Benchmark Painting & Carpentry of Boynton Beach, LLC

Steve contacted me right away, came over and put together a quote that included everything I needed. I love that they provide a decorator consultation. I couldn't have picked paint for the entire house. We had just closed on the house and needed everything done by a certain time so we could move in. I was able to concentrate on all the other projects I had going on with the move and leave everything to Steve and the painter Oscar. I am one of those who has to have everything perfect, Steve gave me his cell and answered it every time! Oscar was great making sure I was completely happy. Even after I had paid the balance, they came out and touched up anything I wanted. They made sure i was completely happy, not easy with a stressed new homeowner. My home looks like it is brand new, not an easy task for a home built in 1979, but it does, no drip marks, no dents or holes, just smooth walls, all sanded, caulked, and freshly painted. I love it. I would use them again and recommend them to everyone!

Pleasant experience and excellent job.

Excellent- highly recommended

Great...on time ...hard workers....very neat and clean with the job. The best

I selected Benchmark because it got the highest number of Angie's A-ratings for exterior house painting, but was still surprised at how good they turned out to be. No matter who I dealt with in the company, I got near instantaneous responses from Kellie who routed all my calls so that I got immediate callbacks, to Bob who was point man from getting the estimate, advising me on technical issues and preparing the contract, to Ken and Damian, who pressure washed my house and every horizontal surface on my property (which were mostly free above what the contract required, and also did all the painting and clean up which stretched over four days because of rain, and finally to Jessica, who advised me on discounts by telling a co-worker what to tell me, since she busy reconnecting her new complex phone system underneath the furniture in her office. Five people, and five gems. When they promptly showed up at 8 AM the first day, I told Ken and Damian that I only had three hours sleep, and they should call my phone if I slept through the door bell. For all four days, I slept through till lunch--they didn't yell, bang ladders, play radios, or need to bother me. Also, they somehow noticed a basketball court about 75 feet from the house, and pressure washed that. They also did two paths of paver stones, which were not strictly walkways or driveways according to the contract. Damian asked me how I liked what he did with the iron house-address numbers, and when I looked up, he had carefully painted them with a tiny brush in the golden paint they used on the house, which was a real decorator touch against the white trim color. One other thing--they used my garden hose, and left it perfectly coiled, which was much neater than I had left it. You should get the impression that Benchmark tries to make sure that I ended up happy with their special consideration and professionalism. I have already asked them to give me a bid on re-painting my deck and replacing some floor boards, and when I accumulate more money, will have them do the interior of my entire house. If you have any questions you want to ask me, I have given permission to them to give me your phone and I will call you, and I will feel that I've gone the extra step for them as they have done for me.

I contacted through Angie list. came out for an estimate the next day. gave me a price and started work 2 days later. Great quality, they finished ahead of schedule, and other than the work, you would never know they were there. They were extremely neat, clean, and professional - I will use them again we were all very happy with the work

Great! Low price, great work, just hire them, you'll be happy!

They were extremely neat, clean and efficient. They were on time everyday. Did a great job. Carlos and his team are just outstanding. Good communication with Steve and couldn't be happier with the process. I would give them my highest recommendation. Will definitely use again.

They were really good and we were happy with them. They were very professional. They did a really good job and cleaned everything up. We would hire them again. We ended up scaling down the project. The price was pretty competitive. The woman who called that was in charge of our account was really nice. We negotiated back and forth about the scope of the work. She followed up to make sure that everything was okay. The guys who came to paint were very polite. They were very respectful.They came in, did the job, cleaned up and left so I couldn't ask for anymore than that. The paint tended to scrape a little bit easily so my walls a year later already look pretty marred up. I don't know if it was the paint itself or if they didn't prep properly. They did such a nice job that I didn't follow up with them. The price was good.

