Mitchell Custom Concepts

In many ways he is a wonderful craftsman and was very helpful to us in as much as assis us choose materials for our job. We worked with him for several years and he was the main contractor on site, overseeing everything from plumbing, electricity, installation of appliances and windows and so forth. In short, the entire remodeling was his job although we did use outside licensed professionals such as plumbers and electricians...but all vetted and managed by Zephyr. So in many ways it was great to work with him. So you might wonder why we give him an overall F. It's because when some things didn't work out, there was absolutely no way that we would get an apology, and no way that he would take responsibility for it. We have a case in point which is still ongoing, 4 years after completion. A wall on our 3rd floor has the condenser for our 3 ductless AC units. The condenser is correctly installed on metal rods to this wall and is about 4.5' above the roof. This supporting wall with the condenser is wood that has been wire meshed and stuccoed. We found large cracking in the stucco about 2 years after we installed the units which was then fixed, and now 2 years later, it is happening again.....huge cracks that are letting water into our house and it appears that the wire mesh has rotted too. Mitchell Custom concepts says the issue is with the AC installer as he followed the installation instructions. [more about installation later]... The manual does say that the condenser has to be placed on something that prevents vibration and it is currently located on a wall that is wood with wire mesh covered with stucco. We have had Zephyr out each time after this occurred. From him we hear that it is our fault that it is cracking as we decided it should be put in this spot. What we know if Zephyr was managing this job and all site decisions came from him and in discussion with other professionals because he knew what he was doing...supposedly. Several times he has assured us that he followed the manual instructions. Pg 4 of the Samsung model MH080FXCA4A_FJM states clearly that " install the outdoor unit on a flat stable surface that can support its' weight and does not generate any unnecessary noise and vibration." The manual also states: "with an outdoor unit having net weight upper than 132.3 lbs, we suggest do not install this suspended on wall, but consider floor standing one''.

Zephyr is a nice and trustworthy guy. He knows what he's doing, has good aesthetic sense, and has a high standard for the finished product. Having worked with another contractor on an even larger project at my house, I can tell you what a relief it was to have someone doing the work whose work quality, communication skills, and conscientiousness I had confidence in. Zephyr was good about keeping me up to date, offering advice, and giving me tips about small handyman projects around the house.
For the finishing of my stairs and hallway floor and the carpet installation, Zephyr put me in contact with two guys who did a great job.
I highly recommend Mitchell Custom Concepts.

Zypher and Ian are the best!  I'd trust them with any remodeling or home repair job.  They are very detail oriented and perform work in a timely and professional manner.  All work done is A+ quality and reasonably priced.

Zephyr Mitchell is a magician.  That pretty much says it all.  
What, you want more details?  Ok.  The back bedroom of our house has not been occupied in probably over 30 years. It's been used for storage and pretty much neglected, in part because of some heavy water damage to the ceiling and plaster that was in disastrous condition. We'd been talking about it for years, but never really got to it until we hired Zephyr. We had several estimates - his wasn't the lowest, but wasn't the highest either and we felt it was very fair for the work involved. He did warn us up front that, because of the age of the house (100+ years) and the previous water damage, the price may go up if he found anything unexpected.  We had anticipated this - another reason for the long delays was that we were afraid of what we might find - and were fine with it.
So? he started with the demo which was the part that made me the most nervous. The ceiling was filled with blown-in cellulose insulation and I had visions of my entire house being coated with the nasty stuff.  Z and crew took great care to ensure that my worst fears didn't come to fruition - the area was sealed off with a double layer of plastic and the floors were covered with a very heavy duty protective material.  And thank heavens because the job was a bigger mess than I could have ever imagined.  But? not one shred of insulation made it past the protective barrier and the rest of our house stayed mess-free (or at least construction mess-free, family mess is another story entirely). Once all the old nasty stuff was removed, Z did find a damaged beam and - after checking with us - completed the necessary repairs before moving on to the more cosmetic restoration.
Restoration really describes what Z and his team did.  I was afraid that the plaster walls were in such bad shape that they would have to be removed and replaced with drywall, but his miracle-working plaster guy brought them back to what seems like original condition. They are beautiful!  My husband and I keep looking at them from all angles and in all lights and they look just as amazing every time.  Way beyond what we ever expected.
So once the walls were restored, it was time to go on to the woodwork - some of which was rotten, some of which was missing and some of which was ok, but filthy dirty.  We had a stash of similar woodwork that we'd pulled out of a house that was being demolished and Zephyr was able to utilize it to patch the bad/missing spots.  Again, he went well beyond what we expected. I couldn't tell where he had cut out and patched the bad places even before he painted!  He also had to fill in with some new woodwork around the windows, install new sills and a boatload of other bits and pieces.  Then there were the doors.  Salvaged doors that matched the rest of our house, but didn't match the sagging doorway.  He planed them down to fit the irregular opening and somehow managed to hang them so they fit perfectly!
However, even with all that amazing work, the piece de la resistance was the closet. Not the interior - we'll do that later - but the trim. We had salvaged an old Victorian-stlyed closet surround that we wanted to use around the new closet opening. It was old. It was dirty. It had been badly stored.  But, worst of all, it was the wrong size.  But not anymore. Zephyr did some magic and now it looks like it was original to the house.  It was way too tall for the space so this magic trick involved cutting out a part from the center portion to maintain the more heavily decorative top and bottom. Plus it had double doors with a post in the middle so the job also included proper support and creation of jambs for everything. Not to mention sanding, fixing cracks etc.  If I can figure out how to upload photos, I will.   It is gorgeous!
Finally, everything was painted to our specifications - which included a deep-toned accent wall that I had neglected to mention when he first gave us the estimate, so that was a bit of an added charge (quite fair!).  He also installed six down lights, a ceiling fan and added an outlet. 
I really can not say enough about how happy we are with the completed job and Zephyr.  The work was outstanding, on time and close to on budget (with every overage explained to and approved by us) and I can hardly wait to have him tackle several additional long overdue projects!

