HANG IN THERE

Responded immediately when I called. Personable guy, told me exactly what needed to be done and was willing to coach me to do it myself. I just wanted it done, and he was able to work it in either the same week or the week after. He did what he said, got in and out quick, and cleaned up.

Mr. Holy's bid was competitive with other bids received for the initial job, on a 'per roll' basis. Because grasscloth requires more specialized skills to hang, his experience and written guarantee influenced our decision. He responded quickly to my e-mail and phone messages. He was flexible in our project start date and returning to complete a bathroom project which was interrupted due to construction. The grasscloth was beautifully hung, with the attention of a perfectionist. Mr. Holy took his time and did not rush the process. The very tall ceilings were a particular challenge. When molding was installed later, it was evident that the cuts, seams and installation, even at the ceiling, were the work of an expert. The library project was an add-on. Special attention was given to the smoothness of the ceilings required for metallic paper. Mr. Holy was overly fair in his pricing. He did not charge extra for the smoothing and sanding of ceilings, which required days of resurfacing and sanding. He was helpful and accommodating, even bringing wallpaper books to our home, and helping me 'track down' special papers. The process took several weeks, but we could not be happier with the finished project. His attention to the smallest detail produced four rooms of faultless wallpaper.

First part of the job, the living and dining room were well done. The work went quickly and the end result looks good. Mr. Holy asked if I wanted latex or oil. Sadly, I didn't know that I should use oil, and Mr. Holy didn't explain. Since these rooms are rarely used and he did a good job with the deglossing, it worked out ok. However, that is where the good work ended. The rest of the job took WAY too long, he would work just a few hours a day. The master bath needed a wall repair and that was well done, the paper looks good, paint is flaking off. Also, I am STILL cleaning wallpaper paste off the walls, the tile, etc. The hall trim was barely deglossed and the paint is flaking badly. I will need to have another painter redo that. Then we get to the paper in the master bath.. I asked if perhaps we should strip the old paper, he assured me he would smooth and deal with what had to be done. Well, he ruined the one big wall. When I asked again if we should stop and reorder and rehang, he said he took care of it. He patched the wall with pieces he cut out and now I have no paper left in case of need. He also kept saying it was commercial grade paper and that was the problem, the dye was coming off, and on and on!! One excuse after another. I ordered another double roll of paper, and another contractor is coming in to fix the job. There is absolutely nothing wrong with the paper. Also, I had to wash glue from the paper,which was hard for me to do--the reason I hired the work done. In the past, I did the paper hanging myself, and although it wasn't perfect, at least I didn't pay a so-called professional for the imperfect work.

On a positive note, I really liked Mr. Holy's ideas and he did show up timely on the job site. The wallpaper removal was average. The walls were to be paint-ready upon completion of the job and Mr. Holy stated that all areas of the walls would be smooth to the touch if you were to run your hand over them. The walls were close to paint-ready in the dining room. I sanded a couple of areas in the bathroom that had uneven spackling or compound left on them. In the kitchen, wallpaper was removed from a 1-2 foot x 5 foot area of wall bordering a ceiling drop but it does not appear that any finishing was done to that area. It is the only area that is very rough to the touch when you run you hand over it. I did not contact Mr. Holy about the unfinished area because my working relationship with him had deteriorated before I discovered it. The last day of the job (10-31-09), I discovered damage to my Ethan Allen dining room table. Earlier in the week, Mr. Holy had covered my table with a used tarp and then covered the tarp with new plastic. He then used my dining room table as a workbench throughout the week, setting his paint cans, deglosser, tools, etc. on it. When he removed the tarp and plastic, there were three areas of irregular rings that looked like chemical burns that reflected through the top coat. Mr. Holy acted surprised and said I "must have had a candle on it at some point." He then slinked out my back door and left. Later that afternoon (10/31/09), I received the following text: "i am sorry about your tabel [sic] i am willing to do anything you want to make things right i know several expert refinishers i do not want you to be up set with me" After I had the table damage evaluated, I responded to Mr. Holy's text on 11-10-09: "[Furniture repair company] attempted to correct the spots (one large, two small) and they are unable to do so onsite. Next week, they will take the table into their shop and repair the surface. Estimated cost is $250. Please let me know if you will be covering the cost of the necessary repair. I'd like to give you the opportunity to right this situation before I write my review." At this point, Mr. Holy had cashed my check and his tone was much different. He responded that same day with: "Doesnt sound very much like a chance more like a thret [sic] since you are blaming me shouldnt i get a chance to have someone look at it and i do not have that kind of xtra money" I responded that "It's not a threat. I want my table back to the way it was. I've been extremely distraught over this." After a month and $220, I now have my table back and it's pretty much good as new. I've never heard from Mr. Holy again. I should have paid more attention to the earlier post regarding Mr. Holy spilling wall paper glue on someone's floor, but I gave him the benefit of the doubt. It is clear that Mr. Holy is sloppy and does not take responsibilty for his mistakes. In addition, he's willing to risk his professional reputation over a mere $220. I would not use Mr. Holy's services again. "

I am very particular, and I think he did a very good job. He finished in a timely manner, was very clean, and did a good job helping me pick colors. A year later we had him out to paint a large deck. Part of the deck had vines that were blooming, so I asked him to come back in 3 months to complete the job. We paid him in advance, and he came back within 3 days of my telling him we were ready for him. He did a great job on the deck as well, and I was very pleased that he got back with us so quickly. I always get 3 estimates, and choose based on who I think will give the best quality. I was surprised and pleased that he was the lowest priced as well as the best!

Kevin was very responsive and professional. Came out on a Sunday to accomodate my schedule. Patches were done very well and in the basement not even visible.

The wall paper had been up for over 20 years. He had to repair walls, did some painting, and removed mold that was in my house. He did a wonderful job. They job took about four days.

Kevin scheduled his time around other work going on in our house, and was agreeable and flexible. He let us know when he would be expected and kept us informed of his plans for completion. His work was of a very high quality. He noticed some cracks in our 2-story family room wall. He offered to fill that in and paint (with matching paint I had on hand ) I also had him repair a couple of places on walls that had been damaged by some remodeling work that had just been completed by another contractor. This was for a small additional charge.