Abe Schickel & Co Inc

It was remarkable from beginning to end. This review should have been written last summer, and I apologize for not doing it then, for Abe's sake. However, the upside of the delay is that I can report one year out the house looks like it was painted last week. Abe came to do the initial review of the job, which was somewhat complicated because this is a very long, narrow dwelling, with several roof intersections, most areas of the siding were original to the house, i.e. close to 300 years old, and there were some repairs that needed to be done (which was taken care of by another terrific company, local and experienced in these old colonials). He was quite willing to look at ways to trim the costs, which would have added another $8,000-$10,000 to make it even better, but would have put us way out of our budget. So the wood muntins (mullions?) under the storms weren't painted, because that would have necessitated removing recently added storms; the window frames were painted the same color as the clapboards, and the house was spot primed rather than completely primed. That being said, the entire building was carefully washed and scraped, primed where needed, which was extensive, and all the substructures that could have been in poor condition (but for the most part weren't), were examined and those that did need repair were done by the outside carpenters. The crew members were to a man competent, careful, responsive to any questions or suggestions I had, and very pleasant to be around. When he wasn't on the premises, Abe called to check on how things were going, always made himself available if there were any concerns, and he did stop by at random times just to keep up with the progress. His crew spoke about how much they liked working for him, and one could tell this was a well-run, mutually respectful and successful team. In addition, Abe himself is an unusually kind, thoughtful, and attentive person, with not a trace of the impatience condescension one encounters from time to time with people working on properties.

It was a fantastic experience. He painted all the trim on a brick house in 2 days, and it looks great. We have an old house and small kids and were concerned about lead. Abe's team did a wonderful job keeping everything clean, cleaning up each day,etc. They took out and then later put back the screens to prevent lead dust from getting in them. They also somehow managed not to trample on my flowers, which i didn't think was possible given their placement right under the windows to be painted. The painters (a team of 3) were all very nice. I will definitely hire them again whenever I need an inside or outside paint job.

Abe's bid was $22,230, but he only paints---no carpentry. He recommended a carpentry firm that bid an addition $9,850. I really liked Abe---seemed very knowledgeable and did not overpromise anything---but the combined bids were more than twice the next closest competitor, and for less work. No sale. After having another firm do the work, I would add that for work on an old house, especially one that hasn't been worked on recently, anyone who hires separate contractors for the carpentry and the painting is crazy. The jobs are joined at the hip.

Abe and his painting crew were professional and easy to communicate with. The prep work was very thorough. The crew cleaned up at the end of each day, and were very considerate. Even though the fence is surrounded by extensive delicate landscaping, remarkably there was no damage to the plantings. The end results looks great. I would definitely use this company again.

Abe was very responsive to our request for an estimate and gave us helpful advice, such as to have exhaust fans installed and the ceiling replaced before we had the bathrooms repainted. Once we scheduled the work, his crew did a thorough, excellent job, taking all the necessary precautions to minimize dust by sealing off the bathrooms while they worked. Throughout the entire process, Abe was responsive and very easy to reach on his cell phone. We are very happy with the outcome and would definitely use him again.

Mr. Schickel painted our house 10 years ago. I was so impressed with his work then that I called him to repaint this summer. Mr. Schickel does excellent work. Indeed, he is a fine craftsman. Before and during the painting he assessed our house carefully (with me), and made several helpful on-site suggestions, some of which added materially to the beauty of the finished product.. I made additional suggestions; he acted expeditiously on those with which we were in mutual agreement.. He even observed that our house's external street numbers were in need of replacement. I forgot about this, only to observe, days after the painting was over, that the numbers in question had been replaced. Mr. Schickel and his crew were punctual and affable. The post-painting cleanup was very thorough. Mr. Schickel himself was frequently on site, and was otherwise available through cell phone. In the initial planning stages of the project, Mr. Schickel dissuaded me from doing extra work, which would have added materially to the project's cost without significant benefit.. That resulted in a major savings for us. I was very pleased with Mr. Schickel's work. I will certainly call on him again when the time comes. In fact, we've asked him to do some interior painting in the weeks to come.

Very nice guy, professional & knowledgeable; what I did not realize is that Abe does fine painting & was not an appropriate choice for the rental that I was looking to have painted but in another circumstance I would consider him.

In some cases (including the cabinets), they had to do multiple coats to cover the dark paint. They came immediately and finished the job in three days, just in time for the paint to dry before the movers arrived. They did a meticulous, professional job, were always friendly and accommodating, and left the place cleaner than they found it. I was very pleased with the outcome and would highly recommend them. I thought the price was reasonable.