The Benchmark team turned my kitchen disaster around, and it's beautiful. Martin, the owner/GC was very responsive and came out immediately to give an estimate. We had started with another carpenter and made us a brand new kitchen but at the end (6months w/o kitchen). He kept dragging his feet and turned very sub par work. Normally people would reface kitchens after 10 years. Well not us we basically had to do that right after. Martin empathetic towards our situation worked with our budget, and got on the job. His workers were awesome. James, was the carpenter/cabinet maker turned out professional and very nice craftsmanship. He came out and accessed our dilemma with his 20+ years of expertise he informed us that materials for cabinets were not wood, which in fact we had thought we had paid for. :/ But it was not necessary to start from scratch. He made us 20+ drawers, in wood. Redid our upper cabinet, changed all hinges to soft close (which we thought we had paid for with previously), made us couple doors and basically brought it up to the level we had wanted all along. Next was the finishers/painters they had the most daunting task. Jeff and Jack were able to to turn my dream kitchen into reality. Jeff took time and listened came up with the best color for my kitchen. Knowing that they had to fix someone else sloppy job I didn't have my hopes high. Needless to say we were pleasantly surprised. We had all the moldings/trim and shakers caulked, smoothed and painted. The rest of the team were just as professional and great from back splash installers to the electrician. My only complaint would be the timeline. In our quote Martin did put a 7-10 day turn a round which in reality it was not the case. We had been with out a kitchen for so long that we were okay if it took 3 weeks. To be fair we added more drawers to be done but when we are heading into 2.5+ months it was causing a little frustration. That being said in hindsight, We are very grateful for the finished product. Martin seems to have a great rapport with his team and mutual respect among them that to me speaks volumes in what type of people you are dealing with. I would totally recommend Benchmark and will be using them for future projects

Outrageously Awesome! Wilson, Carlos and Nelson are top-notch professionals. After dealing with a number of contractors who made our lives miserable, caused delays and shoddy workmanship...we found Benchmark to finish up the project. It was a blessing to have our home "restored." The job is perfect - completed in three days. Our lives can get back to normal and we have Benchmark to thank. They know how to treat their customers, take care of the business at hand and leave a lasting good impression. If there are any future projects, Benchmark is the first call we'll make.....and highly recommend to our neighbors and friends.

Very Accommodating. I was in a rush to get the painting done on a house we just purchased before our furniture arrived. Steve made sure it was done in time. His color consultant was away and he even found someone to assist me. Wonderful service and great quality!

It was a repeated job because we have used them before. We are just using them again. They were on time and did good work.

Had 3 holes in drywall patched and they placed in a box to house my cable wires. Very pleasant, professional and on time.

The experience was very good. From the initial contact, through the painting, and the follow up. I was very pleased. I did not like the job that was initially done on the front door. The crew came back and did it twice without complaint. No questions asked of me, just came and redid the work. The final result is quite nice all around. I have called the same company to use them again for my interior painting needs.

Very pleased with the work they did. Quick and clean.

They were excellent. Someone came out first and gave us an estimate of how much it was going to cost. The man who came did a fabulous job. He was very neat and clean. He helped us with a few other items that he suggested. He was prompt. He worked very neatly. He was efficient. We had blinds that needed to be replaced and he made some suggestions for us to update that look so we were very pleased. He was definitely an A.

They did a fabulous job. They did my house and I liked it so much that I had them do carpentry at my son’s house; they did unbelievable work. Someone across the street saw my house getting painted and like it so he hired them too. They were the most reasonable; the flooring job cost $650 and the painting was $1200. I liked their professionalism, their timeliness, and the beautiful job that they did. The quality of work was absolutely fantastic and they were quick to respond on the flooring job; the guy called me up and asked me when to start and I said whenever they were ready so they were here the next day but we had to wait for the painting job because they were very busy. I will definitely use them again if needed; in fact, I even had my daughter call them to do her house.

