GSBuilders / Green Studio Builders Inc.

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This review is one that is way overdue. This past fall (October 2013 to be exact), GS Builders renovated our only bathroom in our home. Our house was built in the 1940's and although we have done updates throughout the house including the bathroom, after interviewing and receiving several work/ and price estimates, GS Builders was the only company we trusted and felt comfortable with to do this major renovation. Because we have very young kids and truly depended on our only bathroom, we needed someone we can count on and a company that can deliver on time. We did a lot of research and explored many options 1) to get a bang for our buck and 2) to get the most out of our small space. We spoke with several (and well known contractors) before deciding to go with GS Builders and we are so glad we chose them. We trusted our instincts but also the fact that GS Builders were highly rated on Angie?s list made it a lot easier. I made an initial call to set up an estimate and I spoke with Chris, owner of GS Builders. We scheduled the first ?walk-in? appointment during this first call. Chris came as scheduled ? actually a few minutes early! After we met him in person, we were sold on his sincerity, professionalism, directness and honesty. Chris was great from the start of the project to the completion of the job. He was very helpful in discussing and exploring different options to meet our family?s needs. He was always going the extra mile and was upfront about potential additional costs that could be incurred given the age of the house (lucky for us nothing major happened). Chris also did a very good job in communicating with us, throughout the project timeline etc.. When he encountered a couple of hiccups during the job., once he found out about it, he took it in and communicated with his men and did what needed to be done and it was done. If I am not mistaken, both Chris and his wife run the company and are architects by education. And although his men did the work, he was on top of what was happening every minute of the way. Elmere- one of the main guys that did the work- did a fantastic job. Elmere and the men were very polite, respectful and always on time. They cleaned up after themselves every day. As stated before, because we have small children and only one bathroom, they made sure we were in a good shape every night before leaving while the work was ongoing. If we had any concerns, they were ready to fix/help. I was impressed overall not only with how our bathroom turned out and their workmanship but most importantly with their professionalism. From signing the contract to the demo to the finish line, the job took about 8-10 days total. It would have been shorter- had we not encountered the couple of hiccups I mentioned above but the great thing was Chris never over-promised and delivered exactly what he agreed to. You can tell that he is someone that takes pride in the workmanship. We are extremely happy with our new bathroom and hope to have GS Builders do our next project; I cannot truly say enough good things about them. Chris and his men were prompt, courteous, easy to work with and most of all- very understanding. Chris and his team truly deserve A+++++ as they care about what they do and they just want to make their clients happy. So yes, I would highly recommend this company.

Chris puts his heart and soul into his work. Very eager to take care of his customers and see to it that they get what they want at the most affordable price. He was also able to help us as an architect in the design stages. Beware though, we had a tight deadline for moving our chiropractic office and he met it! Which meant that we had to execute our end of the bargain - the unfinished details of our design decisions - choosing a front desk countertop, a stain, wall colors, where do we want the electrical outlets, the lights, etc. ? with lightning speed. Just be ready. Dr. Steve Gardner

Chris was phenomenal. This was my first time working with a contractor, and he upended everything I'd been taught to expect. From the start, it was clear he was deeply committed to the quality of his work and making sure the project was executed at an exceptional level. I thought I'd have to work to keep Chris on task ? turned out, it was the other way around. Chris got in touch constantly to update me on progress and make sure I was making timely decisions to keep everything on schedule. As a result, he completed a project my architect estimated could take up to four months in half that time. And when I needed to reach him, he was available at all hours, including the weekends. A priority for me was finding reclaimed oak for my downstairs floors, but I had no idea how to source it. Chris tapped the network of builders and developers he's been assembling over the course of his career and landed me beautiful, 100-year-old white oak at a very reasonable price. That's one example out of many of how Chris exceeded his brief to deliver top-flight service/ results. I worked with an architect on the project for structural issues but didn't have a designer. While Chris was appropriately circumspect about offering design advice, when I solicited his help, he went above and beyond to guide me toward stores/ outlets with the best selection and value and even made introductions to make sure I was given priority treatment. Last but not least, the quality of the work was outstanding- the house looks and feels transformed. And Chris has jumped on the tiny amount of tweaks since we officially wrapped up the project. Working with Chris was a joy. I recommend him with oomph.

