The Village Carpenter

Great job, good price, nice to work with. When someone goes up on a ladder to the upper roof to reattach a gutter, and goes into the attic to install a fan, you're never sure exactly what was done. However, I did later have to go up on a ladder to replace a gutter guard, and found that he had done an excellent job, with extra attention to detail. The attic fan he put in is extra powerful, and you can hear it faintly through the bathroom ceiling fan opening, so I know it is working well. Would definitely use again.

This gentleman was cavalier in his response to my original email request and then I never heard from him again. It's unfortunate, we had a long list of items to be worked on around the house. If he doesn't want to serve Baltimore City then he should not include it in his territory. Here is our email exchange: INITIAL CONTACT: On Mon, Aug 18, 2014 at 7:15 PM, Cheri wrote: Hi, Mark - I found you on Angie's List... are you still in business? I ask because I don't see any reviews past August of last year. We have a number of items around our house that need attention and I'm starting to think going with one person might be the least stressful for us. Here are some of the things we need done: (list removed) We are available for you to come over for a meet & greet & to check things out any evening this week or on Sunday this weekend. I'm pretty difficult to reach during business hours, so it would be best to call my fiancee, Aaron (cc'd), to make arrangements. He can be reached at (removed). By the way, we live in the Brewer's Hill/Highlandtown area of Baltimore City (removed). We look forward to hearing back from you. Sincerely, Cheri & Aaron INITIAL RESPONSE FROM COMPANY: On Mon, Aug 18, 2014 at 8:26 PM, M L <villagecarpenterhz@gmail.com> wrote: "Still in business" is an odd question. Not every client writes reviews. I'll have to check my schedule as to when the next time I may be in your area for estimate. Thank you in advance for your consideration Sent from my iPhone MY RESPONSE TO COMPANY: On Mon, Aug 18, 2014 at 8:35 PM, Cheri wrote: Haha... sorry about that, Mark... I figured you were, just wanted to make sure. I totally understand that a lot of customers don't leave reviews, I certainly don't leave one for every service I receive. :) Look forward to hearing back from you on your availability. Thanks so much for the swift response and have a wonderful evening! Sincerely, Cheri I NEVER HEARD BACK FROM HIM AGAIN (this review was written on 9/27/14). Very disappointing.

After 5 attempts to contact this company by both email and telephone Messages that were left describing what we were looking for we never received a reply. If they were too busy to take on the work, a courteous response would have been appreciated.

His estimate was way better than any other company that I had tried. He also came within the estimate. There was a little unexpected cost out of the outer trim on the windows that needed to be replaced. He prepared me for the possibility beforehand. I like everything about them. He's a really nice guy, did beautiful work and great price. He got along great with anybody.

Giving a farmhouse estate circa 1842 a fresh renovationrequired a combination of old school workmanship and craftsmanship. The family owned and operated four generation Master Carpenter and crew the Village Carpenter was the absolute best choice possible for this project. The main farmhouse required tender loving care as 160 years of aging were skillfully and gradually tuned to perfection. All of the necessary woodworking repairs were completed by Master Carpenter Mark Letersky of the Village Carpenter and the patching and painting were artfully completed by Pintail Painting. The end product was nothing shy of magnificent. Their strong work ethic and expertise, combined with many years of masterful woodworking experience made this project a huge success. This project had been postponed year after year to properly budget and select the right crew to complete this project. The working cooperation of a Master Carpenter from the Village Carpenter and outstanding painters from Pintail Painting completed this project through every square-foot of the estate. The pictures do not do justice to the quality woodworking, craftsmanship and workmanship that went into this project. Not only is the Village Carpenter highly recommended, they are a versatile Contractor to handle exterior, interior, covered areas, and any other project worthy of taking the time and effort for careful renovation and repairs. Although this project represented every extreme, the professionals from the Village Carpenter stuck to their estimate, stayed on budget, and consistently maintained a level of communication worthy of their reputation. Of great concern for this project was the EPA certification and job site safety standards maintained for all of the lead based restoration. Working areas were draped, tarped, and vacuumed clean daily even on the roof surfaces, gutters, ground surface, and all of the leaded debris was accounted for and properly hauled away in compliance with the EPA guidelines and restrictions. We could not of hope for a more professional, cost-efficient, and more personable company for all of our restoration projects. They completed the extreme gable woodworking and rooftop pinnacle repairs, all sides to the farmhouse on the estate, porch columns and railings, covered porch surfaces, deck work, shutters, the entire barn and timber work and our 160-year-old woodworking needs were handled with extreme care and masterful preservation by the Village Carpenter. On a side note, windows were replaced, interior trim and cabinetry was completed, and at the end of every day, the job site was clean and prepared for the next day of the project. There simply is no other choice for a consumer wanting a quality, old-school strong work ethic and masterful skill level carpentry, masonry, electrical and plumbing completed per your request, at your direction, and at a cost qualifying every dollar spent. We will undoubtedly be using this fine company again and again and cannot offer any higher recommendation for their services. Interestingly enough, they shared that they will consider any size project. They will do small projects, or even tackle the exterior and interior of a 6000 ft.² farmhouse estate like this 1842 landmark. You'll find no better. Many thanks again to Master Carpenter Mark Letersky, his Family and crew.

The price quote was right on target but they wanted 1/3 to book the work, 1/3 on the first day of the job and the rest at the completion - and he quoted a range of price, and asked for the payment based on the highest amount, rounded up. And, he had almost no materials to buy for the job - I bought almost every thing.

It didn't go, perhaps he was too busy to call back.

Mark is pleasant, considerate, and unobtrusive. He provides his own tools and removes any waste generated during the project. His personal knowledge of construction methods and materials is extensive.

