We've worked with Michael on several jobs, the biggest was building an elevated bungalow for our offices (we're a creative company and wanted something equally creative and interesting). Michael was able to turn a pencil sketch that I did into an incredibly sound and beautiful structure, which was a real feat considering all of the the limitations he had to work with. I've read all of the reviews about Michael and sometimes depending on how busy he is, his communication can be hit and miss, but he completely makes up for it with his incredible knowledge and commitment to a quality finished product. If you want someone who cares about the work that they do, and can come in and solve problems to deliver something that will absolutely stand the test of time, talk to Michael. Michael has built large and small structures, some load bearing and some just enhancements to an existing design, and every time I've been more than satisfied with his rates, delivery time and quality of work. He's definitely an artist when it comes to wood, not just some guy to drive some nails into a 2x4. I don't hesistate to recommend him to anyone that wants absolute quality and creativity at a reasonable price. read more

Highly recommend Michael. He did a great job replacing some load bearing porch posts for us. He does what he says he is going to do and has a strong attention to detail. Most importantly he is reliable and trustworthy. A dying breed these days! read more

Super happy to recommend Michael's work as a carpenter. Extremely professional, did great work (building and mudding a partition wall), left jobsite clean, charged a fair price, and was able to get project done quickly. Michael took the time to understand the work from the rough sketches I gave him, and went out of his way to make sure I was happy with the result. Will definitely use him in the future and I'd easily recommend him to anyone in the neighborhood. read more

I have been using Michael for about two months now for an extended remodeling project. Michael is a highly-skilled carpenter and he has also done several side projects that extend beyond carpentry. Michael is one of the very few contractors I have used that is so trustworthy, honest and reliable that I have given him a key to my property. For my project, Michael has framed, sheetrocked, and completely demo'd a 3-3 condo. In addition, he designed and built a custom staircase for the upstairs, replacing an old and unstable spiral staircase - very impressive. I can highly recommend Michael for any trim or general carpentry work you may need done. My understanding is that he also does decks and he is also a master at that! And, his pricing was way below other carpenters on Yelp that I had obtained bids from. If you need a trim carpenter around your house, Mr. Sooby is a Yelp'ers dream come true! read more

Mike has done a lot of good work for us. Fencing including Staining of fence. Installed windows in two bathrooms plus trim work. He has also built a custom cabinet shelving in the bathroom. Also reframed a rotted wall in our sons room. He's always done a great job. The man works his ass off. Highly recommend him. read more

Michael Sooby has done an excellent job at each of the jobs I have asked him to do. He built a beautiful deck which seamlessly attaches to my house, and is built around a tree. He takes pride in his work, is very cost conscious, and very reliable. Since he did such a beautiful job on my deck, I asked him to build shelves in my shed, and once again, I was 100% pleased. He seems to be able to handle and do a beautiful job at any kind of carpentry job. He is honest and hard-working and gets the job done on time and within cost. He is a pleasure to work with and I will absolutely contact him for all my carpentry needs in the future. read more

Michael Sooby Carpentry - M. Sooby built deck - General Contractors Near Me - Austin, Texas

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Mike is my first call for any carpentry jobs in Austin. Super easy to work with, excellent quality of work, timely, all at a very competitive rate. Highly recommended. read more

Mike has done a bunch of work for us, closets, custom tv mounts, flooring, and decking. He's dependable, works fast, clean, gives honest pricing, and does great work. Highly recommend. read more

I hired Michael to come out and do some minor baseboard replacement in my home. I was very grateful to find that even though it was a small job he was willing to come out and do it. Michael came and checked out the area that needed replacement and then he went to Home Depot to get the baseboards and paint. He came back and in less than 2 hours time had removed the old baseboard, sawed and cut the new baseboard (out in my driveway) to fit, replaced the baseboard, prepped for paint and then painted and caulked. He did a great job prepping for paint and didn't make a mess. You can't tell where the nails went into the new base. The new baseboard looks great and is real wood and no longer the crappy MDF builders use. I am very pleased. Best part about Michael is the pricing--he is very affordable. He quoted me the price up front, gave me the receipts from Home Depot to show what the material cost was and then gave me a receipt. Everything from start to finish was handled in a very professional, honest and efficient manner. He was telling me some great stories about some decks he had installed (decks seem to be a passion of his) so if you need any sort of deck or carpentry work done I would definitely recommend him. read more

