Monk's Home Improvements

This is the first major refit of the kitchen in condo which is twenty years old, we've been in it for four years. Monk's was a great partner in this project which required us to engage our interior designer. Monk's provided suggestions along with reassurance and a reasonable estimate and time-table. The staff worked when they said they would and accommodated our schedule without a problem. They installed the counter-tops and refitted our sink plumbing when it developed a problem not related to their work. The cabinets and new hardware are truly remarkable. Monk's smoothed out all the rough edges, took great pains to limit dust in our condo, and took our concerns seriously throughout the entire project. They were on-time, on-budget, and spot-on.

Two rooms posed a couple difficult issues involving differing levels on 2 floors which the carpentry team resolved excellently. We were quite pleased. A typical 'handyman' for the work might have charged $100 less, possibly not, but the Monks team came in a and did an outstanding job and did it in a single day with full cleanup. We were quite impressed with the level of professionalism for which a possible few bucks more was an insignificant consideration. The key concern was to have the job look great and it did.

I think they did a very good job. They showed up when they were going to show up and they did the job I expected. We actually had them do more than what I originally contracted them for. I thought their pricing was fair, I had another estimate and they were in the same ballpark. They were very good, they were there everyday and did the job. The gentleman that led the group was excellent.

They were very good actually. They did an okay work. The customer service aspect was good, but the work product at the end is just okay. They did a good job, but it just was not great, as I would like. They were not expensive. They were very nice. They were very responsive. They used the material that we had and I did not realize until the end product was finished that the material that we had was somewhat down, so that the window frame instead of being completely even has kind of bruised looks on it. I think if at that time I would have paid attention I might have had a different material to use and paid more.

Although we didn't use them, it wasn't because of price as they were same price as another company. But they were very, VERY honorable and truthful about when they could realistically start the job, yet I had a more restrictive, demanding time frame. If it weren't for that minor time line, I'd have used them. The reason the N/A is checked for "Quality" is because we never used them. .

George came to estimate the price , timing, and intro the crew. They were so understanding when the remodel was delayed and we had to shift their crew/time to the following week...very tight during Holiday season, I am sure. Mr. Day came what was supposed to be the first of two days and I met Daniel, the foreman, and Williams, his 2nd in command. After giving color choices and cutting out a piece of pre-existing wall, they went right to work..by 9:30. By the time I came home from work, it was 90% completed...and it had started snowing, with a forecast to snow badly the next day. Since they started on a Thursday, this would mean they would leave gear up for weekend if roads impassable. Daniel asked me if it would be okay if they just stayed as long as it took to complete the job. ...which they did. I was so pleased. They left the place cleaned up and neat, something I cannot say for some providers I had in past. It was seamless. George followed up, and as soon as the Holiday whirlwind settles, I will call them again.

Monks did a fantastic job with our kitchen. We were so impressed with their professional outlook, ability to problem solve, and excellent service. We were so thrilled with both the look and the quality of our new kitchen. The contractors were all around great people to work with. If we ever had a question or concern, they had someone to ease our minds. They worked hand in hand with us designing our cabinets and granite counter-tops. We were especially pleased with the new lighting and fixtures they installed as well as their guidance throughout the entire process. They worked at an incredible pace to make sure our kitchen was done before Thanksgiving, and sure enough they got it done on time, and under budget. They made sure that we were getting exactly what we wanted. I couldn't be happier! Now that our kitchen is perfect, it's onto the next project!

We were extremely pleased with the quality of the work performed by Monk's and the level of professionalism throughout the project. From day 1 Monk's was prompt with appointments and estimates. The job began as soon as permits were granted...no long wait times. Greg, our project manager, was always in contact with me--letting me know who would be arriving to work that day and what time. They worked quickly and efficiently and finished our project in a very timely fashion-- working hard to meet our family's goal for project completion. Any questions or concerns I had throughout the project were addressed promptly and professionally. All of the Monk's workers we dealt with-- from painters to carpenters to dry wallers-- were not only very skilled but they were all also patient and kind to our houseful of young children who were very curious about the proceedings! Workers cleaned up after themselves and were careful not create any unnecessary mess on the way in! Our basement bedroom is beautiful and we couldn't be happier with all aspects of Monk's work.

