Reference letter from client

Posted on Sunday 27 April 2008

April 25, 2008
 

My Home
353 West 48th Street
New York, NY 10036
 

Dear Mr. Metzler,
 

I am writing to express my overwhelming satisfaction with the renovation project recently completed on my apartment at 510 West 123rd Street.  I would never have imagined that any renovation project (let alone one in Manhattan) could have been completed so seamlessly, efficiently, and with such great attention to detail.  I am truly impressed and extremely grateful for the quality service and workmanship I received.  The entire process went very smoothly, from start to finish; which was a pleasant surprise especially after hearing countless horror stories from friends who have used other firms/contractors.
 

Ben Pitt, the designer, was so efficient, and was able to send me an initial proposal, detailed plans and subsequent revisions, always within 24 hours of each meeting with me.  He was also very responsive to any follow up emails and questions I sent him.
 

Tina Pashos, the project manager, was a true pleasure to deal with.  She also was incredibly responsive, accommodating, and always on top of any questions or concerns I had.  Every question I brought to her attention was resolved to my complete satisfaction within a few hours!  I was really impressed by the fact that I was always able to either reach her directly or I received a returned call within a few hours (now that is the utmost in customer service!).  She also provided me with weekly status updates, which was a great reassurance to me that the project was being monitored and tracked (which was very important to me since I was not physically living at the location while the renovations were underway).
 

And finally, Dennis, the general contractor from Perama, and his crew were fantastic.  He was able to offer creative solutions to items that could not be completed exactly to plan.  He and his crew were always very courteous, and accommodating to me whenever I visited the apartment to check on the progress.  The project was even completed ahead of schedule – unheard of!
 

I will definitely be recommending MyHome to all my friends who are in need of quality, professional and on-time renovations!  Thanks again to all!
 

Regards,
 

Kim Chadourne
 

mmetzler @ 8:47 pm
Filed under: Products
Another happy client produced by Joe Boyle

Posted on Thursday 24 April 2008

April 23, 2008

 

 

 

To Whom It May Concern:

 

I am writing to say how pleased I am with the renovation of my apartment done by MyHome USA.  Last year, I decided to renovate the bathroom in my one-bedroom, one-bath Manhattan apartment.  I contacted MyHome through their website.  I got an immediate response and set up an appointment for an evaluation. 

 

Ben Pitt, a designer for MyHome, came to my apartment, looked and listened to what we wanted to do, and made several suggestions.  After our meeting, I decided to expand the scope of my project to include refinishing the floors, putting in new baseboards for the walls, new window treatments, and repainting the throughout the apartment.  Also, my existing closets were re-imagined and expanded; a wall was moved to make my bathroom larger, and Ben designed a bookshelf/cabinet unit for what had previously been a dead space in my apartment that I didn’t know how to utilize.

 

A short time later, I met with Ben at MyHome’s Manhattan showroom to choose materials.  I felt a little lost because I had never attempted anything as large as our proposed project, but Ben was extremely helpful in matching concept, budget and materials. 

 

MyHome was prepared to start as soon as I wanted.  I had already met with Ben and our project manager, Joe Boyle.  Joe had reviewed the project and done a walkthrough with me, and began the project as soon as I was ready.

 

Just a few of the things that impressed me most about my experience with MyHome, and especially with Ben Pitt and Joe Boyle:

 

1) Ben Pitt’s design addressed my wants and needs precisely, and helped me to visualize what was going to happen in great detail, including reviewing with me every detail of the project before beginning, emailing me with drawings and plans, and always returning calls or emails about 5 seconds after I made them! 

 

2) The project manager, Joe Boyle, was enormously helpful and thorough.  Joe was on sight most days and continually helped me fine-tune the project as it was going on. He was always available when I needed him, and always addressed whatever we discussed immediately. His patience and attention to my questions and concerns were amazing.  I felt completely taken-care-of throughout the process. 

