Meanwhile, my husband and I are furiously working in the basement to remove the wet carpeting and padding. I am a severe asthmatic and the possibility of mold growing in the basement, as a result of the backed-up sump pump, could be life-threatening for me. So it was critical that the soaked carpeting and padding be removed as soon as possible. Within 60 minutes a ServPro agent from Cedar Rapids returned my call and did his best to try to talk me out of him coming out to the house on a Sunday. He kept saying how it was going to be so expensive and could we possible wait until Monday to avoid extra charges. I declined this service. I was not interested in someone who was not interested in helping me TODAY when I needed it. I called the 1-800 number again and told them what had happened. The man said he would try and find someone else to help us today. Meanwhile, my husband and I were working to remove the soaked carpet and padding from the basement. We were successful in removing all the carpet and padding before another call came from ServPro. Later that afternoon a call came from another ServPro agent that said he and his team was ready to come out within the hour. At this point, we already had all the carpet and padding out of the basement and had windows open and fans blowing everywhere AND the sump pump had been repaired, so we opted to wait until Monday for ServPro to come out. When the ServPro truck arrived we thought our problems were over. Little did we know that our problems were just beginning. The guy who was the leader of the group got out of his truck and asked my husband two questions: 1. did we have insurance and 2. what were the limits on this insurance. We now know that we should have told ServPro to leave our house. They took this information and then systematically worked to ensure a mitigation bill of close to 1/2 of our insurance coverage! Over the course of the next week, we were berated and verbally abused by the 'team lead' of this group. Behind his back, other workers would tell us negative things about him and would tell us to call the office manager and talk to her about how poorly we were being treated. We did this on several occasions...the woman NEVER returned one call. She was either always in a meeting or was not at work at that time. Industrial sized fans and dehumidifiers were turned on in an effort to dry out the basement. We would told that the basement was 'as wet as it could get.' Yet, we were also told that on Tuesday, July 2, the moisture numbers were beginning to drop. On Thursday, July 4, when a different technician came out, he informed us that the moisture levels were still very close to the original levels when all the drying equipment was first brought in. He said that we would need to have the dry-wall cut out up to 2 1/2 feet from the floor. During the week, we found several instances when all the equipment was not even turned on or plugged in...yet we were being charged for the rental and use of this equipment. We kept meticulous notes and tried to complain, but the office manager would never returned our call. There was another guy who was the 'Project Manager'. We spoke to him many times on the phone. He never once did what he said he would do. He would repeatedly tell us that he was going to get us an estimate of the charges the next day; the estimate would not come and he would tell us (in phone calls) that he was almost finished and would get the estimate to us that day or the next. When we talked to him on Thursday, July 4th and confronted the Project Manager with the news that the drywall was not, in fact, drying out, he said he was not going to charge us for all of the days of drying and he was also going to take another deduction from the final bill because of the poor customer service from the lead technician. The Project Manager told our insurance adjuster the same thing. Our insurance adjuster said that the industry standard is if the numbers aren't falling dramatically by the second day, you pull the fans and cut out the wet drywall. This action would have reduced our final bill by thousands of dollars. We did not receive the estimate until over 10 days AFTER all the equipment was removed. And then the final bill came within 48 hours of receiving the estimate. We wrote and disputed the charges, explaining what we thought we owed. We received NO response from the company other than another phone call from the Project Manager, who did nothing but lie repeatedly to us, and a notice to sue if we didn't pay the bill within a specified amount of time. We have perfect credit and did not want this to affect our credit, so we paid the bill. We are now investigating other options with the Iowa Attorney General Office for fraud and the Better Business Bureau for poor business practices. This company's slogan is "Like It Never Happened". I wish this were true. When they left my house, I had 2 1/2 feel of wall missing from two rooms in the basement, baseboards and wall trim and doors strewn all over the basement. It was a total mess. This was an incredibly stressful time for us. We were dismayed by the continuing unprofessional behavior of the ServPro employees. They left surveys for us to fill out and when we did and they didn't like the answers we gave, the surveys were given back to us with instructions that we hadn't filled them out correctly and to do it again! The Lead Technician had a flare for acting superior to everyone and making condescending negative comments about his workers and our home. Tempers often flared when he was around and for this I am sorry, but the guy was just so annoying. He was not the least bit helpful. He would say that he had called to give us an update, when he, in fact, had not. Our only phones are cell phones and we have accurate logs of incoming/outgoing and missed calls. In short, the entire experience was stressful and dissatisfying. The work they performed was substandard. The employees, with the exception of the guy who came out on the holiday, July 4th, were difficult to work with, didn't follow through on what they said they would do, and worked to increase their bill, rather than mitigate our water damage. My advice to anyone wanting to use a Water Damage Mitigation Service is to run as fast as you can from these guys. You will regret the day you called them! We certainly do!
