Let me be as clear as I can about this, because it's important: I would trust Michael (pronounced "Meehall," because Ireland) Keaveney with my life. Seriously.
I value Yelp, because it's a way for customers to have a voice. I think it's especially critical when it comes to things like contractors, and especially ESPECIALLY important when someone actually goes above and beyond. Michael does.
I started working with him about ~6 years ago. When I started, I didn't trust contractors. They work in a magical world none of us understand. They charge tens of thousands of dollars, to accomplish tasks we have no idea about. "Yeah it's going to be $25,000. Because you need a 10x4 820 here to be 12" from the wall GFCI on the Type-X to be to code for the inspection." ARE THOSE EVEN REAL WORDS?
When Michael says it costs $500, it costs $500. He's not price-gouging you, he's not inflating on the backend, he's not one of those guys where you need to call up 3 other contractors to double-check the estimates (and I have worked/talked with my fair share of those). He has integrity.
I started working with him when he was the lead guy for a guy named Gerry O'Sullivan. After a few years, when Gerry got super busy, he referred me to Michael for some of my latest projects. I was cool with it, because I already knew the quality of Michael's work (and that's also sort of how the business works -- Lead guys become the next Boss Guys). That said, I had never worked with Michael on the front-end, and I wasn't sure how I could be 100% sure that he was giving me the same sort of 'deal' I was getting from Gerry after so many years of working with him. So, I put that question right to Michael: "how can I be sure you're giving me the same deal?" He didn't blink. "Because that's what it costs. You can get other bids if it makes you feel more comfortable." I didn't need to -- I knew I trusted him.
He's honest about what you should do (what color, what quality of material, what's worth it, what's not, etc.), timelines, etc. It's comforting in a high-value transaction to know that someone's not just telling you what you want to hear.
He's also damn good at his job. He's knocked every single job for me out of the park. He recently did a complete overhaul of the front of my house (I'm adding photos in a sec). He estimated 3 months, it took 3 months. It looks phenomenal. He not only did a great job, he understood what I was trying to accomplish (a modern look), how to match my 'style' (he recommended the flat front look, which I LOVE). And when he discovered dry rot permeating the whole front, the estimate went up (as it should). And look, that stuff is going to happen. If any contractor says they can give you a final bid before the walls come down, they're lying to you.
But Michael didn't wax poetic or try to bulls*** me, he just said "we have to fix a few joists, we have to jack up the house, we need to re-build the plywood on the front, it's going to be an extra $7k." He broke it down. It made sense. It didn't bother me, because I knew it was the honest truth.
A few days ago, when he learned that I was doing some work on my house on my own and that I couldn't fit 16' baseboards in my SUV, he immediately went and picked them up for me. He's THAT kind of guy.
I can't recommend him enough. I've already extolled his virtues to my closest friends and coworkers, and I stand behind him and the quality of his work. read more