CMRS Construction

There was a dip in our concrete driveway in front of the garage that collected water whenever it rained or if someone washed their car. We share a driveway with our neighbor, so we didn't want to redo the concrete. Several contractors said a drain was the only other solution, but Daryl offered the most practical and least expensive way to do this. Rather than digging a drain into the concrete all the way out to the street, they dug a drain that flows across the driveway into a container buried in the yard with a metal grate cover. When the container fills with water, it activates a pump that pushes the water out through an attached sprinkler, distributing it further back into the yard. It sounded complicated when first described, but now seems very clever and relatively simple. It seems to work based on the testing they did, but we're waiting for the next rainfall to give it a good trial run. (Just in time for El Nino!) The work itself looks good. The only concern was that leaves, dirt and debris could easily fall through the grate into the water container, which might require frequent cleaning. To reduce this, we just placed a layer of window screen material under the grate to catch any large debris. Once the water puddling problem was solved, we also wanted to build out an attached carport that wasn't too expensive, but also wouldn't look like it was made for a mobile home. Daryl quoted a wooden carport with clear plastic corrugated roofing. We had a hard time imagining what this would look like, but it sounded practical, and the price was fine. When the frame was built out, we were pleasantly surprised by the quality of the carpentry. The wood was much thicker and sturdier than we would have expected for the price, and the structure was constructed with very nice a pergola design. We actually thought about having a pergola built instead of a regular boring carport, but didn't think it was possible within our budget. We liked the natural look of the wood, so we opted to have it stained to match our fence and deck instead of painted. It really looks as though it was built to go with the house rather than added on as an afterthought. The clear plastic roofing was a good call, as it feels more open and spacious under the carport than it would have with a solid roof. It doesn't block out the sunlight, but the material offers UV protection, seems to reduce heat and will help keep things dry if it rains. The work took a bit longer than expected, but they worked around our schedule and were flexible and responsive when we asked for changes. We would certainly use them again (this was already the second time).

Overall, was very happy with the entire experience. Daryl and his team showed up when they were supposed to, provided a good, accurate quote, and did the work they said they were going to do when they said they would. Liza helps coordinate all work and traffic questions via email and phone, making the entire process very easy and enjoyable, and not requiring me to be on site, which was an important requirement.

I was very satisfied with the end result. I did have some problems with some work after the first pass but they were very good about addressing them. They quickly changed the work I wasn't happy with with no hassle and now it looks great.

The job required four visits, including the original estimating visit. Each time the workers arrived on the date and time scheduled. We are pleased with the outcome.

I gave them a check to get things started. We scheduled a date to start and they did not show up. We rescheduled, but the day of the new appointment they called and said that because the guy had chipped his tooth, he had to go to the dentist and they would call later that day with a new time. Late in the afternoon I got nervous and called them. I could not get a hold of them on the phone, so I emailed them and reminded them that I was an Angie?s List member and was not happy. The contractor called and said he would be at my house promptly at 9am the next morning. Later I got an email response from them saying that they would refund my money and said that if I wanted to write a review on Angie?s List that I could do so. I wrote them and said that I was fine with having the service done, but I just wanted it to get started. The next morning the guy did not show up and then I saw an email that said that they "were concerned that they would not be able to fulfill my needs". They canceled my appointment and they were refunding my money. I was very disappointed in my experience with them, especially since they are so well rated with Angie?s List.

The painter was very professional. He was punctual, neat and did an excellent job.

A very pleasant contracting experience! Liza and Daryl were very responsive to our questions and concerns. Liza was incredibly quick in responding to our numerous emails. Their crew of workers were all very professional. They were punctual, neat, and knew what they were doing. We are thrilled with our new bathroom which was completely remodeled in less than two weeks!

We noticed the toilet leaking at the base and realized after multiple trips from the plumber that it wasn't the toilet, but the warped floor the toilet was sitting on. I submitted my request through Angie's list and received an e-mail promptly (and over the weekend) from Liza who set up an estimate within just a few days. Daryl was prompt in arriving and I received the quote within 24 hours from Liza on e-mail. They were both very professional and were able to set up the work times to our convenience. Their employee was prompt and kept the work areas clean. The tile looks awesome and the toilet no longer leaks!!

