Bailey + Abbott

Lindsay Merget of Bailey + Abbott is one of the few saving graces in the home remodeling industry. I was very fortunate to find her at the beginning of my remodel and new construction project, as I don't think that I would have survived the yearlong+ process without her keeping me sane. I still remain shocked at the incompetence and lack of care that is rampant in the construction industry. But Lindsay cares about every client and treats your home like it is her home, really wants her clients to be happy, and is willing to go the extra mile every time. She responded almost instantaneously to every text that I sent her (and there were a LOT - I talked to her more than anyone else in my life over the course of the last year), a sharp contrast to contractors and subs that you have to follow up with incessantly. She has worked on many projects and with that knowledge and expertise she was able to keep everyone else involved with my project in check - I can't imagine how much would have gone wrong without her oversight. Lindsay is an architect as well as a designer, and I hired her for both phases of my project, which involved the complete gut + remodel (basically rebuild) of my house and a new pool house ("accessory dwelling unit"). She is extremely knowledgeable of all the codes and did all the legwork to get the plans approved by the city in a very short period of time. ARCHITECT Lindsay came out and took measurements of my house and came back with an amazing new floor plan that really maximized the use of the space in ways I never would have imagined. I sent her some inspiration photos for a pool house that I liked, and she built those elements into a stunning design for a pool house that made the best possible use of the space available in my yard. I had envisioned a recreation room for the pool, but what she came back with - a 650 SF structure that has a complete bedroom, kitchen, living room, and bathroom - was nothing short of amazing. I paid a flat fee for the plans. DESIGNER As a designer, I paid Lindsay at an hourly rate to help with pretty much everything. I had originally wanted to put a cap on those hours, but as we got deeper into the project, I realized she was the best money that I was spending and removed the cap. She basically became the project manager and knowing that helped me sleep at night. She sourced and selected all the materials (floors, tiles, windows, doors, shiplap, plumbing fixtures, shelves, colors, etc) and was at the site almost daily making sure that everything was being built according to plan. A review can't give justice to how much work Lindsay did for my project, how involved and engaged she was, and how much she cared. When contractors made mistakes and weren't willing to fix them, she paid them out of her pocket to make sure I got exactly what I wanted. When my project went over its finished completion date, she delayed her move date to be able to see my project through to the finish - twice. I had to go through the awful process of firing my first contractor, and I probably would have lost a lot more time and money than I already did if I didn't have Lindsay telling me that things were not moving along at the pace they should be, or that the contractor seemed to lack the knowledge and expertise to finish my job. The contractor that I ultimately used to finish my project (and beautifully) was someone that Lindsay recommended, and it probably would have been very difficult to find someone to take over a half completed project without her help, but with her we had one contractor off site on Thursday and the new contractor on site the following Monday. Lindsay even designed my backyard for me (pool, outdoor kitchen, and fire pit) because my pool contractors weren't giving us any plans or designs that we could use and we needed everything to tie in together. This was completely out of the scope of her contract. She also kept the pool contractors in check (they had no plans for drains and I wouldn't have known to ask - thank goodness Lindsay did!) and made sure they were doing things according to code. Every decision was ultimately mine, but Lindsay told me when she didn't think I would be happy with the decision I was making and I have to say that she was always right. I am 100 percent happy with all the choices that we made on this project regarding both design and materials (and there were a LOT, so that's saying a lot) and without her guidance I definitely would have made a lot of wrong decisions. She really got to know me and my style, and made recommendations with that in mind, not according to her style or preferences. I cannot recommend Lindsay enough. I could write a novel about all the work that she put into my project and how dedicated she was to it. Everyone who sees my home is floored by it, and that's all thanks to Lindsay!

Lindsay is an amazing designer. We have hired her on several of my clients big jobs and she has always designed to their specific needs and aesthetics. She is very knowledgeable in design and codes and always has provided a professional product that my clients love.