Around September 2016, I decided that I wanted a downstairs bathroom refresh. The shower tiles were falling out, the dry wall around the shower was soft and there was visible staining (water/mold) under the vinyl flooring. I wanted to replace the flooring/bathtub/tiles/toilet. I used Google to contact 4 contractors who came by to give me quotes on job. I was quoted 10,000 to 15,000 by 2 of the contractors and the other 2 contractors said the job was too small for them and would not take the job. Not confident with the contractors that I met with, I called around to other renovation companies. They all said that the job was too small for their company. November 2016, I stumbled upon HomeStars: Mainland Ventures. The company reviews were stellar, so I arranged for an quote/estimate. Paul showed up on time and answered all my questions/concerns with confidence. I was happy that no job was too small for Mainland Ventures. I decided that this company was a right fit. Paul was very flexible and patient while answering all my questions. Before leaving, Paul took a sample of the drywall and vinyl flooring to test for Asbestos. Paul provided me with a quote of $8,000 for the job within a couple days. We arranged for a February 2017 construction start date. Unfortunately that construction date was cancelled due to a high level of ASBESTOS found in the drywall and 3 layers of vinyl flooring. The house was built in the 1960s. This threw a huge wrench into my plans and budget. An asbestos abatement was required before construction. I had Paul come back with the asbestos abatement people who gave me a quote on the removal. Paul was very honest and clear about my options. He was confident that he could get the job done by removing only the drywall/vinyl around the areas to be renovated. I was uncomfortable with having half the bathroom renovated and half still contaminated with Asbestos. I made the decision to completely gut the bathroom and replace everything: drywall, tub, tiles, vanity, fixtures, flooring, toilet. I was unhappy with the plumbing layout as well, so I requested a quote for plumbing reconfiguration. I felt that moving the tub, vanity and toilet around would make the bathroom more open and functional. I came up with a non-traditional, unconventional bathroom layout. If you're going to do it, do it right and I wanted a bathroom I loved. Paul gave me his honest input about my layout and he did not recommend it, but I knew this layout was what I wanted. Asbestos Abatement and Plumbing re-configurations added a CONSIDERABLE amount to the initial budget. I obviously didn't want to spend this much, but since the bathroom was opened up anyways, I decided to go for it. Asbestos Abatement was completed late May 2017. These guys were extremely professional, efficient, hardworking and CLEAN! With the amount of garbage that came out of that small bathroom, I was very impressed when they left my place clean and tidy. They laid down plastic, vacuumed the work area and left my carport clean. Construction/Renovation/Remodel started Jun 2017. I was given a time line of approximately 6 weeks. The job was completed in 5 weeks. Russell was assigned to handle my job. He was polite, considerate, extremely hard working, diligent, efficient and CLEAN. I can't express how appreciative I was that Russell treated my home like his own. He always vacuumed the bathroom work area and carport before he left for the day. I feel very fortunate to have had Russell work on my project. I am an extremely picky person and notice small imperfections in my work as well as others. Russell was perfect. I had ZERO complaints about his work. Every time he left for the day, I would inspect his work and I could not find anything to be nit picky about. His lines were clean, there were NO mistakes in his work, everything was level, cut properly, and installed correctly. The electrician and plumber on Paul's team were friendly, hardworking and efficient as well. I intend to use Mainland Ventures for ALL future home projects and would HIGHLY HIGHLY recommend them to friends, family and co-workers. Paul and his team are as close as you can get to the best all round experience from consultation/quotes to construction. I am extremely happy with the quality of work and final result. The bathroom turned out much better than I expected. I chose Mainland Ventures based on HomeStars reviews and I'm glad I did. All testimonials are true to this company's professionalism and quality of work. Paul is very honest and transparent. He doesn't up-sell unnecessary work. I find him to be trustworthy, patient and flexible when answering all questions.
- Approximate cost of services:
- $25,000.00
- What could this company do to improve their services?
- Any advice to offer fellow homeowners facing a similar project?
- Company Response
Dear Brian,
I thoroughly enjoyed reading your very thoughtful review of your experience with us. I know how incredibly busy you are with your very important public service position which makes the time and effort put into writing this review so much more meaningful and I sincerely thank you for doing it. I especially appreciate that you took the effort to include the timeline of how the events unfolded and the exceptional detail and praise for Russell throughout. He will be thrilled to read how happy you were with him and his quality of work. Although, it is always disappointing to find asbestos prior to beginning a job, we take the safety of our clients, their visitors, our employees, and the environment very seriously.
I also must say that I am very pleased to have been able to complete the project to your self- assigned level of “nit-pickiness”. You did mention to me prior to us starting your job that you are very quality conscious and that you will be looking for “mistakes”. It is a really great feeling to know we were able to pass your inspections of the quality of the work performed. It is our policy to clean up at the end of each day so that when the client like you comes home, even in the midst of demolition, there is a sense of calm, cleanliness, and safety. Even if in the review you make it sound like you’re maybe a little pickier than most, you are truly one of the nice guys that are a true pleasure to know and work with. Once again Brian, thank you for this exceptional review. I sincerely appreciate it and really hope to see you soon.