Renaissance Man, LLC

We hired Thomas to repair our bathroom, which had been damaged due to the last contractor not installing a shower liner. The entire shower and bathroom floor had to be redone. We didn't know how big a job this would be when we started. Thomas was a good communicator from start to finish, honest and his crews did good work. We highly recommend.

Another smooth project with Thomas. Renaissance Man, LLC Is the best!

This guy and his crew are awesome. Highly recommend for any construction or remodeling project. You won’t find a better price. Outstanding

Great work by Rennaisance Man, LLC. Mr Thomas, was very Knowledgeable and did Quality work while displaying an ultimate level of Professionalism and Expertise. He paid close attention to details and made sure that the job was done right, along with his trusted Assistant. They did cleanup work after the project was completed. I could not have asked for a better Contractor and I Highly Reccomend this team of Professionals.

All areas went outstanding. Price was real close and invoices given me was very clear and understandable. His men worked great and cleaned up after themselves. Total job completed early.

Thomas is a solid pro. We are not an easy client — very picky and demanding. Thomas was always very responsive by phone and email and always worked with us to give us what we wanted. Great with purchasing and subs. We liked the detailed weekly billing. And we found him here on Angie’s List, even though we had other recommendations. While it was nice to have the same guys working on the place through the whole job, the downside of the “jack of all trades” approach was that they could handle most parts of the project (demo, construction, painting, etc.), but their work was not necessarily as good as specialists would have delivered; tile work was just OK, paint was OK, etc. But, the ease of working with one responsive crew was the benefit. So I’d say that overall we’re very happy and it was a solid value for what we got. Which in this city is a really good (and unusual) thing.

Perfectly! Thomas and his crew were very impressive. I give them an A+, and 12 outta 10 points, and can't imagine calling anyone else for help in the future. There may be someone cheaper out there, but not anyone better, I'm certain. Since I know next to nothing about carpentry myself, it's a big relief to have found someone I can trust. I CAN recognize a professional approach and a job well done. Thanks to Angie's List and to Thomas, a renaissance man indeed!

The work that Thomas and his crew did was great. They did a black and white checkerboard tile in my kitchen. It looks great! They were fast. Only took two days. They checked to make sure the subfloor was in good shape first. I'm super happy and will hire again!

