Earth Friendly Services

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My experience with Earth Friendly Service was a positive one. My husband and I recently purchased a house that needed some TLC. I reached out to EFS and then responded immediately. Within a few days Steve and Phil were out at my house to see what repairs were needed and to give an estimate. They were pleasant and knowledgeable. I received a couple other quotes but EFS was most reasonable as far as a balance of price and timeline for completion. We set a date to start and when they began the work, it was completed within a week. Steph was great. Detail oriented. Asked questions of my desires when there was uncertainty. Wayne, let his work speak for itself. Phil went above and beyond doing other minor repairs that he noticed as he went along and giving tips to us as new home owners. Steve dropped by to make sure things were running smoothly and on schedule. Overall, we are extremely satisfied with the work that was performed by EFS and plan to have them back soon for some more projects.

This was not a good experience for me. From the very beginning, the project lead moved goalposts, figuratively speaking, tried to increase the price, didn't show up for days on end, and more. 
After signing the contract and making a down payment, I asked to clarify and confirm a few items. Project lead said that including those items would increase the price by several thousand dollars ($7K+).. I said that, if that were the case, I wanted to exercise my right to pull out, especially as we were two weeks away from the start of work. The project lead (Phil) said he had
found his old notes and they DID include the bits I wanted to clarify/confirm after all and there would be no change in price. OK, good. 
One week out, ask about egress window. Am told it will be special ordered by Phil because it'll be an odd height. A couple of weeks later when no one showed up for work, I got a note from Phil saying he'd spent all day trying to source an egress window. I said I thought he'd special ordered it weeks ago. 
Start date supposed to be Dec 1. Put off by a day by Phil. No big deal.
Actual start date, Dec. 2, I send Phil an email with this as subject line: I didn't expect you to order stuff before I"d seen a design for the basement. He had planned for 2 showers in the basement. In the email, I say, "You said when you visited on that saturday awhile back that you'd rip all the innards out and then draw a design... don't go and order anything else without running a design by me first. I'll work on my own design and we can compare notes and work out a compromise." I also specify in the email that some of the drywall in the basement is rotting and should be taken down
and replaced. He says in his reply that it will be.
Dec. 4: no one shows up. This ends up happening a lot.
Dec. 8: I send Phil the design that my teenage son put together. I also send copious notes to go with it and am expecting Phil to produce his own design and we work out a compromise, as stated in previous email. Phil replies that he thought we wanted something entirely different, including a bedroom where  design has a storage room. I reply,?I never wanted a second bedroom by the electrical panel. That would require a second egress window, if I'm not mistaken, and it's right by the heater, which I think is a bit dangerous. We spoke about that space being a storage room, which is what it is in the plan.? He never produces a design so that we can meld the two into one. He also doesn't follow out design. The first day that there's actually some work done, I almost cry when I go downstairs to look because hardly any of my wishes for the basement have been taken into account.
Plumber was supposed to come mid-December weekend but because Phil didn?t tell him in time, he took another job. (When he did come, he was great, the plumber ? worked very hard, long hours and came back when we found a leak.)
When egress window is installed, it?s too high. Code says 44 in. max above floor. Gets fixed but I?m told the sub contractor was not paid to come out again. As project lead, I feel Phil should have known the code and shared that knowledge with the contractor. Moral: stay on top of the code for your county if you decide to hire this guy.
When I asked just before Christmas to be reimbursed for things I had bought for the emodel, such as flooring, bathroom fixtures, and more, I was told that I?d be paid back with the next payment. When that payment came due I was told it would be with the NEXT one. I insisted that it happen now. It did.
Was told that flooring budget in contract included labor but that you could only get a floor installed for $3 psf. I suggested trying the place I?d bought laminate. No reply. (Communication was a huge issue throughout.) I went there and arranged for it all myself, trying to contact Phil while there but getting no reply. I sent him a text message and got a reply later saying it
was fine if I went ahead and hired them for $2 psf. Later on he told me I?d broken the contract when I hired someone else. I still have the text message in which he said it was OK.  
January 6. Phil says next payment is due. Contract says it?s due when mud is applied to drywall, which hasn?t happened. I pay anyway (and get reimbursed for the stuff I?ve bought). In the week that follows, little progress is made on the drywall or anything else.
Jan 14. I buy tiles because guy who?s doing tiling and drywall says he needs them in two days.
Jan 17. No tiling has been done and drywall still not done. Phil tells me I am not allowed to talk to the guy working in my basement? I tell him that I will talk to anyone (and should talk to anyone) who comes into my house. In any case, what does Phil have to hide? Phil also accuses me of asking people how much they earned and of being paranoid and suspicious and
talking about him. I was none of those or was doing none of those.
I cancelled the remainder of the contract after that. The new guys who came in to finish the contract found that some of the framing for doors was not standard, which would mean extra expense, and, more to the point, that the electrical wiring had not been done. So there were outlets and switches with no power. They had to redo about a third of the drywall, and even
ripped out and reframed the  old bathroom to make a bigger sink space. l. They also had to reframe the entry door because the knob scraped on the drywall when you opened it. And they fixed the rotten drywall that Phil said would cost me extra EVEN THOUGH HE SAID HE?D FIX IT. The egress window is still missing a screw. There was nowhere to put a light in the
entry ? we added that. (That is just the dumbest omission ever, if you ask me.) And although Phil said he was going to put in a waterproof recessed light in both bathrooms, he got these really ugly lights with fans from Home Depot to put in there. He bought them well after I asked him not to buy anything or order anything without running it by me first. I've also been told that there are quite a few code violations. I was going to say they were minor but I don't think there's any such thing as a minor code violation.
That's not the whole of it. The worst part of this experience was the extremely poor communication, the many days when no one showed up, and being accused of all sorts of character anomalies. I have found out since I ended the contract that Phil did not pay  the drywaller all that he was due, telling him that I had not paid him, when I had. I was also told he used the same excuse -- that I hadn't paid -- to say he couldn't buy drywall and mud. Having seen another review about him where the reviewer gave him good marks but was a little critical, and elicited a very defensive retort from Phil, I have a feeling he'll try to come back at me on all of this. I do still have all of the emails and text messages we exchanged and would be happy to publish every last one of them. 
He also left a lockbox on my door and some tile samples that I said long before the contract ended that I didn't really like. He has said to a third party that he'd like them back. Well, they're here. Waiting. I don't really want a lockbox on my doorknob or some tile samples in my basement. 
 On a happy note -- I paid by American Express and they have already recovered some of my money. I have to have a lot of stuff redone, have already had the rotten drywall fixed, but need to have the electrical wiring redone. Old bath is already redone, scraping door knob is fixed. There's a light in the entry way now, and a wire for an outside light. All of that should've been done beforehand.

