
Ant Builders - Shy Nair
About us
Ant Builders started and has grown over the years but we still remain small enough that I still have the time to visit every site each day. I meet every client before the contract is signed and my goal is to deliver on my promise. Check out our completed projects and you will see some very nicely done work that was completed on budget and on time. Our crew is a small group of honest and friendly people. I thank them for delivering a product that I can stand behind. They are the number one reason that I continue to be able to do this for a living. 11 EMPLOYEES. Licensed in DC and Maryland. Jobs minimum of $5,000. May contact through email. Contact: Shy Nair
Business highlights
Services we offer
Bathrooms, Kitchens, Roofing, Whole House Remodeling
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"Sweet! Loved working with them so much that I want to pop in and visit each time I drive by. They handled all the major design work and the kitchen and bath both are just outstanding. The look of the new work is just amazing and I found it so easy to go to work each day. Best folks ever."
"Thank you for the review and the business."
The price agreed was neither the highest nor lowest of many quotes but the work was ?high-end? as advertised; and it wass always her recommendation that we order high-end fixtures as well. We expect the quality materials, fixtures and workmanship to be economical in the long run. Shy was forthright about schedule and how the work was to be done and it proceeded quickly with delays only as required for permits, delivery, and necessary breaks as materials needed to dry and cure. Very high quality work with close attention to detail.
A couple of unusual feature for this contractor. Unlike most other construction contracts we have signed over the years
there was no down payment, and even though the plan was for payments as the work progressed, although we were keeping track of the developing expenses, she did not bill us anything until the very end. Moreover, this contract one was "labor
only" -- almost all the fixtures were extra, discussed and ordered along the way. A downside of this approach, of course, is that the project's final cost was hard to capture at the outset.
We came to rely heavily on Shy?s experience and good taste in determining design, materials and color - - we had our ideas but her depth of knowledge was extremely helpful and much appreciated. The firm?s contacts with knowledgeable
suppliers were important as we needed to move quickly. In that regard, the project was done on time -- we have never had a construction project stay on deadline. Shy was always available by phone and e-mail ? sometimes we could hardly keep up with the pace. Workers were clearly skilled, courteous, quiet (for construction), professional in manner, and neat with daily clean-up.
Construction is not generally a pleasant experience but we truly enjoyed working with Shy Nair of Ant Builders would highly recommend the firm.
"My kind of people. Just very decent to all of us and great to deal with. One remark/joke I still remember and laugh out loud. The funniest! Thanks for the review and the work."
"Thanks again for another project. Always appreciate the reviews and the work. Could not ask for a better client."
"Oh Penny has to be the sweetest dog ever! Nice couple, good kids, the best dog ever and a fun mother in law. What else could you ask for in a client."
"That has got to be the best anniversary gift ever. Nicest and sweetest couple ever. This lady has got to be one of the best people. The entire crew loves them."
"Thanks for having us back. The bathroom is going to be amazing once done. Just another 2 weeks of banging and dust and your soaking tub will be ready for you. Love being back at this home! Nicest sweetest people ever!"
"They came up with a really great design on the kitchen. Bravo! I posted some pics online and I have had several people want the same look. Just a very sweet family. The work was messy replacing ceilings and they were so patient daily. The cutest kids too."
Shy & Alex were very responsive from our first contact, to thorough estimates on the work to be performed, through to completion. Shy communicated with us along every step of the way, made excellent recommendations in areas to save money, and ultimately saved us money and provided better solutions than the home inspector cited. We had a complete electrical "heavy-up" performed from 100 amp to 200 amp service; new electrical panel (old one had water damage) installed; water pipes and faucets re-routed; all electrical outlets replaced with updated, grounded service; bathroom, kitchen plumbing and fixtures replaced; new water line from hot water heater and replacement of a new water main, to remove corroded galvanized pipes; replacement to code of venting for clothes dryer and bathroom venting; water drainage issue repairs from downspouts into new drainage systems to move water away from foundation; mail slots install in solid core door (small but done as a "house warming gift" as well as other small repairs - where do you find contractors like this!!!). All our work was performed with no oversight by us needed, because as noted, if there were questions on anything - Shy communicated with us quickly and often with solution to propose. EXCELLENT Experience and we WILL use Shy Nair & Aunt Builders again - we give she and her crew a solid recommendation, without any reservations!!! THANKS Shy!
"Wow is all I can say. This couple is just so friendly and sweet. They have this amazing house over looking the Potomac in DC. I have house envy! I really would jump at the chance to work with them again. Just really easy and fun people."
"Thanks. Just so nice working with this client. It was a real pleasure to work with him. Super nice."
possible for me. She brought samples of materials and was always responsive to my requests. She made several suggestions on how to improve our plans. She was always polite to our neighbors (even the one that complained a lot about construction) . Everything was completed on time except for the patio which was not her fault (a neighbor contested the permit). All in all a great experience. I could not recommend her more. I have since used her on another project much smaller
in scoop and that went great as well.
"Super chilled client. Ever so nice to deal with. As I say all the time that nothing goes as planned in construction and it is always good to work for people who can just let me handle the issues."
"Great couple. Very patient as we went through material changes to comply with Historic Georgetown. Great sense of humor which is priceless."
