My Home Renovation Experts

Four months ago, My fiance and I were first-time homeowners and about to embark on our first renovation in NYC. We purchased a co-op so we needed to find a reliable, licensed contractor that our board would approve. We started from scratch (AKA AngiesList) and came across MyHome who had great reviews.We scheduled a consultation with their contractor, Lior who met us in our tiny, outdated upper east side kitchen. Unbeknownst to us, he would quickly became our kitchen guardian angel. We did meet with four other companies while we were doing our homework in order to compare and contrast costs and plans...MyHome's proposal was pretty much on par with others in terms of cost, but the customer service and reliability immediately far-exceeded the others (one of which did not even deliver a proper proposal). Before signing, we expressed concerns with the proposed cost being that the kitchen was so tiny...He was very fair and honest in telling us that we couldn't expect to do the job we wanted for less than he proposed (although he did promise to help us cut corners where we could). We appreciated his honesty and that he wasn't willing to lower the price just to get our business and then shock us with budget increases through the process (I had read and heard such nightmares). It was clear that MyHome values quality over quantity. Lior delivered on his promise to help us cut down costs where applicable and guided us through every step of the process. He took (ALL) our calls, emails and in-person meetings whenever necessary and constantly eased any worries ("I don't know if that counter is going to match the floors!!"). We began in the showroom where he showed up a really helpful 3-D model of what the kitchen would look like through a digital program they use. It was amazing and extremely helpful (especially to me, who has a hard time visualizing something that's not in front of me). He took the time to juggle any which way we could lay out the new kitchen that would best fit the (SMALL) space and showed us why he chose each option. Next, we picked out materials in the show room. Everything from tile, backslash, counter-top, etc. I must be honest, I wasn't crazy about any of the kitchen displays in their showroom, but they did have plenty of samples that more fit my own personal style so there were no worries there. Once the orders were placed and the materials were scheduled to arrive, we began. To our pleasure and surprise, we finished about two weeks ahead of schedule. The entire process took about four weeks. The workers showed up every morning promptly at 9am and always got a ton of work done each day. It was so fun to come home and see something new in the kitchen! Living in a construction zone, was not fun. so we were happy to see they were making progress quicker than expected. The finished product is amazing! We didn't have any cost add-ons through the process (which i heard are EXTREMELY common). There were no damaged items delivered. Everything came on time. All the materials were correct, etc. I had anticipated all the typical problems with renovations and was pleasantly surprised at how easy the process was. I would DEFINITELY use them again for any other remodeling we do in the apt. And if you're lucky, you'll work with Lior!

We are a NYC based interior design studio and called on MyHome to help us with a kitchen remodel we were doing in the West Village. As members of the trade ourselves, we are inevitably more difficult as clients than your average homeowner is, but we could not have been more impressed with MyHome. Firstly, their pricing knocked the competition out of the park, and the completeness and detail in their proposal and scope of work ("the paperwork") is like nothing I've seen before from contracting firms. As a design firm, we were initially wary of having an additional external project manager on site, but Denise Ruhl from MyHome was absolutely fantastic: knowledgeable, reliable, resourceful and respectful of our role as designer on the project. The work itself was performed to a really high standard: the crew were excellently coordinated by Giorgi the foreman; were there when they were supposed to be; and were clean and tidy. I would have no hesitation whatsoever in recommending them to others.

Although I did end up working with My home I was impressed. We only did not go with them because our work is a rental reno and the price was a bit high for work not in our own home. I made an appointment and quickly had someone at my browstone to take a look at the work. Andrew was prompt and professional. He explains both their their approch to the job very well and gave good advice. The response after came quickly and was well laid out. I will keep them in serious consideration should we need work done for ourselves in the future.

Look no further--hire these people. Andrew and Vita understood what I wanted done; made some excellent, attractive suggestions, started when they said they would and finished within the time-frame of our contract. I'm very happy with my new kitchen.

