Maxsell Design Build and Maintain LLC

JOB REMAINS UNFINISHED MORE THAN 13 MONTHS LATER.  <br /> The owner disappeared after talking us into making the final payment a week before work was due to be complete.   <br /> We hired Maxsell for a complete regrading of our yard and the building of stone retaining walls, walkways, and patios.   Mike also connected us with a company to pour a new driveway. <br /> The work began as promised after a brief weather delay in April 2012.  After the initial phase of the project, there were numerous stops and starts requiring us to call persistently to find out what was happening next.   <br /> First, the positives: <br /> 1) Jose, who does the stone work, is a true artist.  His work is beautiful and meticulous.  <br /> 2) The grading of the yard and installation of drainage systems was done slowly (more than 2 months of living with mud where our yard had been) but was effective.  The grade was adjusted as needed throughout the project to ensure appropriate water flow. <br /> 3) Mike, the owner of Maxsell, maintained a pleasant demeanor throughout the project.  He came by frequently while the patio and walk were being designed, re-measuring and making adjustments without prompting when the lines didn't look quite right.  He was happy to make adjustments to the project plan as needed.  He replaced broken stones after they had been installed.   He was friendly to my children, encouraging them to play on the large dirt piles in the yard or with the Bobcat he often left in the yard overnight. <br /> 4) This was not an easy project and the hardest parts are complete, including the building of a large level area for my son's playset and a nice patio with seating walls.  We get compliments from neighbors. <br /> 5) They repaired my neighbor's worn fence at no extra cost. <br /> 6) The tree guy was EXCELLENT.   He had done his job very well and we had no damage during the derecho as a result.  (Our neighbors all lost large trees). <br /> Now, the negatives: <br /> 1)  The job is not complete after 13 months.  The timeline was delayed repeatedly throughout the project.   Neighbors were asking when it would be done.   We were discussing the replacement of the dead plants in October and November and Mike canceled on the date he was scheduled to arrive with the plants.  I received one text to call him in early December.  I called within 5 minutes and was never called back.  I reached out again in March.  Mike scheduled an appointment to come out 3 weeks ago and canceled it that day.   He has ignored our phone calls and text messages since. <br /> 2)  The sod that was installed (twice in some areas after it died the first time) remains patchy and unhealthy looking. <br /> 3)  The crew was not very good at planting.  Half of the plants they put in the ground died, in part because they asked us to buy plants for a particular date and they weren't put in the ground until more than a month later, and in part because they were planted improperly. <br /> 4)  The crew dismantled a brick patio in the course of the project.  We had agreed that we would keep the bricks.  Mike asked permission to take the bricks off our property for storage during the regrading.  They were never returned. <br /> 5)  Our fences and gates were damaged when they were removed for grading.  The crew that rebuilt the gates did a terrible job.  They look awful and don't function well. <br /> 6)  Our cherry tree was moved to the wrong location in the yard and died.  Mike promised to replace it.   The empty spot in the yard where it belongs has been growing weeds for 9 months. <br /> 7)  One of the stones on top of the retaining wall has already fallen off.   Given the failure to return our calls, the company's promise to guarantee the work for 7 years seems pretty useless. <br />

They did an amazing job!  The finished project could not have been better.  I gave them two B's because I am a little bit of a hard grader but I think this is fair.  The first B was for price.  Maxsell's prices are not overly expensive, in fact, I think I paid a fair price for the quality of work that was done but I wouldn't say they were cheap.  Also, I should mention that the original scope of work I asked for was too expensive but they were willing to work with me to come up with something that was within my budget and still met most of my needs.  The second B I gave them was for responsiveness.  This was mostly for the front end scheduling piece.  After the initial estimate, I had to call a couple of times to get on the schedule and make sure they were coming, nothing major but not worthy of an A.  Once the work started I had no problems.  The workmen and supervisors were easy to deal with responsive to my questions and did a great job! <br /> Overall, I thought Maxsell did an amazing job.  I would definitely hire them again and probably will hire them this summer.  You cannot go wrong with this company. <br />

Overall, they did a good job and did every thing well. However, they negated and defaulted on their own contract, I would have stuck with them for at least the whole season, since they are located nearby. But if they do not honor their own contract, they are unreliable. Now our front lawn has grown wild for about 3 weeks uncut. I have to find an alternative or cut it myself. <br /> Maxsell mowed my lawn as agreed on May 18 for the first timeThey mowed on May 30,2012 (2 days earlier than agreed upon). About the same time we received and signed a contract to mow once every 2 weeks. After I sent in the signed contract, I never heard or able to contact them anymore.

