Moss Building & Design

The project went smoothly. The doors were installed first and a couple of weeks later the laundry room renovation began. The craftsmen were very respectful and consciencous about the quality of their work. Bob Keane, our project manager, was an excellent communicator. Although they had a key to the house (via lockbox) he would still call before coming inside. Bob was careful to explain what to expect with regard to down time of the laundry facilities and made every effort to get the washer and dryer hooked up as soon as possible. The project did take a little longer than the original estimate but we had some unusually harsh winter weather during that time which caused delays. The end product is beautiful and we are very pleased. Our laundry room is more functional and looks great. The new french doors are beautiful and energy efficient. This has probably saved us a great deal of money during this winter with record setting cold temps.

We interviewed 4 different Contractors to rebuild our 2 car garage after losing it to hurricane Sandy. Moss Building & Design met with us and prepared a comprehensive plan. The only reason we chose another Contractor was our desire to reuse the original brick in the rebuild. So when we began our plans to remodel our kitchen and powder room we hired Moss immediately. Our designer worked quickly to present us with plans that included all the ideas we had discussed. The scope of the project was considered and our budget was adhered to. When we added several things that wern't initially considered Moss willingly worked with us to incorporate our desires. We would hire Moss again and highly recommend them for both large and smaller projects.

The handy-man arrived when expected and worked, and I mean worked, the entire 8-hour period we purchased. He listened to our preferences, offered suggestions and kept us informed during his day. He was very professional and brought a high level of quality workmanship. Very friendly to boot. The work looks great, measurements are exact and all cabinets are well-aligned. I purchased more services from Moss and this particular handyman that very day - he's coming back next week! Will definitely use Moss again.

I needed 9 kitchen cabinets installed in a rental property, so I took advantage of Moss' Angie's List deal for Handyman for a Day for $499. Normally, contractors would charge at least double that amount, so I was very pleased that Moss agreed to the project. A Moss project manager thought that it would probably take more than a day, which I didn't want, especially because of the hourly rate they charge, though I'm sure it's comparable to other area contractors. I decided to remove the old cabinets in order to save time. I couldn't remove the base cabinets, so Moss' carpenter completed the remaining demolition and disconnected the plumbing. I had planned to have the work done on a Monday, but I encountered a problem and needed it postponed to Tuesday. Moss was able to accommodate the change, which was great. Unfortunately a snowstorm hit Monday night, so the carpenter was delayed until Wednesday. I was assured that he would be there Wednesday, which was important because I only had that week to have the work done. At 7 am Wednesday, the project manager called to say that the carpenter, because of where he lived and the snow there, couldn't make it. I got upset and would not accept the delay. Luckily, after a few hours, the carpenter arrived at noon. He worked steadily and did an excellent job installing the cabinets, except when it came to cutting spaces in the base cabinets for the plumbing and disconnecting the garbage disposal. The next day when the plumber came to reconnect everything, he found that the cutout for the discharge pipe was putting pressure on the pipe causing a slope toward the sink instead of allowing it to be level. The carpenter also cut the wires to the disposal too short, which then required the plumber to spend a lot of time creating a solution. The carpenter didn't quite finish the job, so another contractor came the next morning to finish. The second contractor was excellent. After submitting photos of the plumbing problems to the project manager, he agreed to give me substantial credit for the extra time the plumber had to spend, which I felt was very fair and appropriate customer service. Overall, Moss is a very good and professional company, as indicated by others' experiences, but perhaps the carpenter didn't have the knowledge he needed regarding the plumbing.

Stan and Michael did an excellent job removing a french door and reframing the new door. Stan is a highly experienced master carpenter and he took the time to point out the flaws from a prior installation (done by another contractor) and he showed me the process step-by-step. He took the time to answer all of my questions and this provided me with the reassurance that the installation was being done the proper way. Michael provided assistance to Stan and also took care of some drywall work. The door looks great. During two occasions, we noticed a draft and Moss promptly followed up to readjust the door. Moss has completed large and small projects in our home and I'm always impressed and very satisfied with the level of professionalism.

Moss was a God-send. I did a lot of research and contacted several vendors/handyman contractors. I hired one (not from Angie's List) who did not complete the work for which I hired him and then threatened to file a lien if I did not pay. Moss was professional, honest, and very reasonable. I felt like they partnered with me to make sure that all items on my checklist were addressed so that I could not only get the house through final inspection and closing, but so that the next owner would not have issues/problems. I would hire Moss again in a second and highly recommend the company.