Called this gentleman to request some deck work for my home. Here's how the call went: MSC: "Hello" Me: "Hi, my name is Storm and I have a home in Pflugerville that we purchased back in October, and I need some deck work done on my existing deck." MSC: "Uh, well, uh, that's a little far out for me. I kinda like staying close to my shop for jobs." Me: "Oh yeah? I'm a little confused. Your Yelp information said you have worked on 'homes from Tarrytown to Georgetown, as well as having worked on several commercial properties throughout Austin...'. I figured if I'm in Pflugerville, since that's obviously closer than Georgetown, we'd be in your service area." MSC: "Uh, yeah, uh I need to update that site. But uh, yeah that's a little far out for me, and I won't be able to do anything for you." Me: "Oh okay. Thanks anyway I guess." Yeah, he probably ought to update Yelp so that I don't waste my time wasting his time. Ugh. read more

We live in a small condo that needed some work done on the kitchen pantry. When we moved in, the pantry was built in such an inefficient way that anything you put into it would effectively disappear. It was pretty much a useless tiny closet. We called up Michael with just a rough idea of what we wanted and he offered to come by that same day to take a quick look. After a courteous and professional meeting with great suggestions by Michael on how to most efficiently rebuild the pantry, he said he would get back to us on a quote. We decided to remove the tiny door, knock out the framing, expand the door opening, install new shelves, and build in install 3 pull out drawers. That evening, he contacted us with a quote, including an estimation on materials, that was even less than other carpenters quoted us for labor alone! Wow!! He expected the work to take two days. Had I not changed my mind on adding a forth drawer and custom faces on the drawers, it probably would have been exactly as he predicted. By the end of the 2nd day, he mentioned that he happened to be available the next day and could come in for just a couple of hours to put on the finishing touches. Not once did he ask for additional pay for labor or anything of the sort. He made it a point that he believed in sticking with his original quote. We ended up tipping him for his time anyway, but that was never something that we felt was expected, only appreciated. I bring this up because the thing I appreciated most about Michael was commitment to customer service and satisfaction. Even if it would make the build more complicated, he always insisted on building it in a way that would make us most happy. Michael was very mindful about minimizing the inevitable dust from the build and was meticulous with cleaning up after each day. He was very efficient with his time and considerate of our space. With service this good, I'm looking around trying to think of more ways we can hire Michael to improve the look, utility, and value of our home. read more

Michael was one of three bidders on doing an extensive deck repair at our home. He does all of his own work, meaning he has lower overhead costs than larger operations. He did the work fast, but with painstaking detail to getting it done right. We found him to be highly intelligent, honest, sincere, personable, and flexible in dealing with unexpected issues that arose during the project. My wife and I recommend Michael without reservation and with great enthusiasm. We believe anyone who hires his services will be most pleased with the outcome. He's a winner! read more

As with lots of small handy man operations, the communication and logistics can be frustrating. He initially was very responsive but when I said "ok lets move forward" I never heard back. Then 2-3 days later while I'm at work he texts me and says "I'm here" I was like...um ok... Then that evening he was SUPER interested in me getting home so I could give him a payment. Called me like 3 times wondering when I was going to be home. I was like "I'm at work, your the one who decided to show up without talking to me" I get home give him a payment for the little work he did and he says he will be back "first thing in the morning". He shows up next day past noon...tells me "sometimes things come up".....at this point I'm wondering how the hell did this guy get any good yelp reviews. However then he really got working and worked till dark and came back again for few hours to finish the job (small deck addition) The work was great and I have zero issues with the quality or the price, but I guess I'm just wanting a more professional , responsive person to deal with. read more

