Benchmark Painting & Carpentry of Kensington, LLC

Results were far beyond our expectations. We initially hired Benchmark to rebuild a single cabinet, but after talking with Reynaldo, the lead carpenter on the job, we decided to take the plunge and add the laundry room trim and shelf and install the new counter. Reynaldo brought us samples and helped us choose a counter top that really makes the basement entrance attractive again. Most of the cost of the project was in removing the old counter top, ripping the new one to a custom width, and building the water shutoff cabinet. The work was completed very quickly. 2 carpenters worked for 1/2 day, and the following day 1 carpenter (Mr. Martinez) worked the full day removing and installing the new counter top. Most of the cost of the job was in the counter top ($1200) which we hadn't expected to do, but the results were fantastic.

They did an amazing job. Their work is very meticulous and precise. Their repair work was the best we have ever seen. They paid attention to every detail.

They didn't charge anything more than the $999. Actually I was very pleased with everything they did. The only thing is when I did go down to my basement I saw that they did not clean up themselves down there. They kind of messed up my laundry room a little bit and just didn't clean up. There is still some paint left there but other than that everything was fine. It was worth the money. My interaction with the company was fine and even the two men that came out were okay. They were late in arriving and they did leave early.

Did not show up for scheduled estimate appointment and did not call, which equals an automatic F, especially since I had made clear that we have not yet moved to the place where work is to be done, so would require me to meet him there. When I contacted Benchmark a half hour after the scheduled appointment, the office manager had no idea where the estimator was and it took a while for the manager to reach him and get him to call me; the estimator mumbled something about having had to schedule something else first and said he might be able to come later: No.

It went well. I think they did not notice that the brick which may have been used to hold the tarp down over the bush was left behind. The company did what I asked on very short notice and it was done well

Painters were very professional and courteous and were careful, thorough, and detail-oriented in their work. Completed all work to my satisfaction (even though I am very particular about any work being done in my house). They reviewed all work with me at the end of each day and made all requested touch up requests as promised. This was truly a great company to do business with. Their people are excellent.

Overall, we are quite pleased with Benchmark's work. The painters were very meticulous in their prep work - power washing, scraping the entire exterior, and prepping the surface. The paint job itself is first rate. They replaced some wood trim, but didn't charge us for it because the wood pieces were small. The crew started on time and was efficient -- the job lasted about six days. We received three estimates and Benchmark's was the highest. We provided one of the lower bids to Benchmark and they were happy to discuss various issues to consider regarding the lower bid. Benchmark also lowered its price to get our business. Our only complaint is they did not use drop cloths when scraping. They cleaned up the scraped paint with a vacuum, but that did not get all the scrapings out of our flower beds and yard. Using drop cloths probably would have solved the issue.

They worked out well; they were on time and responsive.

Senior Estimator Andres Molina, visited our home, answered questions, made suggestions, and provided a detailed estimate for the job within 24 hours. The crew assigned to us, headed by Fernando, was unfailingly punctual, polite, detail-oriented and extremely professional. They always placed drop-cloths wherever they were working and cleaned up carefully after themselves each day. They worked very efficiently, beginning on the exterior of the house until we had nearly a week of rain, at which point they moved inside to prep and paint three bedrooms and a bathroom. It was clear that their goal was to make sure that we were happy, and they went out of their way to make sure this was the case. We could not be more pleased with the beautiful work they did! I am a repeat Benchmark customer for a reason: they are dependable, reliable, and do excellent work for a reasonable price. I would recommend them to anyone who values quality and a great work ethic.

their estimate came in promptly and was slightly lower than the competitor. they adjusted the start work date with no issue when my general contractor was behind schedule. showed up on time, and took great care with my belongings. great attention to detail, and a very professional crew. I would absolutely hire them again.

It went very well. I couldn't ask for more.

I have beautiful wood cabinets in my home, but I wanted them painted to refresh the kitchen. I had done some research about the work required to do this properly, and after talking to multiple companies, Benchmark was the only one I felt understood what needed to be done to get it completed well. The gentleman responsible for coming out to give me a bid was responsive and on time, and when we scheduled the team for three weeks out, they were also prompt and very professional. I found their team to be meticulous and very clean. Our project included extensive prep work including two days worth of sanding prior to priming and painting the cabinets, but they cleaned up at the end of each day so the disruption was minimal in our home. I am very happy with how the cabinets turned out. It looks like they had been ordered from the factory in this color. I would definitely recommend Benchmark to others.

They were here a week to 10 days. I was very pleased with the work. I felt like they kept me informed along the way. Unfortunately, they kept finding more trim that needed to be replaced. They communicated well with me. They were fair in their cost and very diligent in their work. They were so hardworking. I think they spent 12-14 hour days at my home sometimes.

Fantastic. They men were on time each day and went straight to work. They cleaned up after each day.

