About this company
Next Stage Design + Build
Next Stage is a full-service residential remodeling company serving quality-oriented clients in Santa Clara County. We cover the spectrum from exterior and interior trim repairs, drywall, doors, windows, basic electrical and plumbing work, to complete remodels of closets, kitchens, baths, laundry's to decks, porches, and garages. Our in-house design capabilites, project management, and lead carpenter model enable us to completely design, manage, and build your projects from start to finish. We're a licensed insured general contractor and work with several highly skilled specialty subcontractors so we can be a one-stop solution for a wide range of repair and remodeling needs. Show more
Next Stage is a full-service residential remodeling company serving quality-oriented clients in Santa Clara County. We cover the spectrum from exterior and interior trim repairs, drywall, doors, windows, basic electrical and plumbing work, to complete remodels of closets, kitchens, baths, laundry's to decks, porches, and garages. Our in-house design capabilites, project management, and lead carpenter model enable us to completely design, manage, and build your projects from start to finish. We're a licensed insured general contractor and work with several highly skilled specialty subcontractors so we can be a one-stop solution for a wide range of repair and remodeling needs.
Jim Kabel, owner of Next Stage, was inspired to start his business based on personal experience. His frustration with the lack of professional interest in smaller projects at his own home drove him to retire from high tech and open a residential remodeling buisness. Jim spent 25 years at HP and Agilent in sales, marketing, and field service management and wanted to bring the same level of responsiveness and client care to home improvement here. Many homeowners are tired of searching for a professional remodeler who will take on all sizes of projects from small repairs to kitchen and bath remodels. And Next Stage has the right model to do this with a high level of guaranteed quality.
Next Stage is very process-oriented. From design consultation to documentation through project planning, scheduling, and management, we follow steps that enable us to exceed our clients expectations. We schedule on-time appointments and provide free consultations with a dedicated team of remodeling sales consultants. To enable us to perform a wide range of projects for our clients, we hire security-cleared, experienced craftsmen with a broad variety of experience in residential remodeling and repairs. We only use high quality, licensed and insured subcontractors and suppliers with a strong track record of customer service. We also back our work with a 2/5/10-year warranty.
We're very proud of the client satisfaction levels that we achieved. We've earned Diamond Certification in three categories for fifteen consecutive years and we are highly rated on Houzz with numerous positive reviews and winning Design and Service Awards from Houzz. We've also been recognized as one of the Top 500 U.S. Remodelers in Qualified Remodeler Magazine in 2007 through 2019. Also, in the last nine years, over 40 of our projects have won META Awards from the Silicon Valley Chapter of the National Association of the Remodeling Industry (NARI) with two winning regional and National Contractor of the Year Recognition. And perhaps the best measure of our performance is that over 50% of our business comes from referrals and repeat clients. Hide
Types of work
GuildQuality surveys
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Coronavirus (COVID-19) response
We’re taking the following precautions for our customers:
At Next Stage Design, we take the health and safety of our team and clients seriously. As we are fully committed to our clients and their projects, it is important for us to find a way to serve our clients while creating a safe environment. We believe communication is key, and that is exactly what our team has been doing. During this unprecedented time, our team has diligently worked together to create a plan to assure you that we are taking all the steps we can to protect both you and our team.
Here are a few changes that we have implemented:
Consultations – Our Project Developers are now offering virtual consultations via Zoom and Face Time. This way, our Project Developers can tour your home to discuss your project while practicing social distancing.
Design– Once we begin design with you, we practice safe social distancing procedures followed by the real estate industry to visit your home, measure, and take detailed photographs. Our designers are using Zoom to discuss design plans in detail and to share photographs, plan sets, 3-D renderings, and product selections with our clients. Some of our vendors are even shipping material samples right to your doorstep.
Contract Agreement – Our team continues to provide detailed contracts that we review together and agree to before beginning your project. Through Zoom and Adobe sign, our Project Developers can walk you through the entire contract process virtually.
Build – In order to maintain job-site cleanliness and safety, we have trained our production team as well as our sub-contractors and vendors on maintaining strict protocols, which include:
- Staff must report their temperature every morning. Staff may be required to provide a COVID-19 test showing a negative result if they feel sick.