We learned of Moss through a Handy Mom Workshop that they conducted at our church. Since that first encounter, we have been nothing but pleased with them and their work. We have used Moss on 3 separate occasions and were very happy with the results each time. We had shut off values installed under an old sink, a shut off valve installed installed for a hose bib, and a toilet installed in a new bathroom. Each Moss rep has been an utmost professional. They show up on time, are courteous, work quickly, and clean up after. Everyone with whom I've spoken at Moss has been very professional and easy to deal with. In general, they respond to emails and phone calls in a timely manner. However, my one critique is that they can be slow to respond at times, which can be annoying.

After getting bids from several folks, we went with Moss Construction based on a number of glowing reviews on Angie's List, as well as the estimator who came out to meet us to review the job. Not only did he have ideas and solutions, he told me how we could save money. They were definitely not the cheapest, but they were the most impressive and put-together, and even more so when the job started, which was a nice surprise. Once we signed and made the first payment (around late December), they set us up with a password protected account on their website, which listed out the work to be done, a calendar of when things would start and end, along with a messaging system for all the people involved with our project. This system also had the ability for me to upload documents and photos, as well as put in and approve any change orders. The job started Tuesday (27th) and ended on Friday (30th), 3 days ahead of schedule. Given there were no issues that came up during the job, they were able to finish the job early, which was awesome. Best of all, they came up with a way to correct the water line to our fridge without having to drill a bunch of holes through our fairly new kitchen cabinets. So far the line hasn't frozen up again. The main guy doing the labor, Jeff, showed up every morning around 7:15am and got started around 7:30am. I should note that Jeff was really great with our son, and very good with communication. Overall, we could not be happier!! Everyone we met or communicated with was responsive and very professional too.

I purchased the $499 contractor for 8 hours deal and am not disappointed one bit. The contractor that came out was Stan and he did a perfect job. If you were to look at the side of the house you could not tell that a window was ever their. I was supposed to have all the materials and the job could've taken only one day, however I had to pick up the siding from a place that did not have it initially so the 8 hours were split up into 2 days (4 hours a day). Stan is very good at his trade craft and was extremely knowledgeable and nice. I would definitely recommend anyone purchasing this deal to specifically request Stan and you will not be disappointed.

They did all the work. We signed a contract in March last year, they started construction in May with the idea that we will be finished by the 4th of July. They finished last Thursday. When they first came, they did an excellent design. They had excellent customer service. They assigned a great project manager. They removed that project manager and assigned another one. It was a train wreck. The second manager they assigned had all kinds of personal problems and was not providing supervision to job and we were going weeks without any work being done and he quit in the midst of it. Moss has a wide range of contractors and they had a new sub contractor. They had painters painting and it rained and water was cascading on the additional. You get to the point where you have to be rude to get them to do work. Their customer care started to deteriorate and they were getting frustrated. They had to redo the work. It became impossible to get the contractor or supervisor. I would not recommend them.

I purchased the big deal for $400 for 8 hours of handyman service. I was able to work everything out over the phone and sending pictures of the damage via e-mail. I wasn't sure exactly what supplies I needed so when the technician arrived, he gave me a list and I picked stuff up at Home Depot (this ensured I didn't have any additional costs). I came back to the townhouse that afternoon and all the work was done. It looked great! I couldn't even tell the sections he had cut out...they were blended so well! I would definitely use Moss again.

This experience was much better than my previous experience. Brian Walker did a great job replacing the thresholds and replacing the toilet. He was professional and gave me a different impression of Moss than I had in my previous interaction, in which I left a negative review. This was a redeeming experience, and I would be willing to work with Moss again because of this experience.

The work was well done, and the customer service was excellent.

Moss Building and Design was very professional in installing a kitchen window in my home (where none existed). This was in a brick wall, which was a challenge , but the job was performed to perfection. Brian Sherry,the Project Manager, was very responsive to all of my requests, and kept on top of the project from start to finish. He checked on the project regularly, and made sure the job was completed to my satisfaction. I would definitely use Moss again, and would recommend them to others.

It started out ok. Over the course of the project there were issues. The floor refinishing was delayed. The quality of the sub doing the floor refinished was terrible and has been reviewed separately...Artisan Floors. I still have light edges around the entire room where you can almost see swipe marks. The designer was useless and really took my original design and her total contribution as far as I could tell was to add a special undersink cover thing for spills...I like it, but really???? I was very specific about wanting clean lines. The light rail they were going to add was just plain ugly and now you can see the lights under the cabinets. I had to change the lights to led vice halogen...which caused extra cost and a less than perfect install. This is something I would think the designer would cover in the beginning....who is using halogens these days. I had to do my own research since I had specified that I wanted the wall between the kitchen and the bedroom soundproofed. What the designer had specified the project manager changed and then I had to specify what I wanted after researching it...still did not do it to my standard. All in all, I only like my kitchen but it could be better especially for the cost. The Moss cost did not include countertops, sink, faucet, appliances or light fixtures as I procured those outside the contract. The work that was done by Dean was excellent and he always went above and beyond.

