MARVEL HOMES LLC

Fantastic! Devin and his team remodeled three of the four bedrooms in my townhouse in Clarendon: the first about four years ago and the other two bathrooms two years ago. He also built me a new closet in the master bedroom. The entire experience was amazing. The work is top quality - years later it still looks perfect and I have not had any problems - and his team is polite, professional, timely and they left my home spotless when they left. And since the work has been completed, Devin has helped me with little issues for free whenever I needed help. He is truly a talented professional and a stellar person. Can’t recommend highly enough!

Very through work proposal and estimate. They did everything outlined in the proposal at a price that was very competitive with other bids. They are the most customer-oriented vendor that we have ever worked with.

Best contractor I ever worked with is Marvel Homes, (301) 785-2171, a small firm owned and run by Devin Nasvaderani, truly one of the nicest, most knowledgeable, most organized and honest people I have ever worked with. I have done three projects with him, and been thrilled beyond expectation each time. Devin's is the firm I chose to rebuild the damaged portions of my house after a big fire there. Because we had been through so many problems with other contractors leading up to the rebuilding - despite checking them out and watching them closely - we were REALLY careful before selecting the contractor who would do the rebuilding. We read EVERY single detailed review on Angie's List, we interviewed the top "contenders," and chose Marvel Homes. Even with all of this high expectation, I was blown away by the experience of working with someone who is honest down to his bones, cares about the quality of his work down to the smallest details, is a phenomenally good carpenter with a small crew of stellar, hard-working people he trained himself, was spot-on with every time estimate and cost estimate - and for all of this is relaxed and warm at the same time. They say at the end of a long project with even a good contractor you are "sick of each other" by the end - on the contrary, I was actually sad when the work was done, that's how positive the experience was. In fact, when we needed to replace old windows at my family's house, and I wanted to winterize my screened porch, I chose Marvel Homes for each of those projects and the experience was every bit as positive. I will give details that may help give you a fuller picture of our positive experiences with this business. 1). Many contractors we spoke to came with glossy brochures and polished salesmen. Devin came himself, no glitz or fake conversation, looked at the job with what was clearly a trained eye, and answered all of my questions honestly and to whatever detail I needed. After all we had been through, I had gotten so sick of the "schmoozy" soft-sell/hard sell routine of the bigger companies who talked a lot without saying anything, this was like a breath of fresh air on a stuffy day. 2). His low-key demeanor may fool you. Devin is the most skillful and experienced carpenter/craftsmen and most organized contractor I ever met. He looks with a trained eye at every aspect of the job, and is clear and up front down to the smallest details. He wakes up at 5 each morning and before he leaves for his first job or meeting, he has a print-out of each and every thing he needs to do or discuss on each job, site, or client he will meet with that day. Unlike many good contractors who are not so good with paperwork, Devin's paperwork was so helpful all throughout the project, for planning, knowing when we needed to make choices of materials, knowing when to expect which aspect of the job, knowing breakdown of costs - everything. 3). He does it right. Even if it costs him, he absorbs the cost to get it right. In contrast to the companies that would spend hours talking to me without providing any detail or accurate estimates at all, Devin spent 40 hours of work on his own time without getting paid for it, in order to get accurate estimates and details on each aspect, so I knew exactly what to expect time-wise, and cost-wise, so the insurance estimate would be spot-on, etc. 4). When the refrigerator came, I had chosen a bigger one than we had planned for. The island was already in, but Devin was concerned that with the few extra inches of the refrigerator, the smaller aisle space might be annoying when we would be using it, moving about the kitchen, etc. He arranged to meet me at the house to see what I thought, and then suggested we move the island a few inches back. Despite the fact that I was the one who had chosen that particular refrigerator, he did not charge me for the cost of moving the island, even though I suggested that that was only fair. He said something like, "the job isn't done into you are happy, and we get it right." Who does that? 5). His small crew is terrific. He has trained all of them, and treats them well, so they form a really cohesive team. They arrived on the dot when they said they would, and they left the work area and house cleaner than when they arrived. The respect they showed for me and my things was remarkable, which blew me away after having worked with companies that treated my house like their own work space, without regard for the people or things in it. 6). We had to work with insurance on the big job. Devin's estimate was so "on point" that there was no dispute over any of it, the insurance issued the check without delay. His time estimates of when a part of the job would be done were true and exact, making it possible for us to plan around when certain parts of the job would be done. And his cost estimate was exact also. He is licensed and bonded. He does things by the book, and in fact, the only "negative" comment we ever found for him on Angie's List is "he refuses to use cheap materials." Thank goodness he doesn't. There were so many things I noticed after I moved back home that I never would have noticed while the job was underway, so many corners a less honest or less skilled contractor could have cut that would have slipped by me until long after they were paid and gone. I can't tell you how many times I felt so grateful that we had found Devin. The fire was a nightmare in so many ways, but I have often said that finding Devin and Marvel Homes more than made up for it. His reputation for excellent, by the book, safe work was clearly known to county inspectors, and every inspection went smoothly, without surprises or problems. After you have had a fire, you especially appreciate a contractor that does it safely, and right. He charges a fair price for high quality work. Before Devin I used to try to get things done at cheaper prices. The work was cheap and I would have to supervise every inch and every minute of it to be sure, and even then, I got burned. Devin told me once that a large portion of his jobs are coming in and doing it right after someone cheaper botched it up. Having now worked with a company where I didn't need to supervise ANYTHING to get a proper, careful, skilled result and promised result, I will never go back to the other way.

