Get matched with top grab bar installation pros in Boyds, MD

"These guys were great! We selected them because they were reasonably priced, but they were also fast and professional. They renovated two bathrooms and were done in 3 weeks with both bathrooms. And they even came back immediately when I contacted them for minor repairs that, with other contractors, have taken weeks to resolve."

"Hired HandyPro to install shower bench, 18" grab bar and a stainless steel flip-up grab bar in the master bath. I appreciated the detailed consultation and explanation of equipment options. Once I made a decision on the extent of the modification, the equipment arrived and work began about a week later. There was a glitch with the ordered equipment but the situation was resolved quickly and I am so happy with the finished product. I will definitely call on them again for more hom modifications."

"Man sent to do various odd jobs in Germantown--install blinds, TV mount, cabinet, etc.--was efficient and easy to communicate with. Did exactly what I needed with quality work and kept me informed of any problems he encountered. Price was reasonable."

"Allen and Jeff did all the work themselves. They arrived everyday at a set time, which they texted before they arrived, and left 8+ hours later. They ate their lunch on the job. It was obvious they had certain goals for their work each day. They included us in everything from where to place toilet, sink and grab bars to color, etc. They made recommendations for purchasing sinks, counter tops, etc, but let us choose how to purchase, through them or us. They showed us exactly what they were doing every step of the way. They checked every measurement to carefully lay tile, floor, hang vanity and dry wall, even using a level to hang shower curtain rod. We had complete confidence in their work. I never felt that I had to check on how they were doing things, which was a first for work done in our homes. We highly recommend ARMS Home Improvement for any job at your home. We recommended them to our daughter for her future projects."

"Update: 9 September 2015

Updating overall grade to B, bordering C, based on quality of work and the provider's unprofessional responses to our review. Just learned from a different contractor who is constructing a screened porch and deck for us that we have a fire hazard (yes, a FIRE HAZARD) on our hands. The under cabinet wiring was run incorrectly behind the siding of our house where they (Chevy Chase) had placed cardboard (even as "inexperienced" as I allegedly am, I know bad wiring + cardboard = house go bye-bye), and they (my current contractor) will have to tear off the siding running the length of the kitchen and rewire all of the under cabinet lighting in order to fix the issue and pass inspection, since, as it is now, it would "definitely not pass". So, it seems that looks aren't everything. If this corner was cut, what other shortcuts were taken? Before this, I would've just said that I wouldn't use Chevy Chase again. Based on the fact that we have, unbeknownst to us, been living with a fire hazard since April, the additional cost we now need to pay our current contractor to fix Chevy Chase's oversight/laziness, and the provider's unprofessional comments since posting our obviously too generous initial review (see below), now I will adjust my recommendation to "Not only would I not use them again, but I wouldn't recommend anyone else to either".

As far as using them for an exterior project shortly after they completed the kitchen project, the back of our house looked hideous after they took out the sliding glass door and installed a regular door so we wanted it addressed with new siding as soon as possible. We added new roofing, gutters, and shutters to maintain a cohesive look. We did not want to spend the time or have the hassle of vetting several other contractors, and figured exterior work is pretty straightforward.

To the note about being inexperienced, yes this was our first major reno so if our suggestion to move the fridge into the house after the removal of the sliding glass door was not preferred or feasible, then fine; that should have been stipulated when we made the suggestion before work even started. Not just agreed to as it was, and then we were left wondering why the fridge remained in the garage. It is just another example of poor communication. Seriously, putting the blame on the client because they are inexperienced with a massive home renovation project?? Since when does a customer need to have the experience? That's what the provider is hired to provide.

Also, might I add, the unprofessionalism of the provider was made clear when he sent me an email after my initial review that started out "Just had a client cancel a contract that was signed yesterday because he read your review. He said he can't afford to have the problems that you had on your job. An 85000 dollar complete renovation." To receive this after simply writing an honest review on Angie's List was appalling to us. The tone and announcing the fact that he lost a 85000 contract over my review (which I highly doubt was the only motivating factor there) were uncalled for and a blatant example of this provider's inability to accept any constructive criticism; apparently I should have just lied in my review and answered "Yes" to the question of if I would use them again, and also not included any negative points.

And, I might as well add, according to the contract, the approximate work was to be performed in 6 weeks. Actual project timeline: 3 and a half months. So, as you can see, I exercised a significant amount of restraint in my initial review. I only highlighted a few areas of improvement to explain why I gave them an overall "A" but still answered "No" to the Angie's List question of if we would ever use them again. There were many, many more difficulties, hiccups, and examples of frustration that we experienced throughout the process that we did not include in the initial review and have not included in this update.