I have hired Michael for a number of jobs, both large and small, and can attest to his high level of skill as a carpenter/woodworker. He has been my go to carpenter for an extensive year and a half renovation - everything from walls, to trim, to construction of an entire deck, laying the oak floors throughout the house and even siding replacement. He's a really good guy that takes pride in his work. The level of skill and workmanship that you receive for the price cannot be beat. Including a few pics of finished projects that he completed at my house. read more

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Michael built my fireplace surround. Mantle, hearth & legs & also framed my bathroom which I was remodeling. Very reliable. Fair pricing & excellent work. read more

Michael Sooby Carpentry - He built my hearth & mantle. Excellent work. - General Contractors Near Me - Austin, Texas

We absolutely love the window Michael put in for us! Michael's great and clearly cares about the work he does. And he cleaned up after working every day leaving the area nice every time. If you don't hear back from him right away don't worry, he was working on a few other jobs when I reached out to him initially and it took a few days to hear back. We looked at a couple other companies in the area (and had one out for an estimate) and Michael was the best (also nice having just one person you work with/do the job rather a bigger company where you don't know who will actually be doing the work, also I think Michael is able to do jobs for less being just him!). Oh! He also put in the curtain rod you see in this pic (wife was afraid of me drilling into our furniture)! :) read more

Michael Sooby Carpentry - Window Michael put in (to let some natural light in to bathroom) and curtain rod! - General Contractors Near Me - Austin, Texas

Great guy and reasonable rates. Will continue to use him. He installed base boards in my condo and matched existing boards perfectly

Michael is really wonderful. Helped us out on short notice, and did AMAZING work. Very thorough, and thought about the project from different points of view to work which options would be best for us. Would ABSOLUTELY recommend him to anyone looking for an actual carpenter. There are a lot of people out there now that claim to be carpenters or handymen, and they don't know jack. They're just trying to make money from the Austin "boom".... Michael really is superb. read more

Mike is a clever and friendly carpenter that can also problem-solve all sorts of odd jobs. I've used him at my home and business to build a loft, lay flooring, create a bespoke staircase, and frame and hang windows and doors. As a woman, I particularly appreciate that he listens to me and works with me, and explains things using layman's terms without talking down to me. He's flexible with scheduling and cheaper than most companies I've received quotes from. read more

I was hoping to hire Michael for a deck project. We talked a few times by phone, and met in person once. At the end of the process, I sent him an email requesting a bid and specifying what I wanted. I said he would be responsible for the labor and costs of any permits needed, and asked for proof of bonding and insurance, as well as the phone numbers for the customers of his three most recently completed projects as references. His response to my email gave me a couple of snippits of useful information (which is why I give him two stars), but he said "I have no interest in bidding the job any further... Permits, insurance, bonding, references, etc. I am not applying for a job". He was personable, seemed to know his craft, and had a good rate, so I was disappointed. Perhaps he was overwhelmed with other work to do. If you are looking to hire someone by the hour, and don't care about checking references, etc., he may be just the guy you want. For my project, however, he was a bad match. read more

Michael did an amazing job on my deck! I was a little scattered on exactly what I wanted but after he came out he gave some great ideas along the way! He was extremely clean as the project took about two weeks. He sent me pictures of what it would look like when he was finished and kept me updated on prices, etc. as we added on more to the project. I would definitely hire Mike back again for any future house project! read more

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Michael's work is quality, but the communication is lacking. He tells me after the broom closet was built (while I was at work) that he went ahead and bought "the cheaper wood". No price difference. Not sure why that was thought to be a decision he could make for our project. While the structure looks good, the texture of the wood (because of it's quality) takes away from the overall finished product. read more

