Chrysalis Unbound

I submitted a review of this provider recently. I wanted to revise what I said. Roman's work is excellent. He is a perfectionist. I was disappointed that the bathroom color did not work out. He tried to modify it at no charge. It still was not I wanted. He did try. He did a number of extra items at no charge.

The kitchen was fine. I pointed out to Roman that the color of the bathroom was not what we thought it would be and he agreed with me. He said he would redo it.

We were in need of a carpenter after we were informed by our countertop providers that our kitchen cabinets would have to be leveled before our new granite countertops could be installed. Roman came highly recommended by a family member after he remodeled both her basement and bathroom. I explained to him what we needed over the phone and he was able to fit us in before our installation date. Roman did a great job leveling the cabinets, so we hired him to come back a week later to do some finishing work. He was very accommodating and came well prepared. We have an old kitchen that was poorly updated several years ago. Roman was able to come up with creative solutions to challenging problems and was mindful of our tight budget. His price was very reasonable considering the amount of work involved and all the preparation he did before he arrived (not to mention the three flights of stairs he had to travel). We are extremely happy with the outcome and can recommend Roman without reservation.

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I worked with Roman on multiple occasions from 2005 through 2010. I must have spent upwards of $30,000.00 to $50,000.00 on all projects. My first project was the complete teardown,design of the kitchen, choice of products installation and finish crown and special moulding. Now I have a remarkable English cottage kitchen with a dish rack above the sink, cabinets (some with glass doors, one corner that has a leaded glass door, some open shelving, and two floor to ceiling pantries) The walls are real slate, the ceiling is knotty cedar, and the floors are tile that look just like the slate. Roman installed my first dish washer (water and electrical connections) He was a perfect artisan, left the house cleaner each day than he found it. From the kitchen, everything snowballed. I was so happy with all the results and working with Roman that the rest of the house kept calling out for help. My powder room now has unfilled, honed travertine marble on the walls as wainscot,and on the floors. We kept the old cabinet sink that Roman antiqued,but a stone slab now sits on it with a stone bowl drilled to be the basin. The toilet was replaced. Roman's artistry and hard work, his knowledge of and compliance with local code, and his need for perfection created a powder room that attracts everyone who comes to my home and allows me the pleasure that I never thought could come from a tiny, but exceptional room. This building was built in the late 1970's and aside from being built poorly the rooms had no style or charm. The staircase and handrails had to be removed and rebuilt. The cheap carpeting was taken off the entire main floor, the floor, especially near the windows had to be repaired. Roman found me magnificent hardwood flooring that had been hand -rubbed to look old. He also installed a patio door and built the traditional trim and crown molding that gave the room the perfect style I had always wanted. Each room has special paint techniques which include trowled venetian plaster that Roman hand polished until it became marble. He also fabricated and hand carved and stained a Chinese ceiling medallion to match my armoire in the dining room. I had to move my light fixture and that left a gap that the medallion then covered. For a special look I wanted in the bedroom he applied a paint technique with sand in the top layer---the celing, with the special use of trowled on paint and custom designed use of wood trim gives the appearance of a coffered ceiling. Over a period of several years Roman did these and many other projects. I have been proud and confident to recommend him and his wife who is a certified interior decorator and stylist to several friends. They have all thought that the projects created and completed were wonderful. Everyone that I know who has worked with him sings his praises and asks him back when they have another project. Talent, character, and attention to detail along with his ability to leave your house livable each night, is as important as the fact that he is insured, knows codes and will not do shoddy work.

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Perhaps the replacement of our home's front doors most reflect our experience with this provider. We could not find a pre-hung replacement at the size and with the appearance and features we wanted at the big box stores or the local window/door stores, so we contacted Chrysalis Unbound. Roman Marak, the co-owner provided an estimate for custom doors, hardware, and painting/finishing which, after discusion with him on the details, we quickly accepted. Materials were ordered, and very quickly Roman was able to start work. Hanging new exterior doors in an existing frame is an art that takes both skill and patience, especially in a 47 year old house in which nothing is square or standard. Roman cut down larger wood doors to fit, precisely mortised recesses for hinges and the hidden bolt for the second door which extended into the top and bottom of the jam to lock it. He suggested and used full brass hardware for both appearance and to resist weathering. When installed the doors were also fully weatherstripped. He took time over three or four days to paint them, using multiple coats of high quality exterior paint which was hand wet-sanded smooth after each coat. The result was an almost mirror white finish that our neighbors continue to comment on the beauty of. While it took him more time than estimated to achieve the custom fit he considered accurate and correct he did not charge more for the additional time and labor.