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Steve and his team completed a challenging project on our house, which is 80 years old and had some bad remodeling done over the years. The team was responsive and worked with us on the design, materials, and technical features. The cellar looks great and operates even better. Putting this review up now - 7 years later - because we had a minor service issue and Steve and the team (the same people) were on it immediately when I called. Turned out to be a routine maintenance issue but the equipment was still running great and keeping the temperature constant (hasn't moved more than a degree in over 7 years). I highly recommend Classic Cellar Design. They do fantastic work, pay attention to detail, and they have the same great team after all these years. You just don't see that any more.
~ Jon S
Classic Cellar Design is an amazing partner to work with when you are looking at building a wine cellar or tasting room in your home. Steve is truly an amazing artist who brings magic to life in your project. We had one phone consultation and in-home visit with Steve, and his plan/proposal nailed exactly what we were looking for. His designs were spot-on, and he made sure that every detail from the wood choices, all the way down to door hardware made sense and fit the flow of the project. We were floored by the final outcome of the project and cant wait to work with him again on the refurbishment of our basement bar. You truly dont need to look any further than Classic Cellar Design if you want a great wine cellar in your home.
~ David B
I recently used Classic Cellar Design to design and build a wine cellar in a custom home that I was building. Steve was a pleasure to work with, he designed every aspect of my cellar from the racks, to the refrigeration system (as well as the back up refrigeration system!). He even suggested inventory management software. I could not be more pleased. Our home is something special that took over 3 years to build, and while I am very proud of my home I get the most compliments on the wine cellar. Building a home is difficult but the wine cellar process was a pleasure. Anyone who is interested in building a world class wine cellar need look no further than Steve at Classic Cellar Design.
~ Dave T
Classic Cellar Design exceeded expectations on all fronts in the design and construction of our custom bar & wine alcove. From initial concept to final touches, Steve managed all phases of the project himself and kept us informed and engaged throughout the process. He is a true professional and his craftsmen are highly skilled, which reflects in the overall quality of the finished product. Steve is a perfectionist, but was collaborative and easy to work with when it came to design elements and materials selection. He also designed and crafted 2 mantels to match the bar, which completed our double-sided fireplace left unfinished by a previous contractor. CCD delivered value for money and there were no surprises when it came to costs. Steve is honest and a pleasure to deal with. I highly recommend him and would use CCD again on future projects.
~ Dennis P
Had a great experience working with Steve and his team and really loved the end result. Two things about our project were handled exceptionally well. One was the design. We had a design but it just wasnt right and had some elements that didn’t fit with our space. Rather than push it through Steve scrapped and started completely over with a new design concept that was much better. This was much appreciated and took lots of time on his part (basically redoing all his prior design work). Second was the attention to detail. Things like lighting, wood choices (from an old barn), custom table, pull out drawers, painting the ceiling with texture, brick choices, flooring....just all the little things were done well so the overall finished product is really excellent. Would definitely recommend Steve and while I don’t Intend to move if I ever move in the area I would rehire him for my next cellar project.
~ Peter B
I wish I could give Steve and his team 10 stars. I just don't have the words to tell you how talented they are. We purchased a new home in Virginia and Classic Cellar Design created a one of a kind, contemporary style cellar to fit the decor and and style of our home. Steve designed from scratch a cellar style that I don't think has ever been done and masterfully worked through the logistics of executing that design. All of the work was completed in our agreed upon budget (does anyone in construction do that?).
I think Steve may be the only person I have met who has higher workmanship standards for himself than his clients. He way over delivered on any expectation that we had for the cellar. The team is courteous, reliable and trustworthy. They worked in our house for months before we moved and left everything in as good a condition as they found it. I would highly recommend this company for your custom cellar needs.