Dear Fellow Consumer, Please heed my well intended and financially costly advice. I reviewed Thomas Koch’s reviews under Angie’s List and based solely on his reviews did I contact him, meet him and contract with him to undertake two bathroom renovations. Unfortunately, after repeated expressed concerns about the quality of the worker charged with tiling a tub and floor and additional costs transferred to me I ceased my relationship with Mr. Koch. Subsequently, when my next contractor & sub-contractors began work I discovered that several of Mr. Koch’s tradesmen did improper, not legal, unsafe work in my kids' bathroom remodel. First, his plumber installed the incorrect "rough in" copper pipe for tub faucet for the trim kit I purchased. It created a major problem because I had to either not use the trim kit which cost me hundreds of dollars or tear out the tile work which had just been completed. My contractor and plumber worked together to rectify by cutting through the sheet rock from my bathroom and working from behind. Also, his plumber installed the tub drain not centered under the tub. Again, my plumber had to rectify by properly installing the drain centered under the tub drain, which was an additional cost to me. Lastly, my plumber in my bathroom recommended changing the clay pipe under the toilet to pvc to avert future cracks and leaking. His plumber did not offer and in fact unbeknownst to me the pipe was leaking. My plumber rectified by cutting through sheet rock from kitchen ceiling. An additional cost, but necessary. Included in the estimate was plumbing work, but when I wrote to Mr. Koch he informed me that I could have used my own plumber, but the plumbing cost was included in the quote and he did not so inform me. I definitely would have used my plumber had I known it was an option. Second, his electrician installed two additional can lights which were not centered and also installed additional outlets that were not only not centered, but not what I requested. I requested two additional two plug outlets and he installed two four plug outlets and changed the two two plug outlets to two four plug outlets on both bathroom alcove walls. When I questioned the work Mr. Koch’s electrician told me he didn't know I wanted the work to be symmetrical. The electrician had to move one of the can lights so that it would be symmetrical with the other row of can lights. Additionally, he had to change the outlets to my original request because sixteen (16) outlets was double what I requested. The electrician’s helper informed me that his boss wanted him to install the blue outlet box in the wall, but that it did not have to be installed on a stud. The helper told me that in his experience this was bad because after a few times pushing the plug in and pulling it out the electrical outlet loosens and will cease to work properly. His electrician charged me additionally to correct his own poor workmanship. Also, he had wired for two light fixtures above the two sinks. I subsequently decided I wanted sconces & asked my new contractor’s electrician to move the wires to allow for sconces. The new electrician informed me that it was fortunate that I made the change because the wiring for the light fixtures was illegal and unsafe. Third, the sheet rock was applied with cans instead of sprayed with the correct equipment. I know this because I found the empty cans of Sheetrock spray. Fourth, the tile was not extended beyond the tub as is the acceptable standard to ensure water does not get behind the tile installation. My tile installer informed me that he could not install an extra wide niche in my master bathroom as was installed in the kids' bathroom because it would require cutting a 2x4 which was not legal, safe or up to industry standards. I feel compelled to share with prospective “Renaissance Man” customers all that I learned about Mr. Koch’s tradesmen because it is unfair to expose future unsuspecting homeowners to this substandard work. Additionally, that which was quoted in estimate for electrical & plumbing work, I had to pay. I wish I would have realized as I would have used my own plumber I have used for twenty plus years and would have avoided redoing substandard work. Not only did I pay a very fair price to Mr. Koch, but also to his tradesmen when I then had to enlist new tradesmen and pay again to have them correct the substandard/unsafe work. My son house sat while the demo occurred & some renovation work was attempted. It took his worker over a week to tile the tub surround who also doubled as the Sheetrock guy. I spoke to Mr. Koch repeatedly to express my concerns about this worker’s inability to tile. I told him the worker did not know how to tile. He assured me he did & that he was one of Mr. Koch’s best tile guys. I told him the worker did not understand evidenced by the fact that he had to stand with him and told him the same thing three times. Mr. Koch told me his worker did know how to do it, but that he just needed to hear it several times so it would register. Yes, that was a conversation. After he stood with him for over an hour showing him how to tile the worker left for lunch and when he returned he did it incorrectly. Several rows of tile had to be removed and redone. I implored Mr. Koch to send me a different worker to lay the tile, but to no avail. Mr. Koch is personable, engaging and responsive, but his workers are a reflection of the quality of his work. The workers he sent to my job reflect him in an unflattering light. An expensive lesson for me, but ultimately after enlisting a new contractor and new tradesmen, the work was done properly and safely. My dissatisfaction is grounded in fact and experience. In actuality, his guys were no cheaper than the real deal guys and what a difference peace of mind provided. I am so thankful I stopped the job at the tiling of the tub. I did not even let his worker grout the tub surround. Proceed at your own risk.

"Renaissance Man, LLC” I highly recommend this company to anyone that needs work done in their homes. To say that I am satisfied with the work done by Thomas and his crew would be an understatement. I hired them to insulate, hang and finish sheetrock in both ceiling and walls, and build two closets in my basement. His men were neat in appearance, proficient, respectful, considerate, and what I most admired was that they came to work at the same time each morning and left at the same time in the evening. They even came to work on Jan. 17, when the city shut down due to icy road conditions. I was comfortable with Thomas’s crew being at my home and had no worries when running errands. Thomas and I discussed doors for the closets. I told him that for the smaller closet I was planning to use a door that I had stored in my shed. And, I was going to pick up two doors from the Green Project for the larger closet. They only needed to frame the door openings. He did not try to upsell me by suggesting that I should let him supply new doors and install them. However, the next day he asked if I would be interested in three doors that he had in storage from another job. He said he would give them to me and even install without charging me additional money. I accepted his generous offer, and let me tell you, I am glad I did.

95% of the entire process was great. I liked his weekly billing method, you had to be prepared because once he starts, they work quickly. His plumber is outstanding and was a real problem solver. The electrician although extremely nice, sort of moves to the beat of a different drummer. HVAC sub is the best I have worked with.