We moved into a home that requires a lot of cosmetic work, especially drywall and paint. Since we bought the home, we've done a fair amount of work ourselves, but I was hesitant to take on the fairly large master bedroom. A friend at work referred me to Benchmark and I promptly called for an estimate. Jaques was very responsive and always kept me informed about the process and next steps. I have to say that working with Benchmark was an absolute luxury. It took Eric and his 2-man crew 8 hours to complete the job...while it would have taken my husband and I months to do the same work. Eric and his crew came promptly at 8:00 am and finished the entire job at 4:00 pm. They took the time to properly protect the (new) carpet in the bedroom, as well as the (new) carpet throughout the hall and stairway. They completed the necessary drywall work and painted the entire bedroom in the color we provided. Not only that, they painted the trim and doors as well. Eric and his crew were courteous and professional. They did terrific work - high quality and beautiful! Even my perfectionist husband is impressed. Our bedroom is completely transformed. We love it! Thank you, Benchmark!

They did an excellent job. It was not exactly 40 hours. It was really just 36. Two men came for 2 1/2 days. The second day one man came and did the work on his own. Then, the last day two men came for the rest of the half day. I did not know that was going to happen. They should have communicated that to me.

I paid for and ordered a higher grade paint, and a third of the way through, I discovered that they were not using the paint. This was not intentional on their end, but they required constant management to do the job properly. For this reason, I would not use them again.

I could not be happier with the service provided by Benchmark Painting throughout the project and the final product is absolutely excellent. Both the administrative staff and the painting crew were very professional throughout the job maintaining great communication and responsiveness. The foreman on the worksite asked questions throughout the work providing me with options and was open to my input and ideas. The workers on site did an excellent job painting trim and accents in great detail perfectly and cleaned up after themselves every day before leaving. They showed a great deal of respect for my time and my neighbors who provided access through their property. I would highly recommend Benchmark Painting to anyone.

The work was done well, with the help of the manager, Jacques Salomon. After purchasing a Big Deal, a project coordinator visited to see the areas which needed painting. A letter received by e-mail helped me estimate the time and paint needed with the help of the project coordinator. They also helped me obtain a discount on paint from a local store. On the first day, the two workers (both named Louis) mainly prepared the walls for painting. They were critical of some drywall repair work performed previously by another contractor - it needed sanding . On their second day, they did most of the painting needed, except for the trim on baseboards and door frames. After I noticed some drip marks and other problem areas, I contacted the manager, who agreed to schedule them for an extra 4 hours when they returned at the end of the month to complete the trim so that the problem areas would be fixed to my satisfaction. On that day, they also painted a new closet door, which was left open to dry afterwards. After the closet door was painted, it would not close properly, so I called to request that it be repaired. The manager scheduled this a couple weeks later. One of the painters returned to trim the door jam and repaint it so that the door would close easily. I was very pleased with the work completed at the end.

I selected my colors from among the company's preferred products, and I readied the rooms the night before for the painters' scheduled arrival at 8:00 a.m. on January 21. At 8:30 the next morning, I called to find out why the painters were not yet at my house. A clueless Rollins hemmed and hawed before gasping, "Oh, no, you're not on the calendar" and then mumbled something that sounded like something similar had happened quite recently. He apologized, said he had no one to send out, and that the project could begin at 8:00 the next day. About an hour later, he called back and said that two painters would be at my place in about a half-hour -- 10:00 a.m. I don't know how these two painters materialized when none had been available just a short time before. They arrived at 10:00. I showed them the rooms to be painted and asked them how many gallons of what type of paint (flat, semi-gloss, etc.) to get. Just before I went out to buy the paint, the painters started spreading tarps around the livingroom, preparing to prep that room first. The painter who appeared to be in charge pointed to the ceiling and noted that he could tell there was wallpaper underneath the layer(s) of paint on the ceiling. He said that was something people used to do years ago, like it was a quaint piece of information he was sharing with me. I left, got back about 40 minutes later, delivered all the paint, and retreated to my home office to work. Around 2:00 o'clock, he knocked on my door and said he had something to show me in the livingroom -- the entire livingroom ceiling, which they had finished painting, was alive with expanding bubbles; the fresh paint had apparently loosened the old glue from the wallpaper underneath and it was ballooning out under the freshly painted ceiling. Everything had to be scraped away -- the new paint, the old glue, and old wallpaper. The ceiling would have to be scraped, smoothed, primed, repainted. This would take another 4 hours and another gallon of paint. The ceiling had not been completely redone when the painters left for the day. That was day one of my two-and-a-half-day Big Deal. The painters were very unhappy about the ceiling. They tried hard; they worked hard; much of the work they did looked pretty good when it was finished. But in addition to the ceiling, which they should have done correctly in the first place and which took up the entire first day, there were other problems. Part of the livingroom work was re-staining a small part of the built-in bookcase that had been water damaged and plastered over, as well as re-staining some areas of matching molding and archway trim that had been cat-scratched. But these damaged areas would not absorb the stain; the painters repeatedly applied the stain to various spots but to no avail. They had no alternative methods or materials to offer. I took care of it two weeks later. Part of the cabinet in one bathroom was left unpainted; the whole cabinet in the other bathroom was left unpainted. I painted both of them two weeks later. And, of course, the Big Deal time elapsed without the kitchen having been touched. I called Benchmark and asked Rollins if I could get another day at the same discount; he said he'd ask the owners. They said they wouldn't go that low, but that the painters could return for another day for $500. Disgusted and wanting the job finished, I agreed. The painters came back on the 28th and rushed to complete the kitchen on time, doing a decent enough job but without some of the careful prep work. I see that on Angie's List, Benchmark has an excellent reputation. That was not my experience. Benchmark should not have charged me for their painters' mistakes. The painters should have been more knowledgeable. Hearing my account of what happened, a friend of mine told me she'd once hired a handyman to do several things around her house, including painting. To save time and money, she'd suggested that he paint over some wallpaper. He told her that was a very bad idea and would wind up looking shoddy and costing her more money. She also mentioned that most painters provide their customers with the painters' discount they get were they to buy the paint for the customer themselves. That was not part of Benchmark's practice. I wasn't particularly interested in writing this review, mostly because I didn't want to get the painters in trouble. As I said, they were very hard working and did some good work. But I think that the scheduling failure was unprofessional (and may have resulted in less experienced painters having been dispatched) and that Benchmark should be more attentive to customer service. I have no interest in getting any money back or in doing any further business with Benchmark.

