We did an extensive kitchen and bathroom remodel. Lennie & his team at DBD were incredibly detailed and patient. His thoughtful approach is to planning made the construction phase so much more enjoyable. Lennie only works with top-notch professionals who we developed complete trust with. We lived in the house during the construction and Lennie went to great lengths to ensure our comfort. I would not only recommend Lennie & DBD, I was rehire him for future projects.
— J Farnell
Lennie has done a complete remodelling of our Kitchen, Master Bathroom and basement, mostly when we were away from home. He is extremely diligent, creative and accomodating in every way. Besides our trust in Lennie, we trusted his sub-contractors because we believed in Lennie so much. I would trust Lennie to do an excellent job (which he has proven over and over again for us) and recommend him to anyone who is looking to get a quality piece of work done, no matter what it is.
— Larry Lens
I’ve worked on numerous projects over the past 8 years with Lennie of Design Build Dwellings. He continues to amaze me with his creativity, attention to detail, and workmanship of the highest quality that can be expected.
His designs of basements, additions, bath and kitchen remodels are always fresh and transition very nicely with the existing home—so the newly remodeled areas do not look like afterthoughts.
As a kitchen and bath design professional myself, I like that Lennie is a certified kitchen designer as well as a licensed general contractor. His many years of kitchen and bath design experience makes my job much easier when I need to communicate cabinets, design, problems solving field conditions, etc with him. This scenario is definitely a bonus for me!
And I do highly recommend Design Build Dwellings for your next remodel.
—KC Deigns
Lennie’s organizational skills are unlike anything I have ever seen. He knows, who, what, when, how and why every step of the way. His clients benefit tremendously from this. His clients also benefit from his realistic budgets, timeline and expectations. He has a passion for helping his clients at any cost. It’s been a pleasure working with him!
—The Flooring Group, Inc.
I have hired Design Build Dwellings for three large projects including a kitchen, basement re-build and two baths. I couldn’t be happier with the results. The owner possesses the ability to discern what the customer wants before they do and seamlessly mixes contemporary and antique components for a unique artistic result. I especially appreciate the fact that all subs are known entities to the owner, and I always felt comfortable and safe with them in my home. No one enters my home without commenting on how beautiful it turned out.
— dlsipe -Via Houzz
We had many jobs down by DBD. The first was a kitchen remodel. We were out of the country and I completely trusted Lennie with my house. The results were beautiful. Next we had the basement redone. This included new cork floors, painting, and counter with sink, fridge, ice maker, TV component cupboard and game, DVD cupboards, plus a bathroom redo. It looks beautiful. Lastly we had the master bath redone. Lennie’s ideas were great and the final result is stunning. We have really enjoyed working with him over the years.
— cjicklens Via Houzz
I have been a paint contractor for 19 yrs. and have worked with countless remodelers and homeowners.DBD is by far the most detailed oriented Co. I have had the pleasure to work with.
— bauerpropainting Via Houzz
We hired Lennie Higgins through a recommendation from a friend after he had done some work for her. We found him to be completely professional and very personable. He worked up designs for a kitchen and two bathroom remodel for our townhouse and consulted us on every step. He laid out a timetable for the progress of the work and all the costs. We went to several suppliers to pick out what we wanted in materials. Lennie never tried to sell us on anything but listened and gave considered opinions. His team was very professional and seemed very competent. There was a bit of a time overrun, as there usually is with projects, but Lennie did his best to get things done in a timely manner. Lennie charges a fair price for his work. He doesn’t come cheap but you can have complete confidence that your project will finish up outstanding. I highly recommend Lennie and Design Build Dwellings.
— Gayle Mayson
We hired Lennie to do a small renovation in our home: replacing windows–including changing the configuration and size of the windows in our family room–changing out doors, and putting in a wall of built-in bookcases. While the job was relatively small, it took up a large part of the house, including the family room, study, master bedroom, and master bath. Lennie was professional from the beginning, working with us to make the project work with our budget. He was always punctual, arriving to meetings on-time and completing the project within the scheduled time frame. The subcontractors he hired were also respectful and professional, cleaning up after themselves each day. All were friendly to us, our young children, and our dog. While renovations are by their nature inconvenient and challenging to have going on in your house, Lennie made it as pleasant as possible, and we have been thrilled with the beautiful and high-quality results. We cannot recommend Lennie highly enough!