~ rita l
We had Classic Cellar do a unique project in our home. The work involved some large design challenges for a small space. It was a complex project because our home is older, not very large and we needed improved wheelchair accessibility in the space as well. Steve's creativity and out of the box thinking helped solve what seemed like an impossible challenge. His staff is wonderful, dedicated, professional and we are in love with the changes in our home. The attention to detail and quality craftsmanship is outstanding, and will be enjoyed for many years to come.
~ V. S
Couldn't be happier with how my cellar turned out! Steve's expert knowledge and attention to detail was amazing. Communication throughout the process was fantastic, craftsmanship was top notch, and his staff was fantastic. Additionally, the level of protection and daily cleaning around the cellar construction area went above my expectations. But most importantly, my cellar turned out better than I could have imagined. Not sure any other contractor will be able to live up to the standard Steve has set! Thank you!
~ Bob W
From start to finish Steve and his team were outstanding. The quote process included everything. Zero scope creep during the entire process. Polite, professional and on time. They did what they said when they said they would do it. The job came out beautifully. My cellar and tasting room add some much value to my home. Talk about a very unique selling point! Also, when I ran into a minor issue a year later, Steve and team took care of it immediately. I can’t recommend them enough. If you want a custom cellar, look no further!
~ Michele N
Working with Steve at Classic Cellar Design was a godsend in helping me get my home cellar together. I was lucky enough to contact him as build was beginning and he provided me a bunch of help in sealing the room on all sides, insulating the electrical sockets and selecting a cooling unit. He also introduced me to a colleague of his for Wine Racking. Overall really exceptionally helpful and knowledgeable. Will definitely work with him again should we build another cellar.
~ Steve H
Steve and his team were wonderful to work with.
From initial conception to final wipe down he was professional, courteous, and took amazing care with his work. The final wine cellar is a work of art, and creates amazing smiles every time you see it.
The entire room is custom designed around what wine we drink, how we plan to store and display the wine, and the house that the cellar is in.
We loved working with Steve, and would absolutely recommend him to anyone.
~ Julia H
It was a pleasure to work with Steve and his crew. We challenged Steve to create a beautiful design, with large storage quantity in a small space. He took our unconnected ideas and integrated them into a creative and attractive cellar. Steve did exactly what he said he would do, surprisingly rare in our experience. We highly recommend Classic Cellar Design.
~ Mary J
Steve and Classic Cellar Design did a fantastic job building our wine cellar. His knowledge and craftsmanship are top-notch. And not only did he design and build a great product, but when we had an issue with the cooling unit a year later he was incredibly responsive and got it fixed in two days! I highly recommend them!
~ David K
Steve created our beautiful wine cellar for our new home, and we could not be happier with his customer service and the final product. His attention to detail, expert craftsmanship, and high standards for a quality product were equal to his desire for us to be thrilled with our custom cellar. And we are!
~ Amy K
Steve and his team are the most meticulous and dedicated professionals we have worked with. They did an excellent job with our wine cellar and went above and beyond my expectations. You can tell that Steve truly loves his job. Very knowledge. Readily available at all times. Would highly recommend.
~ K S
We could not be happier with our wine cellar. Steve worked closely with us as we determined our needs and was very helpful with suggestions and feedback. The crew was polite and did excellent work. Great quality, great value, on budget and on time. We could not have asked for a better experience.
~ Kimberly E
Classic Cellar Design installed our wine cellar when we re-modeled in 2007, and we still enjoy it immensely today. The installation was both professional and efficient, and visitors consistently comment on the beauty of the wine storage area itself, as well as the adjoining tasting area that Steve encouraged us to consider as a separate entity rather than enclosed in the climate-controlled area – who wants to sit around tasting wine and shivering in a 55 degree F room? The faux Provencal tasting area that Steve designed and installed has become a favorite for not only wine tasting but also for casual meals and game-playing. When we recently had a problem with the fan on the Breezeaire cooling unit – probably from intensive banging on the floor above during a hardwood floor installation – I contacted Steve to see if he could help out. It had been over ten years since he had installed the cellar, and he was as responsive now as he was then. He personally came by to access the problem, ordered the appropriate replacement part (not an easy task in itself!), and promptly had everything back in perfect working order. For anyone considering a quality, distinctive wine cellar in their home, I highly recommend Steve Goldman and Classic Cellar Design to design and install it. You won’t be disappointed.