"},"url":"https://www.angi.com/companylist/us/ia/iowa-city/servpro-reviews-5020215.htm"},"position":1},{"@type":"ListItem","item":{"@type":"LocalBusiness","name":"Jarvis Property Restoration","address":{"@type":"PostalAddress","addressRegion":"IA","addressCountry":"US"},"review":{"@type":"Review","author":{"@type":"Person","name":"Janette E."},"reviewBody":"My service by Jarvis Property Restoration was awful. A repair that I had been quoted would only take three days became a six week nightmare. The interior work started well until the roofers began their work:
The roofers began by breaking into my garage through the roof. They didn't call and tell me they were coming to my house, I found them when I got home from work. The group had just started after working another job the better half of the day. My garage is pretty full so they moved items around wherever they could find space. I still have items in the rafters of my garage that I cannot get down because they are too heavy for me. I also still have the beer cans they left behind and the spilled bag of cat litter that they left their cigarette butts in on the floor of my garage. The workers were also using my ladders, my tools, my electrical cords like they had brought nothing of their own for the job. When they hung the gutter back on the garage it is now swaybacked and bent so water pours out both ends and doesn't drain the way it should. The roof of the garage does look good.
Next, they began work on the house roof. I have a tin roof on my breezeway between the garage and the house. The workers proceeded to walk across it between the garage and house even after I said they should not because the tin was not strong enough for that. I was assured everything would be okay. Now, the tin roof has holes all across it, it is bent and a quote from Arctic Insulation says it will take $2,000 to either replace the tin or seal it by hand in all the little holes where the nails holding it on to the rafters have come loose from being walked on. At this point I stopped having regular workers and a couple of guys started coming at night and on the weekends for a few hours. I was told that one of the guys was a family friend and Jarvis was trying to get him in good to be a continuos contractor for the company. These guys would come and rip stuff off the roof, throwing it to the ground. I had tar paper hanging off the edges of my roof as well as siding for days on end. I am still finding nails and old shingles all around my yard and clogging my gutters. In my old roof I had multiple pop up vents. They decided, without asking me, that they would remove the popup vents, shingle over the areas and put in a vent at the top of the roof. Of course, before they did all this shingling they left my roof wide open to the air due to tarps that were too small and kept blowing off. The tarps worked for the first few rainfalls when it was a light rain. Except for some similar leaking that had caused the original water damage. I woke up one morning to the sound of drip, drip, drip. I went to my dining room and found that it had started a torrential rain and the roof was leaking through the dining room ceiling onto the carpet. I went up to my full-size walk-in attic to discover it leaking all across the unprotected areas. When I called the job coordinator he told me that he sent someone out the night before to make sure the tarps were secured because he had looked at the forecast. I think he flat out lied. I was home all day the day before and the evening as well and no one came to the house. And it did not matter anyway because my roof was leaking in a major way. Tarps or not. I had boxes of Christmas items destroyed. A toybox that my dad built for me was turned into mush from the water damage. Halloween decorations, Easter decorations, stuffed animals, kids' toys. All were ruined due to mold. Floor rugs that I had brought up to the attic to help catch the rain, since I didn't have enough buckets, were left rolled up and turned moldy and they are still up there because they are too heavy for me to drag them out. They brought a fan to my attic to help dry out the area. Left it on for a week until they finally came back. All this leakage caused more repair work on the interior that they had been already working on. At this point I told them they better get it done. I was made to feel horrible because I was told that if they had to pull this friend of the family off the job then he would never work for Jarvis again. I told them so what. I was tired of being treated like a second job. They finally came back with a large of group of guys and were able to finish the roof in two days. A side effect of removing my pop-up vents has been that I have gone from never getting icicles to I get the icicles from h*** now all along the edge of my roof. The first time of the season that year that I walked out my screen door onto my deck, the door broke an icicle and the top half fell, broken edge first, onto my head was the first time i had ever had any really large icicles. A few small leak-drip icicles by the garage was all I ever had before the roofing incident. Now the icicles are awful!
