Unique Resources Inc

I have had multiple projects performed by Unique Resources over the last 11 years of owning a 140 year old rowhouse in Federal Hill. I do not get bids from other contractors-- I just save up money until I am ready for the project. Although the project started off as adding a bathroom, it has turned into a major salvage project due to substantial structural issues related to a previous, poorly done renovation by a previous owner. The weight of the roof and the third floor, rather than going into the joists and transmitting the weight into the brick walls, instead was supported by the second floor internal wooden frame, which was becoming warped by the weight. In addition, the corner of he house was done in a bizarre manner, where the weight of the corner of the house was placed on a steel beam, which was too short. To make up for this distance (rather than getting a longer steel beam), 3 pieces of wood were placed to make up the height difference, which, unsurprisingly, were crumbling. Robert and John went meticuluously over each of the problems, worked with a structural engineer, and systematically fixed these problems. Though the cost has been steep, I realize it's not because Robert has a high margin-- it's that he is unable to cut corners or slack on quality. His repairs are one and done. I am willing to pay the cost for that, so that I don't have to think about a problem twice.

When a 3rd flood plumbing issue flooded our home while we were away for 2 days, we weren’t sure what to do. We are in a 100-year-old row house, and the water had traveled down to the basement level, essentially causing 4 floors’ worth of damage. Plaster walls had been saturated with water, the ceiling in one bathroom had partially caved in, and parts of the original oak flooring in our first floor were ruined. The insurance company sent an adjuster who grossly underestimated the extend of the damage and told me the original wood floors weren’t worth saving. Luckily, I decided to get a second opinion. A neighbor recommended Robert Schuck/Unique Resources specifically because of the floors. Robert truly values the craftmanship of these old homes – and he knows how to preserve them. Because of the extent of the water damage, our contract with Robert was BIG. Over the course of 10 months, his team gutted and renovated our kitchen and 2.5 bathrooms, and installed new ceiling and flooring in our basement. They also refinished the wood floors on our main level and painted extensively. Renovations tend to be long and stressful, but throughout it all, I never doubted the quality of the work Unique Resources was doing. For one thing, he knows the building code (one of his long-time employees used to work for the city in code enforcement) and will never do any work that is not up to code. In addition to that, most of his employees have been with him for decades and seem to have a tendency towards perfectionism. There were countless times when I felt that Robert and his team were proactive in helping me think through and solve problems. When it came to my wood flooring, Robert was able to match the original 2” oak planks – not just in terms of size, but also with color. (The color match came after Craig, the carpenter, tested countless different stains.) Robert ordered custom-sized blades so that he could match the original molding on the first-floor ceiling. On the 3rd floor, when we realized that the fixtures in our original bathroom had not been spaced according to modern codes, Robert provided a plan for resizing the bathroom (by cutting into an adjacent bedroom), which provided more space. One additional benefit of hiring Robert, which I didn’t realize at the time: Insurance claims are very complicated and insurance companies tend to grossly underestimate the scope of work. Many contractors prefer not to deal with insurance companies, but Robert was very generous with his time in terms of meeting with the adjuster and working with us and with them to develop a scope of work that addressed all of the damage related to the flood – and made sure our 100-year-old home was up-to-date in terms of meeting Baltimore City’s current building codes. After our project wrapped, there were a few small issues that required tweaking, but in these cases, Robert was very responsive about coming back to make sure the job had been down right and we were satisfied. Now, 15 months after the completion of the renovations, I could not be happier with the house or with Unique Resources.

After a few short conversations and a visit from Robert, I knew there was no other company we wanted to work with. From start to finish, Unique Resources went above and beyond. They were very clean, thorough, communicative, and honest. We are very pleased with the outcome, and we will definitely work with Unique Resources again. We highly recommend them!

They were very good. They were very thorough. I had a bad experience with a different contractor, but Robert was able to come and fix the problem. They did a great job, a little more expensive than other contractors, but worth every penny.

great work, reasonable price

They came out and gave me an estimate but I was not happy with their level of professionalism. I had an issue with the back of my house and it needs major repair. I just thought that they were quick to give me the price.

We had 3 estimates done and Unique Resources was by far the most expensive but we decided to go with them based on the reviews. We live in a house built in 1924 and it sounded like they had a lot of experience with older homes in addition to just having experience in general. We have dealt with a few contractors in the past and were tired of dealing with people who we felt didn't know what they were doing. Unique Resources was professional from the start and we both felt confident that the job was going to be done right and up to code. The job was completed in the amount of time quoted and the results were impeccable. We will definitely be using Unique Resources in the future.

