Duende Design and Construction

Part of what makes something as challenging as a remodel successful is planning and communication. On top of that is the artistic vision which comes with experience and the artistic side is a natural gift. Joseph and team have all the key elements to make your project real, your dream. Kid you not, these guys are fantastic, trust worthy and amiable. Bottom line they care as much as you, if not more than you do about the goals in your mind. They will help see it though. I’m very impressed with the dedication to getting the job done.
Go ahead, challenge them, they will make it happen.

Creative, insightfull, very professional yet practical architectural design and construction firm. Joseph and his team were worth the wait. Remodeling a condo while occupied takes special planning and flexibility. The workmanship is superb and the finished unit a beautiful work of art. Highly recommended… No one does this better. Everyone is very satisfied and pleasantly reminded of a great experience every day, just living in this wonderful modernized space.

After several recommendations from coworkers we hired Joseph to help us figure out how to open up the kitchen in our 1920’s flipped craftsman house. We thought we had one or two good options before our initial meeting but Joseph’s keen design eye and experience led us down a slightly different path. After getting his input we decided to do an arched opening to the dining room (matching the other arches in the house), replace the counter tops and relocate some of the upper cabinets to make a bar. All of the work needed to be done in 2 – 3 weeks time because our existing place was in the process of being sold.
His crew began work right after we signed the agreement. We were impressed how professional, efficient, and clean they were throughout the process. His crew communicated with us almost on a daily basis and they were very respectful not to damage our existing floors, cabinets, walls. We ran into a snag part way through in that our countertop slabs were mismatched… but Joseph rectified that situation for us.
In the end our kitchen was finished before we had to move in the house and the results were spectacular! Everyone who comes over loves the openness and the light that now carries throughout the house. Kudos to Duende! I would highly recommend them in the future!

Our experience with Duende was great! Joseph was very easy to talk to and work with. He is a great listener and performed on our every request. I especially liked that he worked with me on the design of the kitchen. We did not hire an interior designer however Joseph was very patient and willing to work with me on the layout and design all the way though the process. Our kitchen turned out better than we ever expected! Joseph custom build a huge sliding chalkboard door for us that covers the pantry, which is a very cool and unique element that we love! We could not have done this with without Joseph and his team. All of his workers were very kind and respectful and a joy to be around. They all made the process of remodeling our kitchen as painless as possible and even helped baby proof the work area for our 1 ½ year old. I would absolutely hire this company again for our next remodel.

Joseph and his team have provide great quality with a good price and appropriate sense for reliability and Eco mindedness all with an artistic touch. From small jobs to big, they’ve always come through in a timely manner, and most importantly walked us through every step in the process ensuring that our expectations were met and any anomalies were well thought through and orated to us appropriately like any good client/​contractor team should. He was even there to help clean up a few mess from earlier underperforming contractors.

Joseph, the owner, was very easy to work with from the start. He came to our house and sat down for an initial design consultation where we could tell him what we wanted and also get his ideas on areas where we weren’t sure how to proceed. From there we agreed on scope of work and signed a contract for services and discussed timeline.
We were fortunate enough to not live in the house we were renovating so it made it much easier on us (and Duende). Over the course of about a month, Duende worked on our house and Joseph kept us updated on the progress, design questions he had for us, or decisions he needed us to make. He was very good about staying within our budget, although that budget expanded quite a bit as we either added additional things on that we wanted, or had to make changes per the city inspector. We were never pressured to do something or add something we didn’t want, and we were always presented options that would fit closely with our budget.
While the project had its fair share of minor snags (they found a live 220 outlet behind the wall in the kitchen which we didn’t know was there and we had to address, they found old live wires in the attic that we had to address, the inspector made us tear down all the tile in the guest bathroom… a bathroom that had no renovations planned for it… and put in Denishield board then re-​tile with new tile, and the inspector also cited us for having windows in 2 bedrooms that were about 2 inches too high off the ground per city code, causing us to have to lower those windows), Joseph never told us anything would have to wait or that they couldn’t do it. These were all unplanned additions/​changes that caused delays in the project, but It was nice to never hear «no», only «we can do that, and here’s what your options are and here’s how much they’ll cost». The Duende team was always nice and helpful, and all the subcontractors in the house were friendly and did exactly what they were supposed to.
The biggest help that Joseph provided us was when the city inspector went wild around our house citing us for things done years ago by former owners, and making us show permits for changes that were done up to 30 years ago. It was a nightmare, and we were really happy to have a contractor who could help us translate what the inspector was saying, advising us on how we could proceed with minimal cost, and making sure that our home project is permitted and signed off properly. Duende is by no means a fly-​by-​night operation and they will make sure their work is legal, safe, and they won’t cut corners.

We just finished the remodel of my kitchen and it’s beautiful! Joseph and his crew were all professional and meticulous, and everything was done on time and within budget. I bought a very out-​dated condo in January, and the kitchen was a nightmare of mold, darkness, and embossed wallpaper (even on the ceiling — I’m not kidding). I’ve never done a remodel before and was anxious because I didn’t know exactly what I wanted (except that I wanted the mold, darkness and embossed wallpaper to go away). The great thing about working with Joseph was that he helped me figure it out — the whole process was very collaborative. He is really thoughtful and helpful when decisions and choices have to be made (especially the expensive ones), and he is very organized. That helped me feel calm and relaxed all the way through this project. Oh ya — plus he’s like this stained glass artist and he tricked out the kitchen’s four pendant lights with stained glass! What could have been stressful ended up being fun and I got exactly what I wanted. Yay kitchen remodel!

Eleven years ago, during the construction of our home, we commissioned Joseph to do three pieces in stained glass, an exterior and interior door, and a window. The results were so pleasing, we asked Joseph to do three stained glass art objects as Christmas gifts for our three adult children. They were all thrilled with the gifts, and each work is displayed proudly in their homes to this day. A few years later while vacationing in Switzerland, we admired a porch in our hotel framed completely instained glass. Returning home we again contacted Joseph and discussed the idea of doing something similar to a porch in our home. We gave Joseph free reign in designing this project, and the results are nothing less than spectacular! New visitors to our home routinely express amazement at how this unique stained glass porch adds beauty to our home. And each morning while we take our coffee on the porch, we are thankful for Joseph Hensler’s vision and talent. Tom & Ky Colestock Carlisle, Pa.