Excellent! Thomas is very pleasant to work with, reasonably priced, work and communication is superior. Would definitely hire him again and highly recommend him to others. Thomas really is a Renaissance Man!!!

Throughout the job, Thomas' crew were punctual, reliable, and responsive. Their work was excellent. When we ran into some old house surprises, like having to take apart a tongue-in-groove ceiling to get the wiring done and then put it back together, Thomas put his best guys on the job to get us back on track, all without adding significantly to the total cost. When our custom cabinets arrived damaged and we had to wait several weeks for their replacements, they were patient and went out of their way to make sure the kitchen was as functional as it could be while we waited. All the work was done meticulously, and Thomas was very easy to communicate with throughout. I interviewed about 5 contractors, and I chose Thomas because he seemed like he knew what he was doing, was committed to doing things right, and quoted me a really fair price. All of this turned out to be true, and despite the surprises along the way, our project stayed within budget. I can't recommend Thomas highly enough.

Thom is professional and gets the work done quickly while maintaining quality. My only regret is not hiring him earlier in my project.

It went very well and turned out beautiful. Everyone tells me its like a new house. I was told 4 weeks and it was done in 3 weeks minus my appliances that I had delivered a week in case of any problems unforeseen. The project was done professionally and the communication was very clear from the beginning quote until the last bit of work. I would hire him again and again. Thanks Thomas for making my dream kitchen come true!

The entire project went well. Thomas was easy to reach and prompt with return messages and calls. His crews were accommodating to our schedule, courteous and neat. They cleaned up the major debris, tools, and supplies each day, as much as possible. Thomas was very helpful with design ideas and problem solving when I had questions, and when we discovered that our bathroom walls were not plumb. My biggest concern was with the large amount of tile we were having installed in the master bath and kitchen. Walk in shower was tiled to ceiling, pebbled shower floor, and half walls in the rest of the bath. His tile guy did great work, everything perfectly even, straight, consistent grout lines, etc. I came home one day to find the kitchen backsplash installed, walls and ceiling painted and all my decorative wall items, fixtures, light switches, etc. rehung in their original spots. I hadn't done any prep for them to paint, they took it all down and put the room back like they found it, but with fresh paint and new backsplash. I found Thomas on Angie's List, and relied heavily on other reviews when I chose him. Hopefully, this review will help others make a similar decision.

Excellent all the way around from the beginning to the end. Mr. Koch and his highly skilled workers were very professional. At the beginning, Mr. Koch listened well to what we wanted and made excellent suggestions. He provided an accurate estimate that was on target to the end. All the work proceeded on schedule. Mr. Koch helped us solve a few little problems that arose in a design that we wanted changed, making it easy for us. We very much appreciated the professionalism, and he will be our first call for the next project. We highly recommend him.

Thomas gave us a very fair price, his sub-contractors were prompt, clean, efficient, and honest, and everything was done under budget. He is definitely my go-to guy in New Orleans!

Mr Thomas was a talented professional who kept his word in regards to making sure that I was pleased with the final results. He also offered great advice to improve other areas of the project.

He showed up at the time he said he would show up. He also took the door and trimmed it using a table saw in his shop and return the next day on time to finish the job. Very good work.

The remodel went well. Thomas and his team were professional. We hit bumps along the way; however, they quickly resolved all issues. My tile work turned out better than expected. My floors were in horrible shape going into the renovation. I chose an very busy marble pattern. It looks great! My only recommendation is to use your own plumber.

Thomas was very easy to work with - great communicator, fast and quality work. He was very cost-conscious, which was much appreciated. I would definitely hire him again!

I was very unhappy with the job and they did some very bad work, when I called to express my feelings about the job. He hung up on me. Very disappointed after i bought $1600.00 worth of tool that he told me to buy plus fee's for service.

I hired another handyman as well to.hrlp with the furniture installation. Only 2 pieces got completed. The good news is he has all the tools needed and he knows what he is doing. The bad news is it's very slow, expensive, and was talking to other clients while on our job.

His men did an excellent job. I was very pleased with the work.