Marks-Woods Construction Services, LLC

MW did a great job, again. We'd used them before, to add a second bathroom to our house. As before, Greg and Drew were very easy to work with. We really weren't clear on what we wanted when we started the project, so it was great to have them help us figure out what would be best given our tastes and budget. Greg and Drew have good eyes for design, in addition to their technical knowledge and skills. They came up with creative solutions to odd problems unique to our house and they accommodated changes we wanted to make midway through the project. MW's employees do good quality work, and whenever I've had an issue, Drew straightened it out right away. Also, their pricing is fair. Everyone who sees our new kitchen is amazed at the improvement.

MW Construction Services was to fully remodel 2 bathrooms and to replace bathroom, bedroom, and hallway doors. The end results range from quite good to barely acceptable. The project supervisor, Kevin Adams, was always very responsive, but it would have been better if problems had been prevented or noticed sooner. It seems that he was assigned to too many projects in different locations, so checking the work seemed more a matter of whether something was done, rather than verifying quality or correctness. During the pre-construction period, the co-owner, Greg Marks, was very attentive, providing advice on picking out materials such as tile and cabinetry. Major problems were eventually corrected. The glass border tile in one bathroom was installed still mounted on the cardboard backing; it had to be removed and replaced. One installation of a new toilet was not done properly, and it leaked to the floor below within 2 weeks; they repaired the damage and, after about 10 days, got the toilet properly mounted and installed. In the master bath, they left an indentation from where the towel bar was installed; the hole had not been completely filled. They also simply painted over old paint drips. These problems were corrected. One problem persisted: The light fixture in one bathroom promptly burned out one bulb; they obtained and installed a replacement fixture, but that fixture has also burned out a bulb, which implies it is a wiring problem, not a fixture problem. They changed the master bath shower door design and never communicated that in advance. Then, I got an urgent message to call and pay a supplier for materials. In the contract, however, the shower door was covered in the cost of the project. Toilets in both bathrooms were supposed to be identical, but they installed different models in the two bathrooms. A recurring problem was that trash was not removed from the site each day. Work crews kept storing filled trash bags on the balcony, which was a violation of homeowners’ association rules. To clean up sawdust from sanding the doors, a work crew used my steam cleaner for carpets, which gummed up the machine. Other minor damages included abrasions on the wood that separates the entrance hall from the living room and abrasions on the toilet seat lid where, apparently, someone had stood or rested the medicine cabinet when installing that. The amount of time the project took was extraordinary. I put down a deposit in the first week of November 2013 and I selected and paid for the cabinetry 6 weeks later. After that, there was stalling on getting a start date for actual work. They did not begin work until August 4, 2014. They finished on October 30, 2014.

Greg was really easy to work with, very honest and has a talented team. The results were even better than I had imagined. Top quality work, and everything cleaned up at the end of each day. Overall, I was very very happy with the work done and with the company. I found them via Angies list and they had an A+ rating. I would absolutely give them an A+ again. The only negative was the overall time frame from start to finish as it took a bit longer than expected. But I would use MW again and have recommended them to all of my friends and neighbors.

Our investment group hired local Old Town company MW Construction to handled the entire design/build process of remodeling a property we own in Old Town. The owners of the company were hands on and always available. We wanted a local company that was familiar with the City's requirements, which MW was. The finished product looks high end and the time line was reasonable considering the scope of work. We are happy with our decision to hire MW, and are now on our second project MW.