Removed aluminum cladding around my garage doors and painted woodwork in preparation for new garage doors. Very pleased with their work - although it was scheduled in November they couldn't do the work because of the weather. I really appreciated that they came and did the work this month (December) as soon as there was a brief couple of days of high enough temperatures. I will use them again for my replacement front door. Trevor monk is very helpful.

Even though the price was a bit high, the final product was great. I would highly recommend Monks if you want quality work fast!

I contacted Monk's for an estimate to replace the weather-stripping around my front door, and to fix a "nail-pop" in my kitchen ceiling. The estimator arrived on time and had also called ahead to confirm the time & date of the initial visit. In addition to fixing the "nail-pop" in the ceiling, he also suggested repairing some other cracks in the ceiling, and gave me the quote which also included repainting the entire ceiling. On the day of the job, the estimator arrived on time with his foreman and crew. They replaced the door stripping, and completed the work on the ceiling. At the end of the day, the foreman returned to check in with his workman, and I notified him it looked like the paint was peeling in a few spots where the spackle had not completely dried. He apologized for the inconvenience, and said he would return the next day to fix the problem. They arrived on time the next day, and corrected the areas to my satisfaction. (They even were able to use the ceiling paint that I had on-hand from earlier in the year, so the paint material was not included in my estimate.) This was my first time using this company for handyman work and I found them to be very professional and would use them again in the future. They were very pleasant to work with, and did a great job on the repair and cleaning up once the work was done.

Overall good experience. However, some things were not included in the price that should've been. It was the estimator's fault and initially wanted me to pay the difference. I insisted that since I showed him the things I wanted done and he had left it out of the price (I couldn't tell he had left it off by the estimate), it was his fault. I would've gotten other estimates if I realized it was going to be +30% higher than his original estimate. He finally agreed and did the work for the original estimate.

Monks painted the exterior of our house which included a large amount of trim work (columns, wooden fence, breezeway, etc.). They also did carpentry work on the exterior where there was rotting wood. Overall they did a quality job and were very responsive to emails and requests to retouch a few areas. Ronald was the foreman of the job, and he was excellent. He was very professional and responsive to all requests.

Our deck maintenance was performed in late August. We called Monk's for an estimate and George Day responded quickly. He was very thorough in the inspection of our deck as compared to other estimators we had called. George was very professional and explained what was needed and the services required. He answered all of our questions fully. Even his written estimate was very detailed. Although the price quoted was not the cheapest estimate we received (difference of couple hundred of dollars), my husband and I felt comfortable and confident using Monks. The work on the deck took about a week (weather permitting). Two teams came within the week-one for carpentry and the other for powerwash/painting. It was a pleasure working with Alex, Diego, and their teams. They were all professional, did excellent work-can't tell which boards were new, new knobs were a little different, but very close to the original ones, solid staining was clean and even. Diego even came on a Saturday to check the paint and did some touch-ups as it had rained a little bit the previous day. Both crews cleaned up at the end of the day. We also appreciated the fact that they left us some leftover stain. The price of the job remained the same as the estimate. George returned to inspect the deck. Although George was not present during the job, he was easily reached by phone. Any concerns/questions we had were addressed promptly. Monks was also very flexible to work with. They will work with you to get the job done. Our basement window was replaced on November 5, 2013. The job could have been done earlier, but there was an error in ordering the window. We did appreciate the honesty. It does take awhile for the windows to come in. We were happy to get it fixed before the weather got colder. Esteban came a day or two later than expected to do the window replacement. He had timed it on a day when it was warm enough to allow the concrete to dry properly. We did not mind this because we wanted the job to be done right the first time. However, I wish we had been notified earlier of the change in schedule; I called George just to confirm. Like the other crews, Esteban was friendly, polite, and professional. The job done was very neat and clean. We are very happy with the work Monks has done and we would use them for future projects.

