Monk's Home Improvements

We wanted our dining room, living room, hallway walls/ceiling/window/door trim painted. Original walls were painted dark red and brown, glossy and full of visible defects caused by close to 100 (more?) big nails working their way out of the sheetrock in the walls and ceiling of our late 50's split-level home. Two areas of the ceiling which were damaged by a previous leak, as well as a long crack also needed fixing. We'd asked around for a couple of quotes. One was half of what Monk's quoted us, but? after seeing the work of that other company in person at a neighbor's house (lots of sloppy details), noticing the large number of monk's signs in our county and many positive Angie's list reviews we changed our mind. Very happy that we did. Available on short notice. Done on time, ~4 day job as estimated. Used quality BM paint. No hidden costs. Foreman checked in daily, each morning and upon departure to answer questions and set next day's agenda. Crew very pleasant and always on time. They spent one day prepping walls and ceiling with a team of four, followed by a team of two people did the actual painting. Cleaned up daily before they left (removed plastic separating rooms, vacuumed, etc.) allowing use of the house while the project was in process. Great attention to detail. What little I had to point out or requested was fixed/performed immediately. One slight communication problem was easily resolved with a phone call. Happy with the end result. Zero complaints. Once everything is back in place, at our request it was left where they carefully moved it, I may update this review with actual pictures. Will use again and highly recommend them. Based on experience, this will be my go-to company for future projects.

The team that painted the house was excellent. They first power-washed the house and then primed the siding. The work was very professional and they were meticulous about cleaning up each day. We will definitely use them again.

Where to start? Rather than let emotion get in the way of my assessment, let me just give you the run-down of the entire process...I contacted them for a quote to perform the services listed above and they were responsive in providing that. The individual who provided the quote suggested that I commit to the services that day so that he could get me scheduled for the services to be performed the week of 8/19/2013, which I was prepared to do and did. They indicated that they would order the columns that were to be installed since it takes 3 weeks or so for them to come in. Leading up to the scheduled week of service, we had various email communications (since I had to order the tile and door hardware for the back porch). On 8/16/2013, I called to confirm that they would be coming on 8/19/2013 and was told that, in fact, they have a scheduling meeting each Monday and they would call me on 8/19/2013 to let me know when the work would be performed. They called on 8/19/2013 to let me know it would start on 8/23/2013 (Friday) and then called back to say it would start 8/24/2013 (Saturday) unless I preferred for them to start on Monday (8/26/2013) - so much for getting the work done during the week that I was told it would occur. Knowing that the more you delay with contractors the greater the risk is for further delays, I told them to be there on Saturday to start. They arrived and proceeded to work on the back porch (taking up the floor to lay the tile). I was told that the columns for the front porch arrived in the wrong size and would have to be re-ordered. They also proceeded to work on installing the front porch railings (which were your typical Azek decking railings) and replacing the bead board on the front porch. As the work progressed on the back porch, damage was done to the drip edge without anyone mentioning that they had done so. The front porch railings were installed and (1) were not even vertical (apparently no one thought to use a level?), (2) were not placed evenly on the treads (and, in fact, the base molding hung over the edge of the stair tread), and (3) were not structurally secure. In the process, the decking material I had on the porch (which had been installed a few years earlier) was also damaged. They had also sawed off the ends of the top railings on the front porch and left extremely uneven edges, which they proceeded to paint over. When I pointed these things out to them, there were various excuses given, such as (1) "it may not be vertical because the house is older and things are rarely square on older homes", (2) "the railings are not evenly spaced because the porch was not square", and (3) "you can either have aesthetically pleasing or structurally secure [relating to the railings], but not both." He also asked whether I could "live with it" when we were discussing my issues with the placement of the railings (apparently that is the level of quality he strives for...whether it is good enough for you to live with, and not whether it is done right). Also, only when I pointed out that the edges were uneven on the boards they had sawed off and painted over was I told that they would be replacing that wood anyway when they installed the columns. When I also told them that they needed to fix the decking material on the front porch that they had ruined, the individual with whom I had been dealing (the guy that originally provided the estimate) told me that they could look to see if they could find a board or two in similar material to replace the decking material that they had damaged, but could not guarantee it would be a good match. So, he was basically suggesting that I live with it. Given the issues with quality I was seeing, I called Ty Monk to come over and explain to me what they would do to fix their work. I had generally been ok with the work the painters had been doing, but on the day before Ty was to arrive (this was about 1 week into the project), the painters proceeded to repaint the back porch, which included slapping on as much paint as they could over areas where the paint had been peeling (without attempting to remove the peeling paint). So, when Ty arrived, I asked him to tell me what he thought was wrong with the work performed and he would not - instead, I had to walk through with him everything I thought was wrong. So, I proceeded to point out every bit of shoddy work that had been done and Ty stated that, while he was not embarrassed by the work they had done, he would fix everything to my satisfaction. He also explained that, because they were dealing with other people's work, the issues I was seeing would be expected (really!?! when are they ever dealing with new construction that only they have touched?). At this point, the columns had still not arrived and there was no indication when they would be coming in. I ordered new decking material so they could replace all of the material on the front porch (at their cost, not mine). When the new decking material came in, they proceeded to redo the front porch, at which time I saw why the railings they had installed were not secure: apparently one of the floor joists was rotted and, instead of telling me so that I could give the ok to replace it, they instead attached a piece of wood to the rotted wood with the hope it would hold up. As they re-did the work, I watched everything and had to have them stop and redo certain things since, again, apparently no one uses a level (e.g., one of the side shelves on the front porch was rebuilt and secured completely unlevel and no one noticed until I pointed it out as they were about to install the new flooring on it. So they had to redo what they had done to reinstall it and make it level). The columns for the front porch finally arrived (after much back and forth with the manufacturer and only after it was threatened to cancel the order and go with another manufacturer, which I realize is not Monk's fault) and were installled and, finally, the front porch could be finished. And this only took a total of about 2 months to get the entire job done...when it should have only taken about 1 week! Thank goodness this was not a project being done inside, since I would not have wanted to be dealing with people in my house for that long when it clearly should not have taken that long. Overall, I would warn you to thoroughly check the quality of the work that they do to ensure it is done right. I was surprised with how poorly this project was done given all of the great reviews that they had received. While they ultimately made sure that the work was done correctly, it should not have had to be redone in the first place. Overall, I gave them a "D" because everything was corrected, but I was really debating whether it should have been rated lower. I gave them a "F" on quality since they tried to take short cuts and only did the right work when I called them out on it. Again, my advice to you if you engage them, is to thoroughly check the work they do!

