Tom Reed

Description of Work: Tom has done a lot of tile work for us, mainly in the kitchen,hall and bathroom.

Description of Work: I have been a member of Angie’s List for several years now, and, for the most part, I have appreciated the advice homeowners have provided, so that I could make a hiring choice based upon the experience of others with various contractors, with one recent exception. On September 26, 2011, a report was listed under Tile Contractors that appalled and concerned me. The report was written by a homeowner who, it seems, had her own agenda, and has, by her comments, attempted to destroy the reputation of someone undeserving of her “rant”, with whom I have also contracted, not once, but four times, the most recent of which was in December, 2011, less than one month ago! While I can appreciate that the person who wrote the September report appeared to have a problem with her contractor, after reading that report carefully, it sounded to me as if it was she who had the problem and not the contractor. The report was so negative it appeared that her agenda was to destroy the good reputation of a person with whom I have had nothing but positive experiences and respect! The first time I hired Mr. Tom Reed was to replace formica countertops in the kitchen of our condo with granite, and he suggested a ceramic backsplash to complement the granite. It was a difficult job in a confined space, but Mr. Reed did a fabulous job and there were extras performed by him as a courtesy to us. He went with me to pick out the granite, and then met me at the tile shop and helped facilitate the selection and purchase of the tile for the backsplash. It wasn’t an easy job, either. The prep work consisted of every cabinet having to be shored up to accommodate the granite that would be replacing the formica counter tops, and the “pass throughs” into the dining room as well, before he could have the granite brought in. He added lighting under a bookcase in the kitchen and performed other extras for which there was no additional charge. Later, when we sold the condo, although we had done other upgrades in other rooms, I was certain that the upgrade in the kitchen was the major factor enabling us to sell the condo at a fair price in a down market. When they first saw it, the reaction of our visitors was “wow”! We built a new home after we sold the condo, and again hired Mr. Reed to lay black and white 12 x 12 tiles in my master bathroom, some with delicate scroll work, and he suggested placing them in a diagonal pattern. In order to make a perfect floor, a paper pattern was created and each tile had to be laid out, numbered for it’s location, and placed using the pattern and the numbers as guidelines. The same pattern of tiles and listillos were placed upright on the face of my spa bath. The entire job was grouted in black for a dramatic effect so as to continue the black and white theme. Black grout is messy, porous and difficult to work with. Not a single smudge of grout got on the walls (other than between the tiles where it was supposed to be) and none got on my white carpeting. Unbelievably, this upgrade was done over one weekend! This bathroom is probably the most elegant room in our home! Or at least it was… We hired Mr. Reed again a year later to lay tile in our newly finished basement bathroom. I purchased the tiles, and Mr. Reed transformed what was envisioned to be just a mundane, but nice floor, to something artistically beautiful. Guests who have seen it or used that room when visiting have commented on what a beautiful job it is. The floor is finished well, and you can tell that it was laid by a professional who is proud of his work. His artistic eye caught a construction defect; that is, the incorrect placement of the sink, which would have caused everything to look off center. We got our building contractor to make the change and Tom proceeded to finish the job. As stated, just this past month, we hired Mr. Reed for the fourth time since we have known him. Having once more replaced kitchen countertops with granite in our new home, we left the backsplash for him to design. Again, his ideas were “show-stopping” gorgeous, although when he first tried to