Brian Mcmanus

Devils in the details. So I've have used Brian before in the past on a small job with less complexity. So I reached out again in the beginning of the season to line him up. Red Flag #1 A foremen scoped the job not him. When I questioned certain parts of the project he had to go back out and double check. We agreed to a price. Red Flag #2 I think its implied that if you are going to power wash, you are using some type of detergent or cleaner. Especially on cedar right? Nope, power wash with water only. Didn't realize it until they were done. Tip: The painter should discuss surface preparation. Use the paint or stain manufactures guidelines and have them be specific in your contract. Red Flag #2 When power washing cedar, you shoot water from the top down. Not bottom up getting excessive water under the shingles and blowing them off the house because of the force. Tip: Painter should discuss the proper way and then his way. Usually theirs a cost difference and it depends on the quality work you want. Clearly they used there way. Red Flag #3 You make sure that outdoor outlets are closed or covered preventing water from entering and tripping circuits because they did not do that. At this point I feel like I am dealing with amateurs that are just looking to rush a job. I then step up and request a formal contract to see how they define the work they are about to perform. Shame on me for not pressing for this sooner. 1 Page very limited detail. So I supply all the details from the manufacture of the stain and material being supplied. I define the scope in detail. I define what I do not want paint on. If the manufacture says it needs to be applied during this temperature or adequate thickness, then one expects the painter follow the instructions to not void any warranties. At this point he declined the job. In question was the skilled labor to follow directions and adhere to standards as I would have easily paid more to have it done right. Tip: over communicate, use documentation from the manufacture. You CAN tell someone how you want the job done unless they are volunteering and doing the job for free. If you just want a paint job, this is your guy. If you are investing in your property and are a bit more detail oriented, find someone who can define how and what hes doing. As well as does not shy away from guidelines manufactures put in print. Its ok to pay a little more for quality not quantity. Doing this upfront will eliminate surprises.

Found Brian by asking a neighboor who painted his house. His review was very postive. I contacted Brian and met him at my house for a quote which he supplied on the spot. Other contractors never made it, didn't quoted, or left quotes without reviewing the work with me. Brian was able to fit us in and did a great job. Your best bet is to phone him directly, he's not great at responding to text messages. His crew was very profesional and worked non-stop despite the heat that week. He wasn't the cheapest, but did a great job. Very pleased.

I first moved to Rochester 4 years ago and began a remodel on an old house. I don't remember exactly how I found McManus Painting but Bryan showed up (owner) and gave me an estimate. He is extremely personable but I didn't know anything about the quality of their work. I worked in a paint store for four years so I know painters and also the huge amount of difference in talent. His price was really reasonable which was concerning at first to be honest. I thought "Let's give these guys a shot" and hired them for a complete repainting of the interior of the house which included extensive base prep and painting a three level with a high gloss white on trim, earthy tone on the walls, ceilings, and satin on the crown molding. This is not an easy paint job by any stretch of the imagination, and the house I bought was built in 1930 which brings its own challenges. Now that you have a log of what we did, I can honestly say that in all my experience with painting and painters I would place Bryan and his crew at the very top of the list. These guys are excellent. The lines were straight, the cleanup was immaculate, their care and prep work was thorough and above and beyond. To keep straight lines on such an old house takes a lot of skill. The suggestions at various points during the job were spot on and showed a depth of knowledge and experience. I'm now renting my house out and I was nearing the end of the time prior to the renters taking up residence. I only had five days and had put off a couple of necessary items. I called Bryan last week and said "I'm so sorry for the late notice but is their any way you can help me out." He is really busy during the summer but they finished one of their jobs early and the whole crew was at my house and were able to wrap up what I needed done in half the time I thought it would take. Once again, their job was impeccable, and I was once again thoroughly impressed. In addition almost every member of his crew had been with him since painting my house four years ago. That speaks volumes about how tight knit the group is and that there is pride in workmanship and teamwork with the crew. This is very important when it comes to a painting crew, more so than most teams of contractors. If you are still questioning whether to give Brian a call let me add one last thing. I'm a physician and am extremely picky, to flirting with OCD like expectations. This crew has met and exceeded even my ridiculously high standards. Give him a call, you won't regret it.

