Testimonials

Leighton - Bathroom Remodel

"I was trepidatious about hiring an architect or designer given that we were doing a budget-conscious DIY bathroom remodel but given the complexities of the space (small area with a tricky footprint), I also felt the project would benefit from some professional input on the overall layout.

Urbandale - New House Detailing

"I found Catherine on Houzz. Based on the reviews I thought she would be one who would be a good candidate to work with on the many details of finishing our home we were building. She did not disappoint. From our first meeting she saw the vision I had for our home and every step of the way she considered my style but yet was able to push me at times to be forward thinking in the design elements being considered. Catherine listened to my ideas and all of my wishes were considered throughout the whole process. She has an amazing eye for color and design giving her a great perspective of how the entire project will look and function when completed. Catherine saved me many hours and dollars in the project by working along side me to pull everything together so it looks cohesive and just the way we had envisioned it. Catherine is very efficient, knowledgeable, professional and dependable. Those qualities along with her friendly disposition made her a perfect match for me and working with her was a very positive and fun experiance. Her background in the industry gives her connections to many sub contracts such as: fabricators, electricians, plumbers, painters, flooring & wallpaper installers. She left no stone unturned in following though with the project. She saw it to the end and followed up to make sure everything was done to my satisfaction. We could not be happier with how our house turned out thanks to Catherine's hard work and eye for design. Our experience working with her was delightful and I will certainly look to her to help me with design and building projects in the future."

Des Moines - Loft Remodel

"We have worked with Catherine on two different projects. The first project was the creation of a design for a family room. The second project was the design and remodel of a loft condominium. Catherine did a great job on both projects of listening to us first and then producing a series of design alternatives for us to consider. Both of our projects involved significant construction considerations and Catherine handled these well and produced nice renderings that subsequent contractors were able to use. We have found Catherine to be flexible and accommodating in her design as we brought some unique things to her which we asked to be incorporated.

Des Moines - Kitchen Remodel

"Catherine helped me with my kitchen remodel. I mainly hired her for her design expertise, although I know she does architectural work, as well. Working with Catherine was like working with a good friend. She seemed to care as much about my project as I did myself. When I called her with a problem, she always made herself available to me, regardless of how busy she was. I would highly recommend Catherine to anyone who wants a genuine, attentive, helpful designer."

West Des Moines - Kitchen Remodel

West Des Moines - Kitchen, Dining, Living & Mudroom Remodel

"We had been planning our first floor remodel for some time. The one lesson we learned early on is that contractors are not necessarily the best designers. So we began doing online research for an architect/designer with a track record of success. Catherine's website and comments from her clients led us to schedule a meeting at our home. That meeting gave us the comfort we needed to move forward. Catherine actually listened to what our vision was for our main living space and she provided us with alternative design options that reflected that vision. Soon we went from vision to design/build drawings that we sent out for bid. Catherine helped us in the selection of a builder, color scheme, tile and countertop options. She was with us every step of the way, including standing on a wet floor at the fabricator as they laid out the templates for the marble cuts. Our remodel is finished and we couldn't be happier! Catherine took our vision and made it our home that fits the way we live and now reflects our personal style. She helped us take our cookie cutter ranch home and make it into into the custom home we have today! Without Catherine's expertise it would never have happened!"

West Des Moines - Exterior Paint Colors

"Catherine helped my husband and myself complete a home remodel. We hired her to help us select interior and exterior paint colors. We received numerous compliments from neighbors on how nice our house looks. Catherine was very professional and followed our tastes and ideas exactly as requested. We would be happy to hire her or suggest her to anyone."

West Des Moines - Misc. Interior Updates

"We hired Catherine to consult on a variety of projects a home we had just moved into, and we are extremely pleased with the results. We did not have an overall plan of what we wanted to accomplish, so I enlisted Catherine's help over the course of several months as the projects came up. Those things included:

Norwalk - Basement Infill

"Catherine brought a creative, positive and professional attitude from start to finish of our unique project. Our space was a secondary attached unfinished garage on the lakeside of our house. It is now a fabulous dual purpose space for kids to "hang" with friends and organization of all our outdoor activity equipment, with ready access to the lake.

West Des Moines - Addition

"We consider ourselves very fortunate to have had Catherine design and lead our addition project. She prepared superb drawings to represent different concepts for parts of the addition so we could easily see and compare and then select the design we liked best. The entire project was a considerable undertaking with significant design and structural complexity. We had absolute trust in Catherine throughout. My husband was traveling and often away during the construction from groundbreaking to the last details. It was Catherine who worked tenaciously with the contracted construction company to ensure the addition was built and finished as specified by the drawings. We were confident that the quality of the outcome would match her excellent design and our investment, given Catherine's ability to intercede and resolve issues. The entire project took a year to complete and she was our 'Rock' and our advocate throughout."

