MJB Home Services

Michael and his crew built a large addition to our house on what was once a walk up attic. The homeowners supplied approved prints, engaged the architect, and handled processing a variance with the city. Michael acquired the permit and provided the building/contracting services. The permit was acquired in August, work did not begin until November, and the permit was closed in September the following year. Overall, Michael’s direct employees (foreman, carpenters, and painters) did a good job; finish work was excellent. However, his subcontractors (plumbing, HVAC, electrician) repeatedly caused substantial trouble and showed a lack of care/understanding in their work. Plumbers shouldn’t pretend to be electricians, and HVAC contractors should engineer their install and follow manufacturer’s specifications - it’s not a guessing game. Michael himself was at times easy to deal with and understanding (like when our attic was flooded causing damage to the lower two floors), and other times patronizing and seemingly unaware of his own subs schedules. Poor project planning early on w/material lead times (windows) lead to no attic insulation over the winter & a pest infestation. Quoting & invoicing from Michael had double counted items and was obviously copied over from a previous project, while leaving out key items such as masonry work. Multiple mistakes set the project back and cost us time, sanity, comfort, and money (some of which was reimbursed). The list includes: frying the main thermostat (multiple times), shorting out the boiler control board, reversing hot/cold water lines, leaving water to the house mostly shutoff, the list goes on… None of these problems were identified by the contractors but left for us (homeowners) to discover in a string of unfortunate test scenarios during the evening. To Michael’s credit most were fixed reasonably quickly. The HVAC subs were probably the most consternating, repeatedly demonstrating a lack of understanding in their own profession which at several points nearly derailed the entire project. As the last laugh the project was ‘finished’ without ever testing the heat in the new 3rd floor, and the A/C system still struggles with low cooling demands. We would not recommend hiring them for a major addition. We do not trust their subcontractors. If you have a simple painting, carpentry, bathroom, or kitchen renos they can probably handle it.

Andrews Chapel in the cemetery of Swampscott, MA has undergone an 3 year restoration, which has brought it back to its 1923 glory. Michael Bellante has done many projects for me, and being a historical restoration, the paint job had to be perfect, so I hired Michael to put the finishing touch as my donation to the project. His crew arrived at 7AM and completed the prep, priming, and finish coat in one 13 hour day. Before the restoration, the exterior wood trim had been painted a drab brown, supposedly to blend with the color of the granite. When the old exterior paint was stripped, the original color was revealed to what is now called "Andrews' Green." Thanks to Michael's excellent painting crew, the result looks great. I have received many compliments from citizens, including members of the Historical Commission, who like to new color and the quality of Michael's work. Can highly recommend MJB Home Services.

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Mike is fantastic. He is amazingly responsive, and has been on top of the project throughout. He works with very high-quality subcontractors as well as having good staff. He has always been open to making our requests happen, while at the same time being realistic about their cost and potential hazards. He also seems to have genuine interest and pride in our project, even going so far as to give us a deal on installing radiant heat in one of the bathrooms because he really thought it would make a special room even nicer. He stayed on schedule through the five-month project, and went over budget only because of our additional requests or unforseen work (the whole house had to be rewired). We have years of projects to go on this house, and will definitely be using Mike in the future.

Michael Bellante has done several carpentry, tiling, window replacement, and interior painting jobs for me for the last seven years, but this was the first exterior painting his company did for me. He painted two neighbors' houses two years ago, and they still look like they had just been done. My two and a half story house faces the ocean, so it takes a beating from the elements. Almost two-thirds of the time Michael's painters worked on this project was spent on prep work: scraping, sanding, removing areas of 100 year old paint to the bare wood, removing mold and mildew, applying caulking -- even washing the existing white aluminum gutters with heavy-duty bleach to make them look like new. They applied a primer and one coat of finish in a four color combination: the upper story and a half in the base color, the first story 50% lighter, the trim a third color, and the doors the fourth. The lines where colors meet are crisp and neat; the coverage is even all over. And the price was reasonable for the amount of work that was done to make the house look great. Michael's painters are hardworking, professional, courteous, and take pride in the work they do. They arrived everyday at 7AM and finished at sunset. At the end of day, all the ladders were neatly stacked in the back yard. The site was thoroughly cleaned, and the trash was removed. The place was spotless. I am very pleased with the result. It's the best the house has looked, and I have received many compliments on the new paint job from the neighbors and complete strangers who have passed by. I am confident to recommend Michael J. Bellante Home Services. .

