Mud Brothers Citrus

Fine job..

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Mike was very responsive and punctual. I had to re-schedule the original appointment on a short notice due to scheduling conflict on my behalf, and Mike was very flexible and understanding. He showed up on time, did work in less then 2 hours, and was very polite and professional. Dealing with this company was a breath of fresh air in my contracting experience. Will definitely hire again

Mike was fast and knew what he was doing. Also the sliding glass door had problems and he fixed it.One of the bifold doors still needs to be put up because it was difficult for my husband and me to put it back up.Contacted Mike and hopefully he'll be able to do his magic.

We bought the Angie's List deal for mold remediation as we had seen evidence of mold in our rental property, which we were planning to move in to for our primary residence. Mike came out and performed the mold test, was very helpful and knowledgeable about different types of mold and what to do about them. After the test was completed and results came back he informed us of the presence of aspergillus in the basement, and what he would do to remediate this. Another unrelated issue was happening in the same time which resulted in no electricity being supplied to the property, which meant that work couldn't start until we had power, as there would be no light in the basement. However, Mike was willing to look for an alternative solution rather than wait for BGE (getting a generator). In the end this wasn't necessary as we got power restored, but it shows how committed Mike is to his customers as he was aware that we wanted the mold taken care of by our move in date and worked to get this done in time. Mike's crew found extensive water damage to an exterior basement wall, they removed the failed existing waterproofing paint on the inside of the wall, damaged drywall, molding and studs. Then they repainted the inside wall, re-installed new drywall, molding and studs and filled in cracks in the basement floor. After the work was done, Mike fogged the whole basement to kill any remaining mold spores. The basement smells a lot better than it did now! I would highly recommend Designing Renovations to anyone.

The company owner came out promptly to give an estimate. He not only noted the primary concerns for the repairs required by our insurance company but also offered the possible solution to replace the old porch with a new deck (not just patch areas: replacing the porch floor, perimeter joists, fill in cracks to the cement block foundation, fix the roof). We had a list of items that had to be addressed. The bid submitted wasn't the lowest but we liked the proposed alternative solution. Mike, the owner, communicated well throughout the course of the 2-3 weeks that he and one of his co-workers came to the house. He also managed to repair a few extra items in addition to the main job all within the proposed budget and schedule and was consistently helpful and cheerful. This year's spring has been unusually dry but the recent 2-day rain has revealed a few leaky areas where the porch roof meets the house wall and we will try to determine the cause. Overall, our experience with Designing Renovations was very good and would recommend this company to others.

the work went well and had taken less days than estimated. With this type of work be prepared to do a thorough cleaning when completed.

I learned of this vendor via an Angie's List Big Deal. Several basement floods peaked my interest. Service occurred in three visits -- all on Saturdays, which I greatly appreciated. During the initial visit (mold inspection), Mike Liebman examined the basement and took three air samples (basement, kitchen, and outdoors -- the last as a control). Within roughly a week, he phoned with the results. Before actual remediation, he returned to provide an estimate. He and an assistant worked for about four hours to clean up the basement (I'd already disposed of moldy cardboard boxes and fabric before they arrived). Although they arrived an hour late, Mike phoned ahead (professional and courteous). They did a great job (removing embedded mold from the concrete). Paid by check, as Mike preferred it to a credit card.

I dealt with the owner Mike. He came out and provided a good estimate for the work that needed to be done. I thought the job was going to be more so it was nice to have it come in under cost. He was a trustworthy person to deal with. He was really good about staying in contact via phone or text message. He was good at arriving to complete work when he said he would be there.

It went well. We do not have any leaks in the house or around our skylight. The mold has not come back. He also installed a covering over the joists in the basement to prevent any mold growing there. I would call and ask questions and he would always call back with an answer.

I got a 50% off coupon through Angieslist. It was definitely worth it. He is very professional, friendly and know all about mold! I got a detailed report back and am going to hire him to do some sealing outside and grind down a wall inside and fix it because of the moisture that leaks in. The rate per day is $700/day which is a lot but I have not checked other rates to compare. I would definitely recommend Designing Renovations. Danielle

It was a fabulous experience from start to finish! The attic door required only a minor repair, and the gentleman was reluctant to take any payment.