 

3) The cost of the project was what MyHome had said it would be.  During the process, I requested additions to the scope of work, and opted to pay extra for extra work and materials.  At every step, Joe and Ben advised me about additional costs for additional work and made sure I wanted, understood and agreed to every addition. 

 

4) The project was finished significantly before the projected date.  Joe and I had numerous discussions after the work was substantially complete, and made sure that everything was exactly the way I wanted it. 

 

I would recommend MyHome to anyone with a home renovation project in mind.  I want to emphasize that Ben and Joe did everything possible to make me happy.  At every stage of the process, from my inquiry via the internet, to the final walkthrough, Ben and Joe were attentive to my needs, and where there were changes I wanted to make, or tiny details that wanted fine-tuning, Joe figured out a way to meet my requests with the most efficient means possible.  I cannot imagine a better experience than I had with MyHome, Ben Pitt, Joe Boyle and the workers who carried out the project so carefully and efficiently. 

 

Thanks to all for making such a potentially stressful experience as comfortable as possible, and for doing such a great job.  I love my apartment, and for that, the credit goes to MyHome. If there is any more information I can provide, please contact me.

 

 

 

 

Stephen McLeod

45 W. 54th St., Apt. 10A

New York, NY 10019

 

(212) 582-5726 (h)

(917) 673-0309 (c)

mmetzler @ 1:35 am
Filed under: Products
I recommend Luis

Posted on Friday 18 April 2008

April 17, 2008

 

 

 

To Whom it May Concern:

 

I recommend Luis De La Cruz in the highest possible terms as a remodelling consultant and project manager. My husband and I recently worked with Luis on a remodelling project in our new apartment involving plumbing, electrical work, carpentry, and painting. We could not be happier with the final results, which we owe completely to Luis’ talent, hard work, and high standards.

 

We trusted Luis with all the necessary design decisions and are glad we did. His recommendations were all excellent. Luis is a real perfectionist, which is a great benefit for his clients. After extensive research, he managed to find beautiful new doors, hardware, and picture molding which all match our existing items almost perfectly.

 

Luis dealt with the little unavoidable setbacks with efficiency and good humor. He was extremely conscientious and dependable, always keeping appointments and making sure I was up-to-date on the progress of the work. We were in almost constant contact for several months, which was a real reassurance to me.

 

In sum, Luis was a pleasure to work with, making the stressful situation of remodelling as positive an experience as possible. My husband and I hope to work with him again in the future.

 

 

Sincerely,

Gretchen Wold

mmetzler @ 3:54 am
Filed under: Products
Another reference letter

Posted on Friday 18 April 2008

April 17, 2008

 

 

 

To Whom It May Concern:

 

MyHome Renovation, and specifically Jesse Rabinowitz, came highly recommended to me by another resident in my building at 2 Grove Street in the West Village.  From the first time that I spoke with Jesse, I was struck by his excellent communication skills and command of the subject matter.  I was also impressed by the company’s well-organized proposal and consumer-friendly Web site.  I knew right from the start that I would be in good hands.

 

Jesse and his team did a superb job throughout the project.  The quality of the work was outstanding.  The team was very careful not to harm my furniture and was very respectful of my apartment and the building.

 

From a servicing perspective, Jesse gave recommendations when I asked for them but did not try to control my decisions.  He always had my best interests in mind.  When I had concerns about my floors not looking as I had imagined they would be, he was very patient, explained the reality of the situation, and did not try to rush my decision.  At the end of the project, when I noticed a few items needed to be completed that could have been considered outside the project, he enthusiastically had the work done so ensure my satisfaction. 

 

I would highly recommend Jesse and the MyHome Renovation team and would undoubtedly hire them again.

