Innovative Contracting Services Inc

I first contacted Innovative Contractors in July for an estimate on new roof. I also needed windows replaced in my sunroom. Michael came out and walked me through exactly what they would do for the roof, and took measurements for the windows. He even gave me some cost-saving advice and suggestions on re-doing the sunroom floor, even though he was not able to take on that part of the job in the busy summer months. Within a few days, I got the estimate complete with Angie's list discount, and decided to go with ICS. There were a couple of delays because of the extreme heat, but Andreia, the office manager, was very quick to contact me to let me know exactly what was going on, and very apologetic for any inconvenience. My emails and calls were always answered quickly, and professionally. The roofers worked hard, were courteous, and did a good job on the cleanup. I felt like a got a great price and the job was well done. About a month later, I had the custom Harvey windows installed in my sunroom. Michael came himself with one worker on a sunny Saturday, to do the job. I had requested a Saturday install because I had an elderly parent at home who was just out of the hospital, and wanted to be there while work was going on. Even though I'm sure this was a fairly small job, the fact that Michael came himself to do the install really speaks to his character, and I appreciate doing business with people like that. I also got great value on the windows. They are beautiful and have totally transformed the space. Would definately recommend!

We were thrilled with the work ICS performed. The job was complex in terms of the shape of the roof, the shrubbery around the house, and a tight work schedule; they were professionals the whole way through.

We waited for a proposal, but nothing arrived. On July 26th, we received an email from the ICS office, apologizing for the delay and promising to have the proposal to us by the following weekend. Still not having received anything, I replied to the email on September 2, asking if I should give up hope. I heard nothing back. So we've given up hope.

I needed to have the facade of my house repaired and repainted. This involved replacing clapboard, shingles and trim, rebuilding a deck and its ceiling, restoring and refinishing an antique door, and painting or staining all surfaces on the front of the house. Although the sides and back of the house are vinyl siding and did not need repair, the facade is a big project on its own, as this is a large, multi-family home with a lot of period details. This is also the type of project that will be the first of many, as the scope of all repairs needed is too large and expensive to do at once, but is also not time-critical. In short, this is a desirable project for a good contractor, as it will lead to much more business down the road. (Not to mention high visibility, with many potential referrals.) For a job of this size and scope, I took several estimates and spoke with many contractors. The bids fell in the range of $15-30K. ICS is very highly reviewed on Angie's List, so I contacted them for an estimate. In my estimate request, I explained that the house is a three-story Somerville Victorian, that the front porch needed to be replaced with composite, and that some clapboard needed to be replaced as well. I didn't get into every detail, but I thought this was sufficient to describe the scope of the project. They declined to come out for an estimate appointment for a "partial" job, and would only provide an estimate for a full (all sides) exterior painting project plus repairs (if I was interested in replacing all my siding with red cedar or Hardie boards). I understand that no company is required to take my business. But I do think that this response on the part of ICS shows, at best, a lack of familiarity with the type of buildings in this area. At worst, it may indicate a company policy of unnecessary upselling.

Emmanuel was a pleasure to work with. The old roof was removed, the new roof looked great (and no issues). When they reroofed the vestibule in front of the front door, because the ceiling of the vestible was a thin piece of wood, the nails came through the ceiling. Although it was not their fault, Emmanuel had his guys fix it without extra charge to us (put another piece of wood on the ceiling, and painted it to match the rest of the vestibule. It looked great. We took advantage of the Angie's list deal, and not only got a great, quality roof, but got it at a great price!

It went well from beginning to end. The bid was delivered promptly. Communication was excellent both regarding when the work would be performed and about what was needed. Changes required during the process were managed easily. The work was performed professionally and was of excellent quality. The site was cleaned spotless each day.l

Got a few quotes that were very close Attention to Detail

I would highly recommend ICS for replacing a roof. From the first phone call to handing over the final check, they answered all my questions and concerns. Every phone call, email and request was followed up quickly and thoroughly. The workers were very courteous. My neighbors even commented on how well they cleaned up after the installation. The work proceeded as promised, the cost was exactly as quoted and I am very pleased with the appearance my roof.

Michael was very helpful in discussing options and special tasks needed, starting from his initial visit through a second visit and multiple discussions by e-mail until we decided. The work was done on schedule, including some additional carpentry that was needed. Crew was very professional, responsive and did a great job cleaning up. We're very pleased with result. We're considering them for a siding project that we haven't yet decided.

They did a good job. They were very thorough. They even came back to fix some spots that were missed with no arguments. The paint job has stood up very well.

They did a beautiful job. I couldn't be happier with the results.

They did a terrific job in a very tricky situation....close neighbors...turreted roofs....many layers of old roof on a tall Victorian. They did the job in 2 days, it was clean, they worked well with neighbors and used creative solutions, The roof looks beautiful, and I am very pleased. All my neighbors were amazed and have wanted Michael's number. He came in at exactly the price he quoted.I highly recommend them.

