M&L Remodeling & Painting

This was our first remodel ever, and boy we lucked out with Matt and his crew! We bought the house from an elderly couple in their 80's. They had been living in the house since 1987 and the house was in pretty bad shape in and out. Due to budget restrictions we decided to do the inside first and leave the outside for "phase 2".We looked in Angie's list and found 3 possible candidates plus we got one more recommended by our realtor. We interviewed all 4 contractors, and Matt was the last one to be scheduled for the walk through and estimate. We liked Matt from the begining. He was energetic and had many good recommendations from the get go. Not having ANY experience the recommendations were always welcome. Our budget was tight, so we initially intended to leave out the windows and plumbing for "phase 3".The estimates came in at about the same amount for 3 of the contractors. One was way too high for our budget. Pretty much all of them quoted labor plus some of the more common materials (drywall, paint, electrical, cement, wood, etc. as needed). The cabinets, countertops, vanities, lighting fixtures, floor materials, plumbing fixtures were all left for us to buy separately and spend there according to what we could afford. We decided to go with Matt. We interviewed him the week of May 21st and they started the week after Memorial day holiday. Matt estimated 6-8 weeks for the job and he told us what we needed to buy and when, so that we would not delay the project. He made suggestions on what to buy and what to look for. We did not even know what porcelain tile was! Matt explained the differences, pros/cons and left us to make up our minds about what to buy and how much to spend.Matt and his crew started the demo and in 2 days the inside of the house was virtually gone. He started with 5 guys, all his own crew. The first day we showed up I could not believe what we had gotten ourselves into. It was much bigger than we thought!About the second week into the project Matt called us and said we needed to consider replacing all the plumbing. They had all the walls open so the labor was going to be much easier, and the pipes were old galvanized pipes. We agreed to go ahead with it and boy it was a good call. The 1/2" pipes had only about 1/8" opening. The rest was all rust, sludge, and who knows what else. Matt installed all new copper piping throughout the house, plust all PVC drains throughout the house. The water pressure went up ten fold after the new plumbing was installed. Into the third week Matt asked us why we didn't want to do the windows. We explained that we did not want to spend that much money just now and that we were planning to do it at a later phase. He thought that if we did not do it now we would regreat it in a month after we moved into the house. He explained that they already had all the moldings removed and were about to install the new ones and that was a lot of the labor that goes into replacing windows. I looked at the windows and there were several that were painted shut. Some with rotten wood and others that were half decent. Matt made us "an offer we could not refuse" and we went for it. I'm very pleased with the decision. We probably saved thousands of dollars and lots of aggravation compared to doing it after the remodel as we originally planned.Overall this was a fantastic experience. Matt and his crew showed up to work every day at 7:00AM and left at 6:00PM (according to the neighbors as we were not in the house during the remodel). Some times with 5 guys, some times with 2 depending on the stage of the project. Matt only hired the guy that did the wood floor re-finish. Pretty much all else was done with his own crew. Even after we included the new plumbing and the new windows they still finished the project in about 7 weeks. The quality of the work was great. After we moved in we only asked them to come back to get one of the new doors to lock a little easier (the lock was a little off and they fixed it in 15 minutes). Matt made several recommendations throughout the process and they all turned out great. Having so little experience in remodeling we sucked in as much information as he had to share. He was very patient with us and as some small things came up that were not included in the original estimates he did them anyways. We could not have asked for a better contractor. We already told Matt that when we recover financially from this remodel we will call him again to completely finish the basement, which is currently only partially finished with a family room. I'm only sorry that Matt does not do exterior work, as we do need to get that done too... anyways that will be "phase 2", or "phase 3"...Both my wife and I personally recommend Matt to our friends now. We are thinking about doing a house warming gathering with the neighbors and plan to have plenty of his business cards available. We truly loved the experience and Matt is responsible for that. This project was big, and it could have gone terribly wrong, but it turned out perfect. We really lucked out with Matt and his crew.Thank you Matt!!!

I hired Matt again- this time another huge project for us -2nd floor remodeling. Just as We expected project went very smooth and fast.Since start to finish everything was top level organized, on time, without any mistakes.Once again-Thank You Matt and crew-that was pleasure to work with You.

Matt's price was the lowest of the three quotes we received. He started the work when promised and finished on schedule. The crew was courteous and kept the area as clean as possible. Matt had great suggestions for the best use of the space and listened to our input. We are very happy with the finished product and the quality of the work.