The project took a lot longer to complete. I might have under-estimated the complexity and logistical difficulties in pulling off a bathroom remodel. But originally the time estimate to complete the project was less than 1 month. At the end, it took more than 2 months from start to finish. Overall, I am satisfied with the finished product, but the experience would have been a bit less daunting had I managed to communicate better with Liza. Also, I believe the quality of their workers were uneven. Oshan, one of their workers, had performed excellent tile work when I remodeled my guest bathroom, but the workmanship for my master bathroom project was not the same.

I have worked with Daryl and his team before and was impressed with their professionalism, punctuality and reasonable pricing. I called a couple of handymen and they quoted me much higher prices. On the day of the service, Daryl's colleague arrived and was quickly able to patch the walls and paint, and then Daryl came to hang the shelving. It was a particularly tricky job given where the shelves needed to go, but the end result looks quite stunning and I am very pleased. Making an appointment with Liza was very easy and she was very responsive and quick via email. They also honored some discounts, which was very cool.

The email response was great. Liza was always getting back to me way after business hours with answers to questions. I was not available to be home when the work was performed, but I had a friend there. Liza came to my home and scouted the work and when he guy was there to perform the needed the duties she was already to brief him and get him started. They have been very pleasant to deal with over the phone, via email, and as I'm told in person! I saw the work when I came home and was very pleased with the quality of the work performed right down to having match the textured paint job. I am keeping this company in my address book for referrals and any possible future work.

The overall experience was great. Daryl started the work and worked around my schedule. We discussed all details of the deck and the dimensions. His workers were excellent.

Daryl and his assistant were courteous and worked with me on last-minute changes to the estimate. Their work was neat and cleanup was complete. Lisa communicated everything about the job through email and phone calls. A professional operation.

Daryl was quick to respond and I recieved the quotes for my projects quickly. Liza was a pleasure to communicate with and always responsive as well. I also found Jose very pleasant to work with. They arrived on time, did the work quickly and cleaned up after each day of work. We agreed upon moving the light fixture to the center of the new room, but he was unable to do it because of lack of attic access. And I didn't know it was my responsibility to purchase the baseboard, so I had to make a last minute run to the hardware store. There were also some issues installing the door because the doorway was sheetrock and not wood, but Daryl put in the extra time needed to do it properly. All and all it was a good experience.

They were great -- very easy to work with them.

I called CMRS on July 13 and spoke to Liza (the customer care person) and she made an appointment for Daryl (the boss and final word person) to come over and look at the job on July 20. He arrived promptly on the agreed upon date. He evaluated the situation quickly and professionally and made his suggestions about what he would do to get the job done. He answered all our questions and assured us that he would be able to accomplish what we wanted. I should say up front that I'm not the easiest person to deal with, at least for most contractors, since I like to know a lot about the details. However, Daryl was patient and forthcoming during our initial meeting. It took a while to get the contract right, since the first draft did not include some of what Daryl and I had discussed on his visit. Also, the schedule of payments did not add up to the price quote. If we had paid according to the schedule, we'd have been paying a few hundred dollars more than the quote. Arithmetic! However, after a few friendly back and forths with Daryl's most valuable asset, Liza, we were able to finally get it all right. Daryl was able to start the job on August 5. He and his crew finished 6 days later on August 11. There were no delays. Everything went well and Daryl's crew was excellent, especially Randy, his go-to guy. We had one small problem when we discovered an additional joist that was termite damaged and which was not part of the quote. It was only a single board, but since Daryl was not on the job site, it took Randy calling Liza, Liza calling Daryl and then Liza calling me back to tell me that Daryl wanted $75 extra to replace the single board. I wasn't pleased with this price considering the actual cost of the board and the fact that his worker's were already on site replacing the other boards which we had contracted for. I'm sure that Daryl believed it was a fair price, but I didn't. However, all's well that ends well. The job was done completely and with a high degree of workmanship and skill. The crew was available to answer questions and worked quickly and quietly. I am extremely pleased by the way it all turned out and how everything looks. I'm confident that the repairs will last for years to come and the re-staining looks beautiful. And like I've said, I'm a difficult customer! LOL I would recommend Daryl and Liza highly and would look forward to working with them again.