 

Sincerely,
David Kovach

Vice President, Marketing

mmetzler @ 12:43 am
Filed under: Products
Our Hero

Posted on Thursday 10 April 2008

From: Joan Voltz [mailto:Joan.Voltz@ogilvy.com]
Sent: Wed 4/9/2008 5:21 PM
To: Adi Kraus
Cc: Terry.Voltz@saatchihealthcare.com
Subject: Our hero

Adi -

We were so thrilled last night when we got home and saw our (nearly!)
perfect kitchen.  We are just so happy with the way everything has come
together, and we couldn’t be more appreciative of the way you’ve managed
every detail and obstacle.  The result is just beautiful, and we are so
proud of this new showcase in our home!  Also, the clean-up was impeccable
and definitely exceeded our expectations.  It’s making a huge difference as
we rush to get everything in order before the debut of Baby Voltz next
week.  We’re so, so, so happy and I just wanted to let you know how
thankful we are.

Have a wonderful vacation, and we’ll talk when you get back.

Best,

Joan and Terry

Joan Voltz
Senior Partner
Account Management
Ogilvy & Mather, New York
Office: 212.237.4983
Fax: 212.237.5968

Please consider the environment before you print this email.

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For more information on WPP’s business ethical standards and corporate
responsibility policies, please refer to WPP’s website at
http://www.wpp.com/WPP/About/

mmetzler @ 4:24 am
Filed under: Products
Short and sweet

Posted on Friday 28 March 2008

From: Kauffman, Lisa
Sent: Wednesday, March 26, 2008 7:56 AM
To: Vince Wiscovitch
Subject: 750 Park Ave

To Whom It May Concern,

I was quite pleased with the renovations performed in my new apartment by My Home. All of my interactions with Vince and Chris were very professional, pleasant and thorough. The end result was a beautiful apartment that was finished in a timely manner and within budget.

Sincerely,

Lisa Kauffman

mmetzler @ 4:12 am
Filed under: Products
Email from Adi’s client

Posted on Saturday 15 March 2008

From: Johnson, Alyson [mailto:Alyson.Johnson@pfizer.com]
Sent: Thu 3/13/2008 9:19 PM
To: Adi Kraus
Cc: hjohnson@lehman.com
Subject: feedback for My Home

Adi,
Thank you again for a job well done.  Below is feedback–please pass it on to appropriate people at My Home.

This message is to provide feedback for a bathroom renovation done at 270 West End Avenue.  We were very satisfied with the work done by My Home, and in particular with our project manager Adi.  The project had several unforeseen issues and Adi handled them quickly and professionally.  The renovation took much longer than expected and we received the same level of commitment the entire time.  Adi was very responsive throughout the project and continued to check in with us when the work was complete to make sure we were fully satisfied.  It was a difficult project and we are happy with the outcome.

Thank you–we would not hesitate to recommend My Home to our friends, colleagues and neighbors.

Sincerely,

Alyson Johnson

mmetzler @ 3:21 am
Filed under: Products
Letter from Joe’s client

Posted on Tuesday 4 March 2008

From: nkasuga@aol.com [mailto:nkasuga@aol.com]
Sent: Mon 3/3/2008 8:17 PM
To: Joe Boyle
Subject: Reference

Dear Mr Mr Metzler,

I just wanted to take a few minutes to express my thanks for the
wonderful job that Ben, Joe and the others from My Home have done on my
apartment. From start to finish they have been available above and
beyond the call of  duty  ( who has ever heard of a contractor
answering e-mails at 10 o’clock at night ! ) and  have always been
extremely punctual and pleasant to deal with even when I have bothered
them with inane questions. I am not the only one to have noticed this -
the employees of the condo have all commented on how professionally the
job was been handled, with none of the usual complaints from neighbors
about noise or mess.

Needless to say the place looks fantastic, all within the budget and
time frame I was quoted - another first in my experience of New York
contractors! I would not hesitate to recommend them to any friends who
need work doing and should I do any more construction I would certainly
love to use them again.