The bathroom was completed on-time and superbly. NIcoleta's true value added is her problem solving ability - she capably overcame challenges and incorporated my needs into a difficult footprint. She presented me with excellent choices, thoroughly explained the available options, and executed on the options chosen flawlessly. The floor-to-ceiling subway tile with glass accent tiles, higher end fixtures, including a new low profile bathtub and frameless glass shower door, all look beautiful together. Most importantly, the remodel was accomplished while I was living outside of the United States and communicating via email and Skype. GSB and Nicoleta reconstructued my downstairs bathroom in 2008 and earned my confidence to remodel the master bath remotely. In both cases, cramped 1950's spaces were turned into functional, modern, and stunning spaces.

Although construction cost was an important factor on selecting our contractor, what we were most interested was high quality workmanship and GSBuilders excels at that. We have made several calls chatting with Chris?s previous clients and they all highly recommended him. Chris?s project manager was very competent - work was done when scheduled, there were no unexplained delays, we were kept fully informed at all times. Workers showed up each day as scheduled; we never felt that our team was being diverted to other projects. One characteristic of GSBuilders?s operational ?good habits? with us has been the cleanliness of the worksite. At the end of each workday, the work areas were cleaned up. Not only was the inside work space vacuumed and cleaned at the end of each day, our neighbors were spared of viewing any unsightly scenes of construction materials/equipment scattered around the property. As with most major projects, the "devil is in the details" due to the need of numerous selections and decisions you have to make. That phase can become pretty overwhelming, but Nicoleta?s artistic and creative skills made that a pretty smooth process. All of her selections are very tasteful, ranging from paint colors, various tiles for the bathrooms, plumbing fixtures, accessories, lighting fixtures, countertops, mirrors, shower doors, etc. As with the rest of the trades, the details were handled very smoothly with a very close coordination between Nicoleta and her suppliers. Orders were placed in a timely fashion, fixtures delivered and installed as scheduled. The project went very well ? all trades did an amazing job and the craftsmanship quality we were looking for was delivered as expected. We highly recommend Chris with GSBuilders.

I was acting as General Contractor for a first floor remodel on my own house and was able to use family with the right skills for much of the work. However, some of the work required more expertise than I had available. I brought GSA in to help primarily with raising a structural beam in the attic and to move a window we wanted to put a wall. They did both pieces of work flawlessly and with great expertise. They showed up on time, made sure I understood what was going on and what they needed from me. I also had them install a new dryer vent for a relocated dryer. They did a great job and made sure the new venting system was up to code. GSA also provided me some guidance on the my overall project to help me understand some of the nuances of dealing with county permitting services. This really helped me move my project along relatively seamlessly. During the project (and while I was on vacation out of town, the Derecho storm hit.) A large tree was uprooted and fell on a part of the house that was not under renovation (thankfully as we had just installed our new kitchen cabinets). The tree damaged part of our deck and the roof where it hit the house (including a broken skylight which exposed the interior of the house). GSA was able to respond immediately and secure the broken skylight to prevent further damage from additional storms as well as repair the damaged skylight and roof. I can't rate them highly enough for the work they did for me or the ease with which I could deal with them. I do want to mention that I gave them a B on pricing instead of an A. I know I could have gotten cheaper help to do the things they did. However, I didn't have the same level of confidence in the abilities or quality I would get from the lower priced options as I did with GSA. GSA certainly delivered in that regard and I'm glad I spent a little bit extra for the peace of mind.

Our family owns several commercial locations and Chris Papadopoulos has been providing us with his services for over ten years. He is a professional with high ethics and the quality of his work that he provides is always outstanding. His team is highly skilled and very well trained on meeting strict scheduling obligations, site organization and great craftsmanship. Chris provides strict supervision and solutions to any construction issues that might come up. His warranty is always honored promptly and his prices are always reasonable.

It is going fine, and close to being done! We have no concerns about the end result as Chris Papadopoulus and his team have done a number of jobs for us over the past 14 years--starting with a major addition to our home in 2000, and smaller jobs as needed since then (door repairs, roof work, etc). We have found Chris to be very responsive to calls, emails and questions, and always willing to explain what needs to be done, and why. His teams of workers are also very good at letting us know when they are arriving and leaving, and exactly what will be done each day. In the current job, Chris's painting crew has been delightful to work with and very tidy, always cleaning up as they work, leaving tools and equipment out of the way. The painter in charge even let us text our color choice, and provided his cell phone number if we had concerns. Highly recommend Chris! He keeps close tabs on projects, stopping by on a regular basis, and he has a knack for finding and hiring good people! We have never been disappointed in any aspect of his work or advice!