My first contact was with Patricia Rivera. We emailed back and forth to set a time and date for an estimate. Patricia was on time and we discussed the job and colors. Patricia was knowledgeable, pleasant and able to give me an estimate on the spot. Once we agreed on a price, we set up a date for the painters to come in. A crew of four arrived - on time -which is important to me. they started work immediately and worked through the day until the job was done. They were polite, respectful and clean. They first moved and coved all furniture and we discussed which colors went in which rooms. With a crew of four, the job was able to be done in one day and when they left at 6:00 they had moved the furniture back into place, took all coverings and vacuumed and swept. They inspected their work, made a touch up here and there, unasked, and I now have a beautiful home to be proud of. I'm pretty picky so when I say I wish I could give them an A++, you know they must be special. Great work and a fair price: I would recommend the company 100%.

Professionalism was lacking by all stretches of the imagination. Milton came by promptly as scheduled, but looked upset to be at our house. I quickly went over what we had wanted (similar to a neighbor) and he asked to see the neighbors work. My wife took him next door and he never came back. He went from there to his car, told my wife he'd send an estimate, and left. A few hours later, I got a quote via angieslist. I am a firm believer in the internet and its potential use for communication. But I did not post an ad on Craigslist, I went with someone who was supposed to be reputable. I also believe in old school business ideals, that is, make sure the customer is happy, and Milton from Benchmark certainly failed. He did not talk to me before leaving, he just left. He did not share any plans or ideas, nor did he seem at all excited about my work. He seemed like it was nuisance to be over. Mind you, for the price quoted, although not a tremendous amount of money, it is still a good sum to put on a smile, appear happy and make me feel like he actually cared to make my home look like I wanted it to. I would not recommend Benchmark to anyone. They certainly made me feel like they had no interest in doing my work.

as a result of our moving the date of the work, the two-man team was not available. a one-man team did 99% of the work. he was a hard worker, but we couldn't help but wish there were two men on the job for obvious reasons. the walls repaired were both bedroom walls with one window each. after the work drywall work was completed, we followed up about putting the window sills back on, which we felt would be a logical part of the wall repair. we requested a call back from the owner, no call has been received. an email advised us that it will cost us and additional $180 to have the two window sills replaced - labor only. the estimator should have been more inclusive of all work that needed to be done to return the space to original condition.

A three Man Team (Dan, Andy And Paul) Arrive Punctually And Did A Gorgeous Job Painting Our Walls. They Also custom-Fitted The House With Beautiful 5 Inch Baseboard Moldings Which, With The New Paint, Made Each Room Look Stunning.

This is an email I sent to Patricia, the project coordinator today. When I hired Benchmark I was under the impression that they had various crews working for them. I have come to realized that they are actually a contractor and sub-contracting the work out. That is not what I wanted as I can act as my own contractor. The people who removed the wallpaper and prepped the walls were very professional and did a good job. The damage to the filler was an unfortunate accident which was understandable but Benchmark did replace it. Things started to go downhill when you sent Chris. After I met Chris, supposedly a faux painter, I started to lose confidence in Benchmark. He had very little idea of what I wanted, didn?t provide samples and talked and talked in circles until I was completely frustrated. When I asked him to show me pictures of other faux painting he had done, he could only provide one and it wasn?t as good as my dining room which I did myself. He did not seem to be familiar with various techniques. He then showed me photos of other work he had done but none of them included faux painting. I feel that you just sent me a body and hoped to sneak him by but not a true faux painter. When I asked you what happened to Marina that both you and your designer, Michelle raved about, you answered that she doesn?t speak English and that has presented problems in the past. At that point I completely lost confidence that Benchmark could faux paint my kitchen. I then went on Angie?s list and called another painter who specializes in faux painting. He came to the house recently and is truly an artist which is what I thought I was getting from your company but did not. Talking to him vs. talking to Chris were like night and day. He had a website with beautiful samples of his artistry; he completely understood what I want. What a difference between this artist and the ?painter? that you sent to me. Then when you and I spoke this week you told me Marina is not available until June 13. My job was supposed to have been done by Mother?s Day, May 11. I have now hired this other gentleman who will do the job this Wednesday and since he is charging $500, I also realize how much I was being overcharged by Benchmark, I guess because you are a contractor. I trusted you so I didn't pursue other estimates but I now realize what a mistake that was. Just to be more accurate, the cost for prepping walls including wallpaper removal was $350 which was reasonable. The quote for faux painting was $950 for which I'm now paying $500 with this other gentleman who is doing it beautifully as we speak.