They did an excellent job.

The provider came to my house to look at the job and the representative was very friendly and seemed to know what he was doing. However, the provider never gave me any estimate. The provider called me several times to say that he is still working on a proposal. After more than one week and several calls from both sides, the provider finally admitted today that they do not plan to bid on the job at all, and they are not interested in sending any proposal.

From start to finish this is how a contractor relationship should go. I was able to schedule a free estimate within days of my request, and the gentleman (Reynaldo) who performed the estimate was also the project manager throughout the entire project. The work was done promptly and superbly, and the entire team was pleasant to work with. From the start, Reynaldo was extremely friendly, professional and courteous. He took the time to look at each aspect of the job in detail, and to point out where the project might be challenging. He clearly knew what he was talking about, but also carefully steered clear of areas where Benchmark does not have expertise (e.g., ironwork). A competitive proposal came through shortly after Reynaldo's visit. Not only was it lower than the competing bid I received, but I had more confidence in the estimate, because of the effort Reynaldo devoted to explaining what needed to be done. Don't get me wrong, it wasn't cheap. Benchmark is not a "bargain" provider. But I think their pricing is very fair for the DC area, and I had great confidence that the job would be done well. Indeed, the job WAS done well. We had a couple of delays due to weather, but all in all, the work was done promptly, and to a high degree of quality. Once the job began, the carpenters noticed that the wood on the front porch (wood that wasn't visible before they began taking pieces off) was far more rotted than they thought. As a result, a change order was needed, but again, the price was very reasonable. When the job was complete, Reynaldo was careful again to walk me through what was done, and get my approval before leaving. For carpentry and painting, I give my highest recommendation to Benchmark, and would definitely hire them again. Special kudos to Reynaldo for his management of the project, and overall friendliness and professionalism. Kudos also to his team. I did not interact with them as much, but they were also exceedingly friendly, and did superb work.

From the receptionist to the workers it was a good experience. The receptionist was kind, courteous, respectful and efficient. The contractor, Reynaldo, who came out knew what problems there would be with the installation and immediately began devising resolutions.He was not initially supportive of the moulding I had picked out but after he put it up between the wall and ceiling to look at it, understood the look I was going for. Of course I had been looking at moulding every where I went, but the process they did to install was a bit different but hugely successful. The work was done in one day and they left one part not totally put in because I was having part of a wall removed in one area. I painted the moulding myself, which was agreed on before the work started which made the price a little less. It was a small crew of two but they did the job with time to spare. Everyone from the receptionist, Reynaldo the contractor and the workers was professional and mature I'm sending them to my mothers house to do work. Grade A+

We had a little bit of confusion with Mory, the estimator for the job, who initially misunderstood exactly what we wanted but after a go around or two, he got that right. When the work started, the crew arrived punctually each of the days they worked and they left the work site clean and neat. Sammie, the crew foreman was outstanding in answering questions and providing expert opinion and advice, not to mention ensuring his crew did a great job. One of the reasons we wanted the work done was we had a leak on the interior frame of one of our windows - Sammy assured us this would fix the leak. (Recent rainstorms have proved him correct!) He also went to extra lengths to ensure that the shape of the trim piece around the windows was going to work well with the design of our house and shot a photo of it with his phone to me at work to make sure I approved the look of the trim piece. He also pointed out another place where the wood needed to be replaced and I asked him to do it. The quality of the work was excellent and I was surprised how quickly they were able to get everything done - it took less time than they originally estimated. I was also surprised how little damage there was to the stucco siding of the house - which abuts the framing around the windows. They were very careful.