Something is wrong at this company and I would not use them. <br /> <br />

Maxsell began work on August 20 to excavate and install a retaining wall, patio, drainage, build a shed platform, regrade and reseed the backyard and install a privacy fence. We were told the project would take 5-10 business days. <br /> After the wall started going up we noticed that it was not the design we had selected and that they had run out of one of block sizes, yet continued to erect the wall. At this point we contacted them and they agreed to make it right. The workers did come back and move a few blocks around, but that was not acceptable as a fix to the problem. <br /> Weeks went by and we did not hear from anyone, no one came to work on it,  and none of our calls were returned. Around Sept. 24 the owner finally returned a call and told us that the wall would come down. The guys came back and took the wall down and now it has been two weeks and we have not seen or heard from anybody and our backyard is a pile of blocks and mounds of mud. <br /> We are extremely disappointed that it has been 7 weeks and nothing is near completion and that nobody has communicated with us throughout the project to discuss any of these issues.  <br />

There were communication issues in the beginning, but I think the Owner <br /> had some personal problems he was dealing with.  Once they started the <br /> job and committed to finish the job every day thereafter they did an <br /> amazing job!  They even added lights in the flower beds for free because <br /> of the communication issues at the beginning.  I got 9 quotes all from <br /> Angie's list and Maxsell was almost 20% cheaper than everyone else!  <br /> They really worked with me on the stone steps I wanted, I didn't want a <br /> drop off as I have two small children, so they literally spent 2-3 days <br /> custom cutting the stone to make it all work how I wanted.  As long as <br /> you have a firm start date and they commit to showing up every day until <br /> the job is done you will be very happy with their services, we LOVE our <br /> patio <br />

Up until contract signing this company was amazing. They sent out estimators on several different occasions when I changed the parameters of the project, they would answer calls immediately, or respond to emails promptly, but that all changed once I had signed on with them for the project. <br /> Starting the second day of the project (which was estimated at two weeks to finish) there were problems, mainly that no one showed up. Thinking that Maxsell knew what they were doing I did not inquire why they had not shown up, or communicated any reason why they were not there. The third day was the same story, no workmen showed up and I received no call/email/text about why. On the fourth morning I tried calling, emailing and texting, but got no answer until the end of the day letting me know that the mason had called in sick (no masonry work was actually performed until several weeks later). <br /> Around the fourth week I was contacted and informed that they had chosen a different product and that they were loading it on the truck at the moment, but they had never discussed using a different product, and after I looked it up I found out that the new product did not include any of the warranties that the original had. Needless to say I was upset, but with a written guarantee from the company I felt I could let this slide. <br /> Over the course of the six week project (I was told that it would be two weeks at the most) I spoke with the contractors less than a handful of times, mostly because they would not answer calls, the voice mail boxes were full and messages could not be left, and when contacting their office they would only reply through text or email. <br /> So if you can wait 4-5x the estimate they give you, and you don't mind never being able to contact them, these are the contractors for you. <br />

Working with Mike (the owner), Jose (the lead craftsman) and Angel (his skilled assistant) was an absolute pleasure.  Mike is a very knowledgeable and nice person.  He responded well to all of our questions and concerns, and educated us about the intricacies of stone work.  He made sure that we understood precisely what to expect on this project.  Jose is an exceptional artist.  He has a great eye for setting stone and for details that make a difference.  For example, he shaped the end of the walkway as it met the stoop in a way that makes it quite aesthetically pleasing.  Moreover, we had not even thought of this or asked for it.  Both Jose and Angel did exceptional work in selecting and arranging both the flagstone (pavers) and the fieldstone (which went on the risers.  The result in front and on the side is exceptional.  The side was a half moon, and Jose and Angel cut and arranged the stone perfectly.  Moreover, both of these highly skilled men were very pleasant to work with.  They always showed up promptly and cleaned up very carefully every day.  We were thoroughly impressed with their total professionalism, and would use them again in any future projects. Mike clearly takes pride in his company's work.  He stopped by to make sure that we were happy with the finished project.  Not only did we tell him that this was a very positive experience with Maxsell, but told him that we would definitely call him for any future stone work.