I scheduled an appointment with George to come by and give an estimate. He came by on time and gave an estimate for the work to be done. He was quite friendly. We set a time for the work to be done. On the day of the job, George came by with Cesar. He explained the job to Cesar, and then left. About 3 hours later, Cesar let me know he was finished. The interior door looked great, but the door leading to the garage did not. On the hinge side, there was about a 1/2 inch indent where the old door's frame was. Cesar explained that the door was not quite the right size, and that's why we had this. I was quite disappointed - though I had bought the door myself, both George and another contractor had told me what size door to buy. George was kind enough to follow up with both a phone call and an email, and I explained the situation. He offered to come back and fix it, and I accepted. He showed up the day we scheduled with a different contractor, and once again left. This contractor (didn't get his name) patched up the door, and it looked great. This was done without charge. I really appreciated the follow up from George and his willingness to get it done right. It was a bit of an inconvenience, to have them come by twice, but he certainly didn't have to offer to fix it. I give a B simply because it wasn't handled the first time, but as soon as George found that it wasn't perfect, he was more than willing to make it right. I would recommend using Monk's in the future, and I will most likely do so myself.

Every detail of Monk's painting service was excellent, from estimate to completion. They were neat, polite, and started and finished on time. They paid attention to detail. Everything looks great.

They gave us a quote last week. I thought that they saw the job and seem to understand what I wanted done.The price was good and it was around $1800 for doing molding floor for several rooms of one whole level. We do not really have much to talk for they have not done the work yet. For punctuality, the guy was right to the minute and that was excellent. They reminded us of things that made to be done and it is pretty good. I will use them again if said they can do or how they do this condo.

Their price seems a little high but I didn’t really have enough knowledge if it was or not. My friends used them and they said their prices are great and they did a great job which is why I called them. He was on time and prompt. He was thorough and very nice.

Went well. Started on Monday with crew of three, removed wallpaper and spackled all rooms and sanded walls. Primed kitchen and bath. Two coats on all walls. Some days had 4 men. Finished on Friday, left very clean. Good job.

We wanted our dining room, living room, hallway walls/ceiling/window/door trim painted. Original walls were painted dark red and brown, glossy and full of visible defects caused by close to 100 (more?) big nails working their way out of the sheetrock in the walls and ceiling of our late 50's split-level home. Two areas of the ceiling which were damaged by a previous leak, as well as a long crack also needed fixing. We'd asked around for a couple of quotes. One was half of what Monk's quoted us, but? after seeing the work of that other company in person at a neighbor's house (lots of sloppy details), noticing the large number of monk's signs in our county and many positive Angie's list reviews we changed our mind. Very happy that we did. Available on short notice. Done on time, ~4 day job as estimated. Used quality BM paint. No hidden costs. Foreman checked in daily, each morning and upon departure to answer questions and set next day's agenda. Crew very pleasant and always on time. They spent one day prepping walls and ceiling with a team of four, followed by a team of two people did the actual painting. Cleaned up daily before they left (removed plastic separating rooms, vacuumed, etc.) allowing use of the house while the project was in process. Great attention to detail. What little I had to point out or requested was fixed/performed immediately. One slight communication problem was easily resolved with a phone call. Happy with the end result. Zero complaints. Once everything is back in place, at our request it was left where they carefully moved it, I may update this review with actual pictures. Will use again and highly recommend them. Based on experience, this will be my go-to company for future projects.