The project was estimated at 6 weeks, and that's what it took. This is a modestly sized apartment, and the demolition and subsequent work meant we spent the time partly in hotels and partly sleeping the LR, so it was a mess, but that was the going-in deal. By sticking to the schedule and keeping us informed, Myhome made it all much easier. They were good at daily cleanup, covered everything, masonite over the floors etc. We picked them in part for the good reviews on AL and part for the full-service nature of the operation. A designer makes an initial visit, you explain what you want, and you get a preliminary estimate (which was really close to the final). The project was tricky, the space was long and narrow, and almost triangular, so there were difficult angles and corners, and the plumbing was tricky. You then work with a designer. They have varieties of hardware, tile, etc on display, but you're not limited to any vendors. They also price the job with high, medium, and low-priced fixture options. They are the GC, and the tradesmen mostly had exclusive deals to work for MH, even they were independent contractors. After we'd settled the design and the materials, they gave us detailed work plan with everything priced out to the penny. I think we made only one change, a small one, during the work. A project manager is assigned to the project, and is pretty much always available for questions or complaints. The PMs don't have authority, but they are helpful problem solvers and coordinators. We had a couple of several-day delays on the plumbers -- some other job was taking longer than expected -- but we have done renovations before and experienced WEEKS delays with plumbing and electrical, so this was good performance. A bonus is that they take responsibility for working with the coop boards. They were particularly helpful on this one, since we were the first in the building to make such a renovation, and they showed the managers a streamlined way to file and get approved by city, which saved a lot of time and money. End of story is that the bathroom is beautiful, the price was fair, the full-service process saved us lots of aggravation, our expectations were met and exceeded, and we would not hesitate to use them again.

From my first meeting with Osh to working with designer Kristiann and project manager Denise all went great. Osh immediately creates a rapport of confidence, experience and professionalism. I was interviwing other contractors but after meeting him...I was like, wow, that's the company. If they do what he promises, this will be great. And they did. The choosing of materials and design with Kristiann, the designer, was smooth and the bathroom turned out great. Denise, the project manager, kept us well informed and was very responsive. The crew working at home did not speak much English but were very polite and work in a fashion to create the least possible disturbance to the rest of the house. MyHome has an outstanding method of working, all materials were at hand before work commencing, from financial management of the project to final touch up stages all very professional and responsive. Any email or call I put through with questions or comments were responded promptly. They are really an amazing well run company and the quality of the work was also very good. I'm looking forward working with them next summer when we will renovate parts of our kitchen. Heads up...I did find them a bit pricey (though all my friends sais this is NY!!!) and there is no margin of negotiation but definitely headache free. We were in very good hands.

Overall this is a great company, that does great work, and has really nice people. Yoel Piotraut, a managing partner, brought the project in and was very professional and trustworthy. Henry Schuck is the person who ultimately managed the project. He is incredibly knowledgeable on every aspect of renovation. No matter what went wrong (and there is always something that goes wrong with renovation! In my building, which is pre-war, we found old pipes that needed replacing and walls that were not straight etc), he doesn't blink - he just takes on the responsibility to address the issues and fix them. He never once complained no matter what it was or what time of day or night. I started out wanting to only renovate one bathroom but ended up renovating almost the entire apartment - including 2 bathrooms, kitchen backsplash, floors, doors and radiators. Yoel was reasonable on the pricing - a few things were very much over-priced but he was willing to work me on others so that it all worked out fair in the end. The quality of the plumbing and tiling was outstanding. Most of the crew were meticulous as they worked! They all took great pride in their work. That's actually very important because it means they care and want to do a great job for you. I would definitely use them again.

Our experience with MyHome was incredible. They were extremely responsive, well organized, fast, considerate of our co-op, and professional..basically all we could ask for! Our kitchen came out ammmmazing. JP was great to work with and was really helpful with picking out finishes and determining the flow of the kitchen. Matthew was also very knowledgeable and helpful! If you're looking to instal an Ikea kitchen, this is not the contractor for you. Thank you so much! For pictures of our kitchen visit: http://www.apartmenttherapy.com/natashas-fashionable-functional-small-cool-contest-204003 more/larger pictures here: https://www.flickr.com/photos/124773525@N07/sets/72157644812574603/

Using MyHome was a truly frustrating experience. Most deadlines were not met and materials were "lost." The workers violated the company rules in how they behaved in our apt. There was much "managing" on our part, which should be the responsibility of MyHome The workmanship was ultimately not equal to the price paid. We will never use them again.