It took us a few weeks to get on the same page for scheduling but once we did he came out and did a fantastic job and couldn't be happier with it. Gave several options for repair and gave a very fair estimate. Boards were replaced in a garage that actually allow the garage to work again. Would definitely recommend. read more

Michael did repair work on my deck. Did a great job and I would recommend him in the future. read more

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Michael just built us a medium size backyard deck and we couldn't be more pleased. His pricing was more than fair and the price itself was based on a fair and measurable formula as opposed to a figure from the air. He was willing to take steps that would save me money when it made sense. There was no drama or hiccups and he owned everything he needed to complete the job The work itself was spot on. I was a bit OCD about the structure underneath the deck and how solid it would be and I can say that I'm just as proud of the unseen workmanship underneath the deck ... as I am of the finished and stained project visible to the eye. His process for getting the project done (or his personal project management steps) were reasoned and had a practical flow. Also, he did not seem to bounce around between three simultaneous jobs in town, instead he was solely focused on my (our) project. He was timely and worked throughout the long hot day(s) based on logical stages of the project. He was easy to work with personally ... and a generally nice guy. He paid attention to my suggestions and my weird design input and ultimately built exactly what I wanted. I didn't know Mike beforehand and therefore didn't really have any idea how this would go. In the end, me and my wife were really happy .... and super happy that I didn't try to do the deck myself. Leave important projects to the experts. read more

I had a hard time finding someone to build an affordable, modern fireplace mantel with a floating mount. A friend recommended Michael and he made a custom, floating mantel including the mount and installation. He has great attention to detail and is very nice to work with. I'm very happy and will call him for other carpentry work I need in the future. read more

Cheap yes...but you get what you pay for. Absolutely zero professionalism. Arrogant rude not punctual moody. Stay away if you want a project done peacefully on time. read more

Michael just finished a couple of projects for me and I am thrilled with how everything has turned out! He was professional and timely when he showed up the first day to give me estimates. The projects were very "different" in nature. One was an outdoor railing surrounding my patio and the other was to increase the height of the upstairs bannister with a wooden railing, for child safety reasons. Michael not only gave me a thoughtful and detailed estimate, but also came in close to it when he finished the work. It took me a while to get on his schedule, but I am very impressed with his work overall. He put in a lot of work, took his time and the end results are really very good! He also did some additional little things around the house for free. I would highly recommend Michael as a professional, skilled and meticulous carpenter! Not to mention, he is also very reasonably priced and discounts his hourly rates quite a bit. read more

I've used Michael for handyman work at my Austin apartment. He is prompt, courteous, capable, and reasonably priced. He knows his way around IKEA furniture - how to assemble, and even reassemble, and he approaches tasks that take figuring out with a can-do, how to get it done attitude. read more

We moved into a house with a beautiful built-in bookshelf, but the space for the television was not large enough for our television. Michael removed one column and figured out a way to add in more support while still keeping the design of the bookshelf. We absolutely love it, and Michael did it all in one day. We had a miscommunication regarding whether he would be painting the bookshelf as well, but Michael reduced the price that he charged (which was already reasonable) to account for that. I was very impressed and would definitely use him again. read more

Michael just extended my deck by double its size. He did an AMAZING job, removing the old railing, steps and rotten planks and replacing them with the new treated lumber. My concern was how the new deck would tie in to the old deck, my not wanting it to look like an "add on". Michael made the transition between the old and new deck seamless. He was not only reasonable but a perfectionist with his carpentry skills. He definitely knows what he is doing and kept to the budget we discussed. Will definitely use again and highly recommend him. Great job, Michael! read more

When my pull down attic stairs broke, I thought it was going to be multiple trips to Home Depot, etc carpenters estimates etc. Michael Sooby came by, told me what I needed, I picked it up,Michael came the next day and did the job quickly and he cleaned up after he finished .His charges were reasonable . I absolutely recommend Michael and I will call on him again. read more

Michael did a great work of replacing the 4 wood posts of my deck. He is very professional and did everything perfectly. We really appreciate it. read more