Yours Gratefully

Nadine Kasuga

mmetzler @ 7:32 pm
Filed under: Products
Our client uploaded this video of his project to Youtube

Posted on Tuesday 5 February 2008

Click here to watch

mmetzler @ 12:29 am
Filed under: Products
Another reference letter from Jesse

Posted on Saturday 26 January 2008

KELLY PAYFER

Jesse Rabinowitz

MY HOME RENOVATION

353 West 48 Street

New York, NY 10036

29 November 2007

Dear Jesse-

I just wanted to write and thank you for all your help with my recent bathroom renovation. I’m so happy with the work, and you did an excellent job as Project Manager. It was so great to have you there to answer my questions, calm my nerves, and keep me updated on the progress of the renovation.

As you know, going into the renovation I was a bit nervous, since I live in a small apartment and this was my only bathroom. But your team did a wonderful job in minimizing the inconvenience, and I’m really impressed with the quality of their work.

I would be happy to recommend both you and My Home to anyone. Feel free to use me as a reference.

Best regards,

Kelly Payfer

mmetzler @ 11:03 pm
Filed under: Products
Email from client 12/26

Posted on Thursday 27 December 2007

Date: Wed, 26 Dec 2007 03:13:44

To:Moritz Schmidinger

 

THANK YOU! THANK YOU! THANK YOU!

 

for the outstanding work done on my kitchen and bathroom by Udi, the architect, and Louis, the subcontractor.

 

Your excellent design was executed in a timely and professional manner. Both Udi and Louis and their staffwere extremely competent and accomodating. When plan alterations needed to be decided on the job site, these changes were handled in the best possible way with a minimum of discomfort to me. The solution for additional work that I wanted done (installation of rolling drawers) was also handled by Udi in a most inventive manner.

 

Let me not forget your outstanding cleaning crew that left my home cleaner than it was when you started the project.

 

I cannot express the depth of my appreciation for all that your staff has done to make my renovation the promised good experience that it was. Based on my experience with your firm and personnel, I can honestly say that I am looking forward to our second renovation project.

 

Best regards for a happy and healthy new year.

 

Sincerely,

 

Dolores Riccuitti

 

mmetzler @ 1:43 am
Filed under: Products
Email from client 12/21/07

Posted on Saturday 22 December 2007

Mayan – 

 

I wanted to write you a quick note to highlight the great job MyHome did on our apartment renovations.  We were very fortunate to have Lasha and his crew selected for our project as they were extremely professional and courteous.  Lasha demonstrated excellent craftsmanship and attention to detail in such an extensive project (gut renovation of our entire loft), and the finished details are excellent.  He also was a great problem solver when some design issues arose (due to unforeseen plumbing within the walls), and actually improved the look of the bathroom from what we had originally expected.  I think you have a great crew on your staff and would recommend Lasha and his guys to friends & family. 

 

In addition, I think the whole process of dealing with MyHome was a smooth experience, especially after hearing so many horror stories of friends who decided to use other contractors/ or construction firms.  Whenever issues arose (mostly with materials), Ben (designer) & Udi (PM) were very quick to respond and rectify the situation, and they did it without any hesitation or resistance, and made sure that my wife and I were completely satisfied with any changes that had to be made.  Throughout the entire process, immediate access was always available from the both of them. 

 

I just wanted to pass along these quick words of praise and to say again how happy we are with the renovations your team competed for us – 

 

Brian & Michele Ilardo 

261 Broadway 

NY.NY 

mmetzler @ 3:54 am
Filed under: Products
Email from client 12/12

Posted on Thursday 13 December 2007

Tim Collins [mailto:twc0224@yahoo.com]
Sent: Wed 12/12/2007 11:06 AM
To: Chris O’connor
Cc: Ben Pitt; Tom Wolff
Subject: Letter from John Long & Showing the Apartment

