Elysium Painting Company

8/14/13 UPDATE: Elysium's response below was well written and sounded professional, but was dishonest to the point of being hurtful. I would be puzzled by the response if it were not so consistent with the lack of attention to detail shown in the painting of our house. This misleading response, has compelled me to change my rating to more accurately reflect my more informed appraisal of their "Professionalism" and "Responsiveness" from my original rating of A and B, to F on both. I will detail the errors here: Day 2, Ricardo painted the windows and trim with trim paint, while the windows were shut. Never opened partially. Period. Day 3, I pointed out this mistake. He apologized, cut the windows open with a blade, and re-painted them slightly open as he should have in the first place. ...copied from Elysium's response: " He mentioned you wanted easier access to the paint can in case you wanted to use the colors to paint an accent wall on your own, and didn?t want the lid too tight so it wouldn?t disturb pain in your hands." THIS DID NOT HAPPEN. I never requested anything of the sort. There is no accent wall in my home. My hands are perfectly healthy. I'm a daily piano player. I have No Idea where this fabrication is from. ...copied from Elysium's response: "I?m glad the stem cleaning we did for you and the credit we applied to your bill addressed this in full" THIS DID NOT HAPPEN. There was never any steam cleaning. The $50 did cover the Benjamin Moore can of paint that wasn't closed properly and formed a skin. ...copied from Elysium response: " Since you wanted to paint the accent wall, it?s possible leaving some paint out was a request we honored for your convenience." THIS DID NOT HAPPEN. We have no accent wall. The last time I painted in my home was 1 year ago. I did not want to do any further painting on my own, which is why I hired painters. ...copied from Elysium's response: "with all due respect, photos of your home before the project began showed the outlets having paint on them before our arrival" THIS DID NOT HAPPEN. The walls they painted had new, high-quality, brushed nickel outlet covers. One of these was painted around. Blue wall paint was rolled up to and around the cover, not touching it, but leaving a white outline around it. The other 2 outlet covers did not already have paint on them, and were within the built-in shelf area that was painted with White trim paint. ...copied from Elysium's response: "I?m sorry about the shelf ? we should have asked you if you wanted us to clear all your belongings and paint behind it" THIS DID NOT HAPPEN - The shelf was cleared, removed, painted on all sides, then put back up - where is was then painted around - leaving a 1 in unpainted stripe behind it. This I'm sure makes no sense to any reader, as it still doesn't to me. ...copied from Elysium's response: " The holes were patched, primed, sanded then re-patched, which is a process more cumbersome from the outside but helps a good painter achieve a finer detail of coverage when the whole thing is done." THIS DID NOT HAPPEN - The 2 large screw holes in the wall by the banister were Made By The Painters, apparently during a first attempt at hanging the banister back up in the stairwell. They were not present before painting began. They were never filled, but were painted over. You get no extra credit or thanks for repairing your own damage. Especially when I, the customer, has to point it out. I will address any further misleading, however carefully worded, response by Elysium. We paid the full amount to Elysium. The least we can hope for in return is an honest admission and apology for a clearly substandard job. Below is my Original, unchanged, Review from July 26th: Very friendly managment and painters, but hurried work, took shortcuts, and made lots of mistakes. Some mistakes I can't get over - example - painting double hung windows shut - no intention of opening. Really??? Also left paint covers sitting on the containers but not closed properly - which resulted in a large spill in one case (3 hr clean up for my husband and I - luckily in a tile floor storage room), and ruining an almost full can of Benjamin Moore Paint (thick skin formed on paint in can) in another case. The 3rd open container was a handheld paint cup left totally uncovered with 2 in.s of paint in the bottom and sitting on edge of shelf. I discovered that one within a few hours, and simply grabbed a brush to make some touch ups and washed out the cup myself. It would have dried over night and ruined the paint cup in best case scenario - worst case - one of my 2 cats would have knocked it over while no one was around to see. These all happened on different days during the 4 day job. Other mistakes included - Painting around 3 outlet covers (removed the rest), painting over large screw holes in wall without filling first, painting around a removable shelf (so when we went to adjust the height of the shelf, a 1 in. stripe of old color showed) as well as the mistakes you might expect - thin coverage in some areas, and wall paint on white trim in a few places. Elysium management is very personable and wanted to fix any mistakes. They say they'll refund me the cost of Benjamin Moore paint can that was basically ruined, and did come to fix all the mistakes. Although I'm not sure what I haven't discovered yet - which is the crux of the problem. I really don't like the position of babysitting or checking up on a professional. I'd expect a pro to walk into a room and point out the mistakes to me, not the other way around. I certainly don't expect to explain how to paint windows to a painter, who knows very well how to paint - which makes me feel like the butt of a joke. All said and done, the rooms do look nicer now that before, but the laundry list of mistakes just got to be too long. I won't be using their services for phase 2 (laundry room, family room ceiling, garage mud and tape)