— katie_bellon
We have used DBD for numerous projects on our house for over 15 years and have had a great experience each time. (Kitchen remodel, Master Bath remodel, basement bar installation, backyard pavilion, wood floor installation) We have an older house (1938) which is always full of surprises but in each case things worked out well. Lennie is a pleasure to work with and we have recommended him to friends who have been very happy with the outcome of their projects.
— den5280ver Via Houzz
Design Build Dwellings offers the advantage of working with a professional that has a true vision for creating projects with great design and functionality. Design Build Dwellings will deliver the best project possible for your budget and the work will be completed on schedule. Lennie has vast experience in all aspects of construction and design, he has extensive hands on construction experience so you can be confident that his visions will provide a finished product you will truly appreciate. I have worked for, with and also had work done for me by Design Build Dwellings. Lennie is someone you will discover that you can depend on, trust and really enjoy working with start to finish. That is very rare in this day and age!
— dntnjwb64 Via Houzz
After my upstairs toilet overflowed for a day while I was at work, I had to get our kitchen ceiling fixed. The first company I hired replaced the sheetrock, retextured the ceiling and repainted the whole ceiling. When I got home, I was horrified. You could definitely see the big piece of sheetrock that had been replaced, and the texture did not match the rest of the ceiling. We asked the company to fix that and we were told it was impossible to fix it perfectly and to make it look like nothing ever happened. That is when I decided to try another company, I called Design Build Dwellings. Mr. Higgins came that day and assured me that my ceiling could be fixed and look amazing. He explained to me how he intended to do the work and I could tell he knew what he was talking about. I trusted him, and I am glad I did. Within 3 days, my ceiling was fixed, retextured and repainted. It looks perfect now, and you cannot see the difference between the patched ceiling and the rest of the house. Thanks so much Mr. Higgins. I will definitely use your company again.
— lyndaleslie89 Via Houzz
I bought my house new in 2002, and in 2003, I hired a company to finish my basement. After about 10 years, the house had settled and there were numerous cracks in the dry wall which needed to be repaired. In addition, the moving floor had put stress on some of the door frames causing them to not open and close properly. Lastly, we had installed a floor to ceiling mirror on one entire wall in the gym we had built. The moving floors had put upward pressure on the mirror and caused it to crack in multiple places. I hired Design Build Dwellings to make the drywall repairs, and to realign the doors and base boards to better fit with the floors which had shifted over time. The work was done on time, on budget and to my complete satisfaction. The repair work blended in seamlessly, all doors work correctly like when they were first installed. I would highly recommend this company for any repair work required in your home, and I will call upon them again if the need comes up in the future.
— coolbreezesal Via Houzz
I recently decided to have my wood floors refinished. I called two companies for estimates, one of them was from a company who had placed a flyer on my front door. In the end, I went with the flyer company, because the person who gave the estimate showed up on time for the estimate, was courteous and professional, and the price seemed reasonable. I did not call or check on references. The photo on the flyer showed a very nice floor, so I assumed mine would look the same when finished. The company claimed to be locally owned and operated. The only demand I made was that the resurface work needed to be done while we were out of town during spring break. I gave a $450 deposit and left a key with the owner. I had a neighbor checking on my house while we were away and on Monday, the first day we were on spring break, I received a call from my neighbor stating that the workers had not showed up for the day and nothing had been done. I was furious, and called the floor company right away. He said his crew had not shown up for the day. I reminded him that we had now lost 1 day and that the work still needed to be done by Friday that week. He said no problem. On Tuesday, the workers showed up for about 3 hours, and left for the day. Wednesday, another no show for the crew, and on Thursday, my neighbor called again and told me they again had not shown up.