We were delighted with the professionalism, responsiveness, quality of materials and workmenship. The painting of the apartment was excellent and extremely reasonable. We were cconsidering another firm and to induce us to sign with My Home, they included skim coating of the bathroom ceiling at no additional charge. Similarly, when we were given a price to change all of the switch plates in the apartment, which we felt was too high, they essentially reduced the price by half. Keep in mind that this is a business and there is some negotiation on items so we did not take offense that the initial quote for changing/installing the switch plates was excessive. Likewise, we were able to negotiate a good price on the painting of the apartment. In terms of followup, the sink in the vanity chipped. My Home arranged for an immediate replacement and installation. We had done our homework and knew that the cost of a gut renovation would be in this price range. While we could have possibly saved a few thousand elsewhere, we had an excellent experience and would use them again. We worked with Yoel, Jennifer and Michael and couldn't have had a more positive experience.

The managing partner who acted as my project manager was very professional, courteous and flexible. We went back and forth on the budget. I found his price to skim coat all the walls too steep, but he was willing to work with me on the other line items I asked him to bring down (such as replacing and reframing the bathroom and bedroom doors). I ended up having an IKEA kitchen installed because his numbers to install a new kitchen were three times higher, but IKEA pricing is hard to beat. As is typical in renovation projects I've been involved with, I felt I had to micromanage specific parts of the project such as tile installation, paint finishing, etc., but the managing partner made up for things like this with his readiness to remedy anything I wanted fixed. His purchasing manager was also very flexible and on top of schedule, pricing and sourcing in order to get materials and appliances purchased and delivered in a timely manner. In the end, I was happy with the overall outcome.

This company was way to expensive and the labor cost for a 5 x 8 full renovation bathroom cost 14k!!! Not including material. Total cost for material estimated around 35k! That is ridiculous. Do not use this contractor! Do your research beforehand

Their quote was ridiculously expensive. For painting alone, they were charging us like $19,000 for a one bedroom apartment. Other than that, they seemed to have a design team on hand and the guy was very nice. They were educating us about the renovation process and they did take the time to go over things.

iI had a bathroom renovated by My Home and was so happy with the result that I contracted with them to completely renovate my kitchen as well as re face my fireplace. As with my previous experience , the most professional organization I have ever worked with. The prices are very reasonable, the job was performed on time and within budget and the workmanship is of the highest quality. In my experience it is very rare to find this level of professionalism and quality in the renovation business. All persons, partners, designer, office personnel and particularly the craft persons performing the work were a pleasure to work with. I can't recommend this organization highly enough.

This is the most professional renovation company I have ever worked with. I received 3 other proposals from renovation companies; none were of the caliber of My Home's. They delivered a clear and comprehensive proposal, were reasonably priced, and completed the projects on time and within budget. The work performed was of the highest quality; true crafts persons who are very neat, and take pride in their work. I have a small apartment in a pre-war Co-Op building. The rules for apartment renovations are very strict. The My Home staff was extremely responsive in providing the reams of documents required by the building. Their process for design, ordering of materials and scheduling work is second to none. We did not begin the project until all of the materials were delivered to the My Home warehouse; this enabled the renovation to proceed like clock work. Materials were delivered to the apartment as needed, which added to the efficiency of the project. As the project progressed there was some additional work I asked for. My Home's change order process enabled us to schedule the additional work with no impact to the original schedule. Every person I came in contact with at My Home - Managing Partners, Office Personnel, Design Consultants Project Managers and Crafts Persons were extremely knowledgeable and professional, which resulted in a smooth, stress free experience. I would highly recommend My Home's services; they have the knowledge, experience and personnel that makes them an industry leader.

From beginning to end it was such an amazing experience.

Experience with MyHome showed me the degree of perfection a remodeling company can possibly achieve. One of the owners I had contact with is a workaholic, the type of person doesn't allow mistake. He was very focused, organized and get you prepared beforehand. They master the project, I don't need to push them like for other contractors. Their price quoted was in the middle range, but the service was platinum grade! The staffs are friendly and knowledgable, also everything can be done in-house. I ended up going with another company where my friend works at, but otherwise I would choose them for sure. They stick to their promises and I learned a lot talking to them. I think it would be very easy working with them if I did, also go check out their show room too, they have great taste!! Have no doubt they will deliver top-quality work!