The bathroom looks amazing. In under two weeks Moss transformed our guest bath from a contractor standard grade to a beautiful retreat. Moss helped us with the design and picking out the components (vanity, tile, countertop). After completing the purchases, Moss setup all the permits and began by removing the old contractor grade components. By the end of the first week they'd modified the necessary plumbing, installed the tub and the tile. At the end of week two we had a completed bathroom.

Terri workmanship... identified issues and resolved them If there was an A+ rating they would get it!

IT WAS AMAZING. Best handyman I've hired thus far.

The sheet rock installer did very good work. A full day's work. Moss coordinator did excellent job of scheduling and communicating. Would use them again.

We had met with Moss last year on a larger job. The project went to another contractor due to a variety of factors, but we elected to contact Moss again this year on another job in another area of the house. Met with estimator, explained project clearly and received altogether different (i.e., read up-sell) proposal back a few weeks later. Cost was astronomical to absurd given job simplicity (carpentry), job time (under a day) and materials (wood). I can understand and appreciate one's cost structure and desire to maintain an adequate profit margin to compensate for labor and materials and overhead, but I do not understand nor appreciate trying to get fleeced and up-sold for something entirely different. Long story short, they are off the contact list forever. My guess is their estimators work on commission and they have some sort of company minimum for a job that likely disqualifies them for anything in the $250 to $1000 range. Be mindful of this and work to find a smaller shop or sole proprietor who can pick and choose better.

It was good. The people who showed up was very professional.

After inspection and before settlement, I did not have much time. I called the company and the manager (Maria), in short notice, scheduled workers for the job even though it was a busy season. I called different places before I contact them, but they were not available. Also, if the job cannot be done by the company, the manager gave me list of several other companies to contact. To my surprise, she checked if all the jobs are done well, from time to time, as if it is her own house. The workers are very kind, with manners and finished all jobs with quality. I had a chance to talk to other managers, and they are not different. I could not be more satisfied. I appreciate the company and its staff for all excellent services.

We first met with Pete Hampel, co-owner of Moss, to talk to him about our vision for the house and explain to him our needs and expectations. After we agreed on a price, we started working with Dwight Stonerook, the architect who helped us put our vision on paper. We were very pleased with the design (architectural and structural) that we received from Dwight - both my husband and I are civil engineers and had high expectations when it comes to construction design. After the drawings were completed, Moss submitted them to Fairfax County for zoning review and a building permit. As soon as we got the permit, Matt Alspaugh, our project manager, came to our house and taped it to our window. It was finally happening! The next day, the project started with the demolition of our existing deck - my dog wasn't too happy - his beloved deck was gone! The porta-potty came next, which was followed by the foundation excavation and concrete pour. Once the basement was done, the A-team showed up. Bobby Petri and his carpenters worked MAGIC and built the top 2 floors quickly but with extreme care and precision. The guys worked very hard and took great pride in what they did. They also built the new Trex deck and stairs. Bobby's team was our best experience with Moss's subcontractors. Amazing quality, and great work ethic. The trades came next - electrical, HVAC and plumbing. All 3 crews did a great job, although I'm sure my dog would say Greg the electrician was his favorite - he always had treats. Greg and Kevin did an amazing job with all the wiring, inside and outside the house, moving fixtures, installing the new electrical panel, recessed lights, etc. The insulation and drywall came next - the toughest part of the project (for us). Drywall dust was my worst enemy. Emil and Brian came at the end for the finishes - trim work, door installation, door handles, locks, shelves, etc. These guys are artists. Their work is flawless! Matt was a great project manager - he was always on schedule (I am still very impressed that we did not lose 1 day!) and was extremely responsive when an issue came up, even if it was as minor as someone coming in with muddy shoes. He always made us aware of any scheduling changes or of different crews we would be expecting. We were out of the country for a week, and Matt emailed us daily to keep us posted on the progress. Throughout the project, Valerie Irons was extremely helpful and knowledgeable. We met with her at the very beginning where she went over the overall project schedule and introduced us to Moss's online tool. She also helped us choose tiles and granite. She was always very pleasant and responsive. Although we are very glad that the project is done and that we now have a beautiful house, we will definitely miss some of the folks at Moss, in particular Matt who we got used to seeing the last 4 months! We highly recommend Moss for any type of addition or remodel, in particular Matt, Valerie, Greg, Kevin, Emil and Brian. Thank you for our gorgeous house!

