The Guild

Replaced north side of house with clear beveled cedar siding. Removed old paint on beaded ceiling and facia board. Removed window trim and replaced with new wood. Prime. Caulk. Spackling paste. Paint.

Work included tongue and groove siding install, clean brick and mortar, wood moulding install, wrap heating pipes, build and install 2 trap doors, painting of walls, stain and seal siding, install heavy duty vinyl flooring. Excellent.

Everything was absolutely perfect.

Very professional.  The work is excellent.  The ceiling now has a warm reflective light quality  .. much nicer than paint. If you want work you can count on, and be proud of, call Alex.

The second-floor closet is small and L-shaped. It had the original plaster and lathe with several layers of paint and wallpaper which were peeling in several places. We did not want to deal with the mess and lead paint issues of a total demolition. Alex covered over the walls and ceiling with 1/4 inch sheetrock, so we did not even have to remove any of the trim around the window and door. All the lead paint issues were avoided. The space to work in was very tight and was definitely a one person job. Alex took care to control the dust from the drywall sanding. With the plastic sheeting we put up we were able to keep the rest of the room perfectly clean. The closet looks like new and we are very happy with the job.















The job was well defined with little chance of unexpected problems, so I did not have any concerns doing it on a time and material basis. The total number of hours for the job was only a little greater than what we thought would be needed but the outcome was well worth it. Because of Alex's long commute the chargeable hours were spread out over a couple of more days than expected, but when asked he did come in on a Saturday to finish up.

Alex picked up the door and took it to his shop in Auburn to have a warm place to paint in January. The door had an oil-based paint that I wanted to be sanded, primed, and then painted with two coats of acrylic paint. The door came back beautiful. The spackling and caullking details were perfect.  I had ordered a heavy duty insect screen myself for the job to have ready at the same time the door was to be picked up. It took 3 tries to get a piece of screen that was undamaged in shipping. Alex was very helpful in my dealings with the screen company and their shipping problems.

Started with a match of existing color.  Sanded window sills as required, conditioned, stained and three coats of clear varnish.  Went very well considering the variety of colors in the home from previous finishing and fading from the sun.  Believe Alex arrived at a good compromise of colors to satisfy my wife and I.  We will be calling Alex back to apply same finish and treatment to two exterior doors to the home just as soon as the weather warms and finish can be applied.

The edging looks as good as new (if not better). Alex has an great attention to detail and truly is a master craftsman.

The work went fabulously well. Everything is beautiful, and I know it will stand the test of time.

The project went very well. Alex is conscientious and pays close attention to detail. He excels at restoring older homes. Nothing in our 1912 house is level. Alex always finds a way to make things work while pleasing the eye. Alex works on a time and materials basis.

The Guild was neat and highly professional. The newly restored surfaces of ceilings and walls are beautiful today. The refinishing of cabinets and doors was terrific. It was a beautiful job all the way around. Alex was meticulously tidy and clean as he worked around the house. We had Alex back for two additional projects.

Professional work done on a time and materials basis. The beautiful detailed work still looks like new today.

This was not an easy project because the ceiling was lath and plaster, and the area that was bowed by the weight of the tub had to be cut out in such a way that the ornate plaster wasn't destroyed. Then the hole had to be filled (with plasterboard), and mudded in so that, when finished, you couldn't tell anything had been done. Alex did this in spades. It's amazing what he can do, but none of the ornate plaster was touched despite needing to cut stuff out all around it. Looking at it now you would never know this work had been done. Then he did his usual amazing job of painting the ceiling and a beautiful and subtle color change to highlight the ornate plaster. Alex is a multi-talented artist/craftsman. The scope of his ability to do restoration work constantly amazes me. Probably the crucial thing over the years of working with him that we appreciate most is not only the restoration, but the care with which he prepares prior to painting. This is why the work that he does, perhaps expensive, lasts so long. Alex works on a time-and-material basis which means the quality of the work won't suffer because he finds something unexpected. But he will keep you posted on progress and what he anticipates.