Devin and his crew are top notch. From the initial design ideas thru the project stages to the finished touches. The crew was courteous, timely and cleaned up at the end of every day. If you want a job done right call them now.

They did a great job, finished when they said they would, and it came out better than I expected. Quality of work was very high, they were always professional and on time. Devin is a great guy and easy to deal with.

Both projects went extremely well.  If I could give Marvel Homes an A+, they would have it on all counts.  Both projects were completed within budget and within the project time.  We had two different crews do each of the project.  Both showed professionalism, care for cleanup and demonstrated exceptional work ethic.  They worked hard while delivering quality workmanship.  Highly recommend!  In fact we have used these people twice, once for each project.

It went amazingly well.  We were worried about the disruption that would be caused by having our bathroom, which is attached to our bedroom, torn apart for several weeks, but Devin and his team could not have made it easier.  They put plastic sheeting over everything in our bedroom during the day during the demolition phase, and also rolled up our very large rug (and replaced it under our king-sized bed after they were done with the work).  They got everything done in the amount of time promised.  The crew were uniformly terrific -- nice, incredibly competent guys.   Devin was  great to work with.  Anything we wanted, he was able to figure out.  He could not have been more accommodating or helpful.  We've worked with a lot of great contractors over the years, and Devin is definitely a star.  Our bathroom designer, Debbie Gray, recommended him, and they worked together really well.  I have recommended the team to several friends already.  

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This was an unusual job and Devin designed the whole project  by himself. He is a real wizard! Alex executed the project impeccably and on time.

e.He made sure that dust did not inundate the rest of the house; completed the work in a week; communicated his plans and ideas clearly with me and responded to our needs. The price seemed reasonable at the time.
I cannot say enough good things about Marvel Homes, LLC! I am currently negotiating with then on our next job!

Great work by Marvel Homes!! We had them redo our laundry and mudroom after we had water damage from a broken pipe. Devin and his crew were excellent from start to finish. The design, execution and communication was always above and beyond. Will definitely use them again and would refer them again and again!

GREAT.

Devin is an excellent manager of the diverse crews that had to work for the contract. He made sure that everything was done on time and of high quality. Special thanks to Mr. Ali, who not only painted the whole house exquisitely but also offered helpful suggestion regarding color schemes and types of paints to be used. Alex was part of different crews that came and was very receptive at all the demands that were made, even if they were not explicitly mentioned in the initial contract. Devin also managed to superbly accommodate the various unexpected aspects of the work and, again, maintained everything within the time and budgetary confines of the contract. If you want something to be done on time, of good quality and relatively moderate price, considering hiring them. They are awesome.

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Devin Nasvaderani of Marvel Homes rebuilt my small bathroom
from subfloor to ceiling.  Water had
leaked down through the subfloor into the dining room downstairs, so the entire
bathroom had to be rebuilt.  I took
several months to talk to a number of contractors, and I am very glad I got
Devin.  Devin listened carefully to what
I wanted, making suggestions as requested but never trying to ?upsell? me.  As an old budget officer, I was determined to
make sure there were no surprises at the end, but not only was the work
completed on time and on budget, but the extra items I ended up asking for were
delivered at less than I had expected, and were done with the same excellent
quality as the scope work.  In some
cases, Devin advised me strongly that some work the other contractors said
would ?probably? be needed, was not needed.  His ?allowances? for tile and plumbing were
the only realistic such estimates I got from any contractor, and he passed on
his contractor discount to me at the tile and plumbing shops, allowing me to
build a very nice, quality bathroom at less than the originally estimated price
point.
The work quality was excellent, and his crew were
professional, polite, clean and non disruptive. 
He managed to gain me several more inches inside the shower, put
insulation against the outside wall that the original home builder had not
bothered with, and generally fixed up all the weak points of the original
bathroom.  The bathroom, although small,
is the ?master bathroom? so the crew had to go through my bedroom to access it.  Each morning, they covered everything in my
room with plastic, put tarps from the front door to the bathroom, and every
evening removed everything and vacuumed, leaving my room absolutely clean each
night.  They were even fairly quiet,
considering the nature of the work. (the hammering etc sounded ?precise? and
methodical to my untrained ear, never just banging away.)  So, my highest recommendations for this work.
Michael P******
Forest Glen MD

.