- Staff will not carpool with others unless they live in the same household.
- A confined work area is to be created – this includes the use of plastic dust walls and zippered dust doors. Air filters will be taped over any air vents in the work area and Build Clean air scrubbers will be used.
- Workers will wear shoe coverings on job sites and will be required to frequently wash their hands with soap and water, use hand disinfectant, and wear latex gloves. Each person will have a mask to wear if the client
requests they do so. No-touch waste bins will be provided.
- Portable toilets will be provided on all job sites where feasible to ensure a separate bathroom for the homeowners and worker. Portable toilets will be cleaned and locked at the end of each day.
- Groups must be 6 people or less and remain the recommended 6 feet apart.
- Workers will regularly clean and disinfect tools, equipment, and frequently touched surfaces throughout the day.
- Next Stage Project Managers are the designated Site Safety Representatives for each of their active job site to ensure COVID-19 safety practices are being followed.
As the situation is fluid and continues to evolve, it is our top priority to keep up with the latest practices and protocols to create a safe environment for our team, our sub-contractors and vendors, and our clients. We thank you for your patience as we navigate the changing times and wish you and your families well.
On behalf of the Next Stage Team,
Jim Kabel, Owner/President
Customer satisfaction
Of 667 customers surveyed, 511 respondedReviews 380
Of 511 respondents, 380 left a reviewRecent reviews
Customer in San Jose, CA
Everything was great and to our expectations, but there is a premium cost to the services.
Tamzen C.
I have recommended Next Stage for all the years I have been using them.
Additional comments
Lead Carpenter Professionalism
Lead Carpenter Professionalism - Shaun is a superb pro who who double checked every step.
Clean & Safe
Clean & Safe - No mess anywhere.
Construction Quality
Construction Quality - Top notch material!
Additional Comments
Additional Comments - Next Stage is my go to company for any home project!
Debbie M.
Additional comments
Schedule
Schedule - NextStage accommodated our request to remain in the house during the remodel, which created the need for scheduled phases. The resulting schedule met our expectations.
Recognized Excellence
Recognized Excellence - The NextStage team members were all very good to work with. Dianne and Patricia struck a nice balance between customer wants and needs with design and cost choices.
Bruce
Additional comments
Recognized Excellence
Recognized Excellence - Glenn Tirado took exceptional pride in the work he sis as if this was hie own home.
Jeanna B.
Next stage was exaxtly what we needed. An organization to coordinate from design, to subcontractor management to project completion. And at every step involving us so that we felt it was "our" project working together.
Additional comments
Project Designer Knowledge
Project Designer Knowledge - Next stage provided exaclty what we needed... we had an "idea" of what we wanted to do, but not the design details.. they came in, provided great design options, then were able to merge various components of the options into something we are really happy with.
Lead Carpenter Professionalism
Lead Carpenter Professionalism - Glenn was always there when we needed him. Keeping us informed, and doing great work. I highly recommend Glenn for the way he interreacts with the customer, and the quality work he does.
Communication
Communication - Using buildertrend, Cell phones, email, text. Next stage was ALWAYS there and very responsive to any questions, concerns and plans for how the project was going.
Problem Resolution
Problem Resolution - Problems were very few and far between, but for the couple of instances that came up, it was NEVER adversarial. we were all on the same side getting the issues resolved.
Clean & Safe
Clean & Safe - The took what seemed like extra effort to keep the site clean. Every day work was performed was begun and ended with ensuring a clean work environment.
Project Manager
Project Manager - Tim is simply amazing. His openness and availability to talk about the project really made him a friend. He made the relationship in a way, that I felt completely comfortable contacting him anytime with any questions. I wish everyone could have Tim as their project manager.
Recognized Excellence
Recognized Excellence - We had most of our contact with Tim, and our design team Shelly and Francesca. They were a joy to work with and so helpful from start to finish. Sorry to see them leave our home for the last time as the job completed.
Response
Customer in San Jose, CA
Result (new kitchen/dining/family room) was outstanding; very professional, talented and experienced design and construction team was a pleasure to work with.