describe it, I had trouble envisioning it. In preparation for the job, and on his own time, he took the granite 12 x 12’s that exactly match the countertops and meticulously stripped them down to two-inch ribbons. He placed diagonal travertine tiles of different sizes (and thicknesses) on three levels and placed the strips of granite he had cut by hand between the rows. The tiles at the corners look like envelopes as they appear to fold out, away from the corners, and all the different thickness tiles look as if they are the same thickness! He also performed the electrical work, mounting and connecting the under cabinet lighting. In short, the backsplash is a “work of art”, and everyone who has seen it has commented favorably. Our next door neighbor, in fact, who is very handy in the building trades, was absolutely “blown away” when he saw the backsplash. Mr. Reed transformed our already lovely and serviceable kitchen into a unique, million dollar custom look and very nearly a piece of art (notwithstanding that his price was fair and reasonable for what was a tedious and challenging job)! Tom Reed is an “old school” contractor with an eye for what appeals and will be long-lasting. He is a perfectionist, and a genteel person. He learned his trade in California as a younger man, and performed work out west for many a high profile movie star, whose names you would know if I mentioned them here. His credits include very complex and involved work (right here in Indiana) for a former Pacer basketball star up on the north side of town. When I first met Tom, he had just finished a massive job for Eli Lilly and more recently won a bid for a Marion County project. Furthermore, Mr. Reed has suffered a devastating personal tragedy from which he has not fully recovered; yet, he has continued working and has tried not let it interfere. If he were late arriving or was talkative on the job, as a previous customer opined, it should be taken into consideration that he is, obviously, still recouperating. One of the ways you do that is by not internalizing it. Aside from that, he works and talks as he goes, so it isn’t as if friendly conversation interferes with the job he is doing! If you talk to him, he will certainly converse with you; otherwise, he goes about his work quietly. I have observed him enough times (4 separate jobs) to be certain of my facts. I would have to dismiss a negative rating as “sour grapes”. This man does not deserve such a rating as the one posted in September, 2011. He finished that job in July (2011) and it was apparent that his customer liked the finished product. She took humbrage at his pricing. I have NEVER had an issue with Mr. Reed’s pricing. For complex tile work and for his imagination and artistry (which you seldom find today), he is reasonable to a fault! From her comments, it seems clear that she knows nothing about custom tile work. It is sometimes difficult to estimate what exact quantities might be needed, and there will always be some waste in any custom construction job-some more than others. The bigger the job, the more likely that more pieces may be defective, shattered or even mis-cut by a helper, but I wouldn’t hold that against the contractor. There is always going to be some waste. It’s the nature of the tile business. With regard to the comments by his former customer, the lady who “dissed” him on Angie’s List, I would like to remind her that the Sistine Chapel wasn’t painted by Michaelangelo overnight; she wanted someone who, according to her notes, had “good design ideas” and she found and hired him. If she wanted a written contract, Tom Reed would have provided one. He has done that for us. A true work of art takes time, and I don’t believe that an artist should be rushed. Tom Reed is that person. I would chalk up her bad rating as a fluke, “sour grapes” or whatever you want to call it other than fair. She was, clearly, venting. If anyone asks me, I will be happy to provide a realistic and truthful recommendation for Mr. Tom Reed. I know that I have the most beautiful backsplash in my subdivision, and I can honestly give Tom Reed straight A’s in workmanship, quality and price and an overall A+++, with absolutely no qualms.