Based on Maxsell's good reviews on Angie'sList, we invited Maxsell to give us a bid on a backyard patio. Their initial bid was for a little more than $17K, and we selected them.  They started on the patio on July 25, 2011---in other words, ONE YEAR AGO!---and have still not finished.  The owner, Mike Dowling, never takes my calls, never returns my calls.  He occasionally responds to texts. <br /> Here are a few excerpts from his texts: <br /> Nov. 30, 2011:  Stucco sub "will start on Thursday 12-8-11 and promised to be done by Saturday 12-10-11. Then we will be there on Monday 12-12-11 to complete our part of the job.  I apologize for the delays."Jan. 6, 2012:  "I am terribly sorry for the delay.  This is getting quite ridiculous."Jan. 9, 2012:  "It will go quick now."Feb. 5, 2012:  "We are terribly sorry for the delays with this project.  This is so far from our normal practices.  It is actually very ridiculous!!  I am truly disgusted. ...  Finishing your project will be our top priority." June 2, 2012:  "I am gonna commit to a firm completion date for you today..." [ He never did, though I asked him to many times (by text, of course, since he won't answer or return my calls.)]June 27, 2012:  "[I]t should only be 2-3 days of work to complete." <br /> In addition to not completing the job, Maxsell has not repaired some damage done to our house during the construction.  A subcontractor poured the cement.  This was done poorly and, to its credit, Maxsell, made the subcontractor tear much of it out and re-pour.  But the subcontractor damaged the stucco on our house when pouring the cement.  Some steps have been taken to repair the damage (such as scraping off cement splattered on to our house), but the repairs have not been finished. <br /> Our hopes rose in April when a new "project manager" from Maxsell called us and came out to the house.  He promised to "make things right":  finish the job, fix everything, do a few extras, and not take any more of our money.  Maxsell has done a few things since then, but the project manager, like the owner, also does not answer or return calls.

I <strong>would NOT recommend</strong> or use this company unless someone responds to me in the next day or so and compensates me for a wasted day and a lot of confusion.  I contracted with this company after comparing with other companies' ratings, pricing, and capabilities.  Initially, Tom, the project manager, was responsivecame and provided an estimate on May 30.  Over the next few days, he was responsive to my email communications.  Eventually, he was harder to reach but on June 7, we eventually signed the contract, and he took my check for one-third of the total amount of the contract.  Tom mentioned that he thought my patio installation could be scheduled within just a couple of weeks and he would get back to me with a date. He mentioned he would be here on the first day the work began. <br /> By June 16, I had not heard anything from the company about an installation date and emailed Tom.  I got no response and emailed him again on June 19.  He apologetically responded on June 20 indicating that he would have an installation date by 5:00 pm that day.  I did not receive any further communication from Tom.   <br /> On or around June 22, I received a call from Steve saying that my patio would be installed on Friday, May 22.  I was bewildered because May 22 was long past as well as May 22 was not a Friday.  June 22 was a Friday, but no one appeared that day either.  On Tuesday, June 26, I called Tom and got no response, so I left a message.  I then called the company's office, got no response, and left a message.  Eventually, Steve called me back and said they were having trouble with their phones but the installation date would be July 5 and would take 2-3 days.  Steve gave me another number where I could reach him directly. <br /> So today, July 5, I was anxiously looking forward to getting started.  I sent a text message to both Tom and Steve very early this morning, and neither responded.  When I didn't hear anything by 9:00 am, I made four phone calls--first to Steve, then to Tom, then to Mike, the owner, then to the company's office.  I left voice mail messages at each call, and absolutely no one returned my call.  I then emailed Tom and still have gotten no response.  And today, I still have <strong>NO</strong> patio! <br /> I am very upset about how I have been treated by this company.  I am out of nearly $1,000 because the deposit check has been cashed.  I understand folks have been without power over the last few days, but a reputable company should have a means of keeping track of its scheduled customers and being in communicaton if they are unable to keep commitments.  I have now lost money, time, and confidence that this company can do anything.  I suppose my next step is to try to recover my money in court.  I strongly recommend the company be removed from Angie's list as it ruins the credibility of the site of recommending trustworthy and capable companies.   If I get a satisfactory response, I will repost.  Apologies just won't cut it this time.