~ Thomas W
They did a wonderful job building our cellar. Steve worked with us from the start with great advice. We are totally satisfied with his work and price.
~ Jerry H
Classic Cellar Design/Steve Goldstein installed a replacement refrigeration unit for me. I couldn't have been happier with their expertise, the quality of their work and their promptness.
~ Rich C
Working with Steve, Classic Cellar Design, was a wonderful experience that I would recommend to anyone interested in building a custom wine cellar. Building a wine cellar is obviously an expensive process, but Steve was consistently open, honest, supportive, and transparent about the process from start to finish. He worked tirelessly to make sure we were aligned with our expectations both from an overall build and contract/financial perspective. He was able to provide input along the way, which helped us to both save some money and enhance our vision for what we hoped to accomplish at the end of the process.
We first interacted with Steve through email and then quickly scheduled an initial design meeting at his shop in Sterling, VA. We came prepared with some preliminary ideas, a rough design plan, and a general idea on our budget. Steve spent a significant (but necessary) amount of time walking us through the samples, color schemes, wood types, past builds, etc. He spent the time to get to know us and understand what we wanted to get out of the process. Steve was also able to offer valuable insights based on his experiences to make sure we had thought about every possible consideration as the project progressed. For example, we opted to install the flooring ourselves to save some time and money, but Steve was able to recommend a reasonable/affordable option that we quickly installed and looked great.
Our cellar design was not overly complex, but we were thrilled with the final product. Steve and his team did a wonderful job building exactly what we wanted from our first wine cellar. Steve communicated effectively throughout the process, his team was trustworthy and professional, and they did an excellent job from start to finish!
~ Corey P
Steve and his team are very special. They combine wine smarts and experience, design talent, and craftsmanship. They do the work on what they design. As such, they are truly custom and can do amazing things.
Our experience is indicative. We had first hired one of Classic Cellars' competitors, heavily advertised as a "custom" wine cellar provider. But the marketing/design was divorced from the actual building - in other words, the designer was only able to deliver what the designer's own vendor was willing to supply. In our case, we were moving a collection from California into a new, considerably smaller location in DC, and were interested in a radius design and flexibility concerning bottle size in individual racks. The designer visited the site and then informed us that none of what we were interested in could be accommodated. After providing us rather "standard" ideas as alternatives, it was evident that what was billed as "custom" was in reality working with rather standard shapes and templates further constrained by my ideas. Very little creativity was in fact brought to the table. We terminated the contract, but were charged the "planning" fee nevertheless, even though no plan was ever delivered.
The experience with Steve was a breath of fresh air, by comparison. He assessed the site and came up with an innovative barrel radius design, which he in fact had never installed before. He listened carefully to what I wanted and never limited that by what he wanted or what he could install with a greater profit. His creativity was spurred by the challenge of seeing whether he could actually "execute" on the unique design. Execute he did, demanding perfection from his skilled team and regularly proposing further "improvements" at no cost. Steve not only designs but he's a hands-on installer and fabricator as well - as a result he knows what's doable and not doable, which tends to be limited only by his creativity and good taste. He was personally onsite during much of the onsite fabrication and installation.
He's also a pleasure to deal with transactionally. Terms were always put together with drawings that thoroughly explained when dollars would be due and for how much. He is as honest as he is skilled. And he genuinely follows the credo of wanting a satisfied customer.
In short, I can't say enough positively about Steve and Classic Cellars. I agree with the reviewer who wrote that he wished he had 10 stars to aware - but I agree only in part. I wish I had 25!
~ Robert A