It didn't turn out very well. They didn't tell me all the restrictions to this deal so the deal pretty much didn't service purpose. I didn't get a written estimate and they gave me the price. The work itself was fine, but in terms of the guy who give the assessment and communication on all the thing to deal would actually covered, they didn't do that, they did a horrible job of that and actually they didn't tell me that and they handed me a bill that was higher than I expected. They also rescheduled on me multiple times. The work people foreman whoever was there wasn't very consistent. I would use them again in terms of quality, but I would have to be very involved in. They did refund me $200 after going through this ordeal.

Alex and his crew were punctual and professional. Cleaned up thoroughly, kept us informed during the process and were responsive to our requests.

Elysium was quick and fair with their estimate. The painters were punctual, friendly, clean, and quiet. Listening to and working with their interior designer was both fun and enlightening. The work quality is fantastic. House looks great!

they gave me a detailed quote and they responded very fast. They're not pushy, they don't underestimate the work and they know what I want.

This was the best experience we have had with contractors. The team was personable and very respectful. They were very careful with our home and of our space. They never complained about all the mistakes we have made in 38 years of home decorating and repairs. Our house looks amazing. They also cleaned and made sure every dot of paint and dust were removed. We already plan to have another job done. We just loved the crew.

Out of the 8+ painters I contacted, Elysium was one of two who were available. I needed the house I was moving into worked on within the next 6 days so I could move in. Kevin met with me and gave me an estimate that was $1000 less than the other company and he said they could finish the job before my move date. He was able to begin work the very next morning and he completed the job within the 6 days so that I was able to keep my target move date! I was extremely pleased. They did miss a few things (removing wallpaper on a few closet shelves and a spot under the bathroom counter--and a little touch-up), but given the circumstances and nature of this job, they did GREAT!

Service was very good. They prepped the wood and painted all the wood trim on my home. They also replaced 6 boards. They kept the boards that they replaced so that we could see them. They also accommodated a last minute add of painting the trim around the front door. Additionally, they called and suggested that we paint the gutters as that was not in the original quote saying that they thought it would not look as good if we didn't, and they were right. We were able to add on the gutters at a very small price. The overall price came in very close to their quote. My trim hadn't been painted in about 20 years, and what a difference the paint job made. It was very neat and thoroughly done. And they left the left over paint for me. The employees on the premises were very polite and very good about cleaning up after themselves. I did find a couple of nails that they had missed laying on the ground, but not a big deal. I was very happy with this company and would recommend them.

The person who came and did their quote was really friendly and offered some good advice. My wife and kids were the one here when he gave the quote and he made them feel very safe and comfortable. They are just professional. He worked with our budget.

THEY DID AN EXCELLENT JOB. wILL USE THEM IN THE FUTURE

They were real punctual. I was very happy. Tim was the painter, he was meticulous. He was great and did a really good job. Their pricing was fair. I had other bids and they were reasonable.