Matt and his entire crew were prompt to arrive each day, worked 8 hours or more per day and finished the project earlier than originally quoted. Matt was always available for questions and was on site each day and solved any issues in an expedient way. We were very pleased with the quality of the work and would use M & L Remodeling in the future.

M&L is incredibly accommodating and listens to everything that we ask for. Doing a custom job is not easy and he is very flexible with changes.

Matt and his crew were on time everyday and very professional. The crew arrived every morning at 7. Matt was very accomodating and had great suggestions. I could not be more pleased with how smoothly the job went and the outcome. My basement looks better than I could have anticipated. I would not hesitate to use M & L again.

From day one- Matt brought out a large crew and completed 15 rooms in a week. The crews were professional and cleaned up after themselves every day. If there were any plumbing issues to be adressed while the walls were out-Matt brought them to our attention rather than just proceed with new installation even though it slowed down his crews. He cared about the place as if it were his own and the project was completed with excellent workmanship. We were so impressed that we hired M&L to do wallpaper, paint and drywall repair for 72 hotel rooms which they are currently working on. It is difficult to find companies that are very competent and also care about your property and M&L fulfills both needs.

We live in a very old house and have several projects (bathoom and kitchen projects) with different contractors. Since we started using Angie's List, our experience at vetting contractors has been very positive. We had 5 contractor bid the project. 2 were way off the mark almost double the other 3 bids, which were in a relatively tight shot group. Matt was right in the middle of the last three bids. We chose Matt because he seemed to be a straight shooter, optimistic and not the "used salesman" type. We chose right. Matt and his crew were professional from start to finish. During the first few days they showed up at 8:00 am but when Matt found out that my family was up earlier, Matt asked if he could start at 7:00 am. From that point forward, the crew showed up at 7:00 am everyday. He made suggestions along the way that ultimately enhanced the project. For example, he suggested marble flooring because he new Menards was having a sale. The marble ended up being a cheaper alternative so we went with. He also suggested heated floors, whch is great in a basement. Along the way, I decided that I wanted the existing bathroom floor to bath match the marble flooring. Matt said he was way ahead of me and completed that portion with no additional labor costs. There were a couple of minor, minor hiccups along the way but, Matt resolved these issues very professionally. This was by far the best and smoothest flowing project that we have had at our house. I very highly recommend Matt and plan to use him for future projects.

Our basement flooded in July, and Matt and Crew were one of three bids we received to mostly finish it. Their bid was by far the lowest, and they were extremely flexible in adapting to our plans. Matt made all the right suggestions, and we ended up with exactly what we wanted for less than we expected to pay. The guys showed up like clockwork at 7:30 every morning and stayed the entire day. We ran into a few small problems along the way, but Matt dealt with everything professionally and with a "customer is always right" type of demeanor, which was very refreshing. We would highly recommend Matt for anyone in need of an all purpose contractor, and we will likely be seeking his services again.

I had Matt and his painters over to seal a two story porch that is on the back of a two flat. They arrived on time and did a thorough job. My neighbor who is a union painter was very impressed and said he himself wouldn't have done that nice of a job. Way to go guys!

Matt and team did a wonderful job. They gave us some great ideas on how to create a professional look, while enabling the basement to hold up to floodwater. They helped with paint colors that turned out just right. I am confident that Matt & team would do a wonderful job in any basement remodel project and when the City of Park Ridge finally fixes our flooding situation, that I'll have Matt back to finish the rest. To further build on the efforts of Matt's team, a neighbor, who's main floor was devastated by the flooding, asked him to sand and prime the drywall that they had re-installed themselves. Matt recognized the financial plight that they were going through as a result of the flooding and and he gave them a very low price. The team completed the sanding in one day and are back this monday to finish the job. My neighbors are grateful for Matt's ability to move their project along so quickly and enable them to return to a normal lifestyle Great work! I would highly recommend M&L remodeling and painting.

