Cyrus Construction LP

they refused the work

Everything went well. No concerns.

I have a 2 bedroom, 1 bath condo. I got estimates and met with three companies to renovate the kitchen and the bathroom (both small spaces). I selected Cyrus because James seemed genuinely interested in doing the work. He met me at my condo/or his office a few times before we began and he spent a lot of time mapping out several options for the layout of the kitchen. He had creative and unique options that ranged from complex to straightforward. I ended up going for the straighforward approach since my condo is not likely where I will forever and I wanted to make sure it had resale value instead of being suited to my personal taste. The bathroom project was completed first since we had to wait for the kitchen cabinets to arrive before we started it. James provided me with several options for tile stores to visit and once I selected the bathroom tile they got right to work and finished the bathroom in a week. Once the kitchen cabinets came in (they only use Armstrong), they demolished the kitchen and completed the renovation within two weeks. I selected the countertops from a store that James recommended as well. The work was completed efficiently. They were pretty neat overall. I am very pleased with the overall work and I recommend Cyrus for kitchen and bathroom renovations.

Hard working and trustworthy crew did a great job. Workmanship was incredible, and any minor details that I pointed out as needing some touch ups were completed immediately for no additional cost, such as additional trim to fill any gaps I had noticed upon completion. The old plumbing didn't shutoff correctly, so they installed new shutoff valves and kept on working. It was all done in a matter of days with very little stress on my part. James, the project manager, was very responsive and helpful when I had questions or design suggestions. I'd definitely use them again in the future.

James was terrific to work with. :)

The $22,000 included everything but the cost of the new appliances. James was very concerned with my feelings, and I am known to be very hard to please. He did a great job and made sure I was happy all the way. James sent me to his kitchen designer who designed the layout and helped me choose cabinet materials and accessories. Even though the kitchen footprint was the same, I changed the position of the appliances and sink, and replaced the electric stove with gas. I chose natural solid maple doors and drawer fronts with a slab front and large stainless steel pulls. They installed the cabinets, and did a great job in a room that was not square. They referred me to a granite installer who sent me to a few of their distributors to find just the right slab (peacock green). He also referred me to a few tile stores. They helped me with the color and size of tile. The job was finished in about three weeks which spanned over the holidays. The outcome was a quality job. His crew was very courteous, and always cleaned up after themselves.

I made the appointment with James through email for 3pm, January 27. However, at 1pm on the day of the appointment while I was out running errands, I got a call from james saying he was there, and that 1pm was the time I had booked. His assertion that we had scheduled for 1pm was obviously incorrect, and the email chain below shows this. Having to drop what I was doing and rush home was an inconvenience. James Araghi <james@cyrus-construction.com> Tue, Jan 24, 2012 at 3:10 PM To: Tim lord <timbot1982@gmail.com> Reply | Reply to all | Forward | Print | Delete | Show original Hi TimWhat time on Friday? We need your property address as well.Thank youJames AraghiCyrus construction LPiPhone Tim <timbot1982@gmail.com> Tue, Jan 24, 2012 at 4:06 PM To: James Araghi <james@cyrus-construction.com> Reply | Reply to all | Forward | Print | Delete | Show original 3 pm would be good. The address is 2026 N Vermont St., Arlington, 22207.Thanks,-tim Besides doing the typical contractor routine of shrugging shoulders while saying that the things that needed to be done would be complicated, even though the task at hand is quite simple (just cosmetic work of ripping carpeting off walls, painting, and laying down new tile) he was fine. He said he would get back to me by the end of the following week (i.e., no later than February 3). When Feb. 3 came and went with no word from james, I inquired about the status of the estimate on February 6. It's now February 8, and I still have no answer from him.