We hired MW Construction for our addition project at the beginning of the year. We selected Greg and his team because of the fair pricing, local market knowledge (Alexandria City permitting), experience and examples of their work. While it is always nerve-wracking selecting a contractor for a project that is $100,000+, we were confident Greg and his team would do a good job. Now, six months later, I can say Greg and his team lived up and exceeded our expectations. An addition project was no small undertaking. We added approximately 700+ square feet to our house and then opened up the living space to create one open concept dining room/ eat in bar and kitchen area. In addition to the dining room, we added a pantry, a master bedroom, a master bath, walk in closet and a porch. We expected the work would take approximately four months. The projected did go slightly longer than planned, but the quality of work is exceptional and the small delays were to ensure each aspect of the job was done correctly. Greg was great to work with and our onsite project manager, Kevin, was fantastic. When inevitable hiccups on the job site arose, Kevin was always on top of it. He quickly responded to all of our needs, and ensured that every detail of the work was completed to our satisfaction. While a construction project of this size can be overwhelming, we were helped along each step of the way by Greg and Kevin. From picking out the tile, to planning the layout of the pantry shelves, to paint colors, Kevin and Greg were instrumental in ensuring we were using the right materials and making smart selections. The team of workers were always kind and each day they made an effort to ensure the job site was cleaned up, so we could live in the house through the project. At the end of the project, we came away with a beautiful addition that not only adds square feet, but value to our home. We love our new space and have enjoyed entertaining and living in it. Each guest that comes over, raves about the quality and beauty of the rooms, and that can directly be attributed to the work of Greg, Kevin and their crew. If we ever choose to initiate another home remodel project, we will definitely use MW again.

Overall, the experience was great. We had a master suite addition put on our existing house. The price was reasonable, considering the quality and service that was provided. Our project manager, Drew Marks, was knowledgeable and communicated every aspect of the construction process with us. He and his team were a pleasure to work with. Being that at times we could be a little nit picky, Drew was very fair and understanding with regard to any changes or modifications that we requested during the construction process. Greg Marks originally met with us at the beginning of the process. He listened to our needs and ideas, then put together the best plan for our project. This plan took into consideration both our budget and ideas, basically meshing the two into a single project plan. His design was creative and just what we wanted. He was also really flexible about making changes and revisions to the design. He guided us through picking out the right materials for the project and was present for all material meetings. In conclusion we were highly pleased, we definitely plan on using these guys for our next home improvement project.

The master bath was ancient and falling apart, with a tub that required you to walk up two steps to then step down into the tub. The vanity was tiny and useless, and there was absolutely no storage space in the bath. The goal was to redesign the room to make it "user-friendly" with as much storage space as possible. We took out the tub and put in a walk-in shower. The toilet was moved to a different place, allowing for a larger vanity and linen tower. The room was re-tiled and all fixtures replaced. Greg Marks was extremely helpful in the design phase in making recommendations for the layout of the room, and then again in helping with the purchase of materials. He was hands-on in assisting with selections when needed, but was also fine if you wanted to make purchases yourself. Kevin Adams was an excellent Project Manager. He was on site each day and gave it his all to ensure that the client's needs were met and that everything was going well. He was easily accessible by phone at all times in the event you had a question or needed some information. Most of MW's workers are on staff and we found them all to be very reliable. They were on time, were courteous, and always cleaned up at the end of the day. Since this was a bedroom master bath, they closed off the construction area behind plastic sheeting to keep the dust in the bedroom to a minimum. We are very happy with the new bathroom. The quality of the work is excellent, the redesign achieves our goals, and it's a very attractive room.

Greg Marks was great every step of the way. He was always with me when picking out materials, and always came with ideas. He was also considerate about the budget and made many recommendations to get nice materials at a reasonable cost. The site foreman was equally as helpful and always stayed in contact with me. In addition, the workers were clean, courteous, and quiet, which was a surprise for a construction project! I definitely recommend MW Construction and will be using them again for future projects.

Per our discussions, Greg Marks the operations manager could work with whatever budget you may have in mind to collaboratively develop the best strategies to maximize your investment. He stated that he would aid you in any decision making, including providing alternatives to cut costs if need be. However due to a family situation I put off the project for the time being.

I compared a number of companies and selected MW Construction because of their reasonable pricing and straight forward and transparent estimation process. I didn't have any issues with the way the construction work was performed. Minor unexpected things that arose in the course of the project (softer than usual soil, ...) were handled efficiently and professionally. The final result looks great, and doesn't exhibit any problems with quality.

MW Construction and Greg Marks were extremely professional and delivered a great product. In particular, Greg helped us through the design process, ensured we understood our options at every turn, and was able to work with our budget. Joe Huber was an excellent project / site manager, and works hard to ensure things are getting done a good pace. MW was as non-intrusive as possible, taking care to board up the floors, windows, vents, etc that would be impacted by the construction. Two minor issues that would not prohibit me from using them again or recommending them: (1) We had a little bit of a communication gap in the middle of the project (Management can be hard to get on the phone), but I attribute that to an unforeseen change in project management due to a medical issue and (2) some of the work done by MW's subcontractors was a little...careless...but anytime I pointed even the slightest concern out it was straightened out. MW goes through with a final checklist and will not leave until you are fully satisfied. They literally down to every light bulb and tiny scratch - they won't leave until it is exactly what you want. Recommend highly, even if a few more dollars than the competition.