Monks were prompt and completed the job in the time frame they stated. They kept their work area clean and neat and left our home the way they found it. They have done both interior work and exterior work for us. We had a bathroom, living room, stairwell walls and touch up throughout the interior of the house done by Monks. The interior work was great. No problems with paint, and nice paint lines where the wall meets the ceiling. Different story on the exterior. They get a C because I had to call them back before the year guarantee was up- the exterior paint on my decks began to peel and one very large area of paint completely peeled off on the street facing side of our home. They also rehung one of my street facing shutters on the second floor upside down. In the meantime our original contact at Monks held a different position and therefore we had to deal with someone else. Not a big deal but I like consistency when it comes to company contacts. They did honor their guarantee and came back and repainted the areas that were peeling in the spring of 2013 (a year later). I was told the reason for the peeling was because they probably missed sanding those areas and so the paint didn't have a good surface to stick to. It is fall of 2013 while I write this review and our back deck exterior looks like it really should have been stripped completely and painted. It just doesn't look like as good as I think it should. I think a good paint job starts with a good prep job. The C for quality represents their exterior work but I'd give them an A for the interior jobs they did for us.

The team that painted the house was excellent. They first power-washed the house and then primed the siding. The work was very professional and they were meticulous about cleaning up each day. We will definitely use them again.

Where to start? Rather than let emotion get in the way of my assessment, let me just give you the run-down of the entire process...I contacted them for a quote to perform the services listed above and they were responsive in providing that. The individual who provided the quote suggested that I commit to the services that day so that he could get me scheduled for the services to be performed the week of 8/19/2013, which I was prepared to do and did. They indicated that they would order the columns that were to be installed since it takes 3 weeks or so for them to come in. Leading up to the scheduled week of service, we had various email communications (since I had to order the tile and door hardware for the back porch). On 8/16/2013, I called to confirm that they would be coming on 8/19/2013 and was told that, in fact, they have a scheduling meeting each Monday and they would call me on 8/19/2013 to let me know when the work would be performed. They called on 8/19/2013 to let me know it would start on 8/23/2013 (Friday) and then called back to say it would start 8/24/2013 (Saturday) unless I preferred for them to start on Monday (8/26/2013) - so much for getting the work done during the week that I was told it would occur. Knowing that the more you delay with contractors the greater the risk is for further delays, I told them to be there on Saturday to start. They arrived and proceeded to work on the back porch (taking up the floor to lay the tile). I was told that the columns for the front porch arrived in the wrong size and would have to be re-ordered. They also proceeded to work on installing the front porch railings (which were your typical Azek decking railings) and replacing the bead board on the front porch. As the work progressed on the back porch, damage was done to the drip edge without anyone mentioning that they had done so. The front porch railings were installed and (1) were not even vertical (apparently no one thought to use a level?), (2) were not placed evenly on the treads (and, in fact, the base molding hung over the edge of the stair tread), and (3) were not structurally secure. In the process, the decking material I had on the porch (which had been installed a few years earlier) was also damaged. They had also sawed off the ends of the top railings on the front porch and left extremely uneven edges, which they proceeded to paint over. When I pointed these things out to them, there were various excuses given, such as (1) "it may not be vertical because the house is older and things are rarely square on older homes", (2) "the railings are not evenly spaced because the porch was not square", and (3) "you can either have aesthetically pleasing or structurally secure [relating to the railings], but not both." He also asked whether I could "live with it" when we were discussing my issues with the placement of the railings (apparently that is the level of quality he strives for...whether it is good enough for you to live with, and not whether it is done right). Also, only when I pointed out that the edges were uneven on the boards they had sawed off and painted over was I told that they would be replacing that wood anyway when they installed the columns. When I also told them that they needed to fix the decking material on the front porch that they had ruined, the individual with whom I had been dealing (the guy that originally provided the estimate) told me that they could look to see if they could find a board or two in similar material to replace the decking material that they had damaged, but could not guarantee it would be a good match. So, he was basically suggesting that I live with it. Given the issues with quality I was seeing, I called Ty Monk to come over and explain to me what they would do to fix their work. I had generally been ok with the work the painters had been doing, but on the day before Ty was to arrive (this was about 1 week into the project), the painters proceeded to repaint the back porch, which included slapping on as much paint as they could over areas where the paint had been peeling (without attempting to remove the peeling paint). So, when Ty arrived, I asked him to tell me what he thought was wrong with the work performed and he would not - instead, I had to walk through with him everything I thought was wrong. So, I proceeded to point out every bit of shoddy work that had been done and Ty stated that, while he was not embarrassed by the work they had done, he would fix everything to my satisfaction. He also explained that, because they were dealing with other people's work, the issues I was seeing would be expected (really!?! when are they ever dealing with new construction that only they have touched?). At this point, the columns had still not arrived and there was no indication when they would be coming in. I ordered new decking material so they could replace all of the material on the front porch (at their cost, not mine). When the new decking material came in, they proceeded to redo the front porch, at which time I saw why the railings they had installed were not secure: apparently one of the floor joists was rotted and, instead of telling me so that I could give the ok to replace it, they instead attached a piece of wood to the rotted wood with the hope it would hold up. As they re-did the work, I watched everything and had to have them stop and redo certain things since, again, apparently no one uses a level (e.g., one of the side shelves on the front porch was rebuilt and secured completely unlevel and no one noticed until I pointed it out as they were about to install the new flooring on it. So they had to redo what they had done to reinstall it and make it level). The columns for the front porch finally arrived (after much back and forth with the manufacturer and only after it was threatened to cancel the order and go with another manufacturer, which I realize is not Monk's fault) and were installled and, finally, the front porch could be finished. And this only took a total of about 2 months to get the entire job done...when it should have only taken about 1 week! Thank goodness this was not a project being done inside, since I would not have wanted to be dealing with people in my house for that long when it clearly should not have taken that long. Overall, I would warn you to thoroughly check the quality of the work that they do to ensure it is done right. I was surprised with how poorly this project was done given all of the great reviews that they had received. While they ultimately made sure that the work was done correctly, it should not have had to be redone in the first place. Overall, I gave them a "D" because everything was corrected, but I was really debating whether it should have been rated lower. I gave them a "F" on quality since they tried to take short cuts and only did the right work when I called them out on it. Again, my advice to you if you engage them, is to thoroughly check the work they do!