Monk Painting exceeded all my expectations. They completed the job as agreed and were very focused on ensuring that any concerns were addressed immediately. We worked with two people who were very responsive and able to answer all of our questions. We had a lot of questions during the planning process as we were not sure whether to paint or just replace the siding. Angel worked with us providing various estimates and options. He came to the house several times to ensure he was able to provide the best possible answer. The actual project was managed by a project manager, Ramon. I have to say that I have worked with may contractors but never one as conscientious as Ramon. He truly took the time to ensure the project was done right and was quick to address any concerns we had. Overall, Monk Painting did a terrific job. I have received many compliments from our neighbors on the improvements. Thank you Ramon.

The overall experience I had with Monk's was very positive. I'd easily call them again for painting,carpentry or similar job. I'm not giving them an overall grade of A but they were definitely a B+ (I'm probably a little too particular but there you have it). There was some masonry repair work that needed to be done outside that didn't look all that great but again, they did a fantastic job overall and I'd call them again. Issue: I needed to have an existing door removed - a two-door French door unit - and ideally saved to be put back in at a later date. I'm renting the house and needed to put in a door dog but am planning to have the other doors put back in upon the termination of the lease (2-5 years). I had any number of folks come out to the house - handymen, door manufacturer representatives - as well as multiple trips to Home Depot. Not a single person I talked to or explained the situation to seemed to understand what I wanted done. All it took was a call to Monk's, an appointment with the estimator (Greg, who was awesome, btw) and that got the whole thing rolling. He gave me two recommendations of door manufacturers to get estimates on doors which was something I couldn't manage to get anyone else to do for me. That started the process and overall, it was fairly painless. I won't bore you with additional details but the guys from Monk's - estimator, job foreman, and the construction crew - all were very professional and did a great job. The whole experience fully met my expectations.

Over the past year, we have utilized Monk's Home Improvements to do numerous renovations on our home. We commenced work with our new basement bathroom installation. From day one, the workers were extremely professional, courteous and punctual on the job. The bathroom came out exactly as we were promised and it was executed beautifully. We were so impressed that we proceeded to have our 2nd Floor bathroom renovated. It gave a fresh contemporary look to what was a tired, old bathroom. With such a positive experience, we decided to try out other services that Monk's offered, the next one being replacement of our front and rear doors. With this Monk's hit another one out of the ball park. Next on our list was to refinish our hardwood floor, which we knew could be a tricky undertaking if it was not performed by the right person. Again, we were delivered a finished product that exceeded our expectations, and friends continue to compliment. Throughout all of the jobs, our estimator Kurt, accompanied by his hardworking team, was always there to provide expert guidance and to ensure that we were receiving the best customer service possible. We are now currently in the process of having a new rear deck installed. The footings have been dug and the concrete has been poured thus far. Though the job is still in process, we know that it will be another stellar product and services delivery from Monk's Home Improvement.

