Get matched with top retaining wall installers in Issue, MD

"Excellent service and install all around! Vernon Jones was so responsive and professional, and they took great care navigating some challenges with a shared fence. His team was incredible! Complete dismantling of an old fence and install of a new one in one day! The product/fence is beautiful and the price much lower than area companies. Thank you, Vernon and team!"

"Green Studio Builders (and specifically its owners, Chris and Nicoleta Papadopoulos) helped me take a financially devastating

situation with my house and turn it into an opportunity to create a home that I love. A little backstory: I bought my home in Hyattsville in 2009. It was a single family detached colonial with a three-story addition on the back-side of the house.  In 2010, I was told by a county inspector that the addition was un-permitted. It wasn?t clear until 2012 just how faulty the construction of the addition was. Long story short, it became clear that the repairs needed to bring the addition up to code were going to cost 150K or more. It took me a year find a way to finance the repairs. Once I had, I hired an engineer and architect to draft rough plans to inform estimates. Enter GSBuilders.

When I met with Chris for the initial walk-through of my home, he was sympathetic, attentive, and optimistic. I felt immediately at ease and could tell that he was an expert who would take great care in fixing the mess I?d inherited. He recommended a complete demolish and rebuild, adding valuable square footage and ensuring that things would be wholly right. He was the only contractor to suggest a complete rebuild. The added value was double the added cost! When his estimate came in as one of the most competitive for a rebuild, I was delighted.

Chris and Nicoleta made their support clear from the start. Chris spent his own time cleaning up the messes in the plans drafted by the architect and engineer I'd previously hired. He and Nicoleta both helped me navigate a personal health crisis in the middle of the project, meeting me on site to provide reassurance and welcoming me to their offices regularly with advice and espresso. Nicoleta spent hours helping me coordinate finishes. She acted as my designer at no extra charge. even making trips to tile stores and walking me through other finished project sites (with owner's permission) for inspiration. Nicoleta has a generous heart, exquisite taste, and great strategies for creating beautiful spaces on a budget.

I also owe a debt of gratitude to William Reyes, the foreman assigned to my project. When Chris and Nicoleta had to tend to a family crisis of their own, William stepped in and held my hand through every step of the project through completion. Every renovation has its hiccups and I always knew I could count on William (Mr. William as I took to calling him because he always called me Miss Pamela) to come up with a great solution that would keep the project on track. In some cases the obstacles became opportunities for improvement! I couldn?t have asked for better.

I could write for pages and pages about the specific ways in which GSBuilders saved my house and my sanity. Thanks to Chris and Nicoleta, my grief over this unexpected financial blow has become delight in my beautiful home.  I am forever grateful and cannot recommend their services highly enough. I can, however, offer individuals venturing into a project with GSBuilders some advice that will make everyone?s life easier.

1. Start your project with GSBuilders from the drafting stage.

My only regret is that I didn?t find and work with GSBuilders and their engineers and architects from the start. They have a well-coordinated team and the quality of the work for the price can?t be beat. Save yourself the headaches and trust them with it ALL!

2. Know the specifics of your budget and start collecting photos of spaces and finishes you love.



Nicoleta can work magic within your preferred style and budget, especially if you have specific price points for finishes and have a clear aesthetic. And even if you don't, Nicoleta will help you figure it out. That is tremendous added value.

3. Keep the GSBuilders team on speed dial and never hesitate to call.

Chris, Nicoleta, and William all made it clear to me from the start that they were willing to help at every turn, but sometimes I didn?t reach out because I didn?t want to be a bother. MISTAKE! It became clear that transparent and regular communication made everyone?s lives easier. The team always got back to me within hours if not minutes and was happy to be in the loop. A connected team is an empowered team.

4. Stop by the office. 



The espresso is hot and strong and you may even come on a birthday and get a cupcake! In any case, you?ll get a warm welcome and all the support you need to navigate your renovation.

Thank you to the whole GSBuilders family for your love and support in this journey. I?m eternally grateful for you all!

"

"It went very well, Fernando was prompt, courteous and very professional. He constructed a low stone wall using materials previously gathered and did a wonderful job of fashioning them into an impressive and beautiful decorative wall. I intend to use him for additional work, and would gladly recommend his services to others."

