Moneca Kaiser Design Build Reviews

The changes Moneca made to the layout have made it into such a livable space. It’s technically small but it doesn’t feel small because of the layout and the windows. The windows are so incredible and I’m so happy that she found so many places to add big beautiful light filling windows. We barely ever use lights before dusk. I feel proud of my home which wasn’t the case when we bought it, before the renovations started.

My mother passed away a few years back after a long illness. After a period of mourning and adjustment, my father decided that it was time to shift from the house that had been their home for forty years to a condo. The move was a daunting prospect. We are extremely fortunate that Moneca and her team were available to help in the transition. My parents’ home held a lifetime of treasures and memories; Moneca was able to honour my father’s vision, timeline, and budget while ensuring respect for the fundamentals of good design. They worked together to create a worthy home for his retirement and in the process have become fast friends. When I visit my father’s condo, I see him happy and surrounded by his favourite things. He takes pleasure in hosting friends old and new, and has received nothing but compliments on his comfortable and elegant new home. Our most sincere thanks to Moneca – this happy ending is truly a gift.

Moneca and her team have been great at every step of the reno process. We have a 100 yr old house we are renovating. We came to Moneca with a design concept but Moneca quickly envisioned a much better plan. Her team went through every detail during the design phase to maximize the use of space while emphasizing multiple uses for each space. Now we are in the construction phase and they are ahead of schedule and on budget even after discovering some surprises an old house can hide. We feel confident that Moneca and her team are going to deliver what they promised and give us our dream home.

Our project was very last minute, and as I searched for a contractor and interior designer to be able to guide us through our project, I found MKDB. Lucky for us, they were able to take on our project (we contacted them in mid-April, demo started in June!). Compared to what I hear from other people going through major renovations of their home, we didn't hit any of the snafus - communication with Moneca and her team (and especially Dana) was really easy and straightforward. The only issue we had was that the permits took longer than expected and set the whole project back a month. Probably, Moneca and her team could / should have done a better job with them, but all in all, delays are expected with a reno. WHAT I LOVED 1 We had to write a somewhat long-ish document about how we were envisioning the project and what we wanted our home to look like. After that, I felt like most of my work had been done. Dana and Moneca took possession of our thoughts and wants and turned them into the right choices of interior fixtures, from hardwood flooring to shelves, shades of paints or lighting. It was a last minute project and before we started I had never watched a home reno show so I didn't know much about what I wanted, but it felt like Dana knew! I just nodded to most of the tiles, hardwood floors, plumbing that she presented because they were right. It was such a relief not to have to go to all the stores and agonize over the tiles. I think it also kept us on budget because otherwise I would have been sucked into choosing more expensive fixtures. WHAT I LOVED 2 We were away for most of the reno and Moneca and Dana kept us informed of what was happening. We came back not to a fully renovated house, which was the goal at first, but things were moving quickly already. We really did not have to do any check ups, making sure that everything was according to plan, because Moneca and her team were. That also removed a lot of the stress of a reno WHAT I LOVED 3 Moneca's and Dana's designing suggestions were really helpful. Had we not hired an interior designer who really thought about the flow of people in the house, I don't think our home would be functioning so well for us now. A contractor will tell you they can, and will, but I think that for a maor reno like this, you need someone who can have a global vision.

Our more than a century old house was looking drab and required a significant redesign to give it more life and curb appeal. We had a great experience working with MKDB in the past for our interior renovations and were excited to work with them again on our new project. We hired MKDB to redesign the front of the house and to build and managed the actual renovations. We found the staff to be very knowledgeable, courteous and great listeners. They sat down with us to hear our ideas and came back with a design that truly elevated the look of our home's exterior facade, roofline and front porch, They made sure that we were fully aware of the cost of the project and any potential costs that could arise, so that we did not have to worry about additional costs after the project started. Like the previous renovation with them, they came in on time and on budget, just like they promised. We very highly recommend working with them.

My husband and I rarely write reviews but often read them and they impact our decisions. So to do our part we wanted to share our thoughts on working with Moneca Kaiser Design and Build (MKDB). Originally, I set out looking for interior design guidance for a new house we are building that we had just designed. However, MKDB second opinion service caught my eye. I thought that getting a fresh set of eyes on our floor plans and maybe some value adding tweaks could be wise. Unfortunately, that wasn’t the case. Moneca offered a two step service, one to critique the existing floor plan and step two to offer solutions. However, after step one (which she originally asked $1,000 for but thankfully we got the 360 degree consult fee of $360 after asking) she said she was unable to provide solutions. This meeting ended up being little more than a sales pitch for her services. I don’t think the MKDB second opinion service should even be offered to begin with if there is the possibility that there are no solutions. Although Moneca speaks to a holistic approach in design, she still offers this service which is not at all inline with this approach she maintains is necessary to create a home design. It's easy to point out what could be better in a home design however providing solutions is another story, Ultimately, we spent $5,000 and none of her ideas added value to our situation or feasible with our current plans. She seemed more interested collecting fees and signing us up for a full home design than helping us in our situation to be honest. On a positive note, the experience did highlight how our original floor plan was optimal for us and how thankful we are to have our original home design and build team.

We are delighted with our renovation - it truly transformed our livingspace - and we very much appreciated the open design-first approach.

We hired Moneca to do a major renovation for us, with a main floor addition for a new kitchen and a complete redesign of the main floor of our 1940s home. New windows, roof, siding, climate system and a new, relocated back deck were part of the reno. Moneca and her whole team were trustworthy, reliable, and professional. We were extremely impressed with their skill and meticulous attention to detail. We actually started out with another designer, but pricing concerns late in that process led us to ask Moneca for a second opinion. She reassured us on the price, but suggested a very different layout that made so much sense that we had to switch. Moneca’s people were very organized and helped guide us through the whole process, by narrowing down fixture choices and even giving advice on furnishings. They started on schedule and got us back into the house on time. We are thrilled with the result and highly recommend Moneca and her team!