Robert?s team performed a full remodel on our condo this past fall. This was a total gut job that included a redesigned kitchen layout, two completely new bathrooms, relocated main electrical panel, 21 new recessed light fixtures, new wood flooring, replacement closet doors (requiring existing walls to be moved/revised) and installed full closet organizers, TV's hung on wall. We?ve only tried remodeling one room years ago and it was a disaster ? we wound up finishing the job ourselves. Based on that experience we were very nervous going into this project, but our living space needed a full overhaul. We had met with Robert various times prior to the start of project and he was very thorough in ascertaining our requirements. Robert provided a detailed estimate on exactly what his team would be doing room by room, arrived everyday like clockwork at 7:30AM for the entire length of the project and completed everything specified on the estimate 100%. At the end of the project, he produced a change request for items that we added on as the work progressed and a credit memo for items that we decided not to do. One thing that I was really impressed with early on in the project: we hit a snag with our recessed lights which I discussed with Robert. I then spoke with the electrician; I opted for what I thought was the most cost effective solution which really wasn't what I wanted. First thing, the next morning, Robert was calling me saying " that's not what you want - get it right, we can fix drywall in our sleep". Net, net, I've got the correct recessed lights, did not cost me extra and I don't look at the ceiling and grind my teeth :). This was a great experience and my husband and I absolutely love our new space. I would use Robert again without hesitation for any future projects.

The project started in mid-March, and continued on until the middle of September. His men were there every day it wasn't raining. There was scaffolding along our wall for much of the summer. The repairs (Robert showed us the problems from before and after) we fixed to excellence. Robert is constitutionally incapable of cutting corners or finding makeshift fixes-- his fixes are done right, and after that will not be a problem again. His people are stellar. Moreover, Robert helped us on projects for free that he wasn't involved with-- I called him in an emergency when my refrigerator water line was leaking, and he talked me through how to fix it.

Shortly after I contacted him Robert came out and spent a little over an hour with me as we walked through the general outline of the work to be performed. At this point, I only had a rough outline of what I wanted. Robert's experience and expertise with old rowhouses was immediately apparent. Over the next couple weeks, Robert and John came out three separate times. We worked out most of the major details. They also took extremely detailed nots and measurements as well as taking the time to inspect the supporting structure for the stairs and review all the existing wiring for code compliance. At the end of this process, they said they'd get back to me in a couple weeks with an estimate. Based on their obvious knowledge and thoroughness, I had every expectation that they'd do a great job. A few weeks later John came out with a full estimate detailing everything required, with placeholders for the couple remaining questions. After this Robert was supposed to get back to me with info about resolving the last couple items and when work could begin. At this point they basically dropped off the face of the earth. I called or email every 2 weeks for the next month and a half. Every conversation ended with a promise. None of these promises were kept. Haven't heard from him in over a month now.

Excellent job; easy to work with. It took a long time to find several consecutive days of good weather to remove old windows , repair the openings, install, caulk, and paint the new ones. So when a break came, they threw five of six guys into the job. The guys were terrific and the work was first rate.

They do excellent work - highest quality. I have a historic home in Federl Hill and have used this contractor for many years. I have occasionly tried others in the past and have always regreted it. They are simply the most detailed contractors with avast knowledge of older homes. They always provide helpful information in make remodeling decisions wheni needed to wiegh options. They also stand by their work and I have used them in the past to correct other contractor's mistakes or porr quality work done in the past. I simply do not let other people touch my house now.

Unique Resources were fantastic. When he came in for the estimate he seemed very knowledgeable about old houses. He was able to pinpoint when my house was built and he gave me options on how to repair my ceiling. My experience was fabulous. The owner, Robert, was unbelievably knowledgeable about old houses. I really appreciated that. His attention to detail to keep this old house essentially how it came. Instead of just throwing up drywall he said it was originally plaster lag and we can put plaster lag back up there. Essentially restore it to original in the details. I really appreciated that. He was always on time. There was a point where he ran into trouble and he had to ask us to move out for a day or 2, because he had something done. I said not a problem. He gave me enough time do it and he actually took a day less than he said. I can't even tell you how wonderful it was. He is an A for sure. His price was high, but it was worth it to me. It was the highest of the estimates. I would absolutely use him again.

Unique Resources Inc were very professional, provided a detailed proposal, had truly fine craftsmanship, and the care they took in assessing the situation with the house improvement stood out to me.

It rained a few days after I was told that the work was complete. The same problems were occurring. Water continued to surge through lower back roof, so it was very obvious that it wasn't sealed properly. I immediately called Robert and he said he'd check it out first thing next week and assured me that it would be taken care of. The following week it rained again and the same thing happened. This routine happened 3 times before the problem was actually repaired. The lower roof is easily accessible so it was no problem for me to climb on top and see that absolutely nothing had been done to it. There was no treatment whatsoever. I called back again, needless to say I was quite unhappy, and Robert did get the problem fixed after that. My lower roof hasn't leaked since. My main roof, however, was a different issue. The leaks on my upper roof were much more subtle, so when it rained you can't necessarily tell that water has leaked in unless it has rained a lot. It continued to cause problems during heavy rainfall over the next few years and it took a bit of time to get this problem worked out, but eventually it did get taken care of after Robert came out personally and troubleshot the problem by patching up my chimney and removing a bunch of branches from a pesky tree free of charge. I now have experienced no more leaks coming from my roof.

They are extremely sensitive to historic homes and provide true craftsmen on the job. They patiently and flawlessly removed the expensive hardwood flooring, repaired the sub-flooring and re-installed the hardwood.