"The price was great, but the workmanship was not all that good. This company seems to specialize in chimney work, and they are probably OK for that because you can't really see most chimneys up close so sloppy mortar joints aren't really visible.  Patching a large hole in existing brick is a bit of an art, though, and their mason did not really have the skills to do this properly.
The man who did the estimate was thorough and helpful, and although he was late, he called to let me know.  He promised to email me a written quote in a couple of days.  When the quote did not arrive, I tried emailing him and got no answer. After several days of this, I called the company and was told that their computer was down, but that Oscar (the owner) would come by my houses the next day and bring the written quote.
Oscar arrived as promised, and said he was able to do the work that same day, so I let him. He and one other mason completed the tasks.
He reset some loose stones in a flagstone sidewalk and filled in missing mortar. That work looked OK, though not great, as the mortar didn't really match the existing. The flagstones were irregular in shape, so the mortar joints didn't have to be perfect. I also had him brick in a hole that was left when we removed a heat/air conditioning unit that was built into the wall when a room was added onto the house.  While the color of the brick was a good match, the bricks were not laid exactly straight, and the mortar joints were not tooled to match the surrounding joints, so the patch looks sloppy. There was also a lot of excess mortar on the bricks, which left a white haze.
I complained to Oscar that I was not happy with the brick work. He agreed to come out and clean the bricks, which he did, but he would not do anything about the crooked bricks.
"

"Soon after contacting Earth Friendly Services, Calvert County Maryland, Phil Murianka contacted me, set a time to evaluate and start the requested drywall repair work.  He was professional and timely.  The work was done quickly and with high quality.  It is obvious that he can do many home repairs and improvements, and he has home improvement work experience to solve unusual problems.  I have already requested more "handyman-type" work be done at my home by Earth Friendly Services.  This company is an asset to Calvert County and the surrounding areas.
"

"I would give the subcontractor who built and completed my deck an "A". The subcontractor and his team arrived each day promptly to the job each day.  If they had any feedback, they will leave a note.  They had ensured that the installed deck had completed the county inspection.   The subcontractor who had built the small patio, I would give him a B-.  There were some quality issues.
  Now, for the Powerhouse Remodeling Company, I would give them a "C-".  They were very attentive when they were consulting about the deck.  Once the financing agreement was approved and signed, this was the last time I heard from them.  I thought I would hear from the company owner to ensure I was happy with his company.  Unfortunately, no response from this company.
"

"They were here and had removed the old shrubbery and were preparing the soil before I knew they had arrived!  The new shrubbery was planted and mulched and what was left of the old shrubbery taken away.  Excellent work done much faster than I could have done it.
"

"It went wonderfully. The workers were professional and nice. They cleaned my yard every day when they finished working. I had a crumbling retaining wall. But to get to the wall they had to take down an 100 foot vinyl fence. Besides that, my neighbors shed is 3 inches from my property line. They could not bring in any machinery. They dug everything by hand. I was amazed how well they worked together. It really was like an assembly line. They worked fast and good. It took them only 3 1/2 days to finish the project. I’m so glad I decided to use A Plus Exteriors. They get 5 stars from me."

"The process began with their designer, Jean, coming to the house and discussing what we wanted and offering some ideas.  Within days we had an estimate and design.  We revised from there and agreed to the work.  They actually were able to being early as another job had to be delayed as the people were not ready for them.  The workers were good and efficient and Colin, the owner, made certain work proceeded well and any questions we had were promptly answered.  Their workmanship is wonderful.  The stairs and decking on them are great with added touches that made them work for getting to the yard better than expected.   The pavers are beautiful and perfectly installed and the retaining wall is simply outstanding -- the have great stone workers.  All nice to work with and attentive to us and detail.
"

"We contacted Don at Home Services - VA for an estimate to put shelving in our garage, one coat closet and a small storage closet under the steps.  The storage closet also needed a light.  He responded promptly with a phone call, and was here the next day to look at the project and give us an estimate.  His estimate arrived via email within two days, and was the most reasonable of four estimates we received.  We accepted Don's estimate and scheduled the work for the following week. 

Don and a helper arrived at 9:00 AM as planned, and worked the entire day putting up the wire shelves around the entire circumference of our garage.  We had purchased the shelving ourselves; but additional was needed, and Don made the extra trip to pickup additional shelving and braces.  In addition to the garage shelving, Don installed additional wire shelving in our entry coat closet, as well as a small storage closet under the steps.  Getting the electricity to the light in the closet proved more of a challenge than originally thought, but Don handled the situation very professionally; and despite taking longer than expected, and making more holes in the wall than planned, Don completed the task perfectly.  He initally planned to complete all the work in one day, but the additional time to pickup more shelving and install the light, plus having to mud the drywall and have it dry in order to paint, made a second visit necessary.  He returned after the weekend to skim and paint the drywall to complete the project.  There was no additional charge for the extra time involved or for the trip to pickup additional items needed.  We paid for all parts purchased.

We are very happy with the results, and the large amount of additional storage we now have.  I know we will have other projects that come up, and we will definitely consider Don in the future.  We couldn't recommend him more highly.  He is definitly a wealth of information, and made several suggestions as the project progressed."