Mike & Sami Construction

Got a complete kitchen/​bathroom renovation done a few years back, condo in Downtown Manhattan. Was not a cheap job/​estimate by any means. All was well at first but then miscommunications and extra expenses started to pile up. Fast forward a year or two after, and slowly been noticing piles of short cuts that were taken to either skimp on supplies or to do a rush job.
After HALF of the kitchen floor tiles CRACKED it was time to see how exactly they did the job. It was horrible. Like 4 – 5 small pancakes of mortar under each 12“x12″ tile. Anyone who knows basic physics would realize that there is NO SUPPORT under the whole tile and that it would break and crack!!! Had to retile the WHOLE FLOOR. RUSH JOB WITH SKIMPY SUPPLIES! Look elsewhere!

BE WARNED!!! We had them create cement steps that ran the width of the property with a 9′ deep cement patio. They told us that the work would be no problem, they’ve done this before and knew about pouring cement. Unfortunately this was not the case. The cement patio has a huge crack running across it (the soil was not properly compacted), the skim coating was way too thin (I can see the mesh) and it’s cracking under foot pressure! And there was a large depression in the patio where a puddle forms every time it rains.
The workers were taking the soil/​debris through the cellar. I went down there to check and it reeked of urine! The workers were pissing in our boiler room! When I told Mike about this his response was «My guys would never do that».
Now a year later, I am having to pay someone to fix their work. And they weren’t cheap!!! At the end of the day they basically did a terrible job. Lesson learned.

Without a doubt, it is one of life’s most significant and daunting decisions … to renovate your home. We felt this way when we considered our options for undertaking the project of restoring a 100 year old Brownstone in PLG, Brooklyn.
From reading numerous blogs and innindating myself with advice and feedback from others who had done the same, I have to say I was terrified of choosing the ‘wrong’ contractors.
With much gratitude, I have to say that M&S Construction gave us one of the most positive experiences a professional contractor could. From our initial meeting both Sami and Mike were present, they did a thorough walk through of our home, took notes, listened carefully and most of all, embraced the reality of our budget and encouraged us to make a wish list and they would work with it as realistic as possible. We had a contract, numbers were transparent, when numbers needed to change we communicated and agreed how to move forward and ultimately worked together to renovate and restore a 2700sq ft brownstone.
Mike was on site, every single day, an invaluable addition to any renovation, and managed his guys who all brought specific skills to the project when required. Victor, a licenced electrician was an incredibly detail oriented guy who took care of all of our electrical work, and it was extensive. Our electrical box is meticulous! He also has made return visits to check in on something he installed when a small problem arose– very appreciated!) a highly skilled carpenter who recreated, detailed period built in bookcase doors, a missing closet, recreated with correct period details and beautiful built inns for storage. The tile setter transformed everything he touched and created high end results, which friends who have seen our kitchen comment on the work done– he rendered a beautiful chevron inset over our stove for visual effect.
At times there was miscommunication but Mike always repeated ‘you are the boss and I want you to be happy’. He checked in often on projects to be sure they were understanding our requests and when things were not exactly as hoped, things were stopped and corrected and always managed professionally. He was infinitely patient with us and went out of his way on many occasions to give us more. I think one of the many things I respect about both Mike and Sami was the fact that they valued and appreciated our budget and our money. that it came from hard work and we wanted to spend it wisely. Sami and Mike sourced out suitable vendors when needed, consistently resulting in us saving money and still attaining a high level product (our air conditioners, our sink, our hardwood flooring just to name a few). Mike has also made a return visit to tweak a few things which is a comfort to know that once money has been exchanged there is an actual relationship there and a connection to the work. Another example of a strong work ethic and integrity.
Our initial schedule was 3 months and as things were added and of course the unexpected factored in (all our sewer lines needed replacement) it was then extended to 5) this included really a top to bottom renovation. We had everything done from a complete wood stripping, floors, new kitchen, new baths, built inns, re-​glazing, skim coating, new electrical and plumbing and restoring things that were badly neglected and a new fence. I can’t say enough about the honesty and integrity of M&S construction and am grateful for the positive experience they gave us, but am proud of the work they did. They are a top contractor and some of the remaining few that have pride in their work and value the client that doesn’t have a bottomless budget. We welcome anyone interested in viewing the work they did in transforming our space. Many, many thanks Mike & Sami.