done BEFORE my guests arrived, but was willing to wait until after that weekend because the time frame seemed a little short and I wanted to have a fully functioning bathroom and kitchen while they were here. Barbara worked it out to have everything but the tile backsplash in the kitchen done in time for my guests arrival. While I was a little concerned about them actually making that time frame, I told her to go for it and kept my fingers crossed. She said she had faith in her crews and I took her word for it.
I can’t say enough about Perry and his crews as they managed to not only get the whole job done in time for my guests arrival, but did a great job including working around a hidden surprise in the walls while removing bathroom fixtures. They not only arrived on time, but went the extra mile giving the job a real personal touch. Perry called me on a couple of occasions to check on how things were going and he and Barbera managed to get a plumber here to replace the broken valve within a few hours of them discovering the problem. They cleaned up before they left each time and I really couldn’t tell that anyone had been here working at all.
I would definitely use NYKB again and will recommend them to my friends and coworkers.

These people should be avoided at all costs.
Here are examples why, from my own experience:
— I was promised design assistance with my bathroom – none was given. I think the designer was well-​intentioned, but she quit shortly after I signed the contract and nobody else was provided.
— Every cost they quoted me turned out to have hidden extra costs. «Oh, we said we’d put up tile… but not THAT kind of tile. That’s a lot more expensive to put up.»
— Never showed up when they said they would – I had to followup with them every day (not like the guy overseeing my renovation ever answered his phone).
— One day they ran out of wood while putting in the windowsill. So they used wood putty. For real: they tried to make a windowsill out of wood putty, rather than walk a few blocks to buy a piece of real wood.
— Their workers would – when/​if they showed up – insert paper into the electronic parking meter in front of my building to break it, so they would not have to pay for parking.
This is only the tip of the iceberg. I even filed complaints. AVOID AT ALL COSTS!!!

Just wanted to reiterate the concerns that several of you have expressed. I also was seduced by the Valpak and ended up in the show room calculating their quotes from the list of specifications and it became rapidly clear that they were total scammers. AVOID! AVOID AVOID!

Wow, I wanted a new sink and they showed me the luxurious selections they carried and I easily went for a Kohler sink that cost me dearly, but worth every penny. They are truly professional and listened to my needs. If I had more $$$ I would probably renovate my whole bathroom as well! Highly recommended, and accessible in the Union Square area.

***NYKB («Daniel» and «Lisa») IS POSTING ITS OWN REVIEWS AGAIN*** They’ve tempered them a bit compared to what they posted several months ago (took too long – boo hoo, wish that was MY only problem with them), but still clearly their «work». Beware.
My apartment STILL isn’t done – nearly 2 years after NYKB was supposed to have completed it. WHOLE ENTIRE THING had to be redone (EDITED TO ADD: BY *OTHER* CONTRACTORS – we’ve paid more than double what we should have)
. Including ALL the wiring.
Please see Steven J’s snarky message to me above. Then see his comment below about NYKB («the worst»). Guess someone got fired as before he LOVED NYKB and their fabulous work.
Anyhow, NYKB remains, in my estimation, the worst contractor in NYC. One of the single worst experiences of my life was meeting Perry Hiiman and his crew of incompetents and liars. Stay away if you value your sanity.

I haven’t used NYKB yet, but their showroom is awesome. So much hate for them though… damn. Sorry you guys had a bad experience. The people I spoke with so far at the store seem to know their stuff. I’ll say I’ve been warned, but I think anyone who doesn’t do their research and ask the right questions and get the right contracts in place before remodeling should be warned. Can you give specifics on what they screwed up on — what was so bad? Contractors and renovations companies are all shady, no? Esp if they think you don’t know anything. NYKB is prob too expensive for me anyways.

The worst! The lie, they cheat, they don’t deliver what they promise. Go anywhere else but this place. You will dread the day you walk into their showroom. They promise the moon, but deliver the dreggs!