In conclusion, it turns out that my initial review was too generous; however, it was completely honest. If the provider can't handle this type of honest feedback (as demonstrated by this "defensive" response and two equally defensive emails he sent after the initial review posted) and see it as an opportunity to improve his business, then that's too bad and they need some serious training in customer service.

Now we have to hire a professional to ensure everything was installed correctly and no other shortcuts were taken. Something tells me that what lies beneath the surface won't be as pretty. Please feel free to reach out to me directly via message if you have any questions about our experience.

Initial review: 24 August 2015
Overall, it went well. The work was completed as promised, and the first level is literally gorgeous. However, the process could've gone a lot smoother and there was plenty of room for improvement in terms of organization and communication. We were not provided with a schedule of events or a list of what to select, when we needed to have it selected, and where to select it from at the outset of the project. Therefore, when Steven would send an email asking whether we selected a certain material since it was needed for the next step in the process, we would be like "ummm...no...we didn't get the memo that we needed to have that selected now..." so we often found ourselves scrambling in the middle of the work week trying to figure out how we could get to the tile place or a granite place as soon as possible, so as not to hold up progress. 

An example of where communication could've saved some time and effort on the part of the crew was the fact that we suggested to Steven before the project began that the new large refrigerator be brought into the house when they removed the sliding glass door and before they installed a regular three-foot door and sealed the rest of the opening, since we knew the fridge was too large to get in the house any other way. Well, that advice was not passed along to the crew and the process was delayed several days when they had to call a repair service to remove the fridge doors so it could be moved into the house. Another lowlight was when our newly installed washing machine sounded like a space shuttle during take-off and literally walked itself into the kitchen every time we tried to wash a load of clothes. We voiced our concern to Steven and the crew supposedly addressed the problem by balancing it; however, this did not help. We called the manufacturer, who sent out a technician and it turns out the shipping bolts had not been removed (step one on the instructions; it was even emphasized with pictures...). In the final stages of the project, everything was wrapping up and we asked when they would install the under-cabinet lighting; turns out it was forgotten about and we had minimal time to select what type of lights we wanted and the electrician had to get creative to wire the lights; fortunately, they could run the wiring outside since the new siding hadn't been installed. Talk about stressful...

Anyway, in the end, all issues, minor or otherwise, were resolved one way or another. Steven is a nice guy and very personable, and his crew and subcontractors are skilled in their work (shipping bolts oversight aside). It seems odd to be giving a contractor an A but saying that we won't use this provider in the future. To explain, I'm giving Chevy Chase an A (an A minus to be exact) for the final outcome (our first level is stunning); however, we won't be using this provider for our second level because seriously we need more organization/meticulousness/communication in our life.
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"I had a great experience working with Alex and APX on a bathroom renovation. The end result was spectacular, and Alex and his team did a great job listening to my ideas for the bathroom, suggesting ways to improve the design, and keeping me updated during the reno. His suggestion to add a pocket door was awesome, and the door is now one of my favorite parts of the bathroom! Also, when we ran into trouble with the shower after the installation, Alex helped diagnose the issue and fix it. Very satisfied with everything, and now I'm saving up to make improvements elsewhere in my condo!"

"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

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"Very professional installers of my new walk in shower. They repaired dry wall and did plumbing and shower installation. Very happy with the job."

"repair to swivel bar stool"

"I interviewed several contractors for my main bathroom remodel and chose VKB for their professionalism, design, and overall approach to the process. My objective was to have a large shower with a seat since the existing shower was the size of a phone booth and the bathroom configuration presented challenges. From the very first meeting with the design consultant, BURJU, I was impressed with her ideas and suggestions and her willingness to work within my established budget. She didn't recommend or suggest unnecessary or unwanted over the top items that would have blown my budget. Project manager, JASON, was on top of everything, stayed in touch with me almost daily, made sure I had all the correct cabinets and fixtures, provided me with his cell number, and asked each time if I had any questions. Last and certainly not least, MARVIN, the wonderful person who actually did all the nitty gritty hard work, worked nonstop to give me the bathroom of my dreams. I've never seen anyone work so hard and with the precision and perfectionism as he did. I absolutely love my new bathroom and would not hesitate to hire this team again. If you want beautiful, quality work, VKB is the place to go."