NEIL KUHL HOME IMPROVEMENTS

Neil did some light fixtures, a couple faucets, repaired some wall damage, and put a "heavy bag" in the basement for me.  Frankly, I think it was so simple that it was a little beneath his abilities.  But he did it as a favor, sort of, because I know his brother.  The work was all done professionally and timely.  And Neil is just a very nice guy.

He wasn’t able to fix the appliance but he was very personable and very good to work with.  He spent about half hour do it and it didn’t take him long to realize that it had died.  The price was pretty reasonable.  It was on a Saturday and he was the only guy I could get to come out that day, so that was important for me at the time because it was a refrigerator.  He was here within two to three hours of my call and was able to diagnose the problem.  He wasn’t able to fix it but he was able to diagnose that it was dead and I knew I had to get a new refrigerator so he was very good to work with.  He told me he was retiring at the end of this year.

It saddens me to write a negative review.  I appreciate how difficult it can be for a small business owner and Mr. Kuhl was friendly and polite.  Nonetheless, in fairness to anyone else who may consider using Mr. Kuhl's services, I needed to post my experiences. For the sake of brevity, I'll just list some of the points.
1.  I asked Mr. Kuhl to give me a estimate for painting and repairing a short fence around my patio and to fix the hot water faucet in my bathroom.  In passing, I asked him if he was using a spray gun because of the type of fencing.  He said that he was old school, that it was hard to teach an "old dog new tricks" and that he would be using a brush.  He told me that the faucet might be a little tricky to fix because of limited access to the water line, etc., but that the complete job, fence and faucet would cost $200.  I said OK and he said that he would start Monday morning. er 2.  Mr. Kuhl arrived twenty minutes late.  He mentioned that he started to call but didn't. He then went to work.
3.  Mr. Kuhl worked for about 4 or five hours, which was much longer than I thought it would take. It was longer than he had planned, as well, based upon his comments.  Mr. Kuhl did admit that he probably should have used a spray gun.
4.  When he announced that he was finished, I went outside to inspect his work.  He had already put his paint brush away. As I walked around, I saw several spots that he had missed.  To his credit (though somewhat reluctantly) he got the paint brush back out and started touching up on the spots he had missed.  (He also mentioned that the wood had really absorped the paint and he had to put on more than one coat in places. To some degree, this was expected since the repair work required him to replace one of the fence panels with a new panel.) The next day I painted a couple more places.  A hanging large nail needed to be hammered in, etc.
 5.  When he completed the paint touch-ups, he told me that it would be $200 and that he was ready to go.  I reminded him that there was still the faucet repair that needed to be completed.  He then informed me that he thought about it and decided that the faucet repair was too difficult.  When I questioned him about a price adjustment since this was a part of the original estimate, he said that he would go bathroom and see what he could do.  Since he had just told me that he felt that the task was beyond his skill, I told him that I did not feel comfortable taking the risk of him making bad matters worse. 
 6.  I wrote him a check for $200 but mentioned to him that his listing on Angie's List mentioned a discount, but that I went ahead and gave him the full amount.  He then told me that he had not agreed to the discount posted on Angie's List, that someone at Angie's had asked him about being in the discount program, but that he had not agreed to do so. 
Angie's List is only valuable to the extent that its customers write honest and forthright evaluations.  It is for this reason that I took the time to recount my experience with Mr. Kuhl.  Let the buyer beware . . .

He's going to come back later this spring because we have a roof problem.  The work is not done yet.  We thought he was honest.  We did not shop a lot to compare his price.  His responsiveness was fine.

Installed the disposal on the wrong side away from the dishwasher, under the sink where dishes are dried. Rather than under the sink (original position), where dishes are cleaned, next to the dishwasher.

No issues, it went smoothly and he made several adjustments needed to get the dryer properly installed with proper venting.  Was at my home for about 1.5 hours.  Was very self sufficient. 

He arrived within a few minutes of the scheduled time, he installed the microwave over the range and connected a new electric outlet so the plug would be hidden from view. He was professional throughout the time he was in my home, and completed the work accurately and in a reasonable amount of time. I remained in the kitchen with him, to ensure everything was done to my satisfaction. He cleaned up and left. This was the second time I had used him the first time was about a year before to install the gas range. I am a perfectionist and expect things to be completed to my satisfaction. His estimated price was reasonable and that is what he received. I would use him again but would recommend that you are clear about the work that needs to be done.

Neil was one of the installers recommended by Appliance Center--they don't have anyone on staff to install gas appliances. He was fine.

He was there when he said he would be, did the work quickly, suggested an idea to save money on parts, and was exceptionally nice.

Neil did an outstanding job and was very personable and professional. I would recommend him to anyone who needs some work done.