Additional comments
Sales Knowledge
Sales Knowledge - Patricia got this whole project moving
Project Designer Knowledge
Project Designer Knowledge - Very talented, and clearly listened to our ideas
Lead Carpenter Professionalism
Lead Carpenter Professionalism - Pleasure to work with
Subcontractors Professionalism
Subcontractors Professionalism - Mike (elec.) and Jeff (plumb.) were particularly strong, happy with all.
Project Manager
Project Manager - Brad's awesome, so is Chip!
Recognized Excellence
Recognized Excellence - Shelly, Patricia, Brad, Chip, Francesca, and Shaun were a pleasure to work with.
Additional Comments
Additional Comments - We're very happy with the result, as well as the experience we had during this project. Was a pleasure!
Customer in San Jose, CA
We had such a great experience with our whole Next Stage team and would definitely recommend to friends. From the design process through to construction and completion, we felt that the team was professional and brought expert knowledge that we didn’t have. We are so happy with our kitchen remodel!
Additional comments
Sales Knowledge
Sales Knowledge - Jeff was a pleasure to work with. He responded quickly to all of our (very detailed) questions. He was experienced and knowledgeable and helped us understand the process all the way through. He was also realistic in setting expectations with us which was so helpful for our first major home remodel.
Project Designer Knowledge
Project Designer Knowledge - We loved Shelly! She listened to our ideas for the kitchen and helped turn them into reality. She brought suggestions and ideas that we would have never considered on our own and we landed on a beautiful design. She also found tiles, lighting and other accents that we could not have found on our own.
Recognized Excellence
Recognized Excellence - Shelly and Jeff K!
Additional Comments
Additional Comments - We are so happy with our kitchen and the service we received from Next Stage.
Gloria T.
To me, the biggest issue with NextStage is the cost. Unless I have something "structural" or that requires solid expertise, NextStage has always been the highest bid.
Additional comments
Employees Professionalism
Employees Professionalism - Everyone always very polite and courteous.
Lead Carpenter Professionalism
Lead Carpenter Professionalism - Awesome--and not just because we could chat about WI and the Midwest. Always kept me informed on status, followed up on my questions. Zack was also great on the exterior structural/water damage issue.
Project Manager
Project Manager - I love this guy. Paul responded to every single email and every single text. He has great follow-through. When I do my other living room windows, I want Paul (and Earl) back.
Recognized Excellence
Recognized Excellence - I don't think I had a "project manager" during my first project with NextStage and Chip handled everything (maybe he was lead carpenter and PM all rolled into one). I think for this project, it was helpful to have Paul doing his thing and Earl/Zack doing theirs because it was more like 3 smaller projects all bundled together (so more coordination required).
Additional Comments
Additional Comments - I really appreciate NextStage accommodating my travel schedule. I know that prevented the crew from wrapping up earlier since I was not comfortable with anyone entering the house while I was out of state. Paul offered to swing by the house to check daily but that just seemed unnecessarily burdensome to him to me. I believe he was getting pressured to get my project done so this was on me. But I truly thank Paul for offering.
Beth M.
Additional comments
Recognized Excellence
Recognized Excellence - Whole team
Additional Comments
Additional Comments - The end result exceeded our expectations.
Shelly Y.
Without a doubt. It is very hard to find a remodeling company that you can trust and NextStage is reliable, cares and is compassionate about what they do.
Additional comments
Sales Knowledge
Sales Knowledge - Taking an old house, stripping it down and building a second story in the attic was an ambitious project and Patricia was ready for the challenge. She never shied away from our ideas and was with us every step of the way letting us know how much things would cost. We also appreciated her professionalism and willingness to talk freely about our concerns before, during and after the project.
Lead Carpenter Professionalism
Lead Carpenter Professionalism - Glenn was more than a carpenter on this project. He was able to see our vision and skillfully build it and make it a reality. It is obvious Glenn has a lot of hands on experience and I have a feeling our project would have gone a different direction had Glenn not been on the project throughout. Not only did he do all of the framing for the upstairs but he also installed the kitchen cabinets and everything turned out beautiful. I especially love how he framed the dormer window in the upstairs bedroom. It is prefect.