Devin Nasvaderani (Marel Homes) is, without a doubt, the best contractor with whom I have ever worked. He came into a job that had been royally screwed up by a prior contractor (see review of Stevenson & Sons). He thoroughly inspected the property, prepared a detailed bid, gave us advice on the most important items and delivered a bid that could work with our budget and the existing lender requirements. His entire crew were professional and consciencious. Devin delivered on time, on budget with high quality work. He kept us informed throughout the process. The portico he built is frequently the subject of compliments by our neighbors (and people just driving by). We will use Devin to continue improving our home. He took a nightmare and turned it into the dream home we had hoped for. If you need a great contractor to remodel your home, call Devin at Marvel Homes (the name says it all).

Devin and his wonderful crew are in the process of doing all of the remodeling work listed above, but I am so impressed with them I wanted to get some of this down now. 
In mid-April/late May, I found evidence that there was a mouse in my house (ewww), and despite my best efforts, and hiring Orkin (I'll review them, too), I could never find/capture the darn thing. So, I decided I was going to hire a contractor to come "mouse-proof" my house, and while I was at it, I was going to create the kitchen/dining room, laundry room and bathroom I wanted. Just like we are taught, I selected 3 contractors to come and discuss the work I wanted done and to get estimates. One never showed, even though he made an appointment, one told me why I couldn't do the work I wanted done, and then there was Devin. 
From the first time I spoke with Devin (first in email, then on the phone, then in person), I knew we would work well together. He never told me I *couldn't* do any of the things I wanted done, but he gave me a realistic idea of how much it was going to cost me. Then, he did a walkthrough of the house, and not only did he help me put my ideas into a realistic framework, he went the extra mile and went into my crawl space and found some structural damage that had to be repaired before any of the remodeling could be done. He was honest with me about how much the work would cost, and he and the guys have already improved the feel of the whole house by repairing the support structure on the house. Before Devin and his crew got to work, the floor slanted in places, and now the floor is completely level. The one other contractor that came to look at the house (and told me my remodel ideas were wrong), didn't even look at the support beams or the crawl space. 
Once we had the price range set, he brought in a wonderful, patient, architect who drew up such good plans that I could actually visualize what my new space would look like, and then brought in an interior designer to help with the cabinets, appliances and look of the place. 
Devin and his crew have been working on the house for a couple weeks now, and every time I go to look at it (I did mention that they are re-doing the bathroom, right?) there is something new and wonderful to see. One of the best things about the work is that they are cleaning up as they go. In fact, they built a wall between where they are doing the major work and where I was still living in the house (until the bathroom got gone) so that no dust or debris was in the living areas of the house. And, once I moved out due to lack of "facilities", they taped off my rooms to keep the dust out while they installed the lighting and while they worked on the bathroom. 
The bottom line is, just based on the work that's been done so far, I would recommend Marvell Homes LLC to anyone who is looking to upgrade their home. 
I'll update this review (hopefully with pictures) when the work is done.

****************************
So, the work is done, and I love my house! Life got in the way, and I couldn't get to this update as quickly as I wanted to, but I couldn't *not* finish this review. 

The remodel came out better than I had ever hoped, and I *love* my new spaces! Devin and the guys turned my dinky little cramped house into a home I'm proud of. And he did it all within the budget he originally quoted me. Not only that, but he came back and fixed the one minor problem that cropped up after the job was done! Who *does* that these days? 

I was so pleased with the work Devin and the guys did on the public rooms of the house, I've already started saving to have them work their magic on the bedrooms, and I wouldn't even *think* of using another contractor for anything I need done.

Devin (owner) and his crew delivered a completely remodeled house in time and on budget.  We could not be happier with everything that was done.  Devin is someone you can trust and I have recommended him to family and friends.  His crew is really polite and professional.  I often stopped by the house while it was under construction to take pictures and the job site was kept clean and
organized. 

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Devin (the owner of Marvel Homes) is an AMAZING person to work with. He is punctual, very responsive and I really enjoyed working with his team. He does not cut corners with his work and you can be assured that his work is of the highest quality. He was a little more expensive than past contractors I used but you pay for what you get. I had someone put in a oven hood and they did not know the industry standards which resulted in the hood not working after a short period. Devin came in to fix that and did a beautiful job.  Devin's workers are polite, professional and they clean up really well after each day to ensure that the place is dust free. Although he may have less reviews here on Angie's List, be sure to ask him for his many testimonials from many happy clients he has served. His workmanship is also top notch and he comes by on a daily basis while his team was working on our house, to ensure that all was going well. I would use Marvel Homes without hesitation for future projects and highly recommend him to anyone.