The cost was like a quarter of what the previous contractor cost us. Our experience with them was great. They came in and said it would take three to five days; it took four. They came in. They finished. They were very polite and courteous. They cleaned up their mess. They did a really good job and in four day, they were gone. They did exactly what they were going to do for the price they said they were going to do it.

I am very pleased with Earth Friendly Services.  They were polite, friendly, and fixed my electrical problems for a reasonable price.  I will absolutely call them again!

Phil (master electrician) and Mike quickly diagnosed and found a short in a light fixture that puzzled me. They quickly fixed it, but had to use spare wire I had in garage. They were late but called ahead of time to let me know. 301 was shut down.

Soon after contacting Earth Friendly Services, Calvert County Maryland, Phil Murianka contacted me, set a time to evaluate and start the requested drywall repair work.  He was professional and timely.  The work was done quickly and with high quality.  It is obvious that he can do many home repairs and improvements, and he has home improvement work experience to solve unusual problems.  I have already requested more "handyman-type" work be done at my home by Earth Friendly Services.  This company is an asset to Calvert County and the surrounding areas.

They did a great job.  This was the second time I used this company and I will call them again if I need work done.

They were very responsive and super friendly. They showed up when they said they would and started the work right away. I needed a ramp built for my dog because he couldn't handle the steps anymore. They understood the urgency of this and immediately began working on it. When it was almost completed i had to change it mid stream because I misjudged the ramp incline. They didn't have any problem with my last minute change, and they immediately tore out the ramp and built a new one without a single complaint. They were very accommodating and made sure I was happy with all their work. I will definitely hire them again for other work I plan on my house!

Excellent work on all projects--looking forward to having additional home improvement projects done with Earth Friendly Services in the near future.

We are extremely pleased with the work of Earth Friendly Services overall.  How the space looks now really exceeds what our expectation was for the end result.  Our basement space was pretty much a mess and posed a number of remodeling challenges, including a very uneven floor surface, moving of the gas meter, support poles in weird places, multiple water valves and other items that require access.  Yet with how it looks now, you'd never know it was such a mess to begin with.  Both of the lead guys for the company, Steve and Bill, were good listeners and were patient with our questions and our issues as things came up when they were doing the work.  Both of them had good attention to detail and worked to get to what we wanted, rather than what would have been easiest for them.  For example, we asked them to use a type of drop-ceiling tile they'd not worked with before, and they got it done, with the result being a fantastic-looking, modern ceiling, rather than the industrial look most weird spaces end up using.  There was no down-time during the project, as someone (usually several people) was/were down in the basement working every day, resulting in their finishing the job exactly in the timeframe that they said they would (originally they said it would take three to three-and-a-half weeks, and they were done in three weeks and three days).  There was none of that "Hey, this is going to cost a little more than we said it would" or any of the nightmare stories you hear from other people getting their basements finished.  It cost exactly what they said it would up-front.  Further, their total cost was $8K lower than the closest bid we received for the same job!  It sounds crazy to say this, but these days it feels like an oddity when contractors do exactly what they say they are going to do for exactly what they say it's going to cost, but that is exactly what happened in our experience with Earth Friendly.  This is the company you want to go with if you are on a budget yet nonetheless expect a quality product and a professional contractor with a solid work ethic.