In the past Mike had told us about lead testing kits at Home Depot, since he's familiar with old houses like ours. Well, our house contains lead paint, so I sent Mike an e-mail. He drove by that same day to take a look. Fortunately, we can take care of the majority of the indoor lead paint ourselves- Mike told us about lead-blocking paint as well as other options. He told us specifically how and what we needed to do the repairs ourselves. However, he said we should replace the basement stairs because the paint was chipping and wearing off, so the lead blocking paint would not be as effective. So, we had him replace the stair steps and kick plates- all that he said was necessary. It took some time for him to get the stairs done, but he had told us he was about to start a big job, and we had also told him we weren't in a huge hurry. He did it in a day, and the stairs look great and are sturdy. Since the lead paint was an unexpected expense, we appreciated how he was able to tell us the minimum that needed to be done. That same day we asked about a leak in our kitchen roof which had started with the torrential rains here in Baltimore. I was worried about our gutters since I could see a lot of water dripping out of them, which I knew shouldn't happen. Mike said the gutters had moved over time, and were no longer overlapping the shingles from the roof which was why they weren't working. He guessed that the water was running on the roof and getting through gaps in the caulk of some windows. He came back Sunday morning to work with my husband and fix them. He brought his tools, and taught my willing husband how to do this work. It turns out that we had a tennis ball stuck in the gutter, and the front and back butters had to be remounted. He also showed my husband how to look for poorly caulked windows and yes, we had quite a few! Since Mike taught my husband, he was able to caulk the windows himself. Mike also told us that our roof looked fine, so at least we know the leaks probably weren't due to the roof!

Design Renovations was prompt on call back and bid, although paperwork was not received timely. Bid was appropriate, workmanship and skill of tilers was never in question. What kept this job from an A rating was the follow up and follow through.Two or three issues happened with tile purchase and order as the contractor could have taken more initiative with irregularities. Also, the job was left incomplete. The ceiling drywall was damaged with new tile and it was left unfinished so it still needed a professional to complete. Mike was personable, and I believe knowledgeable but loses points in finishing and professionalism. Would I use again? Probably not.

Mike was very easy to talk to and friendly. He first came to talk to us and make an estimate- I think we received the estimate via e-mail in a few days. The estimate showed what he planned to do, step by step, as well as the cost. When we accepted his bid we still had a few questions, and he set up a time to come back to talk to us. He was also willing to give us options as we needed. For example, I told him I was concerned about slippery steps, and he gave me several options, and we chose the "sharkskin" stuff. Mike was happy to answer all of our questions, and make sure he knew what we wanted. It turned out that he could start the next day, which worked for us as well. Since we commute and work long hours, Mike was willing to come early (7:00 AM) on the first day while I was there to ensure access to electricity and water. I couldn't believe how quickly the work went- he was very efficient! Since Mike finished his day before we came home from work he came back each evening after we were home. He would show us what he had done, and what he planned to do the next day. This way he could be sure we were all on the same page- I really appreciated this excellent customer service. It worked out great since we didn't like the color of paint he had chosen for the stairs- he painted two steps so that we could see what it would look like. Since we didn't like it he asked us for a paint sample, and we quickly picked one out; he matched his paint to that color the next day. Mike also gave us some advice on a few other projects we were working on, which I appreciated. He grew up in our area, so he is familiar with our type of older home. I will definitely call Mike when we're ready for the next big project- I had no idea it would be so quick and easy!

Very nice to work with. Price was good and quality excellent. Helped solve a problem on another project. Has a lot of expertise in many areas.

He seemed like a good guy but we did not use him. I needed a little bit more of a comprehensive job than he was going to give me. He was hoping to get at it from the outside and that wasn?t really possible. My plans didn?t really mesh with what he usually does. He seemed like a good guy and he was definitely quick to come out and he was on time.

Response for an estimate was immediate. Work was scheduled within a reasonable time frame and completed on time. The steps were in very bad condition and Mr. Liebman did an excellent job of restoring them. The steps look great together with the concrete sidewalk replaced. Mr. Liebman does very good work, and is responsible and professional. Designing Renovations offers many types of home improvement work and I would not hesitate to use them again. The price was fair and work excellent!