This man is so skilled and creative, and has good people working for him. Brian is a genius for fabricating solutions to the odd problems that come up when working on an older house. The City of Rochester should commend his work as it makes this a prettier city house by house. My tired and almost shabby house is now the nicest on the block. He had a really competent carpenter working with him that could be called upon to fix anything as problems were discovered. A lot of rot and damage was resolved before it was painted and I had no need to interrupt the job to search for another contractor. He gets busy and so I sought him out last year and then made arrangements to paint the house. It was so worth the wait. I look forward to working with him again.

Brian and his team did a fantastic job and, throughout the whole experience, went above and beyond for service and quality. I would highly recommend he and his team to anyone.

I appreciated that he came over right away to give an estimate and describe what he was going to do. When he said " just choose the paint colors and I'll take care of the rest" I felt like I would be in good hands. I wanted someone to take care of things. That was my expectation. * He quoted me $250 for the whole job, including the paint. I agreed. There was no written contract. * Then, when he showed up the first day to begin the work, he immediately said that it would be $50 more because there was some issue with the color of the paint.... that it would take more coats and require more of his time..... I immediately said to him "Take the paint back." In my mind, I did not want to pay any more. I did not expect to pay any more. and I did not expect there to be an issue. His response was " I can't." I then said " You should have checked with me first if there was a problem with the paint color." His response was something like " You chose the color. So I didn't think I needed to contact you." * Immediately I felt put off and upset. I also felt in a bind in that my house needed this work to be done in a timely manner in order to protect against the elements. So, although I was not happy with his attitude and the fact that he did not check with me first before unilaterally deciding on the paint and charging me more, I chose to allow him to do the job. I felt stuck. But that was my fault for waiting so long to tend to these projects. * He did show up in a timely manner. * When it came time for him to paint the door, I was shocked that he did not protect the brass hardware or the leaded glass window. Although his painting was fine, some paint did get onto the hardware and window. He made no attempt to clean it up. And, quite frankly, I never mentioned it because it felt awkward. Another thing which greatly upset me was that when he went to sand the threshold, he did not warn me to seal the doorway and not stand there. The door did not close all the way because his cord prevented that and so when he sanded, I encountered a cloud of sanded dust all through the entranceway of my house. I would have prepared for that and used a different outlet location had I understood what was needed. * He did a good job painting and caulking the door frame and painting the railings, reinforced by the painting of one of his assistants. However, he left a very visible messy mark on the siding near the railings. When I asked him about it, he said that he had tried to remove it but that's all he could do. That told me that that was as good as it was going to get. And that is another reason I chose not to mention the paint on the door hardware. * After all of that, he left many very visible drops of white paint on my recently sealed driveway.

We were very pleased with everything! They cleaned up each day, raking up and shoveling over the ground to remove all paint chips. The work is highly professional and high quality work, too. Suggestions were offered for anything that may improve the quality and look of the finished product. The men who worked on the garage were extremely meticulous for the type of painting and trimming they did. Highly recommend their services!

Brian called me back the very first day I called him, came that evening and looked at the job. He was able to schedule the job that week. I was pretty amazed at his promptness and very happy with his quote. I just had my driveway paved and was worried about dents and divots but his crew did an amazing job and it was not evident a painting crew were there so soon after the paving job. Actually the very next day! The crew discovered a huge part of my neighbors tree overhanging my roof and beating against the side of the house and destroying the cedar shingles. I heard the thumping with each windy day but honestly paid it little mind. They cut down the part of the tree that was against my house and cleaned the gutters on that side. I am glad they saw the need for that as just last winter I was awakened by a crash and found the gutters on the left side of my house had come away with the weight of the debris and snow. I don't doubt I would have had the same situation this winter had they not taken the time to clear the gutters. Clean up was good and I get compliments from my neighbors about the look of my house. Very happy. I also like that I ran into Brian during one of my daily dog walks. Nice to do business with someone you see in your own neighborhood. Would and will use him again.