Chris,
Good morning.
Yesterday, we received a very nice letter from John Long.  We’re sure you remember meeting John at the party.  He was the real estate broker for the sellers of our apartment, he has lived in the building for several decades, and he has sold quite a number of apartments over the last several years.
As you can read for yourself in the attachment, he was very impressed by the renovation we have done, and calls it “the standard” for the building.  A very nice compliment, and he is certainly in a position to make this statement as we think he has seen just about every single apartment at 150 West 55th Street.  Maybe we are patting ourselves on the back too much, but we think our project has shown others in the building how nice, sophisticated, updated, sleek, contemporary and classic an apartment in the building can look.  All it takes is good design, the right materials, the right team, time and money. 
Oh, and plenty of antacids too.  Smile.
We will reply to him and tell him that we are happy to open our apartment to others who purchase in the building.  When we are asked by our neighbors and future neighbors about MyHome, we will respond positively confirming the many things that have gone well, but we will also be truthful in raising the things that have not.  Recent delays in getting critical items completed will be one of the issues we will raise.  You know this already — but it is in our best interest and yours for us to finish out a top quality project with top quality and timely effort.
So, that being said, we look forward to coming home tonight to see the telephone working, shower shelves installed, shower light in, continued progress on our current action list, and an eventual conclusion to the renovation of our new home.
We would be happy to hear your thoughts.
Cheers,
Tim + Tom
mmetzler @ 7:48 am
Filed under: Products
Email from client 12/2

Posted on Thursday 6 December 2007

From: Denis Timm [mailto:dtimm@onlymyemail.com]
Sent: Sunday, December 02, 2007 8:29 AM
To: Moritz Schmidinger
Cc: Udi Hollander
Subject: final comments.. 

 

Moritz Schmidinger 

MYHome US 


353 West 48th St

. 

New York, NY 10036 

 

Dear Moritz: 

 

Now that the bathroom project is finished I wanted to write to say that Udi and his group did an amazing job of transforming my bathroom. I am completely, 100% satisfied. 

 

I also would like to mention that Udi was always professional and courteous (even when I was not), he always returned my phone calls, and I was lucky enough that he gave me very wise suggestions in small changes made to the original plan. 

 

I would also like to mention George (and Mike), who were both professional, very courteous, very considerate of the surroundings, and did a fantastic job. 

 

I would recommend this crew to anyone who is considering a renovation. 

 

Thank you. 

 

Sincerely, 

Denis Timm 


21 South End Ave, #240

 

New York, NY 10280 

 

 

 

mmetzler @ 4:06 am
Filed under: Products
George Carlin

Posted on Monday 19 November 2007

What a difference a sad event in someone’s life makes.  
GEORGE CARLIN (His wife recently died…)                       

  

Isn’t it amazing that George Carlin - comedian of the 70’s and 80’s - could write something so very eloquent…and so very appropriate.

     A Message by George Carlin:

The paradox of our time in history is that we have taller buildings but shorter tempers, wider Freeways, but narrower viewpoints. We spend more, but have less, we buy more, but enjoy less. We have bigger houses and smaller families, more conveniences, but less time. We have more degrees but less sense, more knowledge, but less judgment, more experts, yet more problems, more medicine, but less wellness.

We drink too much, smoke too much, spend too recklessly, laugh too little, drive too fast, get too angry, stay up too late, get up too tired, read too little, watch TV too much, and pray too seldom.

We have multiplied our possessions, but reduced our values. We talk too much, love too seldom, and hate too often.

We’ve learned how to make a living, but not a life. We’ve added years to life not life to years. We’ve been all the way to the moon and back, but have trouble crossing the street to meet a new neighbor. We conquered outer space but not inner space. We’ve done larger things, but not better things.

We’ve cleaned up the air, but polluted the soul. We’ve conquered the atom, but not our prejudice. We write more, but learn less. We plan more, but accomplish less. We’ve learned to rush, but not to wait. We build more computers to hold more information, to produce more copies than ever, but we communicate less and less.

