I cannot overstate how impressed I am with this company. If I had a child, I would name it Home Remedy. (OK, maybe not, but you get the picture.) Let me first state that this is a lengthy review, but I don't think you will regret reading it. First, some background: 10 years ago, when I moved into my 1935 2-bedroom, 1-bath home, I used a contractor who wound up (1.) never showing up on time, (2.) smoking in my home twice (despite my telling him not to), (3.) doing shoddy workmanship, and (4.) eventually running off with a mid-project payment, without having completed the job. Enter contractor number two. This second contractor, who was highly recommended to me by my very picky friend in West University Place (Houston), wound up assigning to my bathroom renovation a tile guy who ruined my plaster wall, and, in order to keep costs down, tiled OVER the 1935 tile. He didn't remove the old tile; he just put the new stuff over it. (I didn't find this out until, 10 years later, Home Remedy came to fix some tile around the tub and, lo and behold, discovered the reason why water was getting behind my tile and cracking it. SO ... fast-forward 8 years, and I need a contractor to redo my garage-apartment bathroom. What to do ... Long story short, this is my THIRD time to use Home Remedy in two and a half years, and I will use them again for a kitchen renovation later this year. I'll write additional reviews of the other experiences that led me to use Home Remedy on this project, but for now, I'll just tell you about THIS project: This was a total repainting of my home's interior. It's a 1935 Montrose home, 1,200 square feet. The project entailed rebuilding some 1935 shutters around my front door (mill work), rewiring and reinstalling my doorbell (it hasn't worked since I purchased the home), redoing the bottom row of tile around the tub, fixing the base of the shoe molding where carpet, pulled up years ago, had left it all roughed up and unfinished, repainting the interior of an old ironing board cabinet that one contractor had ruined with spray paint, and working on my old solid-wood garage doors to get them to slide more easily. The total price was around $14,000. Totally worth it -- Here's why: The Home Remedy contractor I use (and have used two times prior and will continue to use) is Dennis Chernov. He is honest, on time, on budget, and on schedule. He is quick to respond to texts and emails and keeps you informed of everything. He has tons of integrity and a delightful disposition. His painter, Marcos, is a perfectionist. So is Dennis, for that matter. The job was estimated to take 2 weeks. That's exactly what it took, although it would have been a couple days shorter had we not had a glitch (but glitches always happen). Dennis's team spent 2 to 3 just days covering up every piece of furniture, meticulously wrapping every light fixture and anything that protruded, papering the floor, and taping off the floor. Then they spent another day or two taping around each 1935 wood mullion that formed the many window panes of my home. THEN, after about 4 or 5 days, they began to float the walls to get rid of the cracks from past foundation repair work. The prep work was incredible. So were the results. They didn't just caulk, they removed the old caulking first. They didn't just repaint; they removed all the gunk around each tiny window pane, the result of years of paint jobs, so that the wood mullions that frame each 10"x12" window pane looked as if they'd been painted for the first time. There was no sign of the walls ever having been cracked. The paint job was gorgeous. But, as always, there was a glitch … I'd requested a latex trim in the exact shade of my latex wall color. Dennis said he really advised using oil-based paint, as it lasts a lot longer. I agreed. Only trouble was, when it dried, it was no longer the exact same shade as the latex walls. Oil-based paints have a slightly more yellow undertone. Even though it was gorgeous, I was bummed out. I noticed it particularly on my bookcase, because that was a large swath of woodwork. I called Dennis that morning. Within the hour he was on-site. No attitude. No annoyed tone in his voice. Even more impressive was his response: "I see what you mean. It's definitely not the same color." He then went to three paint companies to get their explanation and possible solutions. He came up with a few -- one being that he would have Marcos, the painter, SAND all the woodwork to get all the oil-based trim paint off and then redo it with what I requested. That would have cost him another week or more, and a huge hit to his pocket. But you'd not have known that by his attitude. He made it sound like whatever I wanted was fine. He was there to deliver what I wanted. I decided to redo it. His painter spent the next day repapering and re-taping EVERYTHING. I went by to look at it the next morning, and realized that with the windows taped up (no natural light coming in), it looked closer in color to the walls. His painter, Marcos, had also painted some different sections with a different oil-based paint that we thought might work, as well as the latex version. They were giving me TONS of options. The next day I went by and decided I kind of liked the oil-based way it was, even with the slightly different tone. So, I called Dennis and told him to forgo redoing it. I'd keep it. I liked it. A few hours later, I went by, and Marcos the painter clarified that the section where he'd sampled the latex for me was not the section of the trim that I'd viewed. Oh, wait ... you mean I hadn't seen the latex? I thought I had. Well, maybe I DO want the latex, I thought to myself. And that’s what I told him. At this point, any normal human would have thrown down the paint brush and said, "Lady, make up your mind." But not Marcos (the painter). Instead, he said, "Why don't I paint some other areas for you?" (FYI, He painted a section on the upper left-hand side of my mantle, which is in the photo I've attached. The difference is hardly discernable in the photo, but in person it was more obvious.) Like Dennis, Marcos didn't cop an attitude, didn't seem put-off by it (although I'm sure he was) ... He said, "You're the customer. Like I told you, earlier, you're paying good money. Home Remedy is not the cheapest, but they're the best, and this is partly why. We will always do what we have to do to make it perfect for you." I was torn. I liked the latex (which is what I'd ordered). I stayed on the fence for two and a half hours. Meanwhile, Marcos began AGAIN to repaper and re-tape all the windowpanes. I then put my artwork on the mantle and turned on the art light. The slight contrast between the woodwork and walls, which was not what I'd initially envisioned, was absolutely stunning. I stayed with the oil-based trim. It's spectacular -- the fortuitous outcome of an unforeseen "problem." What so impresses me with Home Remedy is the caliber of people they hire. Dennis Chernov and Marcos (his painter) have the patience of Job (for those who read the Bible, you'll get this reference). They are on time. Always. They stay on budget. Always. They finish according to schedule. Always. The quality of workmanship is impeccable. Always. And the communication lines are wide open. No black holes. No unanswered calls or texts. It's the ultimate in customer service and the ultimate in a GREAT experience. Every time. And yes, I will be using them for my kitchen renovation later this year. It won't be the cheapest option, but it will be an enjoyable experience and, as always, the best workmanship imaginable
Mary Michael T.