"Always great to have a client that can trust what your trying to accomplish. I am off to his house to estimate the next project and happy to do so. Thanks for the project."
There were very few delays, even though some materials that we had ordered from a third party provider did not arrive on time. Shy tried to find solutions so that we could finish close to the date that we had projected. Whenever any problems came up due to materials, she was extremely transparent in reporting them and found creative solutions. She was very diligent in supervising the job. She came in almost daily. She followed-up with furnishing and fixture providers on our behalf, and was able to get us discounts for many products.
The work itself was stellar. The crew was so professional. We are so pleased with our new bathrooms. They did such a nice job with the master bathroom that Porcelain, the company where we purchased most of the furnishings and fixtures, would like to showcase it in their promotional magazine.
We will most certainly continue to work with Shy and Ant Builders on any future remodeling projects in our house. We are planning to install a new roof with them in the Spring. I would recommend them highly.
"FANTASTICO! We all love this word now. The client was a really good designers. Probably one of the best baths we have done. They were very nice to all of us including my crew. Much appreciated."
"Last time they hired me I got home made corn fritters. The night before the project I had a dream that the client and I ended up fighting about corn fritters. I walked off the job because there were no corn fritters. Lol. Thanks for the work but also thanks for fresh corn fritters."
"Talk about the best couple for my business. Always recommending us to his neighbors. They are really the very best people to help a small biz out. Thanks and I really appreciate the time you take to put our names out there."
"She sent us home with chocolate covered cream puffs. Home made cream stuffed delicious goodies. Not the first time she has treated us. Called me mid day and asked to get the crew lunch. The absolute best! I am always happy to go there no matter what and so is the crew. So thoughtful about the entire crew. We are happy to move that mirror again:)"
On price, they may not provide the cheapest estimate for any given job, but they will provide the most honest estimate, which I think is more important. Our bathrooms were challenging, but they have worked on many similar jobs in old houses like ours, and were able to give us both a detailed estimate and a great idea of what to expect as the project unfolded. When Shy looks at a project, she will tell you very directly what she thinks about the work to be done - there is no hidden agenda or effort to sugarcoat anything in an effort to make a sale. You are then charged only for the work that is needed, so that the price can actually go down if something is easier or less complicated than originally expected. (First time I'd ever had a contractor charge me LESS for certain things than originally estimated.)
The work itself was excellent, and the bathrooms turned out much better than I expected. They are so nice that I almost feel guilty walking into them, like I must have wandered into some rich person's house.
We had them do some other minor work around the house while the bathroom work was ongoing (install a few ceiling fans, paint a room, change out some door knobs, etc) and that was all done well, too. Shy always told us up front what it would cost, and there were never any unexpected charges. She made great recommendations for products and fixtures along the way. We are already using them for some additional renovation work around the house.
"Super nice folks. Filled a cooler of sodas and Red Bull for my crew before he headed out of town. It was really appreciated by the crew. The new project is going on right now and they are just so easy to deal with. I could not show up on a Monday recently because we started a new project and they were so understanding about it. Plus their little girl has got to be one the the best kids around!"
We would highly recommend Shy and Alex and the crew at Ant Builders.
"So I got to go over to their house when the work was completed. Amazing Thai food I must say. I could not think of a better thank you. They treated the crew to beers and Alex and I got the best Thai ever!!! Home cooked to boot. You can only love work when you have good clients. Thank you."
"Contractors are lucky to have clients like this. They recommend us all the time and treat us like friends when we come in. The entire crew remembers our small honorary crew member who brings all his tools out of the toy chest and "fixes" stuff. They really are just super nice to all of us. Who else would buy the entire crew a bottle each of Black Label Scotch as a Thank you gift. My guys still remember that gift. Generous and so appreciated."
"What a basement to walk around in. Absolutely the best collection of antiques. Such an interesting person who you can talk to all day. Super easy to work for and always ready to make decisions. Nice people. I must say that the flooring choice in the office the client made is one of my all time favoraites. Looks like real wood but tile."
"Too nice!!! Really laid back and fun to work for. Amazing house, nice clients and even cuter dogs. Zoey was always happy to finish our lunches for us... I just love working for people like this. Although it rained in the middle of the project daily, they were so understanding when it took longer than we had expected. My dream house. Set off in the middle of DC but surrounded by woods."
"Super nice couple. Nothing goes as planned in construction and they remained patient and fun while we came and went from the house. Even when we hit a snag here and there they were willing to make decisions without any hassles. They have a very beautiful house and I must say some of the best furniture I have seen. Their designer Carolyn Thomas of Jennifer Gilmer did an amazing project and the final product is stunning. Custom built ins made this smaller bath pop. She also was super responsive to any questions. Thanks for the review."
i requested oversized gutters as replacement. Ant was able to make some changes to the soffit to make that possible.
Porch roof was low slope, so we used ice and water shield under the shingles to add some insurance.
Ant made some good suggestions to deal with things that came up during the job such as wrapping high trim in sheet metal to eliminate the need to paint.
"Thank you so much. Super nice couple. Had a good vision of what he wanted. One of those really old beautiful Victorian houses. Nice person and I still get calls from people he has recommended. Thanks for the referrals. I just finished your friend's roof and I really appreciate the thoughtfulness of putting my name out there."
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