Approximately two years after purchasing my condo, I was ready to totally redo my outdated kitchen. I got designs and prices from three highly rated contractor/designer companies in the area, including Moss. Full disclosure- my designer Erin is someone I knew personally, but that only served to get Moss's foot in the door. I found her designs to be the ones that most closely mirrored what I wanted out of the kitchen, and the price to be competitive with the other designers. I was also more impressed by Moss's presentation and description of how/when the work would be done; it felt more professional, with more information given out front. As this was my first big remodeling project in my home, I felt more comfortable with what they presented initially with the plans, the schedule, what to expect during construction etc; I just felt more prepared with Moss than the other two. After officially selecting Moss, I was very pleased with all facets of designing the kitchen, before work actually started. Both Erin and my PM Dave were very accommodating to my schedule, working with me on the best times for them to come measure and spec out my kitchen, as well as meeting me in their office and in the showcase warehouses to design the cabinets/layout, pick out counter-tops, backsplash, etc. Erin also was very helpful in other parts of the design such as emailing me links for sinks, faucets, and pendant lights, i.e. items to buy that didn't require a warehouse visit. There was no part of the design aspect that I didn't feel in control of; she gave me options for everything fit the aesthetics and budget of my kitchen (or advised me if what I liked was over), but never "told" me what I should order. She was happy to provide expert opinion and advice when I asked if this light or that light went better, but always left the choices up to me. With the design complete, construction began and I was very happy with how it went. Dave told me who would be coming by to do the work (Ricky) and what time he'd be there. I was pleased that Ricky was a Moss employee, and not a third-party contractor. Ricky was there exactly on time everyday, and stayed a full day. I frequently worked from home, and aside from 30 mins for lunch he took in his truck, he worked hard all day. He was very pleasant, and upfront about everything he was doing. I had no trust issues leaving him alone if I did leave my house. I found the work he and other Moss employees who assisted did to be very thorough, and professional. If an appliance or cabinet didn't initially fit, they took the time to properly move and adjust things, they didn't just "jam" it in there. They went to great lengths to ensure my counter-top and breakfast bar were level, (as i requested) creating additional height with a framework on top of the lower cabinets, and shims where necessary, that weren't part of the original design. They were very conscious of covering my living room everyday in painter-type wrap to prevent dust, and were very good in vacuuming up the kitchen and living room everyday. With the kitchen complete, they were very responsive to things I noticed that needed touching up or added on, i.e. little detail things that couldn't be foreseen in the original plans. Little trim pieces added here and there for consistency in the look, stuff like that. The kitchen is gorgeous, it looks every bit and more of what I first imagined. Functionally, it created a lot more counter-top space and a bit more cabinet space, in a fairly small kitchen. The work was done almost exactly to the original schedule that Dave and I created together, with minimal overages (>$1000), all of which I agreed to. They have a client portal that was (mostly) kept up-to date with selections for me to give final approval, all the financial documents, the original and redesigned plans, a project calendar, etc. Overall, I found Erin, Dave and Ricky all wonderful to work with in their respective roles, and would recommend any of them, and Moss in general, to others looking to remodel.

This is the third time I have worked with Moss. The Moss employees are top notch. Kristen and Bob went out of their way to make me happy during the project. Here are just a few examples below. Kristen was great helping to narrow down millions of choices out there for me. She sensed my style and researched items for me in advance. For example, she researched lighting so I wouldn't spend days trying to figure out what I wanted. From the pendant lights, to chandeliers, to sconces, I would taken over a year to figure that out. I took a picture of a unique vessel sink and waterfall faucet that I loved in a restaurant. Not only did Kristen find it, she made sure it was a smaller version that would fit my space. Left on my own, I either would have never found it, or ordered the wrong size. Bob was always ready answer any question or respond to any request I had. Moving lights, adding shelving, changing knobs, there wasn't anything that he refused to do. He and Dean are perfectionists. Items I wouldn't have caught, they took care of. The shelf where the microwave was to go was very plain. Dean decided to match the molding from the cabinets and put it on the shelf giving it a beautiful finished look. When it was done I thought, "Wow, what a difference!" He said he would remove it if I didn't like it. I told him he was crazy, this is exactly why I hire Moss to do my jobs. Bob was on top of everything, filling all my requests. When the subcontractor didn't build the trashcan properly, Bob went back to the subcontractor and insisted they make it right. He had them order the correct parts and reconstructed the built-in trashcan correctly. Moss makes the process easy. Expectations are laid out in advance, however, they are willing to work with you during the project to make changes. They pay attention to detail (note the molding example above). If something comes up during the project where the design will not work (say tiling) I would receive a call and have the opportunity to look at it and make a decision on how to handle it. Other contractors, I hear, will just make the decision themselves and the homeowner will have to live with THEIR decision. This doesn't happen often, but, when it did, I was involved.