These are the times of fast foods and slow digestion, big men and small character, steep profits and shallow relationships. These are the days of two incomes but more divorce, fancier houses, but broken homes. These are days of quick trips, disposable diapers, throwaway morality, one night stands, overweight bodies, and pills that do everything from cheer, to quiet, to kill. It is a time when there is much in the showroom window and nothing in the stockroom. A time when technology can bring this letter to you, and a time when you can choose either to share this insight, or to just hit delete…

Remember; spend some time with your loved ones, because they are not going to be around forever.

Remember, say a kind word to someone who looks up to you in awe, because that little person soon will grow up and leave your side.

Remember, to give a warm hug to the one next to you, because that is the only treasure you can give with your heart and it doesn’t cost a cent.

Remember, to say, ‘I love you’ to your partner and your loved ones, but most of all mean it. A kiss and an embrace will mend hurt when it comes from deep inside of you.

Remember to hold hands and cherish the moment for someday that person will not be there again.

Give time to love, give time to speak! And give time to share the precious thoughts in your mind.

AND ALWAYS REMEMBER:

Life is not measured by the number of breaths we take, but by the moments that take our breath away.

If you don’t send this to at least 8 people….Who cares?

                         George Carlin

mmetzler @ 4:47 pm
Filed under: Products
Client email from today 11/14/07

Posted on Thursday 15 November 2007

From: Thomas Cook [mailto:cityrain@comcast.net]Sent: Wednesday, November 14, 2007 1:28 PM

To: Steve Valerio

Subject: Cabinet glass replacement:

 

Dear Steve:

I just wanted to drop you a note of appreciation for the work MYHOME

did in replacing the glass in my kitchen cabinets, as well as those

pesky light-switches that never quite functioned properly. I thought

John Gavin did a great job in staying on this project, and I really

appreciate his work. He took a good look at the problem and

immediately sought to resolve it. He stayed in touch, which is very

important, and made the repairs were made in a timely fashion.

I also want to thank you for immediately assuring me that MYHOME

would stand behind its work. I will recommend MYHOME to anyone in

search of a classy firm to do renovations. You guys have always

been great, and I do appreciate it.

Best,

Tom Cook

529 West 42nd Street

New York, New York

mmetzler @ 4:25 am
Filed under: Products
Email from today 11/15

Posted on Thursday 15 November 2007

Please see below. A hard copy is on its way.

Thank you,

Jesse Rabinowitz
Sr. Project Manager

MyHome Renovation LLC
353 W. 48th
NY, NY 10036
From: Melissa del Casal [mailto:mdelcasal@hotmail.com]
Sent: Wed 11/14/2007 1:49 PM
To: Jesse Rabinowitz
Subject: Reference

Hi, Jesse-

Below is a little testimonial blurb I drafted up. 

Thanks again!

Melissa

—————————

November 14, 2007

As first-time renovators, we weren’t sure what to expect when we embarked on the process of remodeling our kitchen. We looked at all the options out there:  Do-it-Yourself, partial DIY, and full-service outsourcing.   After considering the complexity that goes into a complete kitchen renovation (design, materials purchasing and delivery, various skilled laborers, demolition, etc) we quickly settled on going with a full-service provider.  From there, choosing MyHome was easy.  From the outset, they showed a superior level of expertise and were realistic about what it would take to transform our kitchen into the kind of space we were envisioning.

From design to demolition to actual construction, the team from MyHome proved their professionalism.  Their availability, responsiveness and dedication to quality, kept us constantly reassured throughout the project. Our designer, Heather Schmalz, with her eye for aesthetics, guided us through a myriad of choices when it came to picking out cabinets, counter, tiles and other materials. Our project manager, Jesse Rabinowitz, vigilant in his attention to detail, laid out very practical, no-nonsense timelines, worked to keep everything on schedule and made sure we knew exactly what was happening on a weekly or even daily basis.  (This was especially important for us, because we lived in the apartment throughout the entire project.) Our installation/demolition crew did outstanding work always maintaining a high standard of quality in every aspect of the project—from the plumbing to the wiring to the tiling.  On top of that, they were always genuinely polite and pleasant. They even won over our building super who noted to us that the crew was “very nice.”