Everything went well...the new caulking has resolved the window leaks I was having and the job site was cleaned up perfectly...there was also no damage to the shrubs that he had to carefully work around in order to reach the windows. Cost seemed a little on the high side, but the quality of the work was top-notch.

When the water source in the horse barn was failing to yield any water, we were concerned. Of course, we called Mark. He responded rapidly and diagnosed the problem accurately. Our outdoor hydrant was failing and needed to be replaced. Mark hand-dug through a concrete slab (oh yes he did!) in order to remain sensitive to the surrounding barn structure. He located the base of the hydrant line, removed the hydrant, and replaced it with a new model that he custom sized for my wife's height. He encased the hydrant pipe such that it could be removed easily in the future if need be; and he perfectly poured replacement concrete to complete the job. Amazing! Mark Letersky is Baltimore's #1 Handyman!

Mark Letersky is amazing. His work is professional. His insight is valuable. He operates with integrity. And his prices are competitive. Mark repaired some broken fencing in our horse pasture. He repaired a gate that had not functioned properly in years. He re-graded portions of the pasture to improve functionality of the gates. He repaired two broken gates. I couldn't be more happy with Mark and absolutely plan to use him again soon.

Mark did a remarkable job with a project that required considerable care and attention. Following the construction of a garage addition, we brought in Mark to execute the final grading work. He did so flawlessly - and with a machine that did not harm the surrounding yard. He seeded and strawed and left us with clear watering instructions. Next, he installed geopavers for a mower exit ramp, and further seeded and strawed. He incorporated drainage into the project, and he improved the gutter sytem on the garage. Once again, Mark came through with top quality work. Another job well done!

I bought my wife an outdoor water station for her garden. It's positioned at the far end of our deck and requires a water source. We have a hose bib on the deck's opposite side. I contacted Mark to talk with him about options for running the water line into the garden station in a manner that wasn't aesthetically compromising. He constructed a solution and married it with an additional plan to add a portion of wooden decking to an area of the deck that was otherwise unused and unsightly. Mark killed two birds with one stone and I couldn't be happier with the result. Again, Mark Letersky set himself apart from his competitors with his creative solutions and strength of character. He's the best there is!

Mark went above and beyond to assist with the redesign and reconstruction of multiple door systems in the house. His eye for excellence and his insight regarding how best to serve a circumstance are remarkable. We are very happy with Mark and have already asked for his assistance on other projects.

After going to 2 "big box" stores and one lumber company about this work and being told that the doors would be special order and take 4 to 6 weeks to arrive, I found The Village Carpenter on Angie's List. Mark got back to me right away. He put me in touch with a lumber supplier who was able to get the right doors in two days. Mark picked the doors and hardware up at the lumber company. He arrived at the time he said, did all the alterations from the back of his truck, since the site was a condo and had no space for the tools needed. He then installed the doors, and they fit perfectly. I would highly recommend him to anyone needing carpentry and/or handyman services. My only regret is that I no longer live in Maryland and won't be able to use his services here in Florida.

He quoted $2300 for the job and others quoted $1000. I think he was charging for the traveling and bunch of other things. He lives 10 miles of North where I live, so it was not possible for him too. He was a good guy. He said he would send me a quote next day or so, but he didn't send it and the week went by. I actually contacted him and he needed a couple of days. He sent it then. He was on time. He answered my questions.

Surpassed my expectations in every category. Mark was very easy to work with professionally - organized, responsive, and able to communicate via email. He was willing to bring his expertise to the table and consult on the project when I wasn't able to provide explicit instructions. He also asked for clarification on the level of work desired when necessary rather than defaulting to a rush job. After some other renovation experiences this quality of service was unexpected. I hope to keep working with Mark in the future.

Men from other companies that came out told me that it was my skylight and I needed a new one but I knew that I didn’t, because when it rained, the water wasn’t coming in through the skylight and the guy from Village Carpenter, Mark agreed with me. He was the only one that came out and said I was absolutely right, he told me it was not the skylight, it was the wood up there, it was pine wood and apparently pine absorbs moisture and that’s what was causing it. So he took it all down and put up new wood and said that it won’t happen again. He checked my skylight and said it was perfect. He also went up on the roof to put something up there to divert water away from the skylight, just in case, when it rains and he also said my roof was fine. Other people all said I needed a new roof and Mark said 'absolutely not', so he was great and he probably saved me a lot of money. He was clean, he was quiet, and he came here when he said he would come.

The man from The Village Carpenter was good and nice. The estimate was somewhat high so we didn't use him. We did try to schedule him before we got a lower quote from a competitor and it took him about a week to 10 days to phone us back but his professionalism was excellent.

His work was absolutely amazing. He replaced the base of the cabinet and the sidewalls with a maple that matches the rest of the cabinets. It is better than new. Moreover, it turns out that there was a small leak in a pipe that was connected to the dishwasher. He fixed that as well. He is also neat, courteous, interesting to talk to, responsible and on time. What more can you ask for!!

I called the Village Carpenter & he responded within 1/2 hour.We exchanged emails with photographs & he gave me a ballpark estimate. He scheduled a appointment & arrived on time & completed the work on the same day. The cost was less then the estimate that he quoted on the telephone. I would recommend the Village Carpenter & use him again in the future.

Overall, it went well. Mark did a fantastic job and we've already booked him to complete another project.

We've been consistently beyond pleased by The Village Carpenter's work. No negatives to report whatsoever. One thing we'd recommend is that the assumption not be made that he solely does carpentry, due to the name of the business; he is truly a jack of all trades.

There was some delay in getting the replacement window from the manufacturer. Otherwise, it went well.

I could not have been more impressed and do indeed intend to use The Village Carpenter again.