Kenmar Construction

I have a teardown-​rebuild project with target post-​construction value to be around $ 1.3M to $ 1.5M range. I hardly ever use
but thought I’d give it a shot. Ken responded to my inquiry and I emailed him our site plan. I met him at a coffee house near job site to discuss further of my project. He was approachable, down-​to-​earth, and said all the right things. The initial eyebrow-​raising came when he spent a lot more time talking about himself and all the great jobs he has done, than learning about my project and my goals. He also came across as very eager which made me wonder that if he was a great contractor, there shouldn’t be lack of work these days with the amount of construction activities going on.
The huge red flag came when he proposed to enter some kind of partnership and split the profit 3-​way: ¹⁄₃ for him, ¹⁄₃ for me, ¹⁄₃ for the partner who owns the property with me. We barely knew each other, we met on the premise of service-​provider vs. potential client. At such an early stage he was already eyeing my future profit and wants to have 3-​way split with him. I thought that was audacious and totally crossed the line — I told him right then that it would not be an option. Even after he called me crazy when I told him of my budget, still he said he wanted to be involved in my project in some way, such as a construction consultant on T&M. Again, if someone is a great contractor, given how buy the construction industry is, they wouldn’t need to be so eager in offering to play a small role in a big project.
Though did not have any work done with him, very questionable tactic, and would advise anyone coming into his path to tread carefully.

Would give 0 stars if an option. Value and efficiency are clearly not their strong points. Sure, they got the job done. It cost way more than even Ken thought it would cost and it took considerably longer than it should have. BE VERY CAREFUL what you commit to. DON’T ENTER INTO A TIME AND MATERIALS CONTRACT WITH KENMAR. They will treat you as an open checkbook and make many, many runs to the suppliers for a box of screws here, some framing lumber there, some more lumber there, etc, etc. We had a deck built and he charged for the equivalent of 1000 miles of fuel! Where were they driving to for a deck? Additionally, there were order errors that he said would get credited back that never were, warranty issues immediately after that he still has not fixed 6 months later, and debris they never bothered removing (concrete, etc). His invoices had many errors. He double-​billed for things. He never even bothered to remedy the damage to the property that took place while he was doing the work. It turns out he didn’t even have a business license to operate in Seattle even though the project was in Seattle. Don’t be fooled by his character. I was impressed by him initially and thought he was an ethical contractor, but by the end of the job, I found him to be anything but. I question his ethics and do yourself a favor and get a price up front and hold him to that. Don’t trust him about knowing what you want or him saying he can work within you budget because he likely won’t. Save yourself the hassle because there are a lot of ethical contractors out there.

Ken is a high end contractor who appreciates quality. His subs have been with him for a long time for a reason. He does not cut corners. I would recommend him to anyone who wants to add value to their house. After 2 separate additions, he is still the only person I will call to handle my projects. Thanks Ken!

We had the same experience. Ken charged us for the first visit to come and talk about the work. He did have one sub do some work for us and we were not happy at all. He spent two days and thousands of dollars to patch up a ceiling which is now completely peeling again. Clearly, they didn’t know what they were doing. We don’t recommend him at all.

Definitely do not work with Kenmar Construction! They charge for their bid! We contacted Ken (the owner) for a kicthen remodel that we really wanted to get moving on. He comes over and chats our ears off about anything and everything for at least 2 hours. Insults the current projects in our house and insults our taste in products… then said he charges 15% on top of what his subs charge. At the same time, we said we’d do our own shopping for bids. he leaves and about 5 days go by and we hear nothing from him or his subs. In that time, we find bids that we like so we end up telling him thanks but no thanks. 2 weeks go by and we get a bill from him for 5 hours at $ 65 an hour. We call to complain and supposedly 2 of the hours were for him to come by and talk to us and the other 3 were for finding us bids which actually never even happened. Ridiculous! You can find so much better out here.