Overall, we had an excellent experience. We love our new kitchen and couldn’t be more pleased with how it looks and functions.  Thanks for a job well done!

-M. del Casal-Torras

235 W 108th

 

mmetzler @ 4:16 am
Filed under: Products
Green and Hi Tech

Posted on Wednesday 7 November 2007

Green and cutting edge technology can actually work quite well together as you’ll see when you click on the link to this video and article below:

http://potw.news.yahoo.com/s/potw/54417/the-green-dream-home

mmetzler @ 3:28 am
Filed under: Products
Going Green - An email to the MyHome Team

Posted on Monday 5 November 2007

Dear Team,

GOING GREEN

What does it mean to “Go Green”?

2 things:

  1. Everything related to energy – More efficient energy consumption, using renewable energy sources, etc… - We will talk about this topic in the near future
  2. Using green materials – See below for a list of some new green materials available to us which we should all promote and sell

Please check out the following very cool green products:

  1. www.forestaflooring.com – Green, because there’s no need to cut down trees + there’s no use of any adhesives in the manufacturing process. This is a revolutionary and very exciting product, because it’s 100% waterproof which is a perfect solution for basements, outside areas, kitchens, bathrooms, foyers and any application requiring water proof floors. As I mentioned in the subject of this email, check it out even if you don’t read the rest of this email
  2. www.richlite.com – We’re already displaying this countertop material made out of recycled paper
  3. www.kireiusa.com – Engineered panel boards made of left over from sorghum plants without using any toxic adhesives. Great look, every designer should be aware of this product and offer it to our clients
  4. www.americanclay.com – Super high end finish for walls (Like a Venetian plaster or faux finish) using natural clay and recycled material. This also contributes to avoiding static electricity and sound proofing
  5. www.plyboo.com – You can use bamboo and coconut to make anything you would make out of wood. A great variety of colors and textures will allow your client to find the look they prefer while helping us preserve the environment
  6. www.yolocolorhouse.com – 100% environmental friendly paints that look better than any other paint color. We should try to us only Yolo paints on our projects.

Hope you will each take the time to visit these web sites and start using these products

Thanks,

Mayan

mmetzler @ 12:03 am
Filed under: Products
Email from client 11/1/07

Posted on Friday 2 November 2007

From: Cindi Henderson [mailto:cjhenderson@triad.rr.com]
Sent: Thursday, November 01, 2007 9:21 AM
To: Ben Pitt
Subject: Your work 

 

Dear Ben, 
  

Thank you so much for your efficiency, your quick responses, and your design advice. I never thought I would find anyone with your attention to detail, and I am thrilled  we selected you! 
  

I will look for a marble or slate top for the bar counter and that is the only decision left to make.  
  

Keep hounding Carolyn Cortien at our management company and I will do the same.  
  

Have a beautiful day. You are so good at what you do! 
  

Cindi Henderson   
mmetzler @ 4:21 pm
Filed under: Products
Hiring a contractor is very risky

Posted on Wednesday 24 October 2007

Hiring a contractor is always a risk, because you can never know what will happen with a human being before, during and after your project. I write about this topic quite a bit in my blog and clearly MyHome is the only way to truly eliminate that risk, because MyHome is the only remodeling contractor with a real corporate infrastructure. Since we enjoy the luxury of having to rely on the profit from your project in order to pay our bills, we can always afford to do whatever it takes to do the right thing in order to provide top quality service to our clients. According to this article published on the National Association of Home Builders web site, you can see that many contractors go out of business:

Click this link to read the entire article http://www.nbnnews.com/NBN/issues/2007-10-22/Front+Page/index.html

or read the following, which I copy and pasted from the article:

Contractors Most Vulnerable

Smaller remodeling contractors are most vulnerable to the fluctuations now being felt in the marketplace, Baker noted, and “we expect a growing list of business failures as we move through this transition.”