I can't rave enough about the painting service Abe Schickel provides. He and his men are punctual, actually come when they say they will come, do exquisite and thorough preparation before they ever put a brush in a paint can, cover everything that could possibly be damaged by stray paint drops, seal off rooms in which work is going on and clean up so completely at the end of each day that everything is left totally livable with no residual mess. Abe himself is personable, scrupulously honest and completely professional -- estimates are adhered to and any changes necessitated by circumstances are discussed thoroughly beforehand and options are presented to keep costs down. This was the second time I have used Abe Schickel's painting services and this time, based on my previous experience, I didn't even bother to contact or get estimates from other contractors. As I said at the beginning, I can't rave enough about his work and I would recommend him without any hesitation whatsoever.

Simply outstanding on all fronts. Contacted us to confirm schedule was convenient. Powerwashed the house first to make sure all dirt was removed. Came on the day that he scheduled. Workmen were highly professional. Paint job was simply spectacular. reviewed the work after all completed to ensure we were satisfied and address any questions. Will definitely use again for our inside painting.

These guys are remarkably diligent workers -- and real people pleasers! They finished on time, and well within their estimate. The absolute best memory we'll have for this project is the cleanup effort at the end. They removed all the protective vinyl, swept & vacuumed all surfaces, and placed every piece of our furniture exactly where we had each. They worked 'til 7pm, and were gone by the time we returned home to admire our "new"' rooms!

First I'll say this: the painting of the side rails on our new porch was fine. It was the staining of the decking that was the problem. We hired this company because we've seen them in our neighborhood and their van says "attention to preparation", which sounded promising. We were not surprised with the price tag for the project which we felt was on the high side, but we expected good quality. But they only put one coat of stain on the decking. Even immediately after it was done, the wood looked dry and uneven, as if it was longing for another coat. Interestingly there was one small area on the porch where my husband had tested the stain color with a small strip. Thus in that one small area, the deck received two coats. We called the owner to voice our concern and he said that one coat was standard, that was what was on the label, etc. We pointed out that the only part of the porch that looked right was the spot where it had received the test coat. He said he was sure it would be fine. This is not our first home, nor our first porch or deck: we've dealt with outdoor wood surfaces for years, and we knew it was not right. Well, we waited through the winter and indeed, the porch was not fine. As we predicted, it soaked up a great deal of dirt, got rough and unfinished. The one spot on the porch with 2 coats of stain looked just great. We had another contractor come back, prep the wood again and re-stain it. It never came back looking as good as that one little patch that had got the double coat of stain from the first. So effectively, they ruined our nice new porch. "Attention to detail" is a nice slogan but apparently it doesn't include using common sense and doing thiings the way the customer wants them done.

Abe is great: thorough, neat, extremely professional. We have consulted Abe over the past few years as we had a leak and caused damage in the unit below our's (2-family Victorian), as well as doing some renovation. As we made repeated requests for his consultation and estimates, he remained steady, polite, and responsive. He would follow-up when he said he would, arrive on time, and do a thorough job. The work was precise and his guys would always go the extra yard in making sure the work was completed to our liking and needs. He has now been to our home to do two distinct jobs, and we plan to use his services in the future. Of note: our neighbors downstairs wish they had contracted with him, after using the guys who did their renovations, (as they were a bit cheaper and already on-site) who were not as attentive to detail, nor did they seem to care about the mess they created. You will not be disappointed with Abe & his crew!

Could not be more pleased. Abe Schickel's crew could not have been more professional or hardworking. Arrived every morning at 7:30 am and worked right through to 5-6 pm. Cleaned up every night and did a spotless cleanup on completion of job. Entryway and condominium stairway walls and ceiling were a disaster with peeling paint and crumbling plaster. Never imagined they could be restored to such good condition. Received a couple bids for a lower cost but we wanted it done right by craftsmen who knew what they were doing. And this crew was meticulous. Would not hesitate using Abe Schickel again and would not hesitate recommending him to friends and neighbors.

The quote we received was in line with other contractors. Abe was professional, courteous and very easy to work with (we had to reschedule the start date due to a delay in carpentry repairs). The painting crew worked every day from the time the job started until it was completed. I appreciated this after working with other contractors who started a job and then disappeared to work for other customers. When the job was finished he reached out to be certain that I was happy with the results -- the porch looks beautiful and i couldn't be happier. I'd certainly hire Abe again and recommend him to anyone.

He did an excellent job! The price was high, but the quality was as well. He was professional, responsive, knowledgable, thoughtful, and punctual. The job looked great!