Zephyr responded quickly to my request for an estimate, took the time to discuss with me which of my requests were or weren't feasible and why, and assisted me in finding suppliers for cabinets, tile, lighting etc. He kept me informed of unexpected developments (which, given the age of my house and state of the existing kitchen, were not that unexpected), various options along the way, and potential changes in cost. He was prompt in responding to queries when I was out of town, and always happy to explain in more detail the work being done. I had a specific and somewhat tight timeline and he more than met it (the couple of hassles along the way were solely the fault of suppliers). Zephyr is knowledgable and skilled at working with old row homes like mine, and he and his crew were upbeat, happy to work with my electricians and roofer, and took great care of the rest of my space as they worked. The cost was entirely reasonable, and I feel that everything that needed to be done was done well, while extraneous work (and cost) was avoided. I had been dreading the kitchen remodel, but this proved to be a great experience and I'm delighted with the finished kitchen (and laundry room). I will certainly use Mitchell Custom Concepts in the future.

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Zephyr and his crew helped my husband and I gut and fully renovate our 2,200 square foot row home in Pennsport, a small neighborhood within the city of Philadelphia.  Although he was priced slightly higher than the other contractors we obtained pricing from, the quality of his work was worth the nominal difference in pricing. 
I am an architect and my husband a user experience designer. We were very selective about who we choose to renovate my first own home.  Zephyr worked with my husband and I throughout the entire process.  He coordinated all new plumbing and electrical re-wiring (with a licensed plumber and electrician), made suggestions when we were trying to mitigate a fast-paced decision making process, and executed the work on-time and on-budget.
Being involved in the trade, I cannot stress enough how difficult it is to find a contractor who is reasonably priced and does the job right. I will be working with Zephyr again on my next project.  This particular renovation included the following:
· Refinishing original wood floors
·  2 new full bathrooms
· Complete replacement of all interior walls and ceilings
· New electrical through-out
· New plumbing through-out
· New roofing
· Brick re-pointing
· 20 new windows installed
· Insulated all exterior walls and roof
· New Kitchen

It went very well. He gave us a time frame  and he was on point. He discussed the stages; what would need to happen and what we needed to do when. Had great suggestions and pointed us to good sources for cabinetry, flooring, lighting and tiles. He works with a small crew and they were wonderful; each day they did thorough clean-ups and were very personable.

We liked the man very much, but he had another job and we did not use him, he did not have the time when we were ready. He came out right away and looked at the job. We wanted to have the job done before it got to cold to do it. The only reason we did not use him was because he did not have the time. He gave us a general quote, which was quite high compared to the person who actually did the job. He is on the high end. He was very knowledgeable and he knew what the project entailed. My husband trusted his expertise. I would not hold him to the general quote.

I highly recommend Zephyr of Mitchell Custom Concepts.
Zephyr first arrived to help answer my question on whether I could safely take down a wall to widen the kitchen area.  He was doubtful but removed the sheetrock to reveal a solid stack of bricks supporting a steel beam - thus, I knew to reduce the scope of the job in advance, saving me unnecessary work.
My remodel included several different items - creating an enlarged kitchen area with matching cabinetry, countertop and floor tile to what was existing; in the front hall closet creating a new shelving area, enclosing the water heater and laying a new tile floor; painting a couple of rooms; and laying new baseboard around the perimeter of the living area.  Zephyr and his workman, Ian, were conscientious and artful.  I took a photo of the angled and skillfully installed baseboard around corners and odd edges, but didn't see where on this review I can upload the photo.  So you'll have to take my word for it!
What made working with Zephyr different is he educated me along the way.  He drove me along a street in center city where tile places and wood trim places are located and introduced me to several of the workers there.  I was able to peruse the stores to find materials that suited me best.  When I described what I was trying to do as far as baseboard, Zephyr directed me to a plant that creates what I was looking for.  He delivered a pamphlet with some samples and I was able to choose among them.  
I expect to work with Zephyr again.  I have these two 7' high windows that need replacement...

All of the above is pretty standard.  What set Zephyr apart were the following:1) He saved us ~$5,000.  While he was working on our house, another company was slated to reinforce our foundation and install a french drain to alleviate basement flooding we were having.  Zephyr took a look and asked us if we had checked with our neighbors to the east.  Sure enough, the source of the water was their waste pipe, not infiltrating groundwater.  Our neighbors fixed their waste pipe and the problem ceased.  2) He is meticulous.  Most contractors try (to varying degrees) to slap things together and hope you don't notice.  Zephyr, on the other hand, was never satisfied with his own work.  The result was a front and rear door that have received numerous, unsolicited compliments.  He was working with a settling house, so the hole for the door was not a perfect rectangle.  He did everything he could to make it look like it was.  3) I like to work on my house and Zephyr helped me out at no additional cost.  He gave me a detailed schedule for when my different jobs needed to be done to mesh with what he was doing.  He gave me many pointers that made my jobs easier and the end results better.  He even let me borrow his tools.4) He didn't mess up my floor, which I had just refinished.  He didn't mess up my tile, which I had just laid. 
Zephyr is honest and easy to work with.  He's our handyman.  I can't say enough about him.

still working on our project.  It will be sometime before it is finished.