The project went smoothly from start to finish. They were punctual, clean and professional.

very professional group. estimate appointment right on time communication was very good regarding what they were planning to do and when. power washing made the house look brand new and foundation work was very neat. I asked them to clean some paint off the glass which they readily did. overall decent price and a pleasure to deal with.

Went well. Diego came out to provide the estimate on a Saturday morning. He was on time and very helpful with answering my questions. They were able to start work the following Wed. and completed the work by the end of the week. They were very neat and did not get any paint on our new cabinets. They covered everything in plastic while they worked and then rolled it back so that we could use the kitchen at night. Very pleased and would use them again.

From my first meeting with Travis to the end of the job Monk's was excellent. Complete professionalism and an excellent painting job. My home looks brand new -- even better than it did when it was painted seven years ago when I built my home. I highly recommend Monk's. Glen

they were prompt and performed a good job at a reasonable price. I would definitely hire them again for similar handymen carpentry work.

I have selected Monk's after reading A+ reviews. The price was reasonable and within my budget. But the quality of job, professionalism of the crew and the foreman were very low. Angelo, the project manager, was helpful in solving a lot of problems. In the end, I've got a new bathroom but it cost me a lot of stress. So my advise, go for another company.

We recently had some painting done in our home, and after seeing Monk's signs all over our area decided to give them a try. We were extremely pleased with not only the flexibility of the workers on our project (we changed paint colors at the last minute in one of the rooms), but they were done a day ahead of schedule and went above and beyond to fix areas of our walls that weren't smooth and patch larger holes made by the prior owners; when we needed touch-ups, they were back the next day and took care of them quickly. While we got an estimate for the entire interior of our house to be painted, we were able to split the work up in phases with no surprises about increases in costs or anything else. We will be using Monk's as our "go to" painters for years to come, and I would highly recommend them to anyone I know.

nies work ofExcellent as usual ,my family and I have been using Monks Painting and carpentry for many years now..I have to honestly say that we have never been dissatisfied or unhappy by this companies work or staff....and I might add compared to many stories that I have heard from neighbors and friends about other companies in the same type of business which were not so through or professional we feel lucky to have Monks Painting as our chosen company .

They showed up on time, did the work as requested, and cleaned up afterwards. This was our second time working with Monks and have been please with their efforts

I was very happy with them. The over viewer came and gave me an estimate. He checked back on the job. They followed up. The people were clean and they were friendly. They went beyond what they needed to do. So I couldn’t grade them highly enough.

I could not have asked for better quality and service. Monk's job foreman, Diego, was most responsive and was the perfect interface between customer and company. I can be a fussy guy, so for me to say that, they had to be good!

I was very pleased with Monks workmanship and professionalism. Their attention to detail was outstanding. They were not the cheapest estimate I received, but you get what you pay for I would highly recomended Monks to all looking for professional, quality workmanship!

Courteous and professional workers; Prices at this company are astronomical! We had everything done by someone else for a fraction of the price and the house looks great!

Monk's did a terrific job. They were very professional throughout the entire job. George Day did the estimate and was very thorough, both in his review of the work and his description of what Monk's would do. In his estimate, George spotted some things that needed to be done that most of the other painters didn't notice (work that I knew had to be done); I was impressed that he was so thorough. Their price was competitive, neither the highest nor the lowest, but I felt it was appropriate for the work. Their foreman on the job, Ziggy, was extremely competent; he and his crew did an excellent job. They were neat, did the job in a few days (one painter told me it would take a month......) and everything looks great. In fact, we feel strongly that the house looks much better this time than the last time we had it painted. We would hire them in a minute for any other jobs; in fact, when we have the inside of the house painted, I fully expect to be using Monk's for that, too.

did a great job. very clean and neat.

It was fine. They have excellent workers. They did a fine job. I just felt that they're worth it because they came and did the job. I would absolutely use them in the future.

I've used many contractors over the years and these guys were in the top 10% in terms of overall service. To put it simply, they did what they were supposed to do and did it in a fashion that was better than I expected. They cleaned up at the end of each day so that we couldn't even tell there was work being done in the house. All the workers were polite, trustworthy and professional. We even had a miscommunication about what color a certain room was supposed to be painted and it was corrected immediately and without extra cost to us. I'd definitely recommend Monk's and will happily use them again in the future.

The team was great to work with and the final product looks great as well. The foreman knew what he was doing and had his team in line to do a few little extras along the way. I would recommend using them for home improvement needs and we will use them again for future projects.

I had absolutely no problems. When they said they would be there they were. No BS. These guys work. They accidentally broke a window with a ladder and came back with a new one. See if you can get Ziggy. The quality of work was excellent.