About a year ago, we got competitive bids to paint our house. A few of the contractors (including ICS) pointed out that we would need some repair work on parts of the siding and trim in places where there was evidently some internal rotting. ICS proposed Hardie-board (fiber cement siding) as a possible alternative, and included a bid for it. On learning that they were more than just painters, I had them give me estimates for a number of other things including windows, gutters, and air conditioning, and ICS was happy to provide multiple estimates for different options that we might want to consider. We went back and forth for a few months, and had a hard time deciding whether we just wanted a paint job, or the more extensive new siding and repairs, and ICS was very patient in working with us and not rushing us to a decision. In the end, a year later, we signed a contract to go ahead with a number of the proposed options. The carpenters did a nice job putting up the siding, and repairing trim while maintaining (and even in some spots improving upon) the architectural design features of the house. Occasionally there was a minor detail that we weren't happy with, but when we pointed those things out, ICS was very responsive in getting it fixed and making sure we were happy. In redoing some trim around the rear of the house, the carpenter foreman worked with us to show us different options of where to place the millwork to better match older parts of the house, etc., so in the end it maintained and improved upon the design consistency on the outside. The ICS carpenters also put up a set of copper gutters, and they worked closely with us to figure out where to place the downspouts for best performance and looks, and they did a nice job. They also had a subcontractor install some split ductless A/C downstairs, and a conventional A/C unit upstairs, and they also did a nice jobs of placing all the vents and units exactly where we asked them to, and making sure everything was working nicely, and even returning a unit they had installed but that had been damaged in shipping, and replacing it with a new one. The price estimates were right on target. They had warned us that there was going to be some uncertainty in the carpentry, because at the time of the original estimate they could not look inside a wall to determine the actual extent of the damage. In the end there was some additional work, but it only amounted to a few percent of the original estimate, and they also refunded some money for some more expensive materials in the original estimate we didn't end up using, so we kept the cost additions to a minimum. Overall we were very happy with the work ICS performed. Emanuel the manager is a very personably guy, who is flexible and easy to work with. We would gladly consider hiring them again.

They called and said they don't actually repair, they just do major renovations. In other words, they won't repair the roof or siding, they will only replace all of the roof and siding on the entire house. This was inconsistent with the description of their services on Angie's List. A company representative called and will be following up with Angie's List to alter the description accordingly.

Everything went very well. ICS was very responsive to our initial request for an estimate, and did a good job setting expectations about when the work could actually be done. As the project was indoor painting, we were put on the "rainy day" list to be done when they couldn't do work outside. The ICS crew showed up on time and completed the work as expected. They also cleaned up after the work was complete, which seems like an obvious thing but which many vendors we've used haven't done. And they left the remaining paint with us. We will use ICS again.

Everything went smoothly from start to finish. Excellent communications. Mike accommodated all requests, including minimizing the damage to a section of newly planted landscaping. Mike and his crew were very professional and the craftsmanship was top notch. The majority of the work was completed ahead of schedule. I could not be happier with the result. I would highly recommend ICS and look forward to working with Mike on other projects.

Emmanuel and his team were absolutely wonderful. They were prompt to respond, on-time for the initial appointment, and flexible when dealing with our condo association. They gave us a great price to replace our rubber roof, after Hurricane Sandy nearly took it completely off. They also replaced one of our skylights. They were awesome and I would definitely use them again.

This was one of the easiest and surprisingly stress free jobs that I have done to my house. I became aware that some of the old rubber roof and shingles had blown off after a heavy wind storm in the past few weeks (snow probably didnt help either) and knew it was time to get the roof replaced rather than just patching. I started to do my homework by combing through hundreds of roofers on Angies List. I was looking for someone who had good reviews, work history and reliable. ICS met all 3 of those criteria including they gave me one of the most competitive prices. From my initial email to all my conversations of when the work was going to be performed and lining up when things would be delivered and the project would be done Emanuel kept me informed to a tee. Emanuel was very responsive and addressed all my concerns about when the project could be done, what material would be used, etc. I was surprised to find out that the project would only take 2 days! And as promised the crew showed up on time did their work and were gone by the time I was home from work on the second day. I cannot say enough of how professional Emanuel and his crew are and how easy it was to work with them. I plan on using them for any future projects and would highly recommend them.

Based on reviews on Angie's list and a coupon offered thru Big Deal for Jamies Hardie, I called to set up an estimate. The office set up an appointment, called to confirm, and contacted me the day of the appointment a couple times as they were running a little late. My brother had James Hardie installed in his 120 year old home a few years ago in the midwest and we were impressed with the product. Emanuel and another gentlemen came out to survey our house for the estimate. We had talked to two other James Hardie Preferered Installers for quotes as that is the product we wanted. They spent about an hour at our house and said they would email me the quote. I was told they would give us the same discount they offered for the Big Deal prorated as our house was bigger than what Big Deal covered. A few weeks later, the office called to follow up and if we wanted to go ahead. We hadn't received the quote. She then sent it to us quickly via email. It was the highest quote of all the 4 James Hardie Preferred Installers quotes we had received. We opted to use a different installer. One suggestion I would give to families looking at residing jobs, contact siding companies during their less busy time like fall and winter.