The sanding was not completed, and the first stain had not yet been applied. In fact, they had not even sent me samples to determine which color stain to go with. By now, it was obvious they would not finish by Friday, so I had the locks changed and all their floor equipment was placed on the front porch. I called the floor company and told them to come get their equipment, and that they were done. They gave me a bunch of excuses and told me they wanted another chance. I did not agree. At this point, I was furious, and returned home from spring break to a mess in my house and lots of work ahead, and out $450. I called Design Build Dwellings, after hearing good things about their work from others, and they immediately came over and said they could start the work the following Monday. They went to work right away on finishing the sanding work which had been started by the other company, and worked with us to pick the best color stain to match our kitchen. They applied 1 coat of the stain for 3 days in a row, were on time each day, and very professional and helpful with advice on how to let the floors dry and off gas, and which temperature to leave for the floors. They were also very good about cleaning up after themselves, and kept the dust levels to a minimum. The floors look fantastic, and I would highly recommend Design Build Dwellings to anyone looking to do any remodeling. I should have called them from the start, instead of just going with the company handing out flyers on doorsteps. I will go to them again if the need arises for any work around the house.
—steven_leslie
My husband and I have lived in our home in Denver for over 30 years. Some of the original remodel from 1986, large kitchen window and door and upper front porch, needed major repair. We worked with Lennie Higgins of Design Build Dwellings who was fantastic. He helped us design it and then built it. Our remodel involved three different rooms and as is par for the course, we expanded the project. My husband and I take some time to agree on a project but the end result is wonderful. Lennie was patient, had great suggestions, hired people who were respectful of us and the fact that we were living in the house during the remodel and cleaned up everyday! We are extremely happy with the quality of the work and the end result. An example Is master bedroom closet which was quite limited by space. Lennie came up with a great design by raising the ceiling and put in small windows that were high enough to avoid fading our clothing but let in natural light in. He built necklace, scarf and belt racks that fit in this small space. He also figured out built-in shoe racks and some great built in draws and shelves. I no longer have to store my things in two different closets. Another example is the design of the front window. We spent time designing the front window as we were making it significantly taller. Lennie had great suggestions about how the window should open and the look. People admire that window every time they walk by our house. We love the natural light and our view of the mountains. Lennie was very realistic with the cost and budget. The only reason it was more was because we added some items as the project was underway. He still got the job done on time. His suggestions and added touches pulled this remodel together.
— jpwason
Design Build Dwellings’ Lennie Higgins renovated two old, shabby, unattractive bathrooms in my 1893 home. The upstairs baths was really ugly with cheap paneling, an old ugly sink with exposed pipes, but a wonderful old claw-foot tub.. It is now a lovely space. I look forward to walking into it each morning. The downstairs bath we adapted for a person who is aging. The tub is gone and was replaced by a shower with a grab bar and other features that will help me as I grow older. While we didn’t change the footprint of either bathroom, each is now much more attractive and usable than it was. Lennie also checked out the flooring beneath the main floor bathroom and determined that it would not support heavy tile. That in itself was worth having him involved in the project.
One of the things I like most about Lennie is that I know I can trust what he tells me about renovations/alterations. I talked to him earlier this year about doing some work in my kitchen and he was truthful in telling me that it would not be a good idea unless I was doing it just for my own enjoyment; i.e., that as an investment to make the house more salable, it would not justify the cost. A second opinion echoed his comments! I may still decide to do some renovation in the kitchen, but I will do it more intelligently than I would have without Lennie’s advice.
Lennie has a good eye and a real design talent, not just for the technical work, but also for the aesthetics. Both of my bathrooms are now not only more usable, but also more attractive. I have seen work that Lennie has down for others and was impressed enough to want him to do the work for me.
— Pat norris
“We have thoroughly enjoyed every aspect of working with you, not the least of which was the chance to get to know you personally! All the projects have come out just as we imagined them, with no hiccups or hidden costs along the way. It was wonderful being across the world, knowing that our project and house were in such capable hands. You have gone above and beyond the call of duty several times – watering pianos and plants! The quality of your work, and those who work with you, is top notch. Everyone knew their task, and were polite and clean, too! I’m almost sorry that we’ve run out of rooms to remodel…”
– Caryol L, Cherry Creek, Denver
“I chose Design Build Dwelling because a friend of mine had used Lennie Higgin’s services for a kitchen and two bathroom remodels and sang his praises. And of course I had seen the results of his work, which were wonderful. So I knew in advance I was gong to get an excellent result. Nonetheless I was not entirely prepared for the quality of service I received. Lennie “held my hand” through the entire process. He personally accompanied me on the shopping expeditions. As a committed non-shopper, I found having someone along to keep me moving forward was critical. Lennie didn’t make decisions for me, he just kept me focused. It helped that Lennie knew the right places to “shop.” During the construction and rebuilding phases, Lennie stayed attuned to the work on a daily basis. If a member of the team did not perform as expected, Lennie brought in someone who would. If problems arose, Lennie handled them immediately. Having a remodel can be disruptive, but Lennie works hard at making it a pleasant experience. His daily phone calls do much to make the disruption palatable. All the workmen were considerate and took care not to damage anything in my house. They cleaned up after themselves every day. That was very important to a neat freak like me. Not only would I use Design Build Dwelling again, I would strongly recommend it to anyone considering a remodel.”