Mike came out for an estimate for water damage. He was very helpful in diagnosing the problem as something i could fix myself. We then spoke of his other services and he was able to help me clear up my long to-do list. Replaced kitchen floor and backsplash, repaired damaged drywall, installed ceiling fans, ran electrical for new light fixture. Everyone was wonderful to work with - even came out to finish the job during the snow storm. A+

(11/09/09) So far they're quite good. Their responsiveness has been absolutely excellent; they were there when they said they would be there for the estimate. When they showed up they were very professional as well. I am very impressed based on our brief interactions. UPDATE (02/08/10) Experience was very good. Work on this project was delayed from the original scheduled date as bad weather delayed Mike's team's work on jobs already in process. Realizing our desire to have htis project completed by Thanksgiving, Mike gave up part of his weekends to personally see to the completion of the project. The project came in slightly over the original bid as there was some damage to the supports that needed to be fixed. Mike made us aware of them as soon as he found them and we agreed the additional work needed to be done. Overal we were extremely pleased with the project and with Mike's sensitivity to retaining the look and feel of our older home.

The work has been done by Bob who did a great job on the brickwork. We used some non standard bricks (longer and thinner than usual) so he reduced the joint size. He spent a fair amount of time to setup a wooden frame and make sure everything would be plumb. The bricks are perfectly laid out and the mortar joints are very regular. He was as precise for the outside work. Everything was done in two days. We did contact another person listed on Angie's List for brickwork and just for the mantle and hole on the side of the house, he gave us a quote for $1500.

With prior water damage the steps were beginning to pull away from the porch and some of the decking was damaged. After a new roof and better bigger gutters the water damaging stopped, but we needed new stairs and decking. Mike's was by far the best price. Letting us know he had another job to finish first, so we would know he wanted and could do the job - just not right away - and leave us hanging. When we settled with Mike and signed a contract one night he was out with a crew the next day to start the wok. Within three days we had new steps and decking. They did an excellent job making it look as much like what had been there as they could. If they had to make things look a little different it was all explained well and discussed with us before they did it. He even suggested the best paint to use and where we could get it near by. Mike was sensitive to our needs with our older house. We would use him again in a heart beat if we needed some remolding work.

He came here and gave me an estimate. He took the mold samples. I had read on Angie's List that he had free mold testing. He charged us 300 dollars to get the results. We were supposed to get the results back last week and I still haven't heard back from him. He put these plastic little bottles in a room where we have obvious water issues to collect "air samples" he recapped the bottles. He would also stick this little pointed dual pronged tool with a guage on it, into the celieng where there is obvious water damage. He recapped the samples and said that if we wanted the results we had to pay 300 per sample, he recommended that we do 3 samples in each area. He claimed he never offered to present that special free testing. He also looked around at some damage and gave us some estimates. I have not made attempts to contact him as of yet. And he would just quote estimates with out measurements, not taking, pictures. He just walked around and quoted me money for some rooms and told me he would email me for the others. He explained that he was going on vacation with his family but was willing to contact me once he reached his destination. I said "No, that's okay. You have a good vacation, and I'll hear from you on Monday." I still haven't heard from him. I understand that things come up and that people should be understanding but I do not care for my expereince with this company thus far.

Mike came and helped me figure out the problem first (as opposed to other basement waterproofing companies selling a specific product/solution). I ran a hose in a couple of locations until we figured out the water path. We first tried to install a drain along a covered car port. Mike estimated a couple of days but because of the rain and frost it took 5 full days. He sticked to the initial price ($1500). We knew this solution might not work but it was the simplest one. As it didn't work, we had to install a second drain along the house. This required to dig a 3 feet wide trench, 5 feet deep and 40 feet long, breaking the concrete slab of our car port. They parched the exterior wall, covered it with asphalt, filled and packed the dirt and poured a new concrete slab. This took 5 days and went smoothly. Since then we haven't seen any sign of water inside the house and the sump pump is totally dry (it used to have a least an inch of water staying at the bottom). On top of that, Mike has been very useful, he recommended places to find bricks, paint, and tiles at decent prices.

Great! I'll use him in the future as often as possible.