They were excellent. The work was very high quality & the price was very good. The workers were diligent, did a good job, & cleaned up after themselves. In fact, if we do more work later this year we'll consider them for it.

My wife and I were looking to replace or repair the siding on our 100+ year old home and we solicited numerous bids for our project. We decided that there were too many problem spots with the cedar shingles and that repairing and painting them would cost nearly as much as putting on new siding. After researching various materials, we decided to go with fiber cement due to the durability and low maintenance of the product. In fact, This Old House Magazine recommended the product over wood and vinyl. We contacted a handful of contractors and ICS stood out from all the rest. They were the most responsive after our initial call, they had the most positive reviews on Angie?s list and they were a certified installer for James Hardie. We worked directly with Emanuel and he was great from the start. He brought over the product literature, color samples, and gave us a list of homes to check out in the Boston area. The homes that ICS re-sided were beautiful. We felt very confident when we decided to hire them to revitalize our home. We finalized our design and color choices (Monterry Taupe and White trim) and literally a week later ICS was onsite with a huge crew to begin the work. We didn?t have to worry about anything. They pulled the permits with the town, arranged for a dumpster, and even had a port-o-potty delivered for the crew. Most of the guys were from Brazil, but communicating with them wasn?t a problem. The site foreman spoke English and Emanuel spoke Portuguese. They were very polite and worked hard. The day started at 7:30AM and they worked straight until sunset. My neighbors commented on how efficient, clean and quiet they were. They used tarps to contain the mess when they stripped the house and swept up each night. I was amazed at how fast the project moved. In a matter of three days they had the back side of the house Hardie-Wrapped, windows and eves insulated and new siding going up. When we weren?t home Emanuel would text pictures of their progress and he would always notify us if they had a question or had to make an adjustment. ICS cleaned-up all the wiring on the side of the house, caulked around every abutment and painted all the trim and even the gutters. Our house has been completely transformed! From start to finish, the work on the house took about three weeks and the project was completed on budget. For weeks we had neighbors tell us how great it looked and we had many people drive slowly by and admire the work. My wife and I have also noticed a marked reduction in draftiness and noise too. We couldn?t be happier with the end product and our experience with ICS. We highly recommend them for your siding project.

After getting several estimates for the replacement of the roof, I chose ICS which was offering an Angie's List Special Deal of $2000. off. Mike was by far the most professional and the easiest to work with. The woman in the office is very nice, efficient and helpful. Mike arrived on time and agreed to do everything that my research recommended for the replacement of a roof situated on a lot with many trees. The other roofing firms told me it wasn't necessary to do the extra flashing or install the zinc strips although I said that I wanted them installed. Mike emailed the estimate to me within a couple days and returned to review the estimate. He explained everything that would be done, the quality of the supplies and answered my many questions. The project cost at least $3000. less than the other roofing firms. ICS used their own workers rather than contracting out. A supervisor was present during most of the work. Two days were allowed for the work to be completed, and after one day, they returned the next morning for a few hours to finish the work and thoroughly clean the area. I rely on Angie's List when work is needed to be done at my house and again I am very pleased with the work that was done and would highly recommend ICS, Inc. to anyone having a roof replaced.

This was a big job, complicated by the fact that we had additional work to the house being performed. The job was originally scheduled to begin in May but was postponed due to difficulties encountered when my driveway and back patio were replaced. Initial prep work was started in early July, but had to be stopped when it was discovered that portions of the sill were rotted and needed replacing. The painting was actually completed on 12/2/2012. I mention this because one of the major pluses of ICS is their willingness to work with the customer. They were entirely flexible when they needed to be and were able to schedule the work in as the other work on my house was accomplished. One of the other very notable (and appreciated) things about ICS is their communications procedure. Paulina in the office kept me informed on a daily basis once the work started on when the team would arrive, even letting me know if there was a delay due to traffic. They answered all of my questions and concerns regarding the job (most notably having to paint once the weather started getting cooler) promptly and completely. Emanuel was a pleasure to do business with. And, most importantly, the painting job is fantastic. They even did work that I expected to do myself (the front deck to the house and sills). Everything was caulked, primed, and painted with two coats of paint. Prep work was extensive (the house dates from the 1860's) and carefully done. The painters were polite and professional. The yard was left immaculate at the end of each work day. There is no question that I will use ICS again in the future for any painting needs.

We will start work in the spring.

Project went very smoothly, despite Hurricane Sandy and other bad weather. Emanuel and his crew at Innovative are the most reliable and responsive contractors you could ever hope to find. They show up when they say they will, they call if delayed. As the project was ongoing the crew was great at picking up every day and leaving the work area very neat and clean. We got a few other estimates on the job, and Innovative came in the lowest. They were extremely good on the details and making everything look just right. There was also no haggling over the little odds and ends that always arise on projects.