My husband used Chris Papadopoulos several times with projects related to his business and he was thrilled about the great timing and coordination of the job and quality of work. He knew I have very high standards and I could deal only with a professionals only renovating my bathrooms. The job went great, the price was very reasonable and GS Builders crew was very professional, courteous and very neat. Nicoleta Papadopoulos did an amazing job designing the new layout of my bathrooms and her choice of materials and fixtures are the best I could have wished for. We are all enjoying our new bathrooms and will definitely hire GS Builders for future projects. Chris and Nicoleta Papadopoulos are very honest and professional.

We have been extremely happy with the work of GS Builders. The proof is in the outcome: our home is absolutely stunning, the work GS Builders performed is of the highest quality, and we will continue to use GS Builders for any and all renovation projects. We learned about GS Builders from our architect, who is one of the most-respected modern architects in this region and who has worked with GS Builders on numerous projects. We knew our architect has exacting standards, and so we went with GS Builders. We were not disappointed. Starting with the bidding process, Chris and Nicoletta were honest, straight-forward and reasonable. Throughout the project, GS Builders was prompt, reliable, responsive, and creative in solving the various, unforeseen problems that inevitably arise in a project of this size. Any time a problem arose, or we were not satisfied with any aspect of the project, Chris and Nicoletta were absolutely responsive to our concerns and always came up with a better and reasonable resolution. After living through a project of this breadth and magnitude, we have come to realize that GS Builders flexibility, creativity and reasonableness in response to unforeseen complications is perhaps one of the most important qualities in an excellent contractor. That, of course, along with the high quality and beauty of the work. We think the end result speaks for itself. If we take on another major renovation, we can't imagine hiring anyone else.

My partners and I are very glad that we hired Chris Papadopoulos with GS Builders to assist us with the remodeling of our new restaurant ? Brickside Bethesda. We have worked with Chris before on our business location in Adams Morgan and couldn't have trusted anybody else taking over this challenging project. Apart from the regular construction scope, the project had a lot of design elements that needed a lot of detail orientation and supervision. Chris not only handled that professionally but really stepped up in every possible way to resolve any issues that came up and bringing positive solutions to any challenge. This was a major custom job, but he planned, coordinated and supervised his crew and all of his trades in such timely manner that our deadline was met and we could prepare to our grand opening on time. The quality of his work is impeccable. We are very grateful for Chris?s construction skills and expertise and we highly recommend him.

Chris with GS Builders did a great job renovating our kitchen. As a repeat customer he gave us a nice break in his price and as previously, when he renovated our basement, the quality of his work was impeccable. Nicoleta Papadopoulos worked with my wife designing the kitchen with her supplier and my wife couldn't be happier using her kitchen ever since. They warranty their work promptly and would definitely use their services again.

We had heard about GSA through a friend who had used them for a construction job for their home. They couldn't stop raving about the work GSA did for them (a whole extension on their house) and about their professionalism. When we contacted them we were worried that our job would be too small for them. We had contacted meanwhile another contractor who never bothered to return our call and one who said he would send someone to give us an estimate on our job and that person never showed up. The professionalism in which they handled our call, then our small job was amazing. You would have thought we were going to spend thousands of dollars. They assured us someone will be on the premises within 24 hours and yes someone was there within the time frame given. The person gave us an estimate of how much it would be and once we agreed the work was done within 24 hours, cleaned up after themselves, and were out in no time. We got a follow up call from their offices to check on how everything went. The customer service and professionalism that GSA showed us will make us recommend them to every person we know!

Chris Papadopoulos and his crew were very professional. The crew arrived always on time and performed their work very neatly. Job was daily supervised and job site was left clean at the end of each working day. We are very pleased with the quality of their work and attention to detail. Their price was very fair and competitive.

My husband and I hired Mr. Chris Papadopoulos to renovate our master bedroom and two bathroom. The scope of work included converting two of our bedrooms in a master suite and demo complete and rebuilt of two new bathrooms. We were very pleased throughout the construction process and thrilled to have hired a professional that knows his trade, keeps very involved and has skilled technicians working under his supervision. The design of or master bathroom and second bathroom as well as the selection of all material and fixtures involved turned out amazing and we have to grant this credit to Nicoleta Papadopoulos, that put her expertise, her artistic skills and passion to work. We were really impressed by the results and enjoy it every day. Communication and follow up are other great skills that we benefited hiring Chris and Nicoleta Papadopoulos and their crew. The project was completed ahead of schedule in an efficient and professional manner, at a competitive price, and exceeded our expectations. Due to this great experience we will soon hire them to help us with our step two construction project ? complete basement renovation of our house. We highly recommend them! They are professionals and their service is outstanding!