“I have been in search of a high quality contractor”

by Prince Of Petworth June 14, 2016 at 2:30 pm 27 Comments

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Photo by PoPville flickr user Mr.TinDC

“Dear PoPville,

I have been in search of a high quality contractor in the area and I am trying to avoid cold calls down the phone book. I have a historic home on Westminster and looking to bring the place back to life. Would you be able to recommend I few?”

SEM

Scott Evans at Positive Space, LLC. http://www.positivespace.biz/ He’s very busy at the moment, but does excellent work on older buildings.
- dat
  
  We used Scott at Positive Space for a full gut renovation and addition to our Petworth rowhouse. I second this recommendation.
- dunning-kruger
  
  Got a very nice proposal from Scott but ended up self performing. Saw his work at other places. We hoped to do it for less but ended up about the same. So 3rd for Positive Space.
- victoria
  
  Also a total recommendation for Scott Evans/Positive Space, although he is in great demand, so hard to get.
ExDCer

http://optimusremodeling.com/ I”m one Darko’s testimonials. I found him at the end of my 8 year home-ownership experience. I would’ve saved so much time, money, suffering if I had found him sooner.
Bob

Check out Four Brothers. They seem to really have their act together. They were recommended to me by an architect who praised their work. I didn’t hire them because of scheduling, but almost wished that I waited for them.
- Anon
  
  Second Four Brothers. We waited a few months for them to be able to start our complete kitchen remodel and are glad that we did. Working with them was great start to finish — thoughtful design and quality work. It was expensive but we felt like it was worth it.
boybert

I know a few people who’ve had luck finding contractors in the Washington Checkbook
Keefer

I am an arch and builder, Four Brothers is great, and they do great work, they are busy so there might be a weight. I have also heard good things about positive space as well.
Marty

Angie’s list has always been good to me.
- HaileUnlikely
  
  I like to cross-check Angie’s list and Consumer Checkbook. They often agree. However, in cases when they disagree to a large extent and I’ve hired one based on Angie’s list, I’ve agreed with Consumer Checkbook’s lower rating after the fact. (Angie’s List has preferred contractors, runs advertisements from contractors, etc. Checkbook is much more independent of the parties being rated).
TruxtonGuy

Keith @ Spectrum Design Build knows what he is doing. He will do the work right and also warranties his work. He is not cheap, but you will not worry that any corners are being cut.
- saf
  
  We used them for a structural issue and were very pleased.
Kevon

Check out the contractors on “Houzz” for your area. Also has the advantage of seeing their portfolio.
Its_Dave_from_DC

The blue house next to your house was recently updated. I would suggest contacting the firm that handled that renovation. At least they are fully aware of the area, securing permits, and working with the neighbors.
- textdoc
  
  I thought the photo was a stock photo from the PoPville Flickr pool, rather than a photo of the OP’s actual house.
anon

NovoKB http://www.novokb.com/

They just redid my bathroom and bedroom and did a fantastic job. stuck to the budget, stayed within the timeline and were incredibly good at staying in touch and keeping us notified as to the progress.

Call Akin and he will hook you up (202)751-5115
dcd

Jason Leveille at Leveille HIC. http://www.leveillehic.com/
Like other contractors who do good work, you may have to wait a while, but Jason did a gut-job renovation for us that was completed, start to finish, in less that 7 months (and it would have been about a month shorter if we didn’t have to deal with effin’ Montgomery County, and did an excellent job. His will likely not be the cheapest estimate you get, but the extra cost is, in my opinion, worth it. One added bonus is that with the exception of HVAC and electrical work, everyone is an employee, not a subcontractor. That adds a degree of flexibility and ability to get people working on somethign quickly that comes in very handy.
- HaileUnlikely
  
  Not that it matters, but is he the poker guy?
Smittty

I’m about to finish a major project with Impact Construction (http://www.impactbuilt.com/) and I am pleased with their work.
mcgyver975

Elite Contracting out of Annandale. Ken is the owner and did a great job on my renovation, almost a whole house remodel.
ET

I have used urbanreferrals.com to find several home contractor types including Something Different which I liked.
Wallach

We used Gene Sibley at Stowe Construction for our basement remodel (not a dig-out) and were very pleased with the work he did. He really know old houses and seems to truly care about renovating them. Also, he was great about making small suggestions for inexpensive projects that really made a different overall.
Rozi

We used AJ Construction and Development ([email protected]) for a complete renovation of our kitchen, as well as other work on our house. We love working with AJ and highly recommend him–several of our friends have used him, based on our recommendation, and were very happy. We have never met a more professional and conscientious contractor.
Anon

I highly recommend David Perez. He has done excellent work on my historic Dupont rowhouse for years, as well as for my parents at their Arlington condo. His prices are fair and he is very professional: 703-623-5896.
Yuri

We have had Martin Leska and his crew over for two project on our historic home. Beautiful, careful work. They clean up every day and are respectful and polite. They don’t only do roof work. Martin seems busy, but he does eventually get back in touch.

http://www.leskallc.com/
Joyce S

Green Dwellings – esp if you are interested in green materials/ finishes. This is a small but knowledgeable company that does meticulous work. http://Www.greendwellingsdc.com. These guys are also excellent at design. I’d recommend them over positive space folks who I found to be somewhat arrogant.

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