Renaissance Restorations, Inc

Jamie and crew helped us with a porch rebuild on our 1930 bungalow. What impressed us was how closely they followed the original dimensions and railing styles. We now have neighbors walking by just to compliment the craftsmanship.

After two years of debating between five contractors, we’re glad we chose Renaissance. Jamie walked us through every stage of our attic-to-office conversion and kept the original trim and details intact.

We hired Renaissance to restore our 1920s kitchen and butler’s pantry and it honestly feels like we stepped into a time capsule. Every detail, down to the cabinet hardware, was thoughtfully done.

Jamie Craig and the Renaissance Restorations, Inc. have worked on our house since about 2013. We have a unique home in that it has a Spanish tile roof and is made out of stone. Not only did Jamie and his crew restore the entire roof, they also recently repaired and painted the inside of the house. I cannot say enough about this company and the men that work for it. They are the ultimate professionals when it comes to work ethics, punctuality, trustworthiness, the ability to tackle any issue and kindness. They recently remodeled our master bathroom, removed wallpaper, repaired and painted walls. The work was remarkable. Jamie’s fair prices and timeline are always met. If you need any type of work done on your house, I highly recommend that you contact Jamie Craig. You won’t regret it.

I've been waiting for an estimate for over a month. they came to my house and took measurements and then nothing. I called and spoke to them and then nothing. Perhaps the they should tell me they don't want the job. It would be nice to know why. I would give them less than 1 star if I could.

My husband and I needed a quote for some exterior renovations and their guy came out and looked at the exterior. I explained multiple times that we were under a time crunch and needed a quote before our inspection period closed. They were very uncommunicative with me and wouldn't give a quote until I had my husband call and tell them the exact same thing I had been telling them - the guy said to my husband that he couldn't draw up the quote before because "I only spoke to your wife". Needless to say we won't be hiring them. Edit: I would really like to know what the owner is considering to be emotional blackmail. That is a very interesting interpretation of calling a few times and calmly asking if there were any updates on the progress of the quote. I am surprised to see they claiming that we screamed at them. We were totally upfront about our needs from the start. It is true that my husband didn't accompany him during the walkthrough; that is because I was the one to accompany him and explain our renovation needs. They are painting a totally benign business interaction in a very sensational light.

Called to for more information about basement floor replacement/ quote for tile floor and other work and the guy on the phone was completely not helpful. I thought they did all types of restorations- but they couldn’t help me with my basement or even point me towards someone who does flooring- which apparently got they don’t do. Don’t waste your time calling because they can’t help you.

I signed a contract with Renaissance Restorations in December 2022 for a enclosed porch remodel. They started the job in June 2023, which I understood considering the weather needed to be warmer to pour concrete. Here we are, a year later, and my porch isn't completed. First, the team of men sent to demolish the old structure was so reckless. In the process of using the saw to cut the old awning off, they cut through my gutters that were done the previous year. They also left debris and nails in my driveway, one of which ended up in my truck tire. After demolishing my porch, the team disappeared for weeks. Numerous calls to the owner gave no result as I was repeatedly told he outsourced and had already paid them so he was dependent on the other guys. Finally the team shows back up to pour the concrete. The concrete was not poured evenly resulting in an unlevel porch with a huge crack between the two sections. When I pointed out the crack, they filled it with indoor caulk. The very next time it rained, my enclosed porch flooded through the holes cut in my gutters and washed the caulk away. When I sent pictures of the caulk sitting in a puddle on my porch, I was just told that I need new gutters in that section. Fast forward to today, I am out of an additional $5K replacing the gutters they destroyed, my unleveled concrete still has a huge crack in it, and the stairs were never put back on the entry way, leaving exposed wood. Do NOT use this company!! The standard of craftsmanship is not worth the money they charge.

UPDATE: the owner is correct. The gutters were not included in the original quote. My gutters were just done in the spring of 2022. I did not expect a company that claimed to be professional contractors to cut up and destroy my brand new gutters. We also apparently have different definitions of "very nice". I don't consider concrete with cracks and awnings with jagged holes (see pictures) "very nice". As for my mother, she was never hospitalized. The guy who was doing the concrete was in and out of the hospital, but that's not my problem. My mother was unable to leave the house at all during those months so the owner is lying again. The worksite was not "cleaned". I was finding nails and debris for months after they left.

Update #2: first off, I find it interesting that the owner keeps changing his response whenever I point out his lies. First response was that the gutters weren't included, which was true. But that I still ended up with a "very nice" porch, which is not true. Second response was that the project took so long because my mother was hospitalized, which a complete lie and irrelevant. Now the response has changed a third time now to address the latest lie: the house and property is in my name only, which is why you spoke to me and needed my signature to start any work. It is true that my mother handed him the checks, as I work for a living and could not sit around for months waiting for them to complete a project. The contract was signed by me, the permits pulled had my name on them. I still have all the paperwork and so does the township if you want to continue lying.