Monk Painting exceeded all my expectations. They completed the job as agreed and were very focused on ensuring that any concerns were addressed immediately. We worked with two people who were very responsive and able to answer all of our questions. We had a lot of questions during the planning process as we were not sure whether to paint or just replace the siding. Angel worked with us providing various estimates and options. He came to the house several times to ensure he was able to provide the best possible answer. The actual project was managed by a project manager, Ramon. I have to say that I have worked with may contractors but never one as conscientious as Ramon. He truly took the time to ensure the project was done right and was quick to address any concerns we had. Overall, Monk Painting did a terrific job. I have received many compliments from our neighbors on the improvements. Thank you Ramon.

The overall experience I had with Monk's was very positive. I'd easily call them again for painting,carpentry or similar job. I'm not giving them an overall grade of A but they were definitely a B+ (I'm probably a little too particular but there you have it). There was some masonry repair work that needed to be done outside that didn't look all that great but again, they did a fantastic job overall and I'd call them again. Issue: I needed to have an existing door removed - a two-door French door unit - and ideally saved to be put back in at a later date. I'm renting the house and needed to put in a door dog but am planning to have the other doors put back in upon the termination of the lease (2-5 years). I had any number of folks come out to the house - handymen, door manufacturer representatives - as well as multiple trips to Home Depot. Not a single person I talked to or explained the situation to seemed to understand what I wanted done. All it took was a call to Monk's, an appointment with the estimator (Greg, who was awesome, btw) and that got the whole thing rolling. He gave me two recommendations of door manufacturers to get estimates on doors which was something I couldn't manage to get anyone else to do for me. That started the process and overall, it was fairly painless. I won't bore you with additional details but the guys from Monk's - estimator, job foreman, and the construction crew - all were very professional and did a great job. The whole experience fully met my expectations.