Masterworks In Wood, LLC
About us
Masterworks In Wood is a full service wood shop and prototyping studio. I afford extreme attention to detail, value and design. I design and build fine entry doors, gates, cabinetry, bookcases, furniture and mantles for my clients. I also provide unique and creative wood finishes unavailable anywhere else
Business highlights
35 years of experience
Services we offer
Doors, antique restoration and repair and mantles., beds, book cases, cabinets and cabinet refinishing, dining tables, dressers, exterior wood refinishing, gates, screen doors
Accepted Payment Methods
- CreditCard
Reviews
4.417 Reviews
| Number of Stars | Image of Distribution | Number of Ratings |
|---|---|---|
| 82% | ||
| 0% | ||
| 0% | ||
| 6% | ||
| 12% |
Showing 1-17 of 17 reviews
Richard W.
Jan 2020
Was looking to get an older, weathered standard wooden entry door refurbished/refinished. There are not many options in our metro area of approx. 600-800k residents. Engaged John via e-mail and phone in early Oct. of 19’. After many fits and starts he gave me a quote late in that month and finally scheduled to do the finishing on it just before Thanksgiving. I was wary all along, and hindsight being 20/20, I should have taken my hesitancy based on my interactions with him and not proceeded. In short, he is quite brusk, off putting and a bit condescending in his general interpersonal manner. Additionally, if you check out his website, the profile photo he has shows him when he was at least, at a minimum, 10-20 years younger if not more which is another red flag-I was wondering who was this guy who came to assess the work effort-turns out it was him. [*** Link removed ***] The work was done and initially it appeared fine. He GREATLY encouraged me to give him a positive review on Yelp asap but I demurred. Of course, having dealt with a multitude of contractors over the decades at various homes I owned here and elsewhere I was in a complete wait and see mode-and within a matter of 3-4 weeks, my concerns were justified. I had taken before the work pics. I took immediate pics the day the work was completed pics. Then I took pics of the work that was holding only at about 60-70% of the initial work-clearly unacceptable. Again, in hindsight, I found it odd he did not take credit cards AND he had no sort of guarantee-again, limited options for this type of contractor in our market. When contacted via call, text and e-mail about getting his to do de rigeur rework that many contractors have to do ex post facto and is typically built in their hourly rate as a standard insurance cost for this very need, again, I found him to not be receptive. When I pressed him on this after a couple calls/texts starting around the holidays a week later, he became hostile in response, stating verbatim, “Leave the scheduling to me”. Well, talk about the customer always being wrong! Pressed further another week later based on the increasing temperatures in mid Jan. that MATCHED the exact same temperatures as logged in the history of Weatherunderground.com in late Nov. when he did the work over a weekend (52F), he actually sent me a text stating “Are you out of your mind?”. At this point, I patiently employed some mindfulness and waited 10 days. Nada. When I finally laid down the gauntlet and asked what was his endgame so I could proceed with my endgame as necessary, he had the gall to insult me further and chastised me for even thinking he had an obligation to perform any sort of rework. Thus, the camel came in contact with the straw that broke his back. Oh, and BTW, he further stated that if I wrote anything that would be critical of his work, he would sic his attorney on me-clearly he is not familiar with the First Amendment and our beloved concept of the freedom of speech. Have at it, John. My attorney would be more than happy to disembowel your internal Leprechaun.
Response from Masterworks In Wood, LLC
"I would just like to say that the review left by this person is illegitimate and libelous. He received more than he paid for, his door is beautiful and the review is only meant to disparage my reputation. I have pictures of the project and even the pic that he posted shows a perfect satin finish. Any prospective client who wants to see them is welcome to. He did not start his complaints until 29 days after his door was refinished. When it was refinished he said nothing and had no complaints. Then he started up a month later with nasty emails and texts about the finish that I applied to his door degrading. The finish that I applied to his door is a satin sheen, not a gloss sheen, so when it dried and hardened to a satin, he thought it was failing. This is a mistake on his part, and if he wanted gloss, all he had to do was ask for it. I have been serving the Albuquerque community for 32 years, I know exactly what i am doing, I use the best finish products money can buy and I am courteous to work with. I have numerous references who will attest to this, so please disregard the dishonest and cowardly review."
David S.
Aug 2017
John was a pleasure to work with. He listened to what we wanted and created an excellent door for us. Communication was excellent throughout the process. John takes the time to ensure that you are truly happy with his work. I would highly reccomend John if you are looking for a superior product and excellent customer service.