We went to the MyHome showroom on West 48th Street because we had just purchased a two bedroom apt on the upper west side that needed renovation (new floors, kitchen, bathroom, closets). One of the employees we spoke with who seemed to be one of the owners or managers claimed that their costs were very reasonable and that they would help us acquire material and appliances at good prices. We made an appointment with one of their designers to inspect the apartment. He arrived promptly, seemed very knowledgeable, asked good questions, made useful comments and then sent us their bid. It was way higher than other bids we had received and when we finally selected a contractor we notified MyHome the reason we did not select them.

I did not use this contractor.

Found the sales staff at MyHome to be very pleasant and responsive. We sat in their showroom and picked out new bathroom fixtures, how we would reconfigure some cabinets and build new closets, refinish the existing floors and replace a dining room floor. There were many mistakes made along the way, mainly inferior construction work performed by subcontractors. Workmanship was sloppy, workers returned multiple times to fix their mistakes. The foreman on my project did not follow up on many issues. Cabinet maker was very good, he constructed new closets and they were fine. Some design features were not well thought out, such as the poles for hanging clothing were set too low and there was no room for the shoes shelves. It was a a slow and frustrating process to get everything resolved. The owners finally did step in, about 5 months into the process. By this point I was pretty much done with them, having been living in the midst of the reno and having multiple discussions/attempts to redo too many aspects of the job. They finished late summer 2012.

We knew renovating an apartment in Manhattan wouldn't be a breeze, but the nightmare and delays that MyHome incurred, combined with sloppy work in the bathroom, made for an extremely frustrating experience. Work began in June and was supposed to be completed by August, however we were only able to move into the place in November!!! We went through three different project managers. The first one set us back the most because he assured us that to move a wall 4ft over (in order to create a den/bedroom out of a dining "L") would be no problem and we didn't need to go through the hassle of getting a permit. Sounds good, right? Well, no, because when the super came up to check on the plumbing work they were doing simultaneously in the bathroom, he saw this and became furious. A stop work order was in place and nothing got done until a good month or so later when we finally had a permit. A similar thing then happened in the kitchen because they forgot to plan for the exhaust vent, which also ended up needing a permit. It was a headache indeed. By the way, one of the subsequent project managers tried to slip a $100 bill to the super in hopes that he would overlook the permit issue! Also, when the bathroom was finished, there were a whole list of things that needed to be fixed or tweaked - sloppy caulking, not enough grout, shelves not anchored properly and thus not level... These details become very obvious in a small bathroom and you could tell the workers just got it done to get it done. No attention to details whatsoever. They had to come back multiple times to fix these issues. Overall, I hope that MyHome learned their lesson about trying to skip permits and attention to detail. Working with them was stressful and took much more work on our part to make the end result look as nice as it does. This is not a cheap company and they promised their prices were on the higher side precisely because the work was done so well and meticulously... I guess we missed out on that part!

My interaction with them was positive. They do everything under one roof. They do complete project management. They have their own plumbers and electricians. They only have to deal with one company. That is good. The problem is they are just really expensive. For a really tiny kitchen, they quoted $65,000. They did not even have to do the design work. I already did it; I just want them to execute it. It was a ridiculous amount of money for the work to be done. Everything else seemed good except for the price. If it had only been $20,000, I would have probably said yes.

I personally have recommended them quite often because I think their service is very reliable. They send out a remodeling consultant who takes a look at things. He is a salesperson but at the same time he has the knowledge and experience of a remodeler so he knows what to look at. I was surprised that his estimate was close to what we ended up with. They have been very realistic about what needs to be done in order to do the renovations that we wanted to do and they delivered on time. They do a great job and tried to minimize disturbing our routine as much as possible when they were coming in and out. They cleaned up after themselves by using their cleaning company.

The project went beautifully. Please see above.

We worked for months with their designer, Ben. He was very responsive, knowledgeable, helpful, and had a good artistic eye and a lot of experience. He steered us correctly on almost every decision. They then obtained all the necessary permits for us, made all the arrangements with our building, and began construction. They just finished--on time, on budget, and the finished product is even nicer than we anticipated. They worked very quickly but carefully--a rare combination. The workmen were extremely nice, always courteous and in a good mood. The foreman was available and responsive. The owner of the business inspected the job regularly, and solicited our input as it went along. I can't imagine a job of this complexity going any better than this one went. We will definitely use them again and recommend them to friends.