St. Charles, IA - New House

"We had just come out of a disastrous experience with a builder and didn’t know where to turn. I noticed the CRT Design advertisement on Houzz and decided to give Catherine a call. It was the best decision we made. Catherine really listened to us about the style of house we wanted, the size, and the amenities on our wish list. She took our ideas and made it a reality, all within our budget. Catherine will take you through the design and planning stage, and she will monitor the project throughout the building stage. She will be involved as much or as little as you feel comfortable with, and truly wants your project to be a success. We highly recommend Catherine and fully intend to use her services again."

West Des Moines, IA - Remodel & Addition

"Catherine assisted us with a front porch addition and an upstairs addition and expansion of our master bedroom. She consulted and worked directly with our contractor, and did a great job of intuiting my wishes and tastes and translating that into contractor/designer language. In particular, she had suggested that I Iook at photos on the Houzz site to get an idea of what I liked and when I had examples of what I wanted, she drew it up for me--and it WAS what I wanted. Really helped me. She also showed up at the site when the porch was being built and changed the design on the spot when she saw what the contractor was going to do with the steps--which I had okay'd. She immediately knew it would not look right and called me to change it. Thank goodness because she was right. Very good to work with. Professional, friendly and efficient."

Omaha, NE - Shop & Fabrication Drawings

"Catherine is forthcoming with schedule details and progress updates throughout the drafting process. She is thorough with her review of the project documents and applies her experience to all her efforts. Even with projects that may be outside her comfort zone, she asks the right questions in order to approach the task with competency. She makes herself available outside normal working hours for correspondence on quick lead items and has professional yet relaxed communications with her clients. We will be using her again in the future".

Clive, IA - Master Suite Remodel

"Catherine has designed two projects for us the first was a deck with screened in porch and the second is our new master bathroom. This review will focus on the master bath.

Des Moines, IA - Waterbury - Addition & Remodel

"It has been a delight to work with Catherine on my home remodeling project this year. She brings a great breadth of knowledge and experience to her work, along with passion and an infectious enthusiasm. I have appreciated her ability to discern my personal tastes and desires and then tailor her work to best fit me and my project. It is obvious that Catherine's primary goal was to provide a result that I was happy with. The result was just what I was hoping for. I can think of no better recommendation than that. I will enthusiastically look forward to working with her in the future."

Colleague - Paul Gates Photography

"Catherine Renae Thomas Design is a great company to look into for your design needs. We photograph architectural and design work for quite a few firms in the Midwest and Catherine Renae Thomas Design is one of if not at the top of the list when it comes to quality on a finished project. We have been in the business for over 25 years and their attention to quality and costumer service is why Catherine Renae Thomas Design gets 5 stars from us."

Colleague - Peggy Triggs - Cabinets By Design

"I have worked with Catherine on several projects over the years and find her very easy to work with. She listens to the clients needs and addresses those needs into her designs. She has an architectural background and her attention to detail shows in her designs. I would recommend her for your design needs."

Colleague - Des Moines Area Tile Showroom & Supplier

"Catherine is very professional in presenting herself. She is very outgoing type of person and isn't afraid to take on a challenge. She is very likable and very easy to work with and get along with."

Des Moines, IA - Downtown - Restaurant Owner

"Catherine was extremely helpful, knowledgeable, and merged our ideas with architectural needs and city codes extremely well. She took care of every detail which resulted in a smooth and quick renovation."

Colleague - Des Moines Area Custom Cabinetry Retailer

"I have always enjoyed working on projects with Catherine. She seems to really listen to the client and their needs and try to come up with the best solution to meet their lifestyle. She has fresh ideas and each project has its own identity. Catherine is versatile in working with clients to create a unique personal space that best fits their personal style."

West Des Moines, IA - Master Bathroom Remodel

"We have enjoyed working with Catherine. She listens well, responds quickly to requests, and sets our expectations as to when drawings and input will be completed. She is prompt to meetings and has been easy to communicate with. We really liked how she was able to produce multiple drawings to provide us with options as to how our bathroom would lay out and provided a way for us to view on our computer in 3D -- very helpful for those of us who are design-challenged. We would recommend her services."

Ankeny, IA - Addition

"On a scale of 1 to 10 we would rate her service a 10."

Colleague - Sub Contractor

Urbandale, IA - Remodel

"I had a great experience working with Catherine. It was a small project but she didn't make it seem that way. She was professional and fun to work with and had drawings turned around in a timely manner and followed up several times through the project. I would recommend her experience to others and use her services again."

UntDes Moines, IA - South of Grand - Condo Remodelitled

"It has been two years since we had our first design meeting with you (Catherine) - that first meeting began a wonderful journey we took together that resulted in our wonderfully comfortable and beautiful new home. We continue to be so pleased with the results of that journey and we are always so glad to show our new place to everyone and give you (Catherine) credit for the design. Thank you so much for your patience with us as we worked out all the details-it was so worth the effort even when we had our differences."

West Des Moines, IA - Brown's Woods - Remodel

"Catherine has been assisting us with a renovation project which has required her to work with other designers, architects, and numerous folks with their own opinions. I have found Catherine to be very responsive and helpful in addressing what we need, in revising drawings as plans change, and in providing us with suggestions and ideas for materials as needed. She is very patient and understanding of our inexperience and good at helping us through the process to achieve what we want."