We were very pleased with results. House and trim look great!. Brian was directly involved with all aspects of work and was very professional.His workers were competent, polite, well-supervised, and diligent. We felt that they worked as if the house was there own and DID NOT take the attitude of "good enough." The foundation plantings, shrubs, etc., were protected. They cleaned up during the project and afterwards left us with a beautifully painted exterior with no damage whatsoever to the surrounding areas. Considering all the extra work that was done, we felt that the price was very reasonable. We highly recommend Brian and his team and would be glad to have him use our home as an example of his workmanship.

Brian and his whole crew were efficient, personable and eager to help us with various details that were not even necessarily their job, but helped us get the job done. Brian helped us pick out colors, understood our special requests and the crew protected our gardens as the work progressed. they kept their work going whenever the weather allowed, made sure paint was scraped as much as possible and did a good job getting the chipping paint off of our 100+ year old house.

Brian did an excellent job. He returned voicemails and text messages promptly, he gave me great advice that 1. saved me money and 2. advice that would help ensured that this paint job would look great for a long time. His crew was courteous and professional. He delivered on everything he promised and more. I will absolutely call him first the next time I need painting done.

End result was great -- vanity looks like new. I would highly recommend him and have done so. I am in process of having a partial bath remodel. My vanity top was replaced and the vanity base was in good shape other than a few worn spots. It now looks like new. I had a basic refinish done and am pleased with the results.

He did not return my initial phone call.

BRIAN MCMANUS did a great job. They were careful with the landscaping and the workers were nice.

My house was sanded,primed and painted. I was nervous hiring someone to paint but 100% satisfied in the end. I wouldn't recommend anyone else for the job. The quality and price are unmatchable.

The weather was a factor that they had to work around but the work was done in a timely fashion. The crew was very polite and efficient. The foreman James, was very responsive to all our concerns. Brian frequently came around to monitor the progress. All in all the work was excellent and we would highly recommend using them.

Brian came to give the estimate within days of the initial call. Powerwashing was completed 2-3 days later (3rd week of May). The scraping, priming and painting was completed in one day by a two-man crew. They did a great job and cleaned up after themselves. The front trim has a lot of fussy dental trim across the entire front and it needed painting badly. They did a thorough job. It looks great. When I paid Brian on June 3rd, I pointed out an area just behind the gutters that needed additional work. He said he would get "the guys" out to complete it but they haven't been back. Our weather has been rainy and very wet, so I'll give him the benefit of the doubt, but I don't consider the job complete. Hiring this provider again depends on whether this work is completed.

I have a 2500 SF 32 year old cedar clapboard sided home that needed staining. Brian's price was competitive. The work was done with good quality and timeliness. They committed to my home (without jumping between jobs) and despite having to "wait out" several days of rain, worked only when the conditions were right. Their foreman James, was experienced and followed up conscientiously with the other crew members. The quality was excellent. The crew was very neat around my home and even worked around some sensitive landscaping. The crew were all very polite. I would use them again for this job!