Very positive experience. Got a very reasonable price quote quickly from Liza and then was able to book Daryl's services within a week. This was not that easy or usual of a job so I was very happy with the pricing as other people had told me it could absolutely not be done - or that I was going to have to get a new fireplace at 5-10K. Daryl was courteous and respectful and did the work himself with one helper.

One of the doors on our gate started to fall off, so we were considering extending our fence by 25 ft and moving the location of the gate. However, the quotes we received for this project were higher than we could afford, so we settled for replacing our gate. We preferred to have one large door rather than two, and the quote from Daryl seemed reasonable. They stained and installed the gate with a nice wheel on the bottom so that it rolls open smoothly. The one minor flaw was a hole created near the bottom of one plank where a screw missed the supporting beam, but it was hardly noticeable and not a big deal. When the job was done, I noticed that the gate post on one side was higher than the other, so Daryl came back to even them out. All in all, it worked out just as we needed and was completed on time. We've had really bad experiences with other contractors doing shoddy work, leaving a mess or taking forever to complete the job, so this was a refreshing experience.

The project started with removal of all the old materials. This portion took longer than expected. This is a rental property and I don't live in town, so I was not available to monitor the progress of the project. With that being said, I did meet with Daryl at the property after the garage was supposed to be gutted, only to find there was still old material intact (insulation, flooring, ceiling, old wiring). The workers were sent back to remove the remaining materials so we could get a better assessment of the work that needed to be done. They brought no ladder and no lighting, and used the tenants office chair as a ladder and a living-room lamp for light, which is not the most professional decision. Also, the electrician that was sub-contracted inadvertently disconnected/cut the new cable wiring the tenant had installed. Liza worked with the tenant and the electrician to quickly rectify the situation. Eventually the project got moving again, the clean-up was completed, the electrical wiring finished, new dry-wall, waterproofing and paint up. The floors were not completed and I received an additional bid of $1500 to complete the flooring with ply-wood, which I opted not to do. In the end, the room looks good. The new walls are great and the room is functional as a home-office, which was the intent.

Liza and Daryl run a high class organization. The agreed upon work was completed to our expectations. CMRS was always happy to modify/make changes along the way to suit our intended design. The pricing was fair, and we were very happy with the finished product. CMRS workers were polite, punctual & always cleaned up after each day's work. The overall experience was positive, and we would recommend CMRS to our friends and will use them again when needs arise.

The best thing about The Live Handyman is that they are very easy to reach, and they are very accommodating about fixing things that need to be redone. They come around all the time, the workers are always being supervised by Daryl and Liza. It was always reassuring that I could know I could reach them. If I was in a bind with lighting or something, and I wasn't sure what to get, I could always call right on the spot, in the store, and reach Liza and Daryl and speak to them about what I needed. The job is beautiful, especially the tile work - they do outstanding tile work - the tile on the kitchen counter and on the floor looks great. I would recommend them.

As a full time professional, I don't have time to deal with all elements of a project like this. I also didn't want to take the time to find products from scratch. Liza made the perliminary selections in wall and floor tiles, paint color, shower head, light fixtures, etc. for me to approve which was great. She also coordinated with all the trades (plumber, electrican) which eases my time commitment on the project as well. Oschan, one of their employees, is very good with the tile work. I am quite happy with the outcome of the remodel.

We called Daryl and made an appointment for him to come by. He came, gave us a quote or proposal almost right away, and we went from there. Punctual and professional, Daryl's team did a great job of putting up the retaining wall and fence in a timely manner. They were always on top of the schedule and clear about what they were going to do. They are also very nice to work with and friendly. We will definitely work with them again.

All fine - a professional, logical vendor.

These guys were great! Punctual, polite, and tackled a very challenging and specific type of job (helping build a batting cage in my back yard) quickly and efficiently. They thought it through, and understood exactly what I wanted out of the job and did it within my deadline.