We we very pleased, and only took a couple of days. The timing was reasonable.

I noticed that Benchmark has great reviews but I also noticed that the job they did for us is double any job they have done in the past. This could have been the problem. Martin is unable to coordinate a job of this scope. He even had difficulty quoting the job. We had asked him to be sure to include all the issues identified in our home inspection, which we gave him, and I sent him an example of the interior doors we wanted. When we got the quote he did not include the items from the inspection and he quoted the wrong doors. Had I not investigated this we would have had the wrong doors. Martin writes things down (I think this is for show) but doesn't really listen to his clients. Even when you email him things he will later ask you to re email them. It is very frustrating dealing with someone so unorganized. We also had issues with every subcontractor that Martin brought on the job except for the HVAC sub. We had issues with plumbing, electrical, tile installation, cabinet maker, wood floor installation and even the granite installation. It makes me sick with the amount of money we spent on this job and the quality of the work that was done. Not to mention the amount of time it took to complete the job and not to my satisfaction. The job was started in June. My brother had used this contractor (Martin) the previous year so we decided to go with him also. We didn't have anyone else come and quote on the job since my brother felt he had done a good job for a reasonable price. We had a couple of issues with what was done at my brother's but pointed them out to Martin and hoped that would clear those issues for our job. Wrong assumption on our part. We have the exact same model house as my brother but they didn't have as much to do as ours, as their kitchen, and bathroom cabinets in some of the bathrooms, had been updated before they bought. So our job had more to it than my brother's. Martin has no concept how to schedule a job. We had to wait for the main floor tile to come in August so basically after gutting the house and dealing with the HVAC, nothing was done in the house until after the main floor tile arrived. We had two full bathrooms that needed tiling. I don't know why they were not started. The tiling did not start until after the installation of the kitchen cabinets, which had to be removed and reinstalled after the tiling was completed. We had selected everything back in June including all lighting, doors, appliances, tile, bathroom fixtures and faucets wood flooring. We had met with Martin's cabinet guy and picked our cabinets and we had selected our granite. The only thing not selected in June was our kitchen sink because we were waiting for the cabinet guy to tell us what size of sink we could have in the Kitchen after he had done our kitchen design. We live in Canada so we wanted to select everything and not hold the job up. We hired someone local to be our eyes and deal with Martin when we were not there. We came down in July, September, October, and the end of November when we were hoping to be able to stay in our newly renovated home. But we were not. We got in the home December 28th. When we were down in September we went to the house. No one was there but it had been raining. All our brand new window screens were laying around in the bushes and all the sills were wet. We thought the windows (Martin had nothing to do with them) had leaked. It turned out that the tile guys Martin hired had removed all the window screens leaving them haphazardly on the ground and in the bushes. It started to rain so they closed the windows and left. They did not wipe up any of the water. the screens were outside the house filthy. These were brand new hurricane windows that were installed at the beginning of July. The disrespect for our property was disheartening. The next day we met with Martin. We told him that we didn't appreciate the treatment of the screens. We also reminded him that the half wall in the kitchen need to be cut down to counter height as per our plans. He wrote that down as usual. When we came in October the cabinets were installed but the half wall had not been cut down. I knew the granite people had been in to template so I asked how they could template with the wall not cut? He called and they had started cutting our granite so the granite I had selected could no longer be used, and Martin had to purchase the ruined piece. (another disappointment) The granite manufacturer told us that no one from Benchmark was there when they templated and that is why Martin had to pay for the mistake. It is beyond me why he wasn't there. We were then also informed that the sink we selected was too big because the cabinet maker said European 33" sinks are bigger than American 33" sink. Whatever????? So we had to pay to have the sink restocked and picked another sink. Then Martin told us that his supplier couldn't get the sink for 4-6 