I will start off this review with commentary on the end result of our kitchen renovation. We were extremely pleased with the quality of the work, the price we paid, the amount of time it took to complete and the end result. The finished kitchen exceeded our expectations, as compared to our initial vision. Particular kudos are in order for Carlos and Carlos, who performed the actual labor during the renovation; they clearly took pride in the quality of their work. Based upon Angie's list reviews and feedback from neighbors, we met with 4 contractors for initial consultations. While each would have been a viable option, we went with Cyrus Construction because we felt that James understood our vision, was knowledgeable and was able to provide what we wanted within a reasonable timeframe and price. When we described the look we wanted, he was able to translate that exactly into the type of cabinetry we might like (and did select). We also felt strongly about doing all wood cabinetry, and James felt strongly about this as well. He emphasized the importance of making customers happy, in terms of sustaining his business. He also talked about how much trust he placed in his crews and that he worked with the same crews on each of his projects. The bulk of our project took about two weeks to complete. Each day when we returned home from work, we could see progress being made. Carlos and Carlos were clearly dedicated and maintained a high quality of work, from the craftsmanship itself, to their ability to adjust quickly to new materials being introduced and their meticulous clean-up after each day's work. They were very respectful of our space and the fact that we were obviously still living in the house while the renovation was underway. Further, when we were at home while they were working, Carlos (junior) would walk us through what they were doing/had completed and ask for our opinions as necessary. James also had valuable suggestions along the way in terms of cabinet type, lighting, paint color and hardware. James was always extremely responsive when we reached out to him, either by e-mail or phone. He consistently responded within the same day and provided answers to our questions, once asked. He and the team were also flexible with their schedules. The one area where our experience could have been even better was around communication of the timeline for materials selections. When we signed our contract, we asked specifically about when we needed to make selections. We were told not to worry about it and that we would get a heads up when/how the selections needed to be made. For better or worse, that did not happen. This was not a big issue when it came to paint, tile or appliances because they were readily available. But, it did cause some delays with the granite and the hardware. This did not impact the quality of the work or our satisfaction with the end result, just a lesson learned. To his credit, James was receptive to this feedback when we shared it during the project. Also, once the hardware arrived, James and Carlos were flexible in terms of coming back to install it. We would certainly consider using Cyrus again, if we decide to renovate our bathrooms or finish off the basement.

I hired James and company based on the stellar reviews from previous jobs. I have two bathrooms remodeled due to the age of the house. When we purchased the home both bathrooms had "cosmetic touch ups" from the previous owners so they could sell the home quickly. James drew up the plans and a contract immediately. He also provided me three places I could use to purchase tile. Do not use any of them, that will be your biggest mistake and time waster. Go to Home Depot or Lowes to get what is necessary based on the contract James provides you. The products are just the same as the tile shops, with better bang for you buck. The only thing I kept was the vanities because they were still good. The first bathroom was very old and had an original cast iron tub that weighed 500 lbs. This monster took over 2 hours to get out of the house. The tile floor and the sub floor were ripped up as promised and the tile on the walls was also removed. The crew worked from 9-5 Monday - Saturday to complete the work. Both men were kind, clean and respectful and left my home as it was when I left for the day. The transformation of the first bathroom was unbelievable! The next bathroom started out well, however there were a few snafoos in the job. I could tell the crew was being rushed to finish up due to the lack of detail. They were hard pressed to get this done and as a result there were some imperfections left behind. All of this was pointed out to James, but I felt he could have done a better job inspecting the job before asking for the final payment. I was disappointed because when I say gut, I mean all sheet rock should be removed not cut around. I felt like this was cost cutting measures and contract was not honored. It appeared that James only has one crew and as a result they rush on my second bathroom. Having bathrooms remodeled is very taxing on your family. You have to change/adapt to having your bathrooms out of commission for a week. While James does have a one year warranty, the thought of having those disruptions again is not worth it. A bathroom should be done right the first time, with no over runs.

Our basement was flooded as a result of the heavy rains produced by the remnants of Hurricane Lee in early September. Following the water mitigation process, I was in the need to hire a general contractor to replace the laminant flooring, repair the dry wall and repaint the walls in our basement apartment. I found Cyrus Construction on Angie's list and contacted the owner, James Araghi, and asked if he could come out to do an estimate. James came out the same day I called (a Saturday) and was very polite, cordial and knowledgeable. He indicated he would work with us to ensure we stayed within the amount of our insurance company's appraisal and he keep his word! Throughout the project, James responded promptly to all questions and concerns that arose. His crew finished the job quickly, efficiently and met and or exceeded all expectations. We were extremely pleased with the resulting product and the professionalism of James and his staff. Of additional note, I always was given the distinct impression that James was looking out for our best interest and demonstrated the highest integrity. He has my highest recommendation and I would not hesitate to use him again for other projects.

We received estimates from a 3-4 contractors. The estimate provided by Cyrus Construction was competitive and they were very responsive, so we selected them, knowing that they would not be able to start until November because of prior commitments. To our good fortune, there was a delay in another job and they offered to start earlier. Of course, we agreed. They did a tremendous job and we are very pleased. The remodeling was high quality and completed in the time frame indicated. Cyrus maintained communications with us throughout the process so we were always aware of the project status and what to expect. Should the need arise, we will certainly use Cyrus Construction again and would highly recommend them to others.