The project took a while to get started (largely not due to MW) so I wasn't sure what to expect. But, I am absolutely thrilled with the work they did. The bookcases are exceptional, the tile work amazing. Everything looks so high end. The crew was professional. I had no qualms about them being in my home while I wasn't there. Everyone was responsive and helpful. I wish I could post before and afters here. The only suggestion I have for improvement is that communication between the project manager and operations manager could have been a bit better. I am definitely using them again for bathroom and kitchen remodels if I decide to do them.

With a few minor exceptions, the project went amazingly well. The bathrooms look fantastic and I'm very pleased with the company and the result. Greg and staff were friendly, professional, and made great suggestions to keep the costs within my budget. They were also flexible and understanding when I had to reschedule the project start date due to a death in my family. They protected my home during the remodeling and were thorough in addressing my questions and concerns. The minor exceptions involved some confusion about when the contractors would be in my home (easily rectified through a follow-up discussion with Greg) and not receiving written updates for changes I requested as quickly as I would have liked. (The final costs were in line with the verbal quotes provided, but I was anxious to see it in writing.) I will certainly consider MW for future projects.

Greg was great to work with. Prior to purchasing the home we ended up in, he met us at another house to give us an idea on the work that would need to be done to make it what we needed. Then when we finally bought a house, he met us there for another estimate. We ended up not getting the work done, but we would have gone with MW if we had. Greg was very professional, knowledgeable, and easy to work with. I never felt like he was going to try to talk me into something we didn't need. Also, his proposal was done in two days and he was very responsive to voicemails and text messages. Other estimates we got took weeks to get back. I would definitely recommend MW.

Overall, MW Construction is an excellent company that did a solid job, eventually! The design phase was well-executed, including giving me access to a cabinet designer and interior decorator. I would have liked some whole-kitchen concepts to consider in making my design decisions, instead of their approach of handling each aspect--flooring, cabinets, etc.--separately, but I had done my homework and had a pretty good idea what I wanted the overall look to be, and they worked with me to make this happen. Mr. Greg Marks was very knowledgeable about materials, technologies, options, and design features, and provided sound and valuable counsel about making tradeoffs in the design to balance expense, luxury, and function. MW also did a great job documenting the project, from the initial design--including 3D renderings--to signing a contract that included everything, including cleanup, and frequent invoices that were complete and easy to understand. MW does not sub-contract, so their people were there every day and did an excellent job. They arrived on time, worked a full day, and at every step were professional, competent, friendly, and every night cleaned up after themselves. Mr. Marks made frequent visits to oversee the work--and his assistant was there every day--and quickly acted when the cabinetry arrived with an error, which he immediately fixed. Unfortunately, as good as the work and overall experience was, I could only give MW an overall grade of "B" (really B+, if Angie allowed that) because they were slow, even by remodeling standards, and were not always easy to communicate with, as other reviewers have mentioned. I signed a contract in late September, but the job was not completed until the end of January, and this was a small apartment kitchen, and the remodeling, while extensive, was not unusually complicated or involved any exotic materials or techniques. I acknowledge that some, perhaps most, delays were beyond MW's control, but they could have taken steps, to compensate for these delays and meet the ultimate deadline--initially Halloween, then extended to Thanksgiving, before I just gave up on deadlines. Mr. Marks also was occasionally difficult to communicate with, but this may have been for reasons beyond his control--including incompatibility between his email program and mine. This was only a sporadic problem, however, and if the work had been completed in a more timely manner, I would have given MW Construction a strong "A" overall rating. As it stands, I would recommend them and use them again, but probably not for anything that was time-sensitive.