We hired Renaissance Restoration to do a total kitchen w/butlers pantry in our 1930 Tudor. The entire experience with Jamie and his crew was amazing! Start to finish; very kind, respectful of our home, hard working and conscientious. We needed some decorative plaster repair and the result is nothing less than stunning. Our home is an ongoing labor of love and we wouldn’t have anyone else touch this place as long as they’ll do the job! Jamie truly is a pro when it comes to historic district homes and their restoration. Looking forward to working with them again next year. Our only regret is that we can only give them five stars!

Started project late, poor workmanship the siding guy didn't even want to put house wrap on, didn't install gutters after they took them down, unresponsive after 1 year as they filed for bankruptcy and never finished our project or refunded any money for the work that was still left to be done that we had already paid for. paperwork sent to home about a lien filing from lumber yard cause our supplies we not being paid on time. He likes to use COVID 19 as a reason for delays but the project was started at a time when work from contractors could continue. He was the one accepting bids even as he had already filed for bankruptcy. I have texts and voicemails to back it up from his company, subcontractors and other people that were screwed over.

They did a large interior renovation for us including a full Kitchen reno, lots of painting, plaster, detail work, and electrical and plumbing updates. Experienced in working on historic homes and preserving their character. Also working with the City of Detroit which can be tricky sometimes. We had lots of custom finishes and special order items. They they helped us find the right trades people and subcontractors to execute our vision for the home. It was a long project but was done fairly efficiently, given the extensive nature of the project. Today our house is a standout on the block!

Before I tell you the story take the time and read all the other negative reviews. Then hire another contractor to save your self from his lies, threats and grief. One star is too much for this contractor, but I didn’t have a choice. I hired Renaissance Restorations Inc and we signed a contract back in May of 2020 for an addition on my house. He told me it would take about 3-4 months to complete the job. After telling me this, absolutely nothing happened. I called him several times asking when is he going to start the addition for my house? He kept putting me off, telling me the job will begin soon. Five months later, in October he called me and said I was next on the list and that they would be there in a week. That was a lie, they never showed up. So I called him again and this time his answer was the cement workers were busy. In January I called him and he told me he would start the job in March 2021. I called him in March and he said we need to break the contract because the price of lumber and everything else went up. He gave me the excuse that if the contract was not broken he would go out of business. He also said that if I didn’t break the contract he would take me to court. I told him that would be like calling the police on your self. I told him if he would have started when the contract was made there wouldn’t have been a price increase. Delaying the job was entirely his fault and as a result it has cost me over a year of my time as well as a large price increase for my addition. Save your self the aggravation and hire another contractor.

It is my strongest recommendation that you DO NOT even consider Renaissance Restorations Inc for any project. This company is horrendously managed which is directly reflected in the execution and quality of their work. We signed a contract with Renaissance Restoration to complete a second floor addition of a master bedroom and bathroom and residing of our entire home. We were initially told the project would take 5-6 months. It took 14 months from the time we signed our contract to project completion and this is ONLY because we took on a significant portion of the project management and labor ourselves. The contract requires payments nearly in full long before the project is completed, which financially traps the customer, and we naively fell for this trap. Furthermore, every single tradesperson (plumbers, electricians, carpenters, etc.) hired by Renaissance Restoration expressed mutual frustration and disappointment in working with this company.

I am more relieved than I am satisfied with the completed project. It came at a great cost both financially and emotionally. I urge you to save a bit more money to hire an established general contractor with a strong history and strong evidence of quality work. If this is not an option, you are better off figuring out how to manage the project on your own than investing in the services of Renaissance Restorations. I beg you to learn from our poor judgement and mistakes!

P.S.- I expect the company may respond to this review in an attempt to pin the blame on me or something/someone else. Please take heed that I am genuinely and fervently trying to help the next person planning a home improvement project.

The first two pictures on the website are our house. The porches are rotting off as there was no pitch to the steps. The spindles are cheap and rotting as well. Annual repairs are required. Also found the original trim hidden under porch and not put up when gutters were placed. Would NOT recommend and definitely does NOT deserve an A+ with BBB!

Guy is a liar, Had a 4:30 appointment. He called at 4:30 said know one answered the door. I told I was stuck at the Hospital but my wife was home and expecting him. I called my wife she said she was on the porch, and had been for a half hour doing some planting and no one had come by and hers was the only car on the street. I called him back 4:38, he said he had left. I told him my wife was on the porch waiting for him and I was 10 minutes out. He said OK.He never showed up, I called him and I text him. No response. This is the bid process. Imagine it you had him doing work for you and there was a problem. YOU WOULD BE S.O.L.
My last text was " Very Professional"

My husband & I wanted to enlarge our bedroom, we wanted a Master Bedroom with our own bathroom. We called around not having any knowledge on who to get to do it . We also had trust issues having been burned before. We decided after talking it over that would give Jamie Craig a chance.He seemed like such a nice Guy - but to be honest we were still worried. We are so happy we decided on Jamie & his company !!What we ended up with is beautiful !!! All the different people that work for his company are all such sweet guys - That`s the only bad thing about getting it done - is that we miss everyone. We ended up getting a lot more then we were going to get - including a roof for the house & garage along with gutters - Higher ceiling in the new part of our bedroom & so much more !!! Each worker added their own little awesome touches along the way !! We can`t say enough for how nice they all were. Thank you Jamie for everything you did for us !!! From us you all get 5 stars !!! Your Friends - Chuck & Pattie

We had Renaissance re-roof our house. We wanted a special GAF Camelot Shingle that most other companies had no idea about. Renaissance showed us homes they had put the shingle on previously. We are quite happy and it was done faster than anticipated. I smile when I pull into my garage!