We had put off remodeling our old and gross bathroom for a few months, but when our subfloor rotted through and we had a hole in the ceiling right below it, I knew I had to do something. We did research on Angie's List and came up with a short list of people to call for an estimate. I had 4 people return my call. One never showed for the appointment, 2 were on time, and one could only come 2 weeks after I needed him to. Between the two that were on time, there was clearly one who was more professional and obviously knew what he was talking about and doing -- That was James from Cyrus Construction. He listened to what we wanted to do and advised what we could and could not do and what would be feasible, cost wise. After getting his estimate and the other estimate, Cyrus was the lesser of the two, and the choice was clear. I think I would have chosen Cyrus even if they were a little bit more expensive. The project started later than anticipated because we took forever to pick out what we wanted in the bathroom. Finally, James called us one day and asked us to meet him to pick out the things we needed for the bathroom, and we ended up getting everything picked out in one night. They started soon after. Gomez and his fellow worker were very polite and clean and made sure they picked up after themselves. They showed up when they said they were going to show up and kept themselves out of the way if I was working from home. They only disturbed me if they needed a question answered. There was one day where they even went out to Manassas (from Alexandria), to make sure we got the tile that we wanted. We came in a little over budget, but not much, and that was due to us picking out more expensive things to install. We are very pleased with our new bathroom, and it is one of our favorite rooms in the house. We will definitely be calling them again for any future remodeling work.

The job went as smoothly as one could expect and the punctuality and cleanliness of the crew exceeded our expectations. We had some issues with getting the tile we wanted, which delayed the project a little. This was more due to miscommunication by some of the tile suppliers with respect to what they could deliver and when. What was delayed was deliver of our bullnose tile for the trim. James made some suggestions for alternatives to speed up the project, but we opted for the delay (one week or so) to get the look we wanted. We had expected to have limited or no access to the bedrooms around the job site during the project period, but the Cyrus crew were very considerate with respect to arriving and leaving the site, and leaving the project site in a reasonably clean condition, that we were able to for the most part continue utilizing those bedrooms around the site. We bought the sink and shower faucets, the vanity, mirror, lighting fixtures, and other bath type fixtures from Home Depot and Lowes with James giving us a credit on the final bill for those items. Cyrus supplied the tub, fan, and paid for and took delivery of the tile. We had thought that we would lose a small linen closet in that hall as part of the rehab project, but it turned out to our delight that we were able to retain some of the space. Cyrus, for a nominal charge, built in shelves for this closet. We also asked Cyrus to help us with an electricity issue we had in part of our basement that we causing our electricity to turn off in that part of the house. We are extremely happy with the end project, which is as beautiful as it is practical. We found James to be extremely responsive and fair when it came to settling the bill and negotiating additional services. We also found him to be extremely patient and easy going and a delight to work with. We would certainly keep Cyrus Construction in mind for any future work we'll want to get done.

James was helpful and responsive. He provided a thorough estimate and visited multiple times to answer questions, work on the design, help with cabinet selection, countertop selection, and finding the floor to match my current floor. The work began on schedule and was completed very efficiently and with high quality in less than two weeks. James is a busy person and I recommend that you meet with him in person at your house on the first day of the work to go over all of the details before everything starts because the work will go quickly. Cyrus did a beautiful job on my kitchen for a great price.

The overall experience was positive. I contracted with Cyrus because of the feedback I read on Angie's List. The owner, James, is a very honest and nice person. He came to my house soon after I contacted him and provided me with a quote for services. I signed a contract with him shortly thereafter. He always kept me informed of the progress and any obstacles that had come up. There were a few snags along the way that extended the original time estimate for job completion but I felt that the company handled all obstacles very professionally. James isn't satisfied with the renovation until you are happy with it. I love the new shower. I feel like a movie star everytime I go in to the bathroom. I was so happy with Cyrus that I am having them renovate the kitchen in a rental property I own. I would definitely use Cyrus again and recommend them to others.

Cyrus Construction was the best choice we have made during the remodel of our home. Mr. Araghi was professional, thorough and truly pleasant to work with. He ensured our complete satisfaction and was fair with his pricing. The work crew followed instructions perfectly and met our every request. All issues were addressed quickly and completely to our satisfaction. Mr. Araghi was competent and helpful with very good ideas for difficult repairs to an older home. I would highly recommend him!

James did a great job of overseeing his crew. The actual crew were extremely polite and accommodating. For example, they spent a great deal of time with me, after hours, as I selected the stain color for the wood floors. They did a superb job of matching the old wood flooring with the new that was installed by his crew. Even though there was a straight line where the tile had been, they were able to remove various boards in the old flooring and intermingle them so you would never know that it hadn't been one wood flooring area all along. James was in touch with me daily, and answered my phone calls right away. He was flexible in adding or taking things out of the contract as I worked through what I actually needed. He pointed out when I could save some money by leaving something out, even though it meant less income for him. The work was done in a timely fashion. James even went so far as to send pictures of the work to me when I was traveling. I would recommend that you work with Cyrus Construction. As James said repeatedly, they will not allow a customer to be dissatisfied. I enjoyed working with him and plan to use his company again in the near future.