It went very well. They were on time and very quiet. There was no hustle or bustle. They came in, did their work, and did it completely in the time specified. Even though it took a little time, they did not charge us for that. Even though we had gotten three quotes, they came in cheaper than one of the others. They were very open to suggestions; we have a lot of angles in our house. They were really good at matching up what paint we wanted where.

I like their attitude. They were personable. Definitely use Elysium Painting Company.

They were great. Everything made them great. They were attentive to our needs. The price was okay. The people they sent out were very friendly. They cleaned up perfectly every night before they left. They were very careful with our plants. They did work beyond what they needed to do. It was just wonderful and a great experience. They were just so good. I can't say enough good about them. I think the price was right on.

Elysium Painting Company gave me a thorough estimate for painting the repairs that they would do but I haven't had the work done yet. His price was great and the efficiency and his details and descriptions of the appraisals was good.

Prompt and respectful crew of painters, and quick. Great prep, painting and clean up work. No runs or marks, which is always a relief. Will use them in the future, most certainly.

It was a very good experience and the price was reasonable. They did very good work, and it still looks great almost three years later. They always kept us up to date with the progress of the project daily. They were also always on time and very professional. They always cleaned up the area at the end of the day.

It turned out fine and we were satisfied!

I was a little nervous about this project but Chris and Don and their team impressed at every turn. They showed up promptly on day one and were there through the end of the day Friday. Very professional, courteous and clean. Best of all, and what made me nervous is how picky I can be about jobs like this. Every little issue I found they agreed was an issue and fixed it immediately. Could not have been happier with what they did in the house.

Overall, I was pleased with the painting job that Elysium completed for the price that they charged; however, there were several spots along the trim work that I had to go back and touch up because they had forgotten to do so.

They are fabulous! I have only good things to say about them!

It went very, very well! They were really flexible and professional which I appreciate. We will use them again!

What I disliked about Elysium Painting Company was that there was a disconnect between the person I spoke to and got the quote from and the workers on the property, there wasn't good communication, the people who came, didn't necessarily do what I had agreed with the other guy that they were supposed to do, the house had lead paint and they were supposed to be very careful about getting all the paint chips and they weren't careful about that. They left paint chips and then they tried to clean it up later on and there was paint mixing with the mulch and the garden and stuff and they didn't collect the paint chips behind the garage which was out of the way and they just left it lying there which they shouldn't have done. What I liked was that the guys who did the job were very nice and they were very easy to work with and they did a good job other than not collecting the chips, they also did some repair work which was good. There was another middle man who I saw only once and he was here one time and I didn't deal with him, my main problem was that there was a disconnect between them. There was a problem on the first day when the manager guy had some problem with his family so the crew were sitting here for 2 hours waiting for him to come to start the job and he never came and then I called the main guy who came in, so there were issues like that.The price was reasonable and the quality of work was good, he got right back to me almost every time I called and they were here when they said they would be. The workers who came out were professional but the management was not. They finished the work and we paid them and he did some price reductions for us.

First off their staff is VERY courteous but: 1. They called and canceled / re-scheduled our first appointment which is fine. It happens. 2.The day of the estimate I had to called them 30 minutes after our agreed meeting time to find out they were running late. They arrived an hour late. In a very apologetic way though. 3. Their estimate came WAY above (more than double) every other company, including the best rated on Angie's List for exterior painting. 4. They have a deal going on right now; $1499 for 1,500 SQUARE feet. My house is definitely smaller, much smaller, but they told me I wouldn't qualify because that was for LINEAR feet followed by an even more bizarre explanation that i couldn't even understand. I was very confused. Anyways I'm so glad I didn't buy the deal before asking! 05/07/2013 Update to provider's response: Dealing with another company? Now you are insulting me Dave! I wish I could post Chris's messages here. Whoever needs proof of my conversations with Elysium please email me. I'll be glad to provide email and phone messages. l.erazo@yahoo.com Respectfully, Ramon

Prompt arrival, very professional, great clean up and no requests to correct some work not performed correctly in the first place!