Hill Garrison LLC

Amazing experience all the way from concept brainstorming to the finish line. Highly recommended! We initially met with Katie and her team to explore going through a meaningful renovation to be done in our loft, which included designing and building the master bedroom, creating a new bedroom and building a full bathroom from scratch among other things. You can tell right from the start that Katie and her team have the passion, commitment, talent and patience it takes to do what they do. They spent a considerable amount of time meeting with us and understanding what we envisioned, explaining to us what could be done and how, what could not be done and why, and also coming with creative solutions to problems we had not seen coming. Thanks to Katie, the process from concept to deciding on layouts and designs, and picking up materials, tiles and fixtures was very fluid and pleasant. We had a full time dedicated team at home everyday plus electric, plumbing, glass and carpentry jobs done during the process. We could not be happier with the end result. As important if not more, both projected budget and time required to finish the project were surprisingly accurate given all the horror stories one hears from friends and colleagues alike. It’s actually been fun, and we look forward to having Katie and her team back at home to renovate the kitchen soon!

Fully recommend Katie for any job without hesitation. We had the pleasure of working with her on redoing our apartment. While most walls were kept intact, every room was touched in some way including a complete gut job of our kitchen (which is now stunning). Our work involved demolition, design, and construction. It involved updating an apartment that hadn't been redone in over 20 years and making it look like new. Katie and team came to our current apartment to see how we lived, get an understanding of what furniture we were keeping, how much closet space and storage space we would need. This was all then factored into the design plan. Katie expertly oversaw all of this and helped in every way; no detail was too small and she sweats the small stuff so we didn't have to. She got the permits we needed in the timeframe needed for the job. She worked with the outside vendors to get installations done, deliveries, etc. The quality of the work, the attention to detail, the attention to our living style, taste, design preference was all of the highest quality. This involved the design of every room from lighting, window coverings, floors, wall color, furniture, putting A/C through walls, updating wiring (location of outlets too), etc. Her and her team are perfectionists. When demolition started there was a calendar posted of what work was to happen when over the next couple of months. They kept to that schedule and we knew what to expect when. The craftsmanship of the construction of our cabinets, built-ins, tile work, flooring, etc. is truly exceptional. We are very pleased with all of the work done. The other item I must stress is she is a pleasure to work with; even when sweating the small stuff she has a smile on her face and we knew that she was going to get it done and get it done right. She is also a straight shooter so when we encountered problems (and there are always problems on any job), Katie told us immediately and presented us our options. Can't say enough good things about the work that was done. We are so pleased with our new apartment and the amount of thought that went into designing it so that we can live how we live. The worst part is it is all done and we miss working with her!

Our experience with Katie Clark, owner of Hill Garrison, was incredible. She occupies a novel niche in New York contracting circles: she serves as a design-relocation specialist--that is, she makes a move a turnkey experience, right down to, if necessary, renovating and furnishing the new home. And in our case, renovation and furnishings were necessary. She made the whole process not only satisfying, but fun, so much so that we have engaged her to do Phase II of our grand plan, which will involve redoing our kitchen and three baths. The project: We had acquired a three-bedroom pre-war apartment on Manhattan's Upper East Side that had been renovated in the 1980s in a manner that eliminated a lot of the apartment's pre-war charm and style. Our goal was to restore that charm, while at the same time making the place as bright and airy as possible. The process included removing drop ceilings throughout much of the apartment, eliminating 85 old-style overhead can lights, raising the ceiling, and adding cove moulding and boxed beams. Her contractor, Ed, was a genius. In places he merely touched up existing features, adding trim and moulding--for example, he updated a wall of bookshelves in our dining room to the point where it now looks as if it were built new, from the ground up. Elsewhere, Ed installed cabinetry and closets, reframed windows, lightened and resurfaced our herring-bone floors, and--my favorite part--took the flat 1980s doors of the old apartment (good solid doors, but charmless) and trimmed them out in such a way that they look as they could have been installed in 1928 when the building was brand new. Not only do the doors look terrific--by keeping them we saved the small fortune we would otherwise have had to spend to replace them all. Katie and Ed also rebuilt our fireplace-surround and hearth, to produce a mantel that evokes the past, but with the clean and bright lines of the present. Like Katie, Ed was a dream to work with. Overall, the renovation took about four months, which was pretty much what Katie had projected. Next Katie helped us furnish the place, and took us shopping, and even arranged for the Couch Doctor to take apart our new sofa so that it could fit the service elevator in our building. She also filled our pantry and refrigerator, so that when we moved in, we were up and running from day one. Which was an incredible luxury. So now Katie is handling Phase II. We did not attempt to do the baths and kitchen the first time around because the NYC building-department approvals required for such renovations would have delayed our move possibly by as much as another six months. Now we have a better sense of exactly what we want for those rooms, as does Katie, with whom we have established a close working relationship. As shocking as this may seem, thanks to Katie we're actually totally looking forward to this next phase of the work, which ideally will begin in summer 2016.

Katie brought ideas and inspiration together. She listened, visited the previous apartment, asked questions on what worked and what didn't and came up with solutions based on what she had heard. The project was managed with professionalism and efficiency. Katie took the pressure off and gave me confidence at every stage.

I loved working with Katie Clark. She helped me redesign my bedroom and living room, transforming dark, disorganized space into a light, elegant home. She took my vague ideas and created a beautiful reality. She was able to reuse much if my old stuff, buying only what was necessary - keeping cost and waste to a minimum. She's organized, efficient and easy to work with. I cannot wait to tackle my next project with Katie!!!