Subcontractors Professionalism
Subcontractors Professionalism - I would like to especially mention Jeff Dean plumbing and the drywall partners. They went above and beyond!! The water in Willow Glen is horrible and finding the right tankless to use and filter system was complicated and we really appreciate Jeff Dean’s knowledge and recommendation on what system would work best. It was also challenging to plumb the new upstairs. Jeff, Glenn, Tim and Jeff S had to work closely to make it work. It was impressive to hear them talk through the obstacles. Drywall, worked tirelessly and the results are beautiful. They had to work with existing plaster as well as new drywall and you can not see any transitions. Amazing!!
Project Manager
Project Manager - We never once felt like our project was out of control. There were a few sleepless nights over exterior siding(not NextStage’s fault) and Tim successfully guided us through every step of the way. He was a shoulder to cry on, someone to give high-fives to, and would be there rain or shine. He called just about every night to let us know what to expect the next day and made sure the project kept on tract.
Recognized Excellence
Recognized Excellence - This project would not have happened without Jeff Schroeder. He was very much involved behind the scenes helping Patricia,Tim and the engineer to make sure the overall character of our old home was not being overlooked. Jeff played a valuable roll especially in the beginning to make sure the overall “plan” was well thought through and every possible option was explored. Jeff understood, from the beginning what was important to us and where we were willing to compromise. He cared enough to step in and share his knowledge and the project was better because of it.
Mark C.
Quality work, great communication, excellent design and planning and on schedule execution.
Additional comments
Sales Knowledge
Sales Knowledge - knew all products to be install, informed us on prices and was very helpful on other items not apart of project
Project Designer Knowledge
Project Designer Knowledge - Cindy was delighted about material picked out, great at detailing plans and assisted in other question about non project items.
Communication
Communication - Earl kept us informed daily and everyone else responded to all our emails.
Expertise
Expertise - Outstanding, floors were a problem and Paul and Earl found a great solution of fixing them.
Construction Quality
Construction Quality - Earls work on base boad and floors was outstanding as well as coordinating with rug and paint subcontractors
Subcontractors Professionalism
Subcontractors Professionalism - Paint and rug subcontractor did a great job.
Production Coordination
Production Coordination - Plans were very detailed and complete and all work items were started and completed as planed and scheduled
Project Manager
Project Manager - Stayed in contact with us, always a quick response to emails, superb coordination with Earl on all aspects of project especially the floor
Additional Comments
Additional Comments - Cindy and I are very pleased with all the work and results of the project.
Michael G.
Additional comments
Recognized Excellence
Recognized Excellence - Earl managed and responded to all inquiries. Glen, Raymond, Sean were so helpful to make sure we were satisfied with the work done for the day.
Additional Comments
Additional Comments - When questions or concerns were voiced they were immediately responded to. If vendors neede to be called back to touch up a spot or two it was done without hesitation.
Jerry U.
We have used your company for two projects and have been very happy with the results for both of them.
Randy P.
Additional comments
Recognized Excellence
Recognized Excellence - Shawn was excellent throughout.
Customer in Sunnyvale, CA
This was our second project with them, much larger than our kitchen remodel. In both cases, there were complications along the way that we would have had a lot of difficulty navigating, but which Next Stage kept on track.
Greg F.
I have used Next Stage multiple times on multiple houses. Each time I am impressed by the professionalism and dedication they bring to the job. Without prompting the make sure jobs are done right, and they react to any detail fixes (touch ups and such) happily. I have recommended them to friends before, and will continue to do so. In particular I appreciate their complete management of all subcontractors, and willingness to work with any specialized subcontractors I bring in.
Additional comments
Employees Professionalism
Employees Professionalism - Everyone I have worked with has been a great balance of professional and friendly. It is always fun when they visit the house/job site to review a proposal or the work.
Sales Knowledge
Sales Knowledge - Patricia did an excellent option of laying out options for us, and being clear on what each included. And making sure we understood the impacts of additional requests before/as we made them, no surprises!
Project Designer Knowledge
Project Designer Knowledge - Diane was great, and turned what was originally a "simple" custom cabinet into the center piece of the project - the thing we were most looking forward to coming home to.