Description of Work: Installation of ceramic tile backsplash in kitchen. Associated electrical work.

Description of Work: I have been a member of Angie’s List for several years now, and, for the most part, I have appreciated the advice homeowners have provided, so that I could make a hiring choice based upon the experience of others with various contractors, with one recent exception. On September 26, 2011, a report was listed under Tile Contractors that appalled and concerned me. The report was written by a homeowner who, it seems, had her own agenda, and has, by her commends, attempted to destroy the reputation of someone undeserving of her “rant”, with whom I have also contracted, not once, but four times, the most recent of which was in December, 2011, less than one month ago! While I can appreciate that the person who wrote the September report appeared to have a problem with her contractor, after reading that report carefully, it sounded to me as if it was she who had the problem and not the contractor. The report was so negative it appeared that her agenda was to destroy the good reputation of a person with whom I have had nothing but positive experiences and respect! The first time I hired Mr. Tom Reed was to replace formica countertops in the kitchen of our condo with granite, and he suggested a ceramic backsplash to complement the granite. It was a difficult job in a confined space, but Mr. Reed did a fabulous job and there were extras performed by him as a courtesy to us. He went with me to pick out the granite, and then met me at the tile shop and helped facilitate the selection and purchase of the tile for the backsplash. It wasn’t an easy job, either. The prep work consisted of every cabinet having to be shored up to accommodate the granite that would be replacing the formica counter tops, and the “pass throughs” into the dining room as well, before he could have the granite brought in. He added lighting under a bookcase in the kitchen and performed other extras for which there was no additional charge. Later, when we sold the condo, although we had done other upgrades in other rooms, I was certain that the upgrade in the kitchen was the major factor enabling us to sell the condo at a fair price in a down market. When they first saw it, the reaction of our visitors was “wow”! We built a new home after we sold the condo, and again hired Mr. Reed to lay black and white 12 x 12 tiles in my master bathroom, some with delicate scroll work, and he suggested placing them in a diagonal pattern. In order to make a perfect floor, a paper pattern was created and each tile had to be laid out, numbered for it’s location, and placed using the pattern and the numbers as guidelines. The same pattern of tiles and listillos were placed upright on the face of my spa bath. The entire job was grouted in black for a dramatic effect so as to continue the black and white theme. Black grout is messy, porous and difficult to work with. Not a single smudge of grout got on the walls (other than between the tiles where it was supposed to be) and none got on my white carpeting. Unbelievably, this upgrade was done over one weekend! This bathroom is probably the most elegant room in our home! Or at least it was… We hired Mr. Reed again a year later to lay tile in our newly finished basement bathroom. I purchased the tiles, and Mr. Reed transformed what was envisioned to be just a mundane, but nice floor to something artistically beautiful. Guests who have seen it or used that room when visiting have commented on what a beautiful job it is. The floor is finished well, and you can tell that it was laid by a professional who is proud of his work. His artistic eye caught a construction defect; that is, the incorrect placement of the sink, which would have caused everything to look off center. We got our building contractor to make the change and Tom proceeded to finish the job. As stated, just this past month, we hired Mr. Reed for the fourth time since we have known him. Having once more replaced kitchen countertops with granite, we left the backsplash for him to design. Again, his ideas were “show-stopping” gorgeous, although when he first tried to describe it, I had trouble envisioning it. In preparation for the job, and on his own time, he took the granite 12 x 12’s that exactly match the countertops and meticulously stripped them down to two-inch ribbons. He placed diagonal travertine tiles of different sizes (and thicknesses) on three levels and placed the strips of granite he had cut by hand between the rows. The corners look like envelopes as they appear to fold out, away from the corners and all the different sized tiles look as if they are all the same thickness. He also performed the electrical work, mounting and connecting the under cabinet lighting. In short, the backsplash is a “work of art”, and everyone who has seen it has commented favorably. Our next door neighbor, in fact, who is very handy in the building trades, was absolutely “blown away” when he saw the backsplash. Mr. Reed transformed our already lovely and serviceable kitchen into a unique, million dollar custom look and very nearly a piece of art (notwithstanding that his price was fair and reasonable for what was a tedious and challenging job)! Tom Reed is an “old school” contractor with an eye for what appeals and will be long-lasting. He is a perfectionist, and a genteel person. He learned his trade in California as a younger man, and performed work out west for many a high profile movie star, whose names you would know if I mentioned them here. His credits include very complex and involved work (right here in Indiana) for a former Pacer basketball star up on the north side of town. When I first met Tom, he had just finished a massive job for Eli Lilly and more recently won a bid for a Marion County project. Furthermore, Mr. Reed has suffered a devastating personal tragedy from which he has not fully recovered; yet, he has continued working and has tried not let it interfere. If he were late arriving or was talkative on the job, as his previous customer opined, it should be taken into consideration that he is, obviously, still recouperating. One of the ways you do that is by not internalizing it. Aside from that, he works and talks as he goes, so it isn’t as if friendly conversation interferes with the job he is doing! If you talk to him, he will certainly converse with you; otherwise, he goes about his work quietly. I have observed him enough times to be certain of my facts. I would have to dismiss a negative rating as “sour grapes”. This man does not deserve such a rating as the one posted in September, 2011. He finished that job in July (2011) and it was apparent that his customer liked the finished product. She took humbrage at his pricing. I have NEVER had an issue with Mr. Reed’s pricing. For complex tile work and for his imagination and artistry (which you seldom find today), he is reasonable to a fault! From her comments, it seems clear that his previous customer knows nothing about custom tile work. It is sometimes difficult to estimate what exact quantities might be needed, and there will always be some waste in any custom construction job-some more than others. The bigger the job, the more likely that more pieces may be defective, shattered or mis-cut by a helper, but I wouldn’t hold that against the contractor. There is always going to be some waste. It’s the nature of the tile business. With regard to the comments by his former customer, the lady who “dissed” him on Angie’s List, I would like to remind her that the Sistine Chapel wasn’t painted by Michaelangelo overnight; she wanted someone who, according to her notes, had “good design ideas” and she found and hired him. If she wanted a written contract, Tom Reed would have provided one. He has done that for us. A true work of art takes time, and I don’t believe that an artist should be rushed. Tom Reed is that person. I would chalk up her bad rating as a fluke, “sour grapes” or whatever you want to call it other than fair. She was, clearly, venting. If anyone asks me, I will be happy to provide a realistic and truthful recommendation for Mr. Tom Reed. I know that I have the most beautiful backsplash in my subdivision, and I can honestly give Tom Reed straight A’s in workmanship, quality and price and an overall A+++.

Description of Work: He put tile in our master bathroom. The price included labor only.