I got two estimates from Angie's List firms which were comparable in amount, but chose M&L Remodeling & Painting because I was convinced that Matt and his crew would do a very good job. They did not disappoint. They did an especially good job of framing and insulating the outside walls, and their electrical work was very professional. The quality of the drywalling and painting was outstanding. Areas where I felt they went beyond my expectations included the beautiful white wooden baseboards and door trim, the handrail going to the basement, and a second cable TV and telephone outlet. Generally, the project went very smoothly. It was estimated to take two weeks, and, although the first week was cut short by a holiday, Matt and his crew managed to finish the project by Thursday of the second week. Matt was very easy to work with; he quickly understood what I wanted, and did not try to convince me to do more. Communication with Matt was very good both by phone and by email, and his employees were always prompt, courteous and hard working. They clearly had pride in their work. I can enthusiastically recomment M&L to other Angie's List members.

My over experience with Matt and his team (Henry) was excellent. They were on-time everyday and worked tirelessly. They were both very nice and made sure to not leave a mess behind when they left. Matt was also very helpful with facilitating the project. He picked up product, gave suggestions and worked with our suppliers. I will definitely use Matt again and most likely very soon.

Matt was very prompt, friendly and professional. He did the job on 1 weeks notice, which was pretty good. Also has been great about following up to correct a little issue I have with it. Overall, great experience and I highly recommend him. The people from his crew I met were very professional. When they discovered the electrical box for microwave was 3 inches too far to the right (putting it behind where 2 cabinets meet!), they just quickly opened wall and were able to move box over without any issue. Basically, they were all about solutions and didn't let any problem bother them

They were great. We hired another company because of their design capabilities.

The project was done on time and within budget. We are very please with M&L's quality of work. In addition, they are very easy to work with and accommodating. We were very pleased with there "can do" attitude and the level of skill they demonstrated in putting the steam shower kit together, installing, calling the vendor, and testing the system to ensure it worked properly. I would definitely hire M&L again and have recommended them to family and friends. If you want reasonable pricing, good quality of work, and an accommodating contractor - M&L is the right company.

I had to repair a broken wall from a plumbing excavation and replace ceramic tile. I also had Matt add a battery backup system to my existing sum pump. He did a very professional job. Excellent work for a fair price. Highly recommend!!

The project went beautifully fron start to finish.The project took one full week.Matt and his crew put new drywall,panelling ,flooring and new lighting.Matt solved how to set fireplace.Plugged and built chimney.Whole crew was on time. Always clean up after themself and were very professional. I'm very happy that I hired him and of course I will call him again for the next projects.

The work went well. They finished ahead of schedule and on budget. They worked especially neat and cleaned up well. They were very easy to work with. I would highly recommend them.

We hired Matt to perform a gut rehab on our dated basement bathroom. He and his crew were on the job every day by 730am and put in a full days' work. The quality of the work was fantastic, including tile, painting, drywall, plumbing, and electrical; he was on budget and in half the time originally given in the estimate. Our new bathroom has gone from an embarrassment to a showpiece. We would absolutely use him again.

We really liked them. Matthew was the one that came out and he showed us ideas that we hadn't thought about doing. His quote was very reasonable in comparison to the other quotes we got. We are considering using them.

Matt was referred to me by a neighbor. I called him for an estimate to install a kitchen backsplash. He provided an estimate on Saturday and completed the work the following Thursday. He showed up on time and with the help of an assistant installed the backsplash in 6 hours. He covered the hall and kitchen hardwood floors minimizing any cleanup on my part. Matt is very knowledgeable and professional. I will definitely hire him again and will refer him to family and friends.

I got what I paid for. I would highly reccomend Matt and his crew for remodeling. They are very organized, always on time, Matt was every morning with materials and tools- that"s whay this job was so fast and smooth. They are just The best!!!

Overall, working with Matt and his crew was a great experience and pleasure. They know their work, understand what we need; Matt always had a couple ideas about the basement layout and shape. Once they started the work, they were always on time, and worked hard all day long. No weekends. I was happy every day seeing the progress; I talked to Matt every morning in person about everything, if he needs anything etc. We were on the same page since the beginning to the very and. I?m very happy with the quality of the work, woodwork, tiles and painting looks great-top notch. We are very, very happy; I would HIGHLY recommend Matt to do any kind of remodeling work, but specifically for finishing BASEMENT- A+!!!

They were always on time, work at least 8 to 10 houres. Full of energy, materials on time, great solutions for every problem, very creative , very clean and always in good mud. That was a pleasure to see the progress every day, talk to Matt about everything-schedule, timing, problems and ideas. All the best about this guys!!!