weeks. We went on Amazon and had the sink and a matching colander sent directly to the granite manufacturer 2 days later. We also notice the soft close wasn't working in the cabinets but Martin said that is done at the end. (or in our case the cabinet maker is incompetent and doesn't know how to install soft close even when it is done twice. See my review of Kabinet King on Angie's list.) For some reason the tub for the master bath was very slow coming. No idea why but if Martin's supplier needed 4-6 weeks for a sink we got in 2 days then 4-5 months for a tub makes sense. The tub was another issue and in the end we had to change a stack of drawers into a cabinet door because the drawers couldn't open. When we finally got in the house I touched the stove and I got a shock. It had not been grounded. The under cabinet lighting that was installed had the transformers installed on the first shelf of the uppers and there was no under cabinet lighting between the stove and the fridge for some reason. Those lights were supplied by Martin so all I can think is he cheaped out and didn't want to light that section. There were no thresholds on any of the entry doors with the one in the garage having a gap of about 1 1/2". Martin did send someone to fix this. The shower in the guest bathroom had no pressure. The plumber came and fixed this and then we found out the temperature didn't work on the shower when our guests found the water temperature way too hot. That got fixed in February. The wood floor had gaps at the thresholds and on the landing of the stairs. They did not fit to the door frames or the baseboard as they were just cut straight. By the closet doors there were large gaps where you could see the sub floor. The wood floor installer used so much wood filler on the stairs that we have oil stains on the edge of the wood where there is wood filler. So bad that my cleaners asked if there is something they could do to clean these stains. When the wood installers came to fix the gap issues they just filled the gaps with more wood filler! I put my foot down on the thresholds and told them the thresholds needs to be replaced. On the stairs they just put new baseboard that did not match my baseboard! They tried to fix the stains but they could not. They told me to stain my brand new wood!!!! The kitchen cabinets did not have all the shelves installed when we arrived. That got done the second week in January. The soft close didn't work. The cabinet maker replaced them. They still don't work. We had asked him to use Blum and he told us he had a better product. We said to go ahead with that product. It is horrible. It is called Hardware Concept INC and after talking to the company they said that if they aren't installed properly then they won't work right. Our cabinet maker installed them twice and they still don't work. They are hard to open and don't close. He told us that soft close is always hard to open especially small drawers and the work better when they are loaded. Then he told us that people in Florida don't use soft close????? The colander for the sink did not fit and the soap dispenser barely reaches the sink. The granite manufacturer (Empire Stone) had to comeback and grind the sink until the colander fit. No excuse since it was delivered directly to them. Can do anything about the dispenser. The tile was a mess. The main floor slate had 60 tiles that had hollow sounds with the grout coming out. The master bath had grout coming out. It was replaced 4 times and it is still coming out. And now our rarely used guest bathroom has grout coming out! We have white tile with black marble accent tile in the master shower. The marble tile should be smooth but it is like the used their hand to set it on the wall. The black grout is very messy. The job looks like it was a DIY reno. The 60 tiles on the main floor slate were replaced but they ended up using white grout when the rest of the floor has grey grout. The tile they replaced is no longer flush with the existing, and grout is again coming out. When they mixed cement, grout etc, they did it on our interlocking brick patio without protection. I have pressure washed it and it is still stained. They threw globs of plaster and dumped filthy water all over my garden. It looks like they took a trowel and wiped it on my palm tree. I found broken mirror in my garden and they cut the trim on our new garage door. Martin is very hard to get a hold of. He has very poor communication skills. We were just down there and informed Martin well in advance (2 weeks) what days we will be there so that they could come and fix the tile again. We emailed again the day before we left. No response. Called when we arrived on the Wednesday. He finally called on the Saturday. We told him we were leaving Tuesday morning. Nobody came to do the tile. The lack of respect for our property, the poor communication and the very poor workmanship is why I gave Martin and Benchmark an F. I highly DON'T recommend Benchmark.