Overall, we were very happy with the quality of the work and the short amount of time (2 days) that it took to get the job done once the painters arrived. The total cost of the job as quoted ($2900) was higher than we expected, but we believe that the quality was worth it. We did not get any other quotes to compare. The initial response for a quote was a little slow, but Abe came out to provide the quote himself. It appears that his company is very busy. The painting was performed by 2 painters who were at the house for 2 full days. Following the initial work, we noticed a few small missing spots. We contacted Abe and he rectified the problem within a week. Now it all looks great and we are happy with what we paid for. We strongly recommend this company if you have some flexibility on when you need the work to be complete.

Abe had painted our trim a couple of years ago and did a great job. After we got new windows, we had his crew come out again to do the scraping where the storm windows had been and do what was really touch up work. We had paint left over from the original job which they were able and willing to use. They were careful to both vacuum up paint chips and cover the garden so there would as little paint exposure as possible. His team is great and Abe is meticulous.

Abe prides himself on quality of work, and so does his crew. I used them for my previous repaint 4-5 years ago, and was happy to have them back to touch up the outside of the house. Planning to have them do some interior work this winter. I had some issues with painting I did, and Abe suggested some things I could try myself--he wasn't concerned about getting paid for this small amount of work, but rather that I'm a happy customer and will come back to him for any painting that I won't do myself! We had left the timing loose when we booked back in May, and I told him that I didn't care when it was, so long as before the winter. Since they didn't need to come in the house, I didn't need to be there. He called and texted me a day ahead, I replied back that the timing was great, and the work was done. The only way I knew it was going on is that there was painting supplies in my back yard Thursday night. By the time i got home Friday, it was spotless.

Mr. Schickel came out to provide an estimate. He arrived on time and surveyed our house, noting that he would do scrape and paint. Once he discovered that we had a bat house, he became very anxious about it, even though we assured him that we would move it and that no one would be in any danger of being in contact with bats at any time. He was quite spooked by the concept of a bat house. When we got the estimate, it was for more than $16,000 and included things that we had not discussed, such as painting a railing on stairs, and excluded things that we assumed would be included in painting a house, such as painting the shutters! It was obvious that Mr. Schickel did not want the job and overpriced it to the point of being ridiculous. This estimate is twice what others are! If someone doesn't want a job, please just say so. Based on this experience, I would never recommend this company to anyone.

We wish to have our house painted. Mr Schickel came by and performed a detailed external inspection. He appeared quite knowledgeable, and had a good eye for the issues which would be involved. At the end, he withdrew from consideration for safety reasons, which I respect. At one point, the exterior of our house is not accessible using ladders. Mr Schickel's crew does not normally use pump jacks, and he did not want to endanger them by use of unfamiliar equipment. I would certainly call him again for an estimate.

Abe and his team are very professional. They arrived promptly and cleaned up each day to minimize disruption at night. They protected all surfaces and closed off doorways to other rooms to minimize spreading dust during sanding. I was amazed at the results. The walls of the old house have never looked this good. I have gotten numerous compliments on it in the last few days. I would use Abe again for other painting in the future. I'm very pleased with the results.

The whole paint crew including Abe, the owner, was wonderful. I couldn't have asked for more. Abe is a professional in every sense of the word. He first came over and looked at the home. He walked around the whole house and garage and explained everything he would have to do and why. This impressed me because I actually had one company give an estimate by doing a drive by. Needless to say, I did not call them. Abe helped me with colors when I had chosen something that wouldn't look good, but I thought it was the exact color of my house. He promised me it would be beautiful, and he was right. I loved the guys who worked on the home. They were always on time, very very friendly, and worked hard. I was always worried about my dogs getting out of the back yard gate, but they were always cautious to make sure the gate was closed and the dogs didn't get out as the crew went in and out. It was a really hard job. They had to scrape practically the whole house. But they did and after they painted, they were very careful to clean up everything. I would highly recommend this company. I gave all A's except for price, and that was only because other estimates were lower, but I felt in my gut Abe was the one to hire. I would recommend this company and would definitely use them again.

Abe was extremely helpful and knowledgeable in assisting us to design our project, his team was pleasant and professional and they competed the project in a timely manner. Abe is very particular and insures that every detail is perfect!

The guy came on time. He was very knowledgeable and explained how he would've painted the walls and trim (there's a process to getting a clean line). He was upfront about the fact that his services was costly, and that's the primary thing I would've changed about this whole process. One snafu was that, despite my previous email correspondences with them, they emailed the proposal to the wrong email address. When I asked them where it was, they identified their error and emailed it and mailed a copy. They responded on the second business day.