We used somebody else to do the work. I had a very favorable impression. They were very professional and punctual.

Everything went great! The initial consultation with James was really helpful. He offered me options for refinish and his quote outlined all possible options we discussed along with applicable pricing (eg. retiling all the walls vice installing drywall and painting the outside walls). He offered suggestions without a big sales pitch. His crew was fantastic. I was home for part of the time they worked and I know they struggled with my old plaster walls. It was a big job that made me extremely grateful I'd decided to contract it out. They were very courteous and conscientious about keeping construction dust and debris to a minimum. Other rooms were sectioned off with plastic and moving blankets were laid to protect my floors. I'm very impressed with how well they matched the new drywall to the existing plaster - I can't see the seam! The tile in the bath area looks flawless - perfect grouting job and all the tiles are cut cleanly. They were also very accommodating when, just before work began, my kitchen faucet broke on me. At the last minute we added the install of a new one to the overall project for the week. When we found they faucet I'd purchased wouldn't work, James found one for me. They sealed the deal after the work was done. I had a couple of questions and a slight drop in water pressure for the bathroom sink faucet. James came by the house that weekend to inspect and his crew came back within a week to fix the problem. They were gone within an hour and the pressure was just as good, if not better than before. As always James and his crew were courteous and accommodating. I would jump at the chance to recommend them to others - as an afterthought, their pricing was also better than any others (and I got 5 other quotes!).

Excellent. Of the many quotes I received, his was one of the more reasonable ones and gave me confidence that he knew what was doing (as opposed to those who just said yes to everything and would find issues later). A clear contract was in place specifying work, general timeline (~2.5 weeks), and a price based on an estimate. Work started rapidly, and I actually had to make decisions quickly on granite, tile, fixtures, etc. He made suggestions along the way of what he thought would look good, but my word was final. I was not living in the home at the time, but was constantly kept informed as to progress and any questions or issues that came up. Everything about these guys was great, except once in a while I found missed spots or things were exactly aligned. They would quickly fix it as necessary, however occasionally I was told that its not straight or square because the wall/foundation was like that. I understood the issue, but would have preferred it if they fixed it somehow anyways. A few of the items came up over budget, and few under, so the estimate was pretty close. James wanted to ensure I was happy at the end of the day and did what he could to ensure that happened. I appreciated that. I will be using Cryus again in the future. Tips: With Cyrus, as with others, I suggest not starting work until you know exactly what kind of tile, colors, and styles you want to work with. I would also constantly check the work to see if any modifications need to be made.

I received an estimate for the remodeling that was quite reasonable and James worked hard to stay within my budget. He offered some good design ideas. The estimate I received included Armstrong kitchen cabinets which he said he could get at a significant discount. The estimate included cabinets made of particle board which was not what I was asked for, although I am sure that James would have revised my estimate to include the plywood requested. My only concern was that the estimate did not include a breakdown between the labor/materials and cabinets. I requested more detail and got an answer but it did not include the breakdown requested. I wanted the info so that I could so I could make decisions based on the cost of each item, plus it would enable me to compare accurately with other estimates.

James is a pro. He was the most responsive of several contractors I contacted, showing up on time and delivering a quote when he promised. He keeps his word and cares about the quality of the work. He offered design options for converting a small, old half bath into a full bath as part of a guest suite. His ideas were creative and practical. He was quick to point out which options he felt would most increase the resale value of the home, which I appreciated. He made sure his crew was on task (and they were super!) and asked them to fix anything he saw that he didn't like (these were things I never would have noticed, like, the wrong color metal on the hinges). During the few glitches in the project -- like when the shower arrived damaged -- James was very hands on in getting things back on schedule very quickly. James gave good advice on selecting fixtures that would work well in the space. In the end, what I feared would be a tiny bathroom turns out to feel rather spacious. It's the nicest room in our house. He suggested upgrades when they made sense - like replacing an old window -- but suggested we leave certain things alone if they weren't going to increase the value of the house (like replacing the carpet). All in all I would recommend his work and use him again. In a world where contractors too often look out only for their own interest, James is a rare guy who cares deeply about the quality of his work and the integrity of his word.

Excellent experience from start to finish. Good design advice, great contractors, overall a great job well done. Would certainly recommend them and we will defiantly be using them for out next project.

Actually went very smoothly. Only one delay as a part did not arrive in timely fashion. Once the part did arrive, Cyrus Construction did the job well and quickly.

After we hired them they were prompt, clean (which was really important since it's attached to our bedroom) and came exactly on budget that they promised. Everyday James came by to see how the work was progressing and to make sure that we were happy. I am extremely satisfied with their work and will refer them to my other friends and family members.