I was extremely pleased with the performance of URI. While they are not the cheapest guys in town, their professionalism and performance provide great value for the money. in addition, I had a deadline that required URI to prosecute the work timely. They met my deadline and worked hard to meet it. First of all, only a few firms really know how to work on older masonry row houses. URI has been doing it for years and are true experts. Robert Schuck knows how these house were built, where the potential problems are and how to fix them. He knows the time it takes and what to do and he knows what to check for before problems turn into change orders. He knows what and how to get the permits necessary from the city to do the work and deal with parking and access. Further, the firm is committed to making the project easy on the homeowner and the neighbors around issues like noise, parking, site cleanliness, etc. His team is absolutely outstanding. John Failkowski was the lead and his attention to detail and keeping the team moving was critical to the projects success. Tim, Rob, Eddie and Howard were there constantly over. 2 week period and while all have different skills, they work seamlessly as a team. URI also used some subcontractors for certain elements ( like column manufacture and HVAC) but you would never know they were not full time URI employees. This team showed up every morning at 7:30, worked thoroughly until 4:30 ( sometimes John was there later) and always cleaned the site thoroughly before leaving. I was so confident in their professionalism that after 2 days, I vacated the space and let them work on their own. While I talked to Robert or John every day, I did not physically return until the project was complete 10 days later. I cannot describe the attention to detail, the pride they take in their work and the way they constantly try to please the client. Further, if they see small things that need to be done in the course of the work, they just do it..no change orders . It is important to undstand that this project was both technically and physically demanding. They followed the engineer's design well and when conflicts or questions arose, they dealt directly with the engineer to make it right. They go overboard to protect the living spaces, floors, and furniture from dirt and dust. When they were finished, we almost did not need a cleaning. Two of our neighbors commented to me when I returned how good and friendly the URI folks were around cleanup and parking. Bottom line--- I could not be happier. URI did the work better than I expected, at the bid cost with no change orders, in the timeframe promised. The best contractor I have ever worked with. I would use them again in a heartbeat.

They are very professional and focused on providing high quality product. I do not let anymore else work at my house !

Replied immediately. Gave prompt estimate. On time and great, friendly and works was completed in detail.

Great - very difficult job but took great care.

I hired Unique Resources to install a new front door on my townhouse. The house is an older house in a historic neighborhood and as a result the job was not a standard installation. Before the installation, water was running into the house whenever it rained. Robert examined the door and identified all of the issues causing rain water to flow into rather than away from the house. The solutions included angling the one front step slightly away from the house and installing a new threshold. Other companies I spoke to simply wanted to replace the entire door and transom and did not address and other issues causing my problem. Not only did Robert take the time to really look for the root causes of the problem, but advised me that the existing transom was in good shape and did not need to be replaced. Robert and his crew were professional and punctual. The job was a little expensive, but the work was manually intensive so it wasn't unexpected. I would definitely hire Unique Resources again and highly recommend them especially if the job is not your standard install.

The owner (Robert) was prompt, professional and courteous when he came to give me the estimate. My home was built in 1824 and it was very refreshing to have a contractor so knowledgeable about the construction and repair of older homes. Throughout the process he kept in touch with me to make sure I was happy with the progress. His workers were kind and courteous and careful with my home and its contents. The work was beautiful. Everything I could have hoped for. He was also very careful not to let dust/debris into other areas of my home. I cannot say enough about this company. I will definitely use them again in the future.

Had a long-time roof leak that our own amateur attempts could not abate. The Unique Resources owner visited and inspected roof and determined time/materials approach, approximated the amount of time required and gave a fixed hourly rate. I considered other contractors, but no one would offer a guarantee on this type of work. UR owner seemed very astute and thorough in inspection, he has a significant presence in my neighborhood, and I wanted to try out a contractor who is capable of larger future work. We scheduled patching work dependent on rain forecast, I recall a delay or two, but when a dry period coincided with our schedules a worker came out to perform the repairs. The worker was very polite and diligent, arrived on time, completed the work in the predicted time, and nicely cleaned up. Unfortunately, the leak returned in the next big rain. All is not lost; given the extent of work done by UR, we were able to better pinpoint the water entry point... so far (fingers crossed) we haven't had water inside after we did a little bit of additional caulking.

They are extremely knowledgeable about construction in older homes. They do excellent restoration and modernization. We have been using them for about 15 years and have always had excellent service. They charge a fair price for good work.

Our architect recommended we call this company for an estimate on our renovation. Mr. Schuck came to our home on 7/29 and spent more than an hour discussing the project, taking pictures, measurements, etc. He seemed very professional and interested in the job and we were very impressed with him. We NEVER HEARD FROM HIM again! After allowing a few weeks for him to develop his estimate, I emailed and left phone messages several times but to no avail. Our architect also contacted him and was told he was busy with another project and would get back to us in a week. That was months ago. I remain stunned and puzzled by this highly unprofessional behavior, especially from someone recommended by another professional in his field. In retrospect, I'm glad he "dropped" us; I can only imagine what he would have been like to deal with once a contract had been signed!