The third time working on the interior: After the water damage from the light rains they didn't want to continue working on the interior just in case some leakage happened again. So I was left for weeks with all of my furniture clustered in different places around the room depending on what the interior workiers had been able to accomplish that day. I understand not wanting to put everything back everyday. But I would come home and not be able to get into my living room, my family would not be able to use the sofa or watch the TV until I had moved the heavy furniture around by myself. One time I came home at 7:00 at night and the stove wouldn't work so I could not cook supper for my 6 year old and 1 year old because the workers had taken the converter off the end to use it with one of their tools. In addition, I could not get any of the supervisors on the phone for assistance in the matter. Luckily I was able to find another converter in my basement after a couple hours of searching. Also, you have to remember, I live out of town in Central city. There are not places to eat and stores open during evening hours to just run and get something.
Jarvis assured me they would put a mold treatment in the attic and fix the areas where the insulation got soaked. I do not believe they did because my attic still smells like a basement even now. The leak area in the dining room from having the open roof was also not addressed. I asked them to repair the large crack in the ceiling caused by the water leakage and was told they would but the yellowed crack shows through the paint and is obviously not repaired. Also, they left paint on my dining room antique table that has damaged the surface. My carpet was left with brown stains all over even though I asked them to have the carpet cleaned. Nothing was re-hung on my walls, and they took all the nails out so now the nailholes are useless. The painting was done in a 'let's get it done' manner. There are patches of the under paint showing through. Instead of removing the living room light fixture as I had asked thry tried to paint around it with it still attached. You can see the paintbrush marks because they couldn't get all they to the base of the light. You can tell they did not tape because around the windows and doors the paint doesn't come to the edge so you can see the white stripe of the underpaint around everything.
When they "cleaned up", they took my tools, my electrical cords and my ladders. I had to call them to get my items back. Even then I was treated like I was a liar and they would only pay me $25 for all the items they said they "could not find". When I questioned all the above items before paying the complete bill they"},"url":"https://www.angi.com/companylist/us/ia/cedar-rapids/jarvis-property-restoration-reviews-5534448.htm"},"position":2},{"@type":"ListItem","item":{"@type":"LocalBusiness","name":"ANDREWS CONSTRUCTION","address":{"@type":"PostalAddress","addressRegion":"IA","addressCountry":"US"},"review":{"@type":"Review","author":{"@type":"Person","name":"Millie S."},"reviewBody":"Well first I called Andy he got right back to me asap. we scheduled an appointment. he was right on time looked the house over very well from the attic to the basement( due to chimney removal) He was very knowledgeable he took down all the measurements and info then he left. I heard back from him the next day with a price he even broke it down labor material's etc etc. we also hashed out the additional work that day (chimney) . when i say hash i do not mean haggle he was very negotiable and gave me a great deal. Well we decided to hire him and I told him we where getting the money from the bank so it would take a week or so for them to do there process. he said that was fine he came out and began work anyway WOW!! I didn't expect that. So I got the money paid him half up front 2000. He was on it getting all the old torn off and the chimney down. now get this for service!! on Thanksgiving!!! we had a storm blow off the tarps at 2am I call Andy expecting a voice mail but no!! he answered half asleep he said ill be right out there!!! so he comes out 2:30 am throws a ladder on my house goes up in that REALLY cold rain and fixed the tarps then came in and checked on water damage. He worked on it as long as he could till the worst winter in 10 years hit!! Andy however busted his tail getting the roof buttoned up before the first storm our house had all its tar paper water dam and 90% of the shingles on when it hit!! he kept trying to come out and work on it but the poor guy would get up there and be frozen. so not much got done then he got sick real bad flu. I had to MAKE him leave!!! I was so worried about him I told him not to come back till he was better. poor guy. he was super dedicated!! He kept in contact through the winter we both decided the roof was done enough that it could wait till warmer weather.. Ok now I am only telling this part because I want you to know the trust I had in Andy I am not tooting my own horn. It was Christmas time when we decided to wait till warm weather I also knew I still owed him 2000 more and he had bills and the holidays where upon us. so I asked him if he needed an advance and he sure did so I gave him 1800 more way before the job was complete. That's the trust I had in Andy! Well Andy did come back as soon as it was warm he patched the siding where the chimney was finished a few shingle's on the porch reworked all the gutters. Did an Amazing clean up. he even filled in the holes in my yard left by the dumpster. Ok that's the story now I want to mentions a few things I left out that I had not thought of till I was at the end of the Story. some are Good and some are bad there where a few things about Andy I didn't care for BUT!! none where grounds to not hire him again just things that people may want to know about him and his work. The good 1# Ok Andy was always courteous to my wife and children very patient with nosey kids. 2# Andy gave me sooooo much advice on My remodel projects I shocked he helped me for fr"},"url":"https://www.angi.com/companylist/us/ia/cedar-rapids/andrews-construction-reviews-450489.htm"},"position":3}]}
Holiday Decorating reviews from real Angi homeowners in Central City, IA
Last update on October 15, 2025
Sue J.