We used MW for a partial renovation of a bathroom in our townhome in December and had a wonderful experience. When we initially interviewed contractors we asked all the companies the same list of questions, on this particular project the SCHEDULE was important to us and MW really came through in terms of getting the project completed within agreed upon timeline. The bid was competitive for the required work--do your research for similar projects in your area; the estimates for the materials were also close. If the price is a consideration for you, take down the names of the recommended vendors and go check out the selection in person. Researching majority of the details ahead of time greatly improves communications. Once we had our decisions made, the project manager took care of the process details. Staying in touch was very helpful because at any given time we were clear on what was going to be done and when. The crews were well-trained guys, they were efficient and pleasant. In particular, I want to mention how pleased we were with set up/protection and clean up. Our home has a large amount of electronics and much of the renovations on other floors has been completed by us so it was fairly important not to have other areas of the house be destroyed in order to fix one bath. The crew really took the time to set up protective covers on everything and when the work was completed our place was thoroughly tidied up. If we had questions and asked the crew, there was either somebody who knew the answer already or they made sure they found out the answers. I did not find communications to be a sticking point at all. Personally, I really like the tiered payment approach when the money is due upon completion of major deliverables from the established timeline. We found this arrangement to work well. We worked primarily with Greg Marks who was wonderful to work with, very knowledgeable and very professional. He answered all our questions, he listened when we enumerated concerns prior to contract signing and he was very forthcoming with suggesting solutions. More specifically, Greg made some style and materials suggestions that worked out very well. If you invest the time to do the research and to check out the selection before making your final selection with the project manager--it makes a world of difference for the project timeline. Taking advice from a professional really made sense on some of the details and that is the course we took. The end result speaks for itself--the look and feel of the remodel is "top notch".

We hired MW Construction to remodel our kitchen, which was very outdated. We are thrilled with our new kitchen! MW Construction did an excellent job. They put in a new floor, new cabinets, new appliances, new sink, new fixtures, and a new backsplash. Their workers were prompt, organized, and thorough. They were very good about cleaning up at the end of the day and leaving the work area in a good condition. Greg Marks was accessible and great about walking us through every step of the process. I would hire this company again.

I left several messages with this provider on voicemail and they never called my back. Not very responsive.

Greg Marks responded quickly to our request for a bid, and he provided a detailed cost estimate which was competitive with another bid. He offered ideas for removing the pantry and redesigning the area with additional cabinetry and counter space. He bid an option to replace our window with a larger window so that the sink could be moved creating the space for a super susan corner cabinet. These changes to our layout have resulted in a more functional kitchen with expanded counter space in the major work areas of our new kitchen. We appreciated his willingness to price several options separately, giving us the flexibility to choose the scope of our remodel based on the various costs. In addition, Greg provided a preliminary design showing the cabinet and appliance placement prior to our signing the contract. This was extremely helpful in visualizing the scope of the work outlined in the contract. Greg answered many emails with questions about the bid and the overall project. He was always prompt and professional. Though we did some of our own research on various materials, we relied on Greg's recommendations when choosing suppliers for cabinetry (Home Depot), appliances, granite counters, tile backsplash, windows, and hardwood flooring. Greg met with us at each supplier's location to help us select our materials, guiding us towards products within the budget allowance and our overall color scheme. Whenever possible, Greg allowed us to pay the supplier directly - this is a nice bonus as we reduced our overall costs by several hundred dollars due to credit card rebates. We made a few purchases from other sources (refrigerator, light fixtures, faucet) and the job contractor easily incorporated these. We liked this flexibility to do our own purchases for a few items. It has been three months since the kitchen was completed and we are still very happy with the quality of all of the materials in our new kitchen We asked for a specific start date and Greg was able to accommodate that. Once the project began our day to day contact was with Dyer, the job supervisor. Dyer was at our house once or twice daily when workers were here to check on progress. He always had time to answer my questions. He also gave me his telephone number and returned calls the same day, generally within the hour. He was polite and professional throughout the project. Dyer would let me know what work was planned over the next few days - I found this very helpful to know. Most of the workers were MW employees. They were polite in our interactions and very considerate - laying floor protection, hanging plastic sheeting to contain construction dust, and cleaning up every day before leaving. I was home a lot during this remodel, and I found the MW crews to be hardworking, careful, and attentive to detail. Several times Dyer scheduled work on Saturdays to keep the project moving. We did have an issue with the granite. We needed to purchase more than originally estimated. But Greg worked with the fabricator who agreed to supply us with a 'free' vanity top and sink to offset some of the added expense. Overall we had a great experience with MW Construction and we highly recommend this company.