Fantastic everything went smoothlyand I have a great warranteee.

This was our first time using Angie's List and we are extremely happy with the job Earth Friendly Services performed.  After the project was started we had some weather related delays.   They came to the house every day to check on things and make sure everything was protected until they could begin work again.  They always told us their schedule and what they would be working on as the project progressed.  Our garage looks so much better, in fact it looks brand new!  We were so pleased with their work that we also had them put new shingles on the roof of our house to match the garage as they were the original shingles and some were damaged.  We definitely plan to use them again for other projects.

The quote guy was very good and friendly. They quoted two guys out to work and only one came out to work. I had mixed feelings about that since the quote said two. The work was fair, not great.  We had to replace more shingles after the ones they did. It was not bad but not great.

The project went extremely well ... I contacted Steve -- he came by on schedule for an initial estimate ... arranged for a follow up visit with Romo, his concrete contractor ... the final estimate was spot on the original rough estimate ... and was well within my own estimate of what the work would cost ...  They scheduled a time to start the job, and arrived when stated and finished the work within one day.  Steve was great to work with ... knowledgeable and experienced, as was Romo.  Earth Friendly services also sent out a quality inspector to examine the job after it was completed.   This is an excellent, well run family business.  I highly recommend them.

Did a great job working with us to transform a 1960's bathroom into something special.  Took a little longer than expected but it was worth the wait.

I contacted Earth Friendly Services this morning and I immediately received a reply.  Phil contacted me and I asked for a proposal for installing my new light.  He responded and said he would be at my home in about 15 - 20 minutes.  His responsiveness was exact. He arrived in about 15 minutes. I showed him the light fixture and he said it was no problem and he could do it today.  I also asked him if he would also install a new electrical outlet in my foyer and again he said no problem.  Phil installed the light fixture and the electrical outlet that day and he did a fantastic job.  He was very professional and the quality of work was awesome.  I was also very pleased on the price.  I have put Earth Friendly Services number in my phone book and I will sure use them again.  Thanks Phil!

They did an excellent job, protected the garage overnight while the roof was off . The communicated well were very friendly and the price was in budget. I have asked them to do more work in my home.

i was very please with the work they done in the past for me. i gave them a call after the storm damaged our shed. they gave a price the insurance said go ahead. they did the work in a day and a few hours the next in was done. i'm please with the work and i will used them again in the future,

they came and went when they said. i was very please with all they did. i asked them to build me a handicap ramp after all work was performed. and they did within 2 days that was completed. and i was very please. i'm able to get out of house on my own now. with the way it was build.

Genuinely friendly people and very knowledgeable. They listened to my concerns, worked within my budget, and fulfilled all of the tasks and then some. It's a cohesive team that worked hard to quickly complete the projects. It was also refreshing to work with contractors who actually followed through as opposed to so many I've dealt with that didn't return calls or didn't show up when promised. When I have more projects to do within the scope of their services (which is pretty extensive) they'll be the ones I call again.

They were very professional. Showed up when they said they would. When some extra repairs were needed after removing the floor from the bathroom, they provided me with the estimate and there were no hidden surprises in the final invoice. Cleanup every day and came back to do some necessary followup work. The people doing the work were real craftsman and obviously took pride in their work.  I would use them again without any hesitation

This was my first experience with Angie's List, and I am extremely happy that I tried it.  After reviewing contractors on Angie's List, I selected Earth Friendly Services who responded promptly to my initial call.  Steve, the owner, came out to assess my problem.  From the moment I met Steve, I knew he could solve our ongoing problems with water coming into our basement.  He was not only extremely knowledgeable, but very personable, as well.  After he left our home, I told my husband that I knew he could solve our problem.

During the next few days, Steve had his assistant, Bill Harford, to follow up on our issues.  A date was set for Earth Friendly Services to come out to complete the work.  On the scheduled day, they brought a team of workers.  The team did an extensive/comprehensive assessment as they worked.  After five hours, the work was completed, and our property was left neat and clean.  The Earth Friendly Services' team left us feeling confident about the resolution to our problem, and Steve assured us that he would stand behind his work.

Steve and Bill are experts in their field, and I would highly recommend this company to anyone!  Thanks, Earth Friendly Services, for a job well done!

They were very good people. He was the cheapest one. He was very nice and very polite. He seemed very knowledgeable.  I will know if it worked when I get some rain. I had to leave when he came and when I came home the room looked so clean. Everything was perfect, which was the first time I had seen that in a while. He did a very neat job. He came on Sunday and we talked awhile. He was very helpful. He came right on time and he was very responsive. He called and emailed. I would use them again and I would recommend him. I was very happy with him. I got 3 estimates and he seemed like he had the knowledge.