– Pat N, Wash Park, Denver
“Design Build Dwellings did such a wonderful job on my kitchen I had them re-model my basement too. Lennie knew the most amazing places to shop for unique items (antique grates, unusual tiles, etc.) that gave my home tremendous character and ensured that the final product reflected my personality. His unique ability to blend antique and contemporary aspects into a remodeling project really sets Design Build Dwellings apart from others. Anyone can remodel a house, Lennie’s creative suggestions, ideas and vision is what made the difference between a routine re-modeling job and creation of a very special living space.
I so appreciate Lennie’s concern at minimizing the dust and debris during the renovation. There were no budget surprises.”
– Diane S. East Wash Park, Denver
” Lennie, You not listened to what I wanted but you heard. Then you had the expertise to accomplish the project. You always laid out a reasonable plan that met my budget needs and completed the project on time and on budget.
Perhaps the best thing I can say is I came back to you for five more projects after the first one that gave me a perfect kitchen. I spent twenty years remodeling a 100 year old house and you were there for every project keeping the ambiance and style of my home while modernizing the practical side. You were able to balance the history with the updates.
– Patt P. Wash Park, Denver
” I am a kitchen and bath designer and have had the opportunity to work with Lennie on several kitchen and bath projects over the last several years. I must say, he makes my job so much easier because he himself is not only a licensed General Contractor but also a Certified Kitchen Designer. Lennie sets himself apart from the others by specializing in kitchens and baths, not only with hands on experience but by taking the time to get certified and his continual involvement in the NKBA (National Kitchen and Bath Association). Over my many years of being in the kitchen and bath industry, he is the first and only General Contractor that I have met in the State of Colorado that is also a Certified Kitchen Designer. So that being said, Lennie can design and execute a design without the help of another kitchen designer. He is very creative in design not only with the cabinetry layouts but with space planning, making additions to the homes blend in with the style of the existing home design so that it does not look like an afterthought and taking a run down dated outside design/finishes of a home and bringing it up-to-date, creating a design that you would have never thought of on your own. Because of Lennie’s knowledge, hands on experience, design sensibilities with all aspects of the home, I feel at ease with working with him and knowing the results are going to be amazing and that I am in good hands. ”
– Karen C. Denver
” Design Build Dwellings has provided expertise and supported guidance through the planning phase of our kitchen renovation. A major project with many difficult decisions about layout, design, construction, and selections, Lennie has been there to suggest options and share his practical knowledge to assist us in making the right decision for our needs and desires. He brings a calm force to a world of stress created by a kitchen renovation. ”
– Kymley F. Denver
“I love my remodeled kitchen and my brand new bathroom. The hardest part of the process for me was making decisions on color, material, appliance types, accessories, fixtures, hardware design, etc., etc. Lennie’s help with those decisions was invaluable and set him apart from others.”
– Lona C. Wash Park, Denver
“We have used Lennie on two projects in two different houses ranging from a kitchen remodel to an exterior design/remodel. With each project we experienced a number of variables typical of older homes, and Lennie managed to keep within time lines and on budget for each project. I also judge craftmanship by how it looks over time, and Lennie’s work stands the test of time. We will use him again.”
– Kevin S. Littleton
“It was a real pleasure working with Lennie and team at Design Build Dwellings on our remodeling project. They brought energy and creativity to a complex project and, more than that, I had complete confidence that DBD would be an honorable partner.”
– Ed M. Ken Caryl Valley
“I have found Lennie to be extremely careful, accurate and honest. He has the unique combination of being both an aesthetic designer and a very precise and thoughtful number cruncher. He follows through with his word, is highly professional and playful and funny when appropriate. I would highly recommend his services for their beauty and Lennie’s integrity.”
– Sophia R. Denver