I hired this company to repair a clay barrel tile roof. The work was poorly performed and had to be redone. In particular, a roof of this nature is compiled in several layers: rafters, plywood, winter block, tile support beams and the tiles. This company installed the winter block over plywood which was rotted out instead of first replacing the plywood. Also, the paper was installed OVER the beams instead of under the beams. The tiles were screwed in place which resulted in several tiles cracking during the winter months. Other tiles were cemented to the roof causing additional cracks. These tiles are to be placed in order and they stay in place by interlocking with each other. After some time, the winter block disintegrated and the water came pouring in. It wasn't until then that we discovered the shoddy workmanship. Fortunately we were able to find a roofer who understands how to do this type of work properly. The photos show the condition of the roof. When we took off the winter block, the large holes became apparent. Our roofer squared them up and then put in new plywood. The proper underlay is put in place under the support beams. This review comes only now because I just discovered this website location to post AND a neighbor also had a bad experience.

I have a very difficult steep pitched roof on a 100 year old house out in Livingston County. Every local roofer that came out and looked shook their head and some never got out of the truck! I happen to stumble on Renaissance Restorations. They replaced the roof and even took care of my inline built in gutters. Mr. Craig was attentive and came by all the time while the job was in process. He cared. Thank you!

We had been seeing Renaissance Restoration ads in the Grosse Pointe News for a while, so when it was time for renovations we decided to give them a call for a quote on our work. Mr. Craig, the owner came out along with Jeri Lathum and talked to us about our kitchen project as well as flooring. The amount of time they spent blew away the competition. They were genuinely interested in the details and the project. During the entire time of the project we were made to feel that our investment in the project was secondary to the detail and perfection of the whole scope. I wish more companies had an old fashioned attitude like Renaissance, where the craft is still the most important part.

I live in Birmingham and had been looking for a company for porch and railing repairs. I searched the web and found Renaissance Restorations. They replaced an upstairs roof, and Matched the extra wide railing and 4" balusters of the original design. let me tell you that you won't find those pieces at Home Depot or Lowes. They were custom fabricated and included a radius curve. This company's attention to the original character of my house sets them apart from all others. Give them a call!

I live in Pleasant Ridge and recently had Renaissance Restorations do a complete interior painting. Jeri Lathum came out and we chose different colors for every room from all her fan decks. The amount of prep and caulking almost equaled the time they spent painting. This is no slap dash outfit! I was very impressed!

I needed to have my cedar roof replaced and had a hard time finding a company willing to travel outside of Ann Arbor to give me an estimate. I found Renaissance Restorations. Not only did they come out for a prompt quote, they did the work and beat the winter weather! What a relief!

I own a very old house in Farmington that has had additions before. I searched for a company that specialized in old home additions and found Renaissance Restorations, Inc. in Birmingham. I called and talked to a friendly guy, Mr. Craig who was the owner and he told me it would be no problem for his company to do a nice job and that their experience would make my addition look like it had been built with the house. Mr. Craig came out and gave us a great price and with his architect the design worked well for a master suite addition. My wife and I are very happy with the professionalism and the finished project.

Renaissance Restorations replaced my windows with wood windows made in Detroit that were a lot less cost than the major brands. The painted and stained them and they look amazing and save me money every month on my gas bills. This is a well organized and efficient outfit. Highly recommended.

Our roof starting leaking so we called Renaissance Restorations. To our surprise the owner, Jamie Craig came out. He was quite pleasant and knowledgeable about roofing. We have a challenging roof with a steep pitch. He showed us a few lines of shingles Renaissance carries. We decided on Enviroshake shingles, a recycled roofing product. The installation went great, and not only it is environmentally friendly they look beautiful. They also provided seamless gutters (their truck came and made them right at our house and were up in a day! I recommend this company to anybody in need of roofing services.

We called them to come and provide an estimate for our bathroom remodel. They came out and measured our project and he was completely dismissive. He asked no questions and was totally uninterested in anything we wanted to do. It wasn't an enormous project, but it was obvious that he didn't care for our business at all. I had been honest that it was just an on-suite bathroom remodel project when I first called. After the visit, he never emailed us with a quote and we never heard from them again. I just wish they hadn't wasted our time! Don't bother calling this company unless you have a million dollar overhaul project.