Great! Other comments.

Marvel did an outstanding job.  They are responsive and professional and always do quality work.  After Marvel was done, the condo looked better than we expected.  The walls and floors look great and the lighting looks fabulous.  I cannot say enough in praise of Marvel.  I would use them again and again and have used them in the past.  I have recommended them to others, who have also been very pleased.  You cannot go wrong if you choose them.  Their pricing is fair.  It is not the cheapest, but you get more than you pay for.

Our sump pump failed during the hurricane in August 2011, so we had drywall damage (2 feet up from the floor), ruined floorboards, ruined tile and carpet, and damaged closet and bathroom doors. In addition, because it had taken so long for the insurance company to send someone out to our house, we had significant mold behind the damaged drywall. We called several companies, including those recommended by our insurance company, and nobody would work with us because a) we had mold behind our drywall and b) we were dealing with an insurance claim. Because our estimate was in the $15,000 range, we not only had to wait on the insurance company to issue our check, but we also had to go through an arduous process with our bank to release the funds. We were starting to get desperate, as we have an infant and didn't want her in a house with mold.

We decided to call Devin after reading his ratings on Angie's List. From the word go, Devin was 100 percent on board. He wasn't afraid to deal with mold, and when I told him about the insurance/bank obstacles, he was totally willing to be patient and work with us. He's had prior experience working with insurance companies, and he told us he was more than willing to wait. He then showed up the next day to check the damage. Devin first insisted on removing the damaged drywall immediately, even though we had no money to give him and no sign that we'd be getting it any time soon. He told us that he was most concerned about having the mold in the house with our daughter, and he told us he'd remove the damaged drywall prior to even developing his quote. Three days later, his crew arrived and removed all of the damaged drywall and tile. It was such a relief to have the mold out of our house!

Devin then quickly brought in contractors to provide us with his estimate. He knew that our insurance company had initially quoted a $10,000 job, but he noted that they didn't quote the cost of several other tasks that needed to be done in order to restore our basement, such as the seams along the corners of the walls. Thus, when he presented us with his $15,000 estimate, I was pretty nervous. I didn't know whether the insurance company would approve it. However, Devin was confident that they'd accept it, because he had documented every cost in the quote, explained his rationale, and taken pictures to support his claims. Happily, the insurance company readily accepted his quote, explaining to us that they agreed with his estimates. Finally, we could proceed with the work and also submit the required paperwork so that we could pay Devin. Keep in mind this entire time, he had yet to receive a dime!

Another thing that the insurance company had failed to do in its report is account for the "sweat equity" that my husband had put into the basement. He removed and disposed of all of the damaged carpet, and he also moved all of our items out of the basement. Devin was eager and willing to build those costs into his contract so that once the insurance company accepted the quote, he could then subtract those costs from our final bill. Since we had a $1000 deductible, that allowed us to cut our out-of-pocket cost in half!

Devin and his crew started their work in December, with a delay only due to the fact that we were waiting on paperwork from the bank. They finished the job in one quick week- replaced the drywall, tile, carpet, closet and bathroom doors, and painted the entire basement. For an 860-square-foot basement, that's a lot of work, and they made it look easy! Devin was on site at least every other day, if not daily, to check the work of his contractors and ensure that the work was progressing. His crew was polite and friendly, and if it weren't for the noise, we wouldn't have known they were there. They completed their work, with Devin only receiving our deductible and the first installment from the insurance company. And the basement looks even better than it did prior to the flood! The quality of the work is evident, and we are thrilled with the results. As of my posting date, Devin has yet to receive the bulk of his funds due to the incredibly slow process, and yet he has been totally flexible and willing to wait. I don't know of many other contractors who would be so willing to wait on $10,000 worth of funds after the project has been completed!

I can't speak highly enough of Devin and his crew. From start to finish, he took the stress out of this process. As a young family starting out, we just didn't have the personal funds to advance a contractor the money. Devin took that stress away and agreed to work with us, no questions asked. He even helped us caulk some leaky windows and give us a sense of how to mitigate our water drainage situation, at no additional cost. You can tell that he cares about his clients and helping them solve their problems. I can guarantee that when we are in a position to remodel our sunroom and do other household repairs, I will be calling Devin at Marvel Homes to do the work for us!

We are very happy! Devin and his crew were wonderful and they did a fantastic job.  We had an unexpected issue come up which needed immediate repair and Devin was very mindful about staying within our budget, and he did.   His crew is very professional, meticulous and very thorogouh.  

I will be using them again for any and all future projects.