.Brian was one of two (out of three called, all "A" rated on the List) who responded to a request for quotes, and his price was $200 lower than the other quote. Furthermore, he responded to the request for a quote the same day, while the other had to be reminded and projected a two month delay before work could start. Brian showed up with his team at the time promised, and when asked to be careful of plantings around the garage, made sure that measures were taken to protect the plants from being walked on by the team members. Advised that some of the scraped paint was probably lead-based, the team took some care to minimize chips during the scraping process, but the measures were only partly successful. We don't have children, but the team could have been more careful with the chips. It was only a garage, but I wouldn't say that they used real lead-abatement procedures. In general, the quality of the work was acceptable, though one plant hanger was clearly not protected from brush overflow, and the corner and door trim was painted in the trim color only on the outer surfaces...the edges of the trim pieces were painted the main color. This is probably our fault for not mentioning specifically how we wanted the trim to be painted, but we thought that in specifying the trim a certain color, it would have been obvious that the edges as well as the outer facing surfaces would be painted in that color. One other, albeit minor, complaint from my partner was that she was somewhat put off by Brian's penchant for using "salty" language. It didn't bother me (I was in the military), and after the initial quote and job start, Brian was not present long enough or often enough for language to be an issue. Despite the minor complaints, his crew was polite, they worked quickly and efficiently, showed up when expected, cleaned up after themselves, took pains to protect our garden from being trampled as they worked, and didn't get paint all over the foundation of the building. I'd call him again, but I'd be more careful about specifying EXACTLY what I want painted and how I want it painted

Brian called back immediately, came out to the home to give me and estimate on time and followed up with another phone call. His price was a bit high so I did not choose him.

In short: It went very well. I had contacted Brian early in the year as we were putting our house on the market as early as possible in the spring. Brian had me at the top of his list and started work as soon as weather permitted. I had obtained quotes from three different contractors that were highly rated on Angie's list. Brian was considerably lower than the other two. The primary difference seemed to be that Brian proposed using only one coat of high quality stain vs. two coats with the other contractors. The final results looked excellent. My next door neighbor was very impressed and has hired Brian to do his house as well. This neighbor had similar experiences with other contractors - who quoted two coats. Part of the reason that Brian's work looked so good is the extensive prep that his crew did. They aggressively scraped the siding (I had let it go a bit too long) and applied primer on the spots where the old solid stain came off. This assured a good foundation for the single coat of high quality (Benjamin Moore Woodscapes) solid stain. Brian also painted the white wood trim (also with Benjamin Moore paint). I had also contracted with another firm (Penfair Painting) to refinish our deck. Brian's guys worked well with Penfair so that the deck refinishing went well.

Obviously, we've hired him back. He is a good general handyman. Painting is his best thing. He and his crews are really good outside. The cleanup inside isn't quite as good. When they are done inside, the clean up isn't quite as good as their clean up when they are outside. He's good. We would hire him again the next time we have something come up.

The project went smoothly considering the all the different types of work that had to be done. Brian was good about telling me when his team would be arriving and leaving. They cleaned up after themselves...and the workmen were always very cheerful and polite in the house. Brian was enthusiastic about the job and had a positive energy in getting it done.

Excellent! We hired him in the past to paint our house, and that was also well-done.

Among our four estimates, Brian's was the only one committed to doing a full lead abatement. Remarkably, he was also the cheapest. The prep was laborious in the extreme (the house was tented, scraped, and sanded one side at a time), but the results were extraordinary: the siding was stripped down to the original wood, which was then primed with modern product. I am confident that Brian's claims for its longevity are accurate, since the color wasn't merely slapped onto older layers of paint which promised to peel off in a few years. (That's basically what all of his competitors wanted to do, and for about 15?20% more money.) We've had neighbors and even local contractors stop by daily to offer unsolicited compliments on the quality of the job. I should also mention that the foreman, James (whom we saw on a daily basis for nearly two weeks) was communicative, responsive, and eager to do the best job possible. For readers interested in doing a similar job, it's worth pointing out that there is some highly-detailed cleanup to do on our part still. (They were able to clean up 99.9% of the paint chips/dust, but since we have a toddler, we're going to go out and shop-vac the entire perimeter of the house and the driveway a few times, to catch as many of the stray smaller particles that we can.). But this is not a criticism. In my opinion they showed due diligence and did all that they could be expected to do to contain a hazardous job. Some post-job cleanup on our part is a small price to pay for such gorgeous work on the house. I would recommend Brian and his crew unreservedly.