The company is very professional and kept me in the loop throughout the process.  We had unavoidable delays due to the wet weather, but Tom let me know every step of the way.  Our small back yard turned out lovely!

They gave us an estimate on 03/22 and we agreed on 04/04.  They started work on 04/11, with the removal of the existing brick patio and the flower garden,  They poured a concrete base, bringing both these areas to the same height as the sidewalk.  They then built a dry-stack stone enclosure on the front and side of our porch, and installed the square cut flagstone cap on the entire area.  Finally, they built an area of concrete, about four inches wide, to transition from the driveway to the new flagstone area.  This was done in about four days of work, including one day when they had to build a tent-like structure over the work site to shield them from the rain,  The entire crew was courteous, neat, and professional.  We would recommend their service to anyone.

Mike, the owner, came out and provided an estimate.  After review and acceptance of the contract, Mike's crew was out the next day and completed the job in a few days.  We had a few minor issues after the job was complete and final payment made that Mike addressed immediately.  Mike and his team were great.  Based on the great job he did, I have contracted Mike to do additional work.  I would recommend Maxsell to anyone without reservation.

From the initial estimate to the final job, Maxsell was responsive, fair and did great work.  The initial walk through was helpful, as we didn't exactly know what we wanted and could afford, and we talked through some options.  The work was scheduled, and the two-person crew (both really nice and hard working guys)  came out and started by clearing out the yard (in 100 degree heat), they then took care of the garden bed and then the patio.  Very efficient.  About a week after they were done I noticed that we were having a drainage problem by the garden bed.  The same two guys came out, added some stones and drilled a few holes in the retaining wall for the garden bed.  That seems to have done the job.  Again, very efficient and responsive.  I'd use them again and recommend them. 

We had a railroad tie retaining wall to be replaced and I called 3 companies from Angie's list for estimates. I have to say any of the three would have been acceptable from their responses and professionalism when completing the estimates. While two of the companies were able to give me estimates before they left, Tom from Maxsell wanted to send me the estimate in a day or two as he wanted to double check on the costs and availability for the timbers. It was worth the wait as his estimate was about 10% less than the other two which were within a hundred dollars of each other.   <br /> <br /> Tom scheduled the work within a week and when the crew arrived they worked hard to complete the work within the 2 days we spoke of. They were respectful of the area and when they completed the work the entire area was clean from any debris and/or remnants of the work performed. Tom stopped by each day to be sure the work was completed to the quality we were looking for and be sure nothing was left open. Working with Tom was so positive and productive, we added additional work to be done in landscaping the area as well. We will continue to use Maxsell in the future for further landscaping projects.

Maxsell excels as stonework, and I would recommend them in this capacity, with the caveat below about communication.  Overall, our yard looks great and we receive weekly compliments on the way it looks from folks passing by.  <br /> <br /> Our reason for the lower rated categories is due to the overall experience we had with customer service. We had some rough patches in the communication side of things, where it took a great deal of our time to manage the project. Specifically <br /> <br /> --it took a couple times for them to get back to us with an estimate after coming to our home (they dropped the ball, I wrote a review on Angie's saying they suddenly stopped communication, then they came out again and started over). <br /> --The retaining wall was initially built in the wrong place (but fixed after I came home and saw it) <br /> --The stones to be used in the patio weren't clear to us and getting the right ones caused delays <br /> --They didn't have anyone on staff to help us choose plants and only after weeks of back and forth did the owner, Mike, bring in someone who knew plants and knocked out a plan with me in about an hour (would have been nice to do this from the start!). <br /> --The owner, Mike, ultimately had to come out to the project to be sure the beds were the sizes we had talked about (we finally just spray painted lines on the lawn), as initial stuff wasn't quite on the mark  <br /> <br /> Simple little things became big frustrations that we had to deal with (while we were at work) due to poor communication, or the crew would take guesses at what we wanted instead of just asking us and writing down our answers to reference. <br /> <br /> The work was done summer 2011 and this Spring 2012, we found that a great deal of the (pricey) perennial did not come back. Maxsell gave us a 1-year warranty on the plant materials in terms of replacements; however it took many frustrating months of us emailing and calling them to get them to ultimately show up to address the problem. Several appointments were made and then they didn't show up, making us feel frustrated and taken for granted. We did get a response after a very stern letter and a negative update to our Angie's list review. At that time, the owner said he thought the problem had been addressed, which was astonishing to us. They've now replace the dead plants and I recently received a proactive follow-up to see how the plants were doing and to ask me to update the Angie's list review. <br /> <br /> Bottom line(s): <ul> <li>-I trust Maxsell's stonework, its precision, and its quality, but I would not use them for plant work unless they've hired an expert. It's clear that they take pride in the stonework, but I don't get the same impression about plants (which is important if you're spending thousands on perennials).</li> <li>-While pleasant to work with, communication and organization is lacking, so expect that as a customer you may require more oversight than you bargained for to get things right. I think Maxsell is aware of this and hopefully will work on it.  </li> </ul>