1. The iron fence was removed (from the concrete base), taken for sandblasting, primed, reinstalled and painted. {I talked to Alex in March 2011 to do some spot work on the fence - it has lasted this long}. It looked like new, and has lasted a LONG time. 2. The chimney is a constant problem, but Alex seems to be the only one who knows how to caulk it so it will last, and then repair what water damage there is. Fortunately this wasn't a big problem this time. 3. The wood on the stairs is original to the house; we had it carpeted but wanted to change this to a runner. When we took the carpet off, the stairs were in a mess. Alex carefully restored the wood and finished it to match the wood in the rest of the house. We put the runner on, and were totally happy. 4. The painting in the kitchen and hallway was routine, but, as always, up to Alex's quality of work. If you want the best, Alex is your person. He works on a time-and-material basis primarily so he doesn't have to sacrifice quality. When he finds a problem, he'll discuss it and leave it up to you as to what you want to do. But his pricing is always fair (for the quality of the work), and he is always timely.

Alex is an artist and craftsman combined who has incredibly high standards. Once the scope of the work is understood, we leave him to it as we know it will be done right and, when done, will last a LONG time. If one is interest in this level of work, you will not find a better person. Alex works on a time-and-material basis, the reason being that a concrete bid restricts him when he comes upon surprises, especially in an old house such as ours. The end result may be a little more time and a little more expense, but if quality is your goal, this doesn't matter. This was a complex project, and only now in 2011 as I write this am I talking to Alex about doing some touch up - nothing major because it isn't needed. Many times in the past we have used "normal" painters where the work looks good as they are leaving, and may look good for a year or two. Then things start to peel, etc. You will NEVER have this problem with Alex's work.

1. I had originally painted the Sun Room which was very difficult because of the brick. I thought I did a pretty good job until Alex got his hands on it. To say it ended up spectacular is an understatement. Now as I write this in 2011, the room and paint is as beautiful now as it was when he finished. 2. The upstairs hallway and stairwell had never been painted since we moved in in 1980. It needed repair work, and we wanted a semi-gloss so that it would be easier to clean when little hands rubbed up against it. As usual, Alex did his craftmanship work in splendid fashion. He really understands the value of prep (being 90% of a good paint job). Alex is an artist with whom you will NEVER be unhappy (in my opinion) with the final product. Alex works (very fairly) on a time-and-material basis but he will give a ball park estimate. The reason for this is that he doesn't like to sacrifice quality if something unexpected comes up. So it may cost a little more and take a little longer, but the end product will last MUCH longer than with your average good painter.

Over the years we kept learning of the versatility of this artist to properly restore and refinish things in our old house; we know from talking with others that the approach he took/takes with us is the same he takes with his other clients. The workmanship was superior and the finished product looks as good now in 2010 as it did in 1993 when he did the work.

Alex built two beautiful new covers exactly as we requested but even better they fit in to the living and dining room better than the originals. Alex is a true artist. He works time-and-material to avoid "surprises" upsetting a firm bid; in this way, he can maintain his highest standards. We've always worked with him on there terms, and NEVER had a problem NOR been unhappy.

Alex is an artist when approaching traditional painting problem which we think is what sets him apart. He is especially careful with preparation which is 90% of a good paint job. Our master bedroom walls did need some repair work as the chimney goes up through one of them and we had a constant leak problem (which Alex fixed - first one who could do it). He also discovered some dry rot on one of the window sills he had to repair. All done first class. The most amazing was the screen door. It had sat in the basement for years and we were about to throw it away when Alex checked it out, and said he could restore it. The end result was astonishing. As I write this, I realize this was done in 1991; I just spoke with Alex the other day as the door needs to be painted - 20 years after he did it originally. Value for money? You figure it out. Alex works time-and-material although he will give a ball park estimate of what he thinks it will cost. The reason is that, especially in old houses like ours, one never knows what is going to be revealed during the preparation work, and Alex likes to maintain his high standards. If you can live with this modus operandi, you will end up with a first class job of which you will be both happy and proud.

Alex is a multidisciplinary artist who is one of the few who understands that preparation is 90% of a successful job. For this reason, he likes to work time-and-material so he can maintain his high standards (surprisingly higher even than my wife's), but (i) he will indicate what it will cost, and (ii) he will NEVER screw you. The finished job is exceptional. Always punctual. It is a complete joy to work with him, and watch the project unfold. If you can deal with the time-and-material, you will get a job that will last much longer than a normal exterior painter. And as Alex uncovers problems or things that he would like to do to complete a first class job, he will explain his thinking. Again - Alex is an artist at what he does, and you will not be disappointed.

Wonderful! The Guild did a thorough walk around the property making note of damages and the work that would be required. He presented us with a slideshow of past work. Once he started work he arrived punctually and worked straight through. He often found issues that he could deal with before they became larger issues. Would not go with anyone else if we were considering rennovating another old house. The Guild is first rate.