Lead Carpenter Professionalism
Lead Carpenter Professionalism - Glenn was (as usual) fun to talk to and delivered tremendous work, including a few above and beyond spots.
Communication
Communication - The combination of email, phone, and updates in BuilderTrend make for a great combination. We particularly appreciated the regular pictures in builder trend, so we could monitor the work from afar.
Expertise
Expertise - Their management of their partner contractors is always exceptional.
Schedule
Schedule - This project even completed early, as they found a few extra hands that came free and got stuff done sooner than planned.
Value
Value - I am occasionally teased by indications of somewhat lower costs, but I am constantly reminded of the extra details that Next Stage takes care of without asking, and their dedicated management of their subcontractors.
Customer in San Jose, CA
Additional comments
Recognized Excellence
Recognized Excellence - Tim was very proactive is helping us get back to using our space as soon as possible. He managed the project very closely and was very accessible and kept the lines of communication open. Also, I will add, the entire team was a pleasure to work with.
Lily V.
We selected Next Stage for the end-to-end service, and we got exactly what we were looking for, hassle and stress free. Everyone in the team was very professional, friendly, and wore mask. The work site was always left clean at the end of each work day. We were always informed if there was a change on schedule. We are very happy that the project was done on schedule and on budget.
Additional comments
Recognized Excellence
Recognized Excellence - I would like to recognize Brad and Chip for their excellent service. They both were very responsive and on top of things.
Thomas S.
So, I highly recommend Next Stage for your project. If I had to pick one thing that stands out, I distinctly remember the moment when I realized that I had complete confidence in the skills of the people who did the work. They did what they said they’d do, when they said they’d do it. Over the years we’ve had a number of medium sized projects at our home, and our experience with Next Stage was the best by far. Use them, you won’t regret your decision.
Joe H.
We would highly recommend Next Stage Design for any remodeling project.
Additional comments
Recognized Excellence
Recognized Excellence - Nicole Guilbert was the designer on our project. She did an excellent job. Chip Utley worked with Brad Kupper on our project and he was excellent.
Jeanine M.
Next Stage did an amazing job on our remodel. A very well-organized project team and exceptional carpenters. We are very happy with the quality of work and the results. They made my dream for our home a reality. Thank you.
Additional comments
Recognized Excellence
Recognized Excellence - Tim, Earl and Damian gave us exceptional service. They listened to us, acted promptly and delivered quality work. I want to especially recognize Tim for his dedication to our project. If there was something we were concerned with on the job site, Tim came out on a Sunday or in the late evening to resolve the issue so we could sleep better knowing that these issues were resolved.
Customer in Mountain View, CA
Additional comments
Recognized Excellence
Recognized Excellence - Nathan was truly a master craftsman who took great care and precision in his work! We would welcome him to do any work on our house in the futre.
Bob N.
Corina was a pleasure to work with and her design ideas added a lot of the details that we are lucky enough to enjoy every day in our new space. The full integration from design to build is what made what we thought was going to be a complex project flow seamlessly. Great team to work with.
Additional comments
Project Designer Knowledge
Project Designer Knowledge - Corina was a pleasure to work with and her design ideas added a lot of the details that we are lucky enough to enjoy every day in our new space.
Recognized Excellence
Recognized Excellence - Nathan G did outstanding carpentry and took great pride in getting it right.
Customer in Sunnyvale, CA
They are prompt, they do what they are supposed to do, they are friendly and clean up after themselves. They are great.
Additional comments
Sales Knowledge
Sales Knowledge - He is very accommodating and responsive. They are all professional people and do good work.
Lead Carpenter Professionalism
Lead Carpenter Professionalism - He was great.
Clean & Safe
Clean & Safe - They cleaned up every day.
Construction Quality
Construction Quality - They are very good and discussed things with the homeowner.
Recognized Excellence
Recognized Excellence - They were all great.
Additional Comments
Additional Comments - They have been our go-to company for the last three projects.
Response
Cheryl B.
Additional comments
Professional & Organized
Professional & Organized - I appreciated that Paul came by job site every day team was here working to ensure work completed to specifications. He is very customer centric along with Gary.
GuildQuality
Customer feedback report