Tom, the foreman, came out to give me an estimate which was reasonable considering the small size of the job. Once his people started the work, it was determined that more work was required then what was originally quoted. Tom contacted me and instead of charging me more, stuck to the original quote and finished the job in 2 days. His people did a great job and cleaned up after they finished.

Tom came out for an estimate,  was very friendly and informative.   Quoted one of the best prices given to us for this project,  and was able to perform in very short time.  <br /> <br /> The owner, Mike,  came out to check on the work.  4 crew members came out  and worked entire day to get it done.  There was a weather front moving in, and they worked their butt off in time to finish before heavy rain came down.  <br /> <br /> very pleased with their service and hope to do business with them in the future. 

Maxsell worked with our budget and they even helped us to decide how to fit everything in and how to plan for future expansion.  I was very impressed with Mike's ability to work with us so that we wouldn't regret any decisions we made in the long term.  We plan to have him build sitting walls and stone steps next year.  He really worked with us on every detail. <br /> <br /> A FANTASTIC EXPERIENCE!!

First, the entire experience was positive.  I started with a blank canvas and the water garden and patio with swing turned out more beautiful than I ever imagined.  The stonemasons were very professional and courteous and kept the work area immaculate throughout the entire process. While this work was performed close to nine months ago, it is because of a recent experience that I feel more compelled than ever to provide a rating.  I’m a firm believer in seeking the knowledge and lessons learned from reviews such as these on Angie’s List; however, I’m one of those folks that gets distracted and forgets to add a rating.  Last weekend I did the “spring” clean on the pond and since the pump was off for a while, it did not start up immediately and I panicked [my two koi and four goldfish have become family!].  I called Maxsell’s number and wasn’t surprised as it was Sunday that I didn’t get an answer.  I didn’t leave a message, however, within minutes Mike Dowling, the owner was calling me back!  He was at my house within 15 minutes.  Luckily, as Mike explained, the pump was simply not primed since it had been turned off for a while and all ended well.  While Mike was there, he offered to install a recently purchased UV clarifier.  Maxsell’s motto is “Friendship Through Service” and it was certainly demonstrated. 

They showed up on the scheduled date, made several professional suggestions that improved our original design, and finished on the scheduled date.

They are a great company. They were very responsive and charged me a couple months later. They were really easy going and not looking for money up front. The slab is about 4' x 4". I thought the price was very fair (it included remortaring). There was a time when they weren't answering the phones very well after there was a death within the company, but it is fine now.

They were reasonable and pretty meticulous. They were located close by to my residence. I have been pretty pleased with them so far. Their work is definitely an A.

Excellent. Mike came out and drafted several options for the walkway, we ended up changing the direction of the walkway and replaced the ugly concrete that was there with a beautiful brick and flagstone path. Also, I had been having issues with people cutting the corner and driving on the lawn-- Mike designed an island with small boulders that will discourage folks from using my lawn instead of the road! It is both effective and beautiful. In addition, for no extra fee, they did many little extras that really made the experience exceed my expectations

I found them on Angie's List. They were great. I felt that the price was a little high, but it reasonable for the work that they did. The work was wonderful. They did it quickly. Their team was friendly and polite. They even went the extra mile to put in an extra step for me.