Nick just completed a bathroom renovation for me that took a little over two weeks. In that time I got to know him and his workmanship pretty well. So I'm going to write a comprehensive review.
***** FRIENDLY *****
The first thing you'll notice about Nick is that he's an affable, likable, positive person. He's genuinely a great guy. He cares about his customers. He listens when you have concerns about any aspect of the project, and he tries to accommodate you.
***** PROFESSIONAL *****
The written estimate Nick created at the start of the job was probably the clearest, most useful estimate I've ever received from a handyman. He kept in constant communication with me throughout the project so I was never left wondering what was going on. He responded promptly (usually immediately) to my emails, phone calls, and text messages.
He also stands by his work. If something goes wrong he'll come back and fix it.
***** HONEST *****
One day when I was out of the house, Nick and his helper moved an incredibly heavy cast iron tub up a flight of stairs. As soon as I returned home, Nick immediately showed me a couple of places where the tub had caused damage during the move. The damage was very minor and nearly invisible, but he wanted to be completely forthright about it and take responsibility for it.
***** EXPERTISE & DEDICATION *****
The breadth of Nick's knowledge of construction is impressive. He started in construction when he was just a kid working for his dad, so he developed expertise at a young age. He invents clever solutions to problems that crop up. When he doesn't know the best way forward he has the humility to consult with other experts. And most importantly, he is extremely careful, deliberate, and detail-oriented, and he takes the time to do things right. He doesn't rush or take shortcuts. As a result, he does excellent work.
Some specifics:
* He carefully braced all the pipes in the wall of the shower, which I didn't even know to ask for.
* He did a great job installing our tiles. He has smart strategies for installing tiles to keep them as straight and symmetrical as possible.
* He applied commercial epoxy grout rather than standard sanded grout. The epoxy grout is waterproof and requires less maintenance, but it's harder to apply and if you try DIY you'll probably mess it up. The grout lines in the bathroom are clean and straight.
* He spent extra time to get rid of the sandy texture on the old drywall in the bathroom before applying the softer orange-peel texture I wanted. He applied skim coat and sanded multiple times. (He claims he doesn't do "level 5" drywall work, which is a premium finish where the wall is perfectly smooth. But as I read the definition of level 5 online and look at what Nick did, he sure comes close to that standard.)
* He created a niche in our shower surround. He cleverly sloped the bottom ever-so-slightly inward so water would run off into the tub. It looks and works great. Much nicer than using the side of the tub as a shelf and accidentally knocking bottles over all the time.
***** BUSY *****
So when you put all these qualities together, and add positive Yelp reviews to the mix, what do you get? A handyman who is in demand.
Nick hires helpers as needed, but he has discovered that he needs to be personally involved in every project in order to guarantee the level of quality he wants associated with his business. This is admirable and I think it's the right decision. But it means his business cannot scale to match the demand. He wants to reply to everybody promptly, but there are only so many hours in a day and he is just one person. He can't make phone calls while also installing drywall. I think he'd like to take every job that comes his way, but that's impossible.
My advice is that if you think you'd like to work with Nick, be patient & understanding with the other demands on his schedule, and be as flexible as you can with your own schedule. His work for his current client takes priority over responding to new calls. So it may take a little time to schedule your estimate. Once he starts work on your project, you can rest assured that he'll focus on your project like a laser, and the job will get done and get done right.
***** CONCLUSION *****
In conclusion: Nick Sparks provides excellent service. He is reliable and trustworthy. I'd gladly work with him again in a heartbeat. I give him my highest recommendation. read more