Response from Masterworks In Wood, LLC
"Terri Kaiser is a liar. I never did any work for her at all. I have serviced the residents of Albuquerque for years and have many happy customers. Why would she do this you ask? She placed 3 service orders with me for wood refinishing. These service orders state clearly that I do not offer cancellations or refunds. She wants both after 2 months passed and I will not grant them to her. If I do it for her I will have to do it for everyone. My company is not a bank. In fact, the D and all three F reviews on Angie's list are by people who either owe me money, are in breach of their agreements, or want refunds they are not entitled to. Their cases will not stand up in court so they do everything thy can to trash my reputation. Anybody can leave a review with Angie's list and say anything they want, but the reviews can only be taken down by court order which is completely unfair to good businesses such as mine. I have excellent references, years of experience, hundreds of photographs of completed work and I am a fine person to work with, regardless of this review."
Alaena C.
Jun 2017
I HIGHLY recommend John Brannon/Masterworks in Wood LLC for any custom woodworking needs! John Brannon is an excellent crafstman and artist and he is a true professional, efficient, and kind! I hired John for several different projects for my home. John first helped refurbish all of my exterior and interior doors of my home (all 20 years old) and they look and operate like new! Next, I asked John to design/build/install a custom gate for the side of my house - the gate is absolutely exquisite and a gorgeous addition to my home!
Niki S.
May 2017
John came out to our home on the weekend. He brought books containing examples of his past work and helped us design a beautiful, functional, and very solid door. We settled on the terms of the service that afternoon, complete with written agreement. He then returned at a second visit and created a template to fashion our door from. The door was created and installed with custom frame a few weeks later. John then returned a fourth time to sand and apply a second coat of the custom wash he made to match the other doors in the house. We were very impressed with the service John provided and the product he delivered. Our door is beautiful and fits like a glove.
Cynthia R.
Apr 2017
See before and after pictures.
Patrick K.
Jan 2017
Decided to to go with bookcase first. Last April we wrote him a check for $2,500.00 and agreed he would start in September. he called and stated it would be better for him to build it on site with no argument from us. After putting two sheets of plywood on the wall, he asked for more money. Gave him a check for $1,430.00. Didn't show back up until the last week in October. Got a few more boards on the wall and started asking for more money. My wife was reluctant but me being in a hurry wanted too, we held off for a week. By this time more wood was on the wall but made a note of him never staying more than 3 hours. And more than once shown up, took a measurement and left. This is note able due to, it's a 45 min drive one way. More progress being made I gave him a check for half of what he's asking $5,267.50. He calls and states his costs have increased ( of course they have ). At this point the bookcase is 70% complete or less ( due to poor craftsmanship additional work will be required ). So called trim package was 20% or less. He offered to refund $2,000.00 by paying 200.00 a month. Really? We have nothing good to say about this company or man.
Response from Masterworks In Wood, LLC
"Unfortunately, there is not a single fact in this review that is true so I must respond to it. This client has omitted or rearranged the truth in order to hurt my excellent reputation and a court of law is where this dispute should be settled, not an Angie's List review. Their use of this forum is cowardly and disgraceful in my opinion. The fact is that this client made an agreement with MIW for a large custom bookcase, a custom trim package and a full set of kitchen cabinets for a total with tax of 27,969.06. This agreement had clear payment amounts and payment dates. I was at the site every day that I said I would be, I completed the bookcase short of 1 piece of trim, milled 400 linear feet of high quality trim, mounted some of it and expected a deposit on the casework for the kitchen as agreed and the client only paid half of the agreed amount of the first payment so they defaulted on the cabinet package right off the bat. I continued working for another month and expected the balance of the deposit and the second casework payment and they chose to pay nothing so I packed up my gear and left their job site. I informed the clients that I was owed money to start casework and they refused to pay and insisted that I stop all work. How can they complain about unfinished work when they cancelled their own order? These people are ridiculous and impossible to work with. I offered a 2400 refund on casework to be paid out over the course of a year and they refused to accept it. Just ridiculous!"
Ann B.