I'm a private citizen -- not a town employee -- who volunteered to coordinate the project for the town. Since Michael Bellante has been doing work on my house for a number of years, I asked if he would give some estimates for the cost of doing the most immediate repairs, and the administration could pick what the town could afford to do this year -- given the budget restraints -- and what could wait until next year. He came up with a dozen areas of concern. Michael's crew worked from 7:00AM to 7:00PM five days a week and 8:00AM - 4:00PM on Saturdays over 16 days. So as not to interfere with the daily business, they scheduled work that involved the public areas when Town Hall was closed. Town Hall had layers of checked and peeling paint, rotten wood, missing pieces of historic molding, leaking gutters -- the usual problems any old house can have. The old paint was completely removed down to the bare wood, sanded, primed, and painted -- Titanium White that looks great next to the old red brick. The rotten wood at the bottom six columns was replaced with new pieces that had to be custom made on site. Some rot was replaced with epoxy molded to match the original detailed designs by MJBHS's expert carpenter John. He also fabricated the missing historic and quot;hot dogs and peasand quot; molding from a $2.78 piece of oak doweling. And 100 missing or broken wooden buttons were cut from a 7/8and quot; dowel, hand sanded, and installed at the intersections of the latticework. Because they kept finding unforeseen repairs that needed to be done, Michael instructed his crew to and quot;make it rightand quot; no matter how long it took. There are ten elaborate lacework leaded windows that were not included in the original estimate which Michael told the painters to paint. They took hours to prep and paint. Our Town Hall looks great -- the best I can ever remember it as a lifelong resident. All the while Michael's crew was working on the building, people going in and out, or just walking by, would stop and tell the painters and carpenters what a wonderful job they were doing. Some asked for the MJBHS business card. The attention to detail and the concern for maintaining the historical integrity of this building demonstrate that Michael and his employees have committed themselves to the highest quality of workmanship. They went way beyond our expectation, and for that the Town is truly grateful.

The crew was very professional and personable, and did a very nice job.

Michael Bellante has been doing all my construction, repair work, and renovations for the last six years. I am at the point of working with Michael that I don't even ask the price beforehand. Just do the work and send me the bill, which is always reasonable. Michael is excellent at coordinating every stage of construction and responding to emails/phone calls promptly. I had planned the basic layout of the room, but as work progressed, Michael offered suggestions that might improve upon the design -- and he was always right. One simple thing was which way the French doors would open. I chose to open the right door since I'm right handed and leave the left door stationary. Michael suggested opening the left door since it was in line with the stairs -- a simple solution that is more practical. The MJBHS craftsmen always arrive at the scheduled time, are courteous, skilled, and complete each day's task -- often working late -- to make sure it was done and done right. They always leave the site clean. This job involved some tricky tasks. For example: Since they were making two rooms into one saving the original hard wood flooring, the heights of the flooring on either side of the removed wall were not quite at the same level. But John and Hansel made it work, and, once refinished, the old and new flooring looks beautiful. Elio did a perfect job installing the reproduction woodwork that matches the original. I usually do my own painting, but this time I let Michael's crew do it. Mario and Dave did a great job, and it was done in three days. When we decided to put a family room on the 3rd floor, friends commented that there were too many stairs to climb to get any use of it. Thanks to the great job that MJB did, the room is used every day, and we are enjoying it. I will be using Michael J. Bellante Home Services in the future and recommending them to friends.

This contractor scheduled an appointment for a bathroom remodel. He came and met with a household decision maker and discussed the job. He took all pertinent information and told us he would send us a quote detailing the job and price. We never recieved a verbal or written quote and never even recieved a courtesy call declining the job. It was a waste of time and effort by all parties.

The estimate was reasonable. It was just sort of the very beginning of the process for us. We might still end up using them for something but we just haven't gotten run to it. He was wonderful. He provided a timely estimate. He was very friendly and great. We just haven't had the opportunity to move forward on the project yet. He was very responsive.

He arrived as scheduled. He sent a detailed work contract of what he would be responsible for. His charge was more than fair. We arranged a date where his men would do the work. he came by and reviewed what they were doing. He allowed them to paint the lumber, something that was not on the contract. This company is to be commended and I would recommend him to anyone. A+++++++

I have never had a renovation job go so smoothly. Because Michael had planned so well in advance, all the trades had blocked in their schedules for this 10-day period to complete the job on time before my tenant returned home. All the workmen arrived on their scheduled days and on time, did their jobs professionally, and left the site clean for the next workmen. Because they were working on a 100 year old house, Michael had to ask a couple of the trades to work together when a few problems arose (i.e. his carpenters with the plumber to reconfigure studs to accommodate the piping inside the walls; the plasters with the electrician to figure out the installation of the lighting.) Michael checked in at the job site every day, answered emails ASAP, and offered constructive solutions when a few minor glitches occurred. Some days Michael's crew worked into the evenings to get the work done. When my tenant returned, she couldn't get over the transformation that had taken place in 10 days. The new bathroom looks great and has added value to my house. The process, though hectic at times, was completed on schedule and at a reasonable price. I was introduced to MJB Home Services by one of his competitors 5 years ago, who didn't have time to do a small job -- crown molding in my living room. After calling Michael, he showed up the next day, and his crew installed my meager $275 job of molding in a matter of hours. Since then he has done custom cabinetry in the computer room, window replacements (including an angled bay), new porches, custom moldings for a two story staircase, a tile floor in the back hall, and the above bathroom. In the last year, I have recommended MJB Home Services to 6 friends, who have had roofs replaced, inside and outside painting done, windows replaced, and sundry small jobs that most contractors would not touch because of the small profit margin. I am usually hesitant to recommend workmen, but my friends are glad that I recommended MJBHS as a general contractor. In the next few months, MJB Home Services will be replacing more windows and removing the wall between 2 third floor bedrooms to make them into a family room with a picture window unit that will take advantage of the ocean views. Am looking forward to the finished product. Michael J. Bellante Home Services 781-307-0148 mjb06d@aol.com

He's extremely professional. He was on time with his estimates. He's responsive and gets back to you right away. His crew was professional and friendly. The quality of the work was excellent.