Mark Warner

My wife and I hired Mark to build a new fireplace mantel. Since what we had in mind was very different from the existing mantel, we described to Mark the color and general idea of what we were looking for, and he created exactly what we had in mind at a reasonable price. Mark was professional, punctual, and friendly, and we love the new mantel.

Mark provided me with a general quote on the phone and then came for a look at the space before giving a more precise estimate. The estimate seemed fair for the job and his high level of craftsmanship. We agreed on price and timeline for the project and Mark delivered on time and exactly on budget. I am very pleased with the work and would absolutely work with Mark again anytime I have a woodworking/carpentry project.

I had contacted another carpenter/woodworker I found on Angie's List with a lot of great reviews. This individual was swamped with projects so sent Mark Warner out to provide the estimate. Mark was timely on the Saturday he came for the estimate. He listened to my needs since I had been planning this project out for months while providing great feedback since I had not had a custom window seat built before. Mark was very easy going and professional. From our discussion, I could tell that he had extensive experience in his field. On Monday morning, Mark called to ask a few questions and then emailed me a very reasonable estimate. He also said that he coincidentally had time to start on my project right away. I had received 2 other estimates previously that were meaningfully higher than Mark's, which held me back from the project. After I talked to Mark and received his estimate, I was immediately ready to move forward. Mark was timely each morning and very considerate about leaving the area clean after each day. He called me to provide updates since both my husband and I work. We also communicated quite a bit through email, which was most efficient for me. We both emailed each other pictures to review and decided on the final design and details. One week later, my banquette has been completely built. The almost end product looks so much nicer than I had imagined including the details and molding that were some of his ideas that were incorporated. Mark does not do the painting as is common for craftsman. He referred me to a painter that he has worked with in the past. I also need to have the cushion and pillows made before this project is complete. I read the other quite negative review about Mark before I gave him the go-ahead to start. I was nervous at first, but the most important part of the other review to me was that the quality of Mark's work was good. I am so very glad that I took a chance and gave Mark the job. I am thrilled with the results, the price, and Mark was a wonderful person to work with. I wholeheartedly recommend him for any woodworking project and would love to have him build me something else in the future!

Mark is a nice guy, easy to work with and responsive, but this story ends up as a cautionary tale about the necessity to pursue every protection and get what you want written into the contract. Because the finish guy was slow and, Mark said, kept having problems with the paint and polyurethane top coat, the install date kept getting pushed back, though not grievously so. They finally arrived with the finished product, which looked great, and Mark began installing it on Feb. 20. That went a little slowly too, but mainly because he had to work with old cabinets with differing thicknesses and so had to mix and match hinges and improvise solutions, which he seemed good at. The installation was completed on Feb. 29 and was exactly what we had asked for. I handed Mark the final payment check that ame day. However, on Feb. 25, before installation was completed, I noticed that some hinge screws were loose and the doors beginning to wobble. I emailed Mark about this: "...one of the most important things in this project is to insure that we won't have the same hard to adjust/sagging door problem we had with the old hinges." Mark said no problem, he would "tighten down" the screws. I had also noticed that that one of the doors had an obvious ding it it, which I pointed out to Mark. He shrugged that off. At this point we were in and out of the country for several weeks, so the kitchen doors were hardly used at all. After we returned in May, I checked the hinges, only to find several screws loose and doors wobbling. It was obvious that some screws were too short to do a good job of anchoring the hinges. I emailed Mark on May 23 to remind him that he had said he would install a magnetic catch on a pantry door that was an inch or so from closing fully and asked him to also check on those loose screws when he came over for the catch. A week later he emailed back that the "only fix we had discussed" was the catch. "Since everything was in working order when I left the job, anything going forward would have to be a change order and I'd have to charge you." He wanted $100 for two hours. Meanwhile while closing a door, one hinge popped completely off, leaving the door hanging in space by one hinge, the screws no where to be found. I emailed Mark again on June 5 that I was astonished that he refused to guarantee his work, even for a few weeks, as a true professional would. "Do you really want to leave an unhappy customer when a few screws and an hour of your time could fix it?" It is June 23 and I have not heard back from Mark. Several doors are wobbling, and that hinge is still unattached, leaving the door unusable.