Nov 2016
I paid $5500 for an unfinished cabinet that was supposed to be a master work. Because of the good reviews from Angie's list and a personal visit to this man's place of business, I thought I had hired a professional cabinet maker. Instead I found constant delays and was delivered unfinished work. I signed a contract in which I paid up front for work. My naive mistake. Though he was polite and always thanked me for understanding his problems, he was never prepared and always had an excuse, tired, sickness, a wedding, etc. He tried to add on extra costs such as drawing up a design and time spent in meetings. He could not meet a completion date because he worked other jobs. On three occasions I drove 100 miles round trip to check on progress. He wrote and told me never to come to his place of business and later threatened me with a lawsuit if I complained. I ended up having to pay for the delivery of the cabinet, my daughter paid additional money to get him off my back. I have had to hire someone else to put on the doors, finish the wood work and complete the project. I was so stupid. I can hear you laughing. If my husband were alive, this would never have happened. Doubly stupid of me.
Response from Masterworks In Wood, LLC
"The writer of this review has lied about most every detail in it and I have no choice but to respond. Aside from this one, I have excellent reviews on Angie's List for a reason. I care about my clients' needs and the quality that I deliver is impeccable. Not all clients are safe to work with and if I could grade a client, I would give this client an F. At first, she set the price low for a book case and a simple kitchen island, I agreed and she put deposits down on both. Then she added change order after change order until she wanted a gigantic trustero and a very complicated island worth much more than I agreed to. Then she defaulted on the payment plan completely. I cancelled the island for non-payment and applied the deposit to the trustero instead. First she says she paid 5500 then she says she paid 6950. The truth is that the trustero cost me 8200 to make. The piece was retained for non-payment for several weeks until her daughter negotiated a settlement with me. I am still owed 1400 dollars but I let her moving crew take it anyway. I have to say that not only was it complete, but it is a beautiful John Gaw Meem style piece and I am very proud of it. The case could not be moved with the doors mounted and it was part of the settlement for the doors to be mounted at her end. I never threatened her with a lawsuit either. I never built a screen door and I don't know why she included a picture of one. This client is a liar, a manipulator and a predatory buyer, and I warn all Angie's List suppliers not to work for her."
Mindi E.
Jul 2016
If only the rest of the house looked as good as our front door!!! The process was so easy. All the work was done on site and our door has been brought back to what I'm sure it originally look like before many years of neglect by the previous owners. He's now working up an estimate to completely redo (from scratch) out back entry and I have no doubt it will be just as nice and even more of a challenge than just refinish work.
David S.
Jul 2016
John's silver bullet cabinet refinishing process rocks! We highly recommend him! John worked with us on the stain color to get it just right. He consistently started his work day when he said he would and he worked the hours he said he would. He ensured we were happy with the work as he asked us if we were liking the finish at the completion of each area and at the end of every work day. He was organized and he left our house clean. His materials (stain and resin) didn't smell of chemicals and we were able to live in the house during the job. Call him!
Thomas B.
Jul 2016
Masterworks was always on time. They got the job done in a timely manner and cleaned up work space each day before they left.
Nancy K.
Jul 2015
John is a meticulous craftsman who takes pride in his work. He showed up each day and set up a neat work area, clearly told me the steps involved each day and hung the door (which was built off site) - using the original hardware. He worked with me to determine a good color choice and had patience with me as I changed my mind. He cleaned up after himself and kept me informed the whole way through the process. The door looks beautiful, works like the old one and has added a new refreshing look to the front of the house.
Janie M.
Dec 2014
He always is a gentleman and does fine work
Janeen M.
Oct 2014
unknown
Michelle M.
Sep 2014
The gate is beautiful; many people have admired the uniqueness, and the gate makes the house. I was able to select the wood and assist in design. John was flexible, yet his professionalism, experience, and passion complemented the process. I highly recommend his services.
Sandra N.
Dec 2013
unknown
Suzanne F.
Apr 2013
He is really an artisan and not just a woodworker. He provides custom work and will come in and design based on my needs. He is a great guy and I like him so much that I had him put his sign in my yard so that maybe he could get some more work overtime.
Marvin S.
Jan 2013
John has been doing exterior woodworking for my home for the last two years. The projects are numerous and varied. Every project was completed to my satisfaction.
Licensing
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FAQ
Masterworks In Wood, LLC is currently rated 4.4 overall out of 5.
Masterworks In Wood, LLC accepts the following forms of payment: CreditCard
No, Masterworks In Wood, LLC does not offer free project estimates.
No, Masterworks In Wood, LLC does not offer eco-friendly accreditations.
No, Masterworks In Wood, LLC does not offer a senior discount.
No, Masterworks In Wood, LLC does not offer emergency services.
No, Masterworks In Wood, LLC does not offer warranties.