The Design Studio

RUN, far away! The owner is sly like his logo 🦊. Do not trust this company, do your research and don’t be fooled/sold on how much do they for the “community” and years of experience. A little over a year ago we had a water leak and decided to open up the downstairs of our 1979 home. The VP confirmed when we asked if they were insured and hired licensed sub contractors. Apparently not! Day 1, the VP (Jacob), shows up and admits this is the biggest project they have ever done. Which didn’t sit well. Fast forward over the next 2-3 months we had issues after issue after issue! David was the only one who spoke Spanish and could communicate with his sub contractors, who I might add were complaining to me about how hard he works then via translator. Jacob also made me communicate with the insurance adjuster instead of him when that’s his job and said he would handle it 100% since he used to be an adjuster. Just a few things: they were over 1.5 months behind and forced us to live with no kitchen for over a month with a 1.5 yr old, they scratched the new floors, caused a leak overnight in new kitchen, couldn’t install floating shelves to say their life’s, stole our personal tools, got plaster All in our pool, and best of all (sarcasm) they royally messed up the structure of our house. We did not pay our remaining 10% as there was a long punch list and still major concerns. They ALL reassured us that they would take care of any structural issues. Ha! They lied through their teeth bc they knew they have the upper hand in the state of Texas. I immediately had concerns when I saw multiple FRESH cracks upstairs and then the ceiling starting to cave. They said it was a normal deflection and probably bad lighting. They refused to DO anything after I paid them $80k. REFUSED to hand over insurance (who knows if they are actually insured). Then David had the audacity to sue me for defamation when HE had HIS friends or employees PM me asking who I was talking about when made a FB post asking for structural engineers to come check. After about $10k in lawyers and structural engineers who confirms in their report that are major defects due to load bearing walls not being removed properly and/or improper support. Hiring Palafox was the WORST decision ever and now I’m having to pay $68k to fix what Palafox couldn’t do bc they are clearly the inexperienced and wanted my money. If they cared about ethics, providing good quality service etc then Palafox would have done the right thing and simply fix the unsafe structure of my house that was perfectly safe before they started construction. My lawyer gave them an option to fix it and they declined knowing it would take years to go to trial if I were to sue them. I can also confirm (talking with others in town) that David’s lawyer sends a threatening letter to anyone who gives a bad review. Like that is the sole purpose of reviews! If you don’t want an irate customer informing others of their horrid personal experience, then do better! My entire life savings and daughters college funds we’re depleted bc of this company who does not give ONE ounce about my family’s safety or stealing our money. They know they messed up when they did a walk through of our house with their engineer and foundation guy. The foundation guy even sent me a PM months later trying to get me to talk bad about Palafox - I guess he thought I wouldn’t recognize him. Supposedly they do good work on roofs and everyone I’ve talked to says they should stay in that lane and that David is in far over his head with construction. I’m not the only one he has done this too, just the only way one who has spent the most with this company (what I was told). I trusted this company. Now they are living lavishly trying to get me to stay quiet. Wish I did my investigative research before hiring this awful company. Everyone research DEEPLY... Sadly I will list the house for sale (to get out of $80k in debt and so I can provide for my family) once the house is fixed in 1 week by a legitimate contractor.

I was introduced to Palafox in 2019 on a friends recommendation. I had them inspect my roof for damage after the storms that hit the Dallas area in October. They answered questions, provided estimates, tarped damaged areas and assisted me with trying to get my insurance to understand why the repairs my insurance wanted me to complete on my concrete tile roof wouldn’t work. I ended up using the lawyer they recommended to get my insurance company to meet the terms of my contract. Then after over two years of litigation Palafox was still willing to come after hours to cleanup and cover an area where part of my ceiling impacted by a leak created by the storm had fallen into my living room. Once the insurance settled Palafox removed the old concrete tile roof and cedar shingles under them and began laying down decking. They complete all of this in one day and then comeback and completed the rest of the roof. They did an amazing job. Everyone on the team was polite and knowledgeable. The roof replacement went so well that I hired them to comeback and replace damaged woodwork of soffits, fascia, wooden support beams and railings on porches then paint all of the wood work on the house. My house looks brand new and the price was good given how much work had to be done. The crews were very polite and extremely knowledgeable. The foreman and or project manager communicated with me daily during each of the projects answered all questions and made sure I was happy with the results of each project. The project manager was so focused on me as a client that he was willing to go line by line through the contract and even wrote elements in plain language at my request. The team was so concerned with me being satisfied with the outcome that even details like helping me pick the right shade of color for the paint weren’t too small. I am definitely using them again.

I was referred to the Design Studio by a good friend when we needed to do some updating to our new home. We met with Louise, Irene and the team in October of 2021. They spent a lot of time with us to understand exactly what it was that we needed done. They came to our house to look at the space and assisted us with choosing colors to suit our taste and current trends. There were a few details that we were particular about and they made excellent notes and respected our wishes. The team kept in touch with us as the project began and proceeded to the finish. The workers were friendly and very respectful. They arrived on time, left on time and cleaned up thoroughly so that we could still use our house while the project was ongoing. They were extremely accommodating to our schedule. The estimates for the project were accurate from the beginning and there were no surprises when it came time to make the final payment. They finished the project as agreed upon. The design team came to inspect after the work was completed and together, we created a punch list for any corrections that needed to be made before the final walk-through. We were extremely satisfied with the quality of work and have recommended the Design Studio to friends and family. I will definitely use them for any future projects. Their attention to scheduling and communication is second to none. Feel confident that the work will be quality and current with the decorating trends.

Design Studio did an excellent job redesigning 2 bathrooms in my home. I had used another company last year and was disappointed in the results. The owner of Design Studio came to my house to assay the situation and made a plan. Her stone man, Jose, came and took away both “faux granite” countertops and sinks, then measured for the new planned white Quartz ones. He cut, polished and installed them within days, as well as a new corner seat top in the shower-beautiful! Also not completed by the other company was one of the custom vanities. There was an open gap on both sides between the walls and the vanity. Design Studio’s owner, Louise Frost, sent Justin, who carefully cut wood and matched it to my vanity to fill in the gaps. Louise’s sidekick, Irene, made sure all appointments were made with the workmen in a timely manner. She also made sure there were no misunderstandings about the exact costs I could expect. I am so pleased now with my bathrooms. My only regret is that I did not encounter Design Studio at the beginning of my remodel. The next project I plan in the design department will definitely be with Design Studio in Bellevue.!!!

After a horrible windstorm, we had extreme roof damage over 75% of our shingles were gone off the roof. We had leaks in the house leaks in the garage and our attic door had much water damage. All I had to do was make one call to David Palafox at Palafox Roofing And within the next day 10 AM they were here making sure to cover the roof making sure to look at all the damage and getting the process started in order to file a home insurance claim to get this roof covered and they did an awesome job on showing up when they were supposed to answering questions that normally you have during this whole process. They were here the day scheduled to meet the adjuster for the insurance and talk him through the entire process and all the damages that were up on the roof for us so that we didn’t have to fight with any insurance to make sure coverage was there. And no matter when I had questions , they were always available to assist me. It made this entire process so much easier. Five star rating for sure. Brandee S