1.0
12/2013
Our basement flooded on Sunday, 6/30/13. We called our insurance agent and he urged us to call ServPro and gave us an 800 number to call for assistance. I called the number and asked exactly what services could be provided, how much it would cost, and how much money we would be expected to...
Well first I called Andy he got right back to me asap. we scheduled an appointment. he was right on time looked the house over very well from the attic to the basement( due to chimney removal) He was very knowledgeable he took down all the measurements and info then he left. I heard back from...
All your Home Service needs Transform your home with our expert services! Call us today at 319-447-7337 for sparkling results and excellent customer service. Why Choose Caves Services LLC: Quality work Experienced team Customer satisfaction Reliable service Competitive pricing
"Went great! Work was done for a great price and in a timely manor."
Matthew L on September 2025
All your Home Service needs Transform your home with our expert services! Call us today at 319-447-7337 for sparkling results and excellent customer service. Why Choose Caves Services LLC: Quality work Experienced team Customer satisfaction Reliable service Competitive pricing
"Went great! Work was done for a great price and in a timely manor."
Each job is as unique as those I am working not only for but just as importantly those I am working WITH. By this I mean none other than every client(s) is to each their own who some already have a very distinct, detailed, and predetermined vision as far as what they want. Some don't have the slightest idea and are looking for my input, suggestions, expenses and help coming up with a budget that is with in ones reach and that does not overwhelm or discourage a person from making their once dream space a reality. Every person I work with is encouraged to share any ideas, whether you've been revisiting an old idea or wanting to try something new. I will ALWAYS take time to not only sit down & listen to you but discuss, calculate, provide a copy of and discuss any ADDED expenses as well as any incurred CREDITS due as a result of any changes made to an already existing customer agreement. All proposed changes / costs will be discussed to its fullest and must be signed off as accepted by the client requesting proposed changes. I have an open mind policy meaning 1. I always love a good challenge ( The more outside the box thinking... The better! ) 2. My mind is ALWAYS open to ones suggestions , questions, concerns , OR sometimes some of us just need a few minutes of device free, human to human interaction where something as simple as an old fashion conversation is warranted. In all regards , I as your employee , My goal is to give you the tools, provide you with all aspects of your project whether big , small or somewhere in between. Including physical, informative, assistance with finding the best deals, Offering my assistance in the search for items not available in stores or if one is not interested I am happy to fully take on the challenge myself or act as your "buyer" if you will. ( ex: antiques of specific style, genre , maybe something of nostalgia etc... We're all unique in our own sense. Express the YOU in your home. ALSO OFFERING MISC CUSTOM HOME DECOR
Each job is as unique as those I am working not only for but just as importantly those I am working WITH. By this I mean none other than every client(s) is to each their own who some already have a very distinct, detailed, and predetermined vision as far as what they want. Some don't have the slightest idea and are looking for my input, suggestions, expenses and help coming up with a budget that is with in ones reach and that does not overwhelm or discourage a person from making their once dream space a reality. Every person I work with is encouraged to share any ideas, whether you've been revisiting an old idea or wanting to try something new. I will ALWAYS take time to not only sit down & listen to you but discuss, calculate, provide a copy of and discuss any ADDED expenses as well as any incurred CREDITS due as a result of any changes made to an already existing customer agreement. All proposed changes / costs will be discussed to its fullest and must be signed off as accepted by the client requesting proposed changes. I have an open mind policy meaning 1. I always love a good challenge ( The more outside the box thinking... The better! ) 2. My mind is ALWAYS open to ones suggestions , questions, concerns , OR sometimes some of us just need a few minutes of device free, human to human interaction where something as simple as an old fashion conversation is warranted. In all regards , I as your employee , My goal is to give you the tools, provide you with all aspects of your project whether big , small or somewhere in between. Including physical, informative, assistance with finding the best deals, Offering my assistance in the search for items not available in stores or if one is not interested I am happy to fully take on the challenge myself or act as your "buyer" if you will. ( ex: antiques of specific style, genre , maybe something of nostalgia etc... We're all unique in our own sense. Express the YOU in your home. ALSO OFFERING MISC CUSTOM HOME DECOR
The Best way to reach me is by email. [email protected]. I might take a day to get back to you so if your are wanting something done sooner than later please let me know in your email. I do not answer the phone while I'm with a client I find it very Rude! I would also need good times to call back. Most of the time I get in late and most people don't want to be bothered then. So you folks that have tried to get me and wasn't patient enough to wait on the call back my apology. I'm a Owner/Operator of a small business.Offering Handyman services. Special rates are offered for long contract jobs(example mowing of your lawn for the season).