Friendly, professional, seemed skilled at job. Provided detailed bid estimate in quick timeline. Elected to use another provider with similar profile but who came in with more detailed estimate and lower cost.

We hired MW to finish off a 12X15 foot room in our basement and add a full bathroom. MW gave us the lowest price proposal when considering allowances for carpet and bathroom components. MW was always timely and considerate. After we signed the contract, they brought their architect to our house who took measurements and proposed the space layout. We were able to make any changes we wanted and talk about any concerns with MW's owners, Greg and Byron. Our project manager was Drew. Our interactions with the three of them were excellent. They answered any questions we had, no matter, how ridiculous. They helped us select our tile and bathroom components. We have a 18 month old so our time to select materials was at a premium. They completed all of the work in 2.5 months. They managed to the agreed-upon proposal and came within their cost proposal. We paid for some additional carpentry to build some shelves in a pantry that was part of proposal. We also asked them to propose a ductless cooling and heating system which was additional, but we are so glad we spent the extra money. The cost above includes the ductless system. I would definitely hire MW again for more work at our house.

Overall, we are quite pleased with MW Construction, especially the Operations Manager, Greg Marks. WIth just a few minor exceptions he was very responsive from our first meeting to the close of the project. His communication was a bit slow on a couple of occasions towards the beginning, but nothing that we were ever too concerned with considering the relatively small size of the job. Once the permits were obtained and the drawings completed, things accelerated nicely, and his communication was steady through the remainder of the project, which took exactly how long he estimated in the contract, four weeks. HIGHLIGHT of the project was Greg estimating and his team being able to run the plumbing behind the stairs to the stack in the laundry room, rather than tearing up the downstairs bathroom. Every other contractor that estimated the job was adamant that demo'ing the downstairs bathroom was required, and wanted to charge us at least another $2K to do it. HUGE WIN, a big reason we went with MW in the first place, and they delivered! Greg went out of his way to avoid additional charges after we had agreed to the contract; something that we appreciated and felt was worth noting in this review. Greg's team is almost all in-house, which we liked, and they did an excellent job overall. His site supervisor, Lopez, was very professional and easy to work with. The construction was on the main floor of our home, and although MW put up a barrier prior to starting demo and covered all the high traffic areas with ram board, the furniture was still pretty dusty after the first week. (Subsequently they also covered the furniture with plastic after we cleaned up that first weekend.) Our kitchen sink and counters were often still dirty after being used for clean up, and we asked them a few times to ring the doorbell before letting themselves in, which they never did. All minor points, for sure, but were noticed over the course of the project. Bottom Line: We love the bathroom, and would certainly use MW again. Greg and the team ensured they were on time, under budget, and we ended up with exactly what we wanted while adding value to our home. We definitely recommend MW Construction. Thanks!

Will let you know. Have not received estimate yet.

Overall, we were very satisfied with the cost and quality of work by MW Construction Services. We initially contacted Greg Marks last winter to provide us a bid to demolish our side porch and replace it with a new one-story addition that would be integrated with the main part of the house. We also wanted to add a modest deck to our front porch and replace the roof and gutters. Greg was initially very responsive and we were impressed by his professionalism and attention to detail. We had a general design developed by an architect that MW and its designer worked off of. Unfortunately, we ran into some design challenges with our porch due to the county code, which delayed the actual work for several weeks. However, we worked with MW to address these challenges and were able to largely meet most of our original design requirements. Once the project got started, MW did a good job in completing the demolition and the initial construction and build-out phases in a timely manner. That said, it was not totally smooth mainly due to challenges with the County but MW's project management was a bit uneven despite promises to provide strong oversight and management of the project. To MW's credit, project management changes were made and after Drew Marks took over, we definitely noticed a difference in the pace and responsiveness. The project was substantially completed in roughly four months but there were some additional delays due to inspection scheduling (no fault of MW). Further, some follow-up work was not performed in a timely manner and required more persistent emails and calls from us. Again, we were largely pleased with the work done by MW. We have gotten many compliments from friends, family, and neighbors and we are enjoying the new space.

The contactor will be visiting shortly to give an estimate, he was professional and courteous and friendly.