"Ryan did a great job and cleaned up after. Punctual and friendly service."
Andrew S on May 2019
The Best way to reach me is by email. [email protected]. I might take a day to get back to you so if your are wanting something done sooner than later please let me know in your email. I do not answer the phone while I'm with a client I find it very Rude! I would also need good times to call back. Most of the time I get in late and most people don't want to be bothered then. So you folks that have tried to get me and wasn't patient enough to wait on the call back my apology. I'm a Owner/Operator of a small business.Offering Handyman services. Special rates are offered for long contract jobs(example mowing of your lawn for the season).
"Ryan did a great job and cleaned up after. Punctual and friendly service."
Owner is on every job-site. No sub-contractors are used. Jobs are typically priced per square ft. Payment Terms: 30-50% material deposit, remainder due upon job completion. We are tied into industry leading suppliers/manufacturers. We consistently attend education training, seminars, etc. We are experts in coatings for residential homeowners and commercial property owners
Owner is on every job-site. No sub-contractors are used. Jobs are typically priced per square ft. Payment Terms: 30-50% material deposit, remainder due upon job completion. We are tied into industry leading suppliers/manufacturers. We consistently attend education training, seminars, etc. We are experts in coatings for residential homeowners and commercial property owners
Laura’s Designs has 1 employee: Laura provides design service; offering custom contracts to clients. Laura selects contractors and subcontractors to perform the work to ensure that each project is completed according to the specifications outlined in each estimate.
Laura’s Designs has 1 employee: Laura provides design service; offering custom contracts to clients. Laura selects contractors and subcontractors to perform the work to ensure that each project is completed according to the specifications outlined in each estimate.
Decorist is an online interior design service that provides professional decorating help – in your style and on your budget – for a low flat fee starting at $199 per room. Whether you're moving, renovating or just want a fresh new look, Decorist is the easy and affordable way to design the room you've always wanted.
Decorist is an online interior design service that provides professional decorating help – in your style and on your budget – for a low flat fee starting at $199 per room. Whether you're moving, renovating or just want a fresh new look, Decorist is the easy and affordable way to design the room you've always wanted.
FAQs for holiday decorating projects in Central City, IA
Professional holiday decorating services cost about $1,500 on average, with prices ranging from $300 to $2,500 and more. The total price tag depends on the type and amount of decorating requested, along with additional cost factors like your home’s location, materials, and labor.
Check out these common holiday decorating service costs:
Exterior holiday light installation: $400
Christmas tree decoration: $200–$600
Interior holiday design and decoration: $50–$200 per hour
Holiday landscaping: $50–$100 per hour
If you need help with your holiday decorating, the first step is determining your lighting and decor needs to narrow down your pro options. For example, if you want a custom outdoor light display with all of the bells and whistles, you’ll likely need to hire a local holiday light installer who specializes in that service. But if you only need to hang some lights inside in hard-to-reach places, consider hiring a handyperson or an interior decorator instead. It’s best to contact at least three different companies for quotes and to find out what services they offer.
The cost to install holiday lights averages about $425, ranging from $220 to $675, depending on the type of lights and installation location.
High roofs: $3.50–$6 per linear foot
Balconies: $50–$75 each
Outdoor tree: $75–$1,500 per tree
Christmas light installation costs also vary on light size and type:
Hiring someone to decorate your Christmas tree costs about $400 on average, ranging from $200 to $1,500 or more, depending on the type of decorating service, size of the tree, location, and materials used to decorate the tree.
Price ranges vary by service type:
Handyperson: $60–$125 per hour
Professional light installer: $300 per hour
Interior decorator: $50–$200 per hour
Christmas tree designer: $600–$1,500 per tree
The Central City, IA homeowners’ guide to holiday decorating services
From average costs to expert advice, get all the answers you need to get your job done.
Christmas light installation costs depend mostly on your home’s square footage, but our expert guide breaks down all the factors that influence what you’ll pay.
If you're dreaming of rocking around your—professionally decorated—tree this season, this is how much a Christmas tree decorating service will cost you.
It’s time to deck your halls. From choosing the right roof clips to step-by-step instructions, learn how to hang Christmas lights on a roof in this guide.
You can hang Christmas lights inside with a few simple steps and the right tools. Our guide will show you the best way to hang Christmas lights indoors.