The 200,000 remodeling firms with payrolls in 2002 were dominated by smaller businesses, he said, with 48,800 general and special trade remodelers reporting annual receipts of less than $100,000 and 67,700 with receipts of $100,000 to $249,000. There were only 1,700 with receipts of $5 million or more.

According to Case Design/Remodeling, remodeling businesses should be ideally in the $750,000 to $2.5 million range for specialties in kitchens, baths, basements and decks; small and handyman jobs and large and design/build projects; and restorations.

Baker cited Census figures showing that 12.9% of the remodeling contractors who were in business in 2003 went out of business in 2004, and the smaller the payroll, the more likely they were to cease operations. Of those with payrolls under $30,000 in 2003, 22.1% went out of business in 2004. The business failure rate was 7.8% for those with payrolls of $30,000 to $69,000; 5.3% for $70,000 to $129,000; 3.8% for $130,000 to $349,000; 2.4% for $350,000 to $1.49 million; and 2.4% for $1.5 million or more.

Failure rates are also significantly higher for new remodelers and those with declining payrolls, Baker said:

  • Twenty percent of the establishments started in 2003 went out of business the following year — including 24% of those with payrolls of less than $30,000 and 7% with payrolls of $1.5 million or more.
  • Of firms experiencing a decrease in payroll in 2002-2003, 18% went out of business — including 31% with payrolls of less than $30,000 and 3% with payrolls of $1.5 million or more.
  • There was almost no difference in the failure rate of companies with stable (0% to 4.9%) and with increased (5% or more) payrolls for the 2002-2003 period, Baker said, showing that there is no advantage to rapid payroll growth.

Failure rates also depend on how long the firm has been in business and the kind of remodeling it does, he said.

mmetzler @ 2:20 am
Filed under: Products
Don’t clean your gutters yourself, it’s dangerous!!!

Posted on Sunday 21 October 2007

When I heard that 6,500 people die in the United States every year while cleaning their gutters, I didn’t believe it at first, but it’s true.

Max McGee, the free-spirited Green Bay Packers receiver who became part of Super Bowl lore, just died cleaning his gutters.

This article was published today. Click the following link to go to the article.

http://sports.yahoo.com/nfl/news?slug=ap-obit-mcgee&prov=ap&type=lgns

Installing a MyHome Gutter Guard System, will prevent you from having to perform the dangerous job of cleaning your gutters. Click below to find out more.

http://www.myhomeus.com/gutter-guard/gutter-guard.php

 

mmetzler @ 11:20 pm
Filed under: Products
Recent email from client

Posted on Sunday 21 October 2007

From: erica940@aol.com [mailto:erica940@aol.com]
Sent: Thursday, October 18, 2007 6:32 PM
To: ebloom@procongroupllc.com
Cc: Jesse Rabinowitz; Karolina Hrabczak; ryanpapir@yahoo.com
Subject: Update 

Ethan,Since we haven’t touched base in a while I thought I would fill you in.Jesse and Dan have been really excellent.  Jesse is great about staying on top of everything.  He always gets right back to me with answers to my many questions and has been very attentive to every detail.   Also, Karolina continues to provide great support and guidance.  (She recently met me at the apartment to help me select paint colors.)As far as I can tell, the project is going really well so far.  I bet people typically contact you with complaints, so I thought I’d send good news your way!Erica  There was as comment in regards to this post from an unhappy client. Since I’m managing the blog, I can choose to delete it, but rather than do that, I figured that this would be an opportunity to share with everyone what happens at MyHome when we hear of a complaint:

 Hi, I am very sorry to hear of your inconvenience and bad experience. You’re right, things happen, but not returning calls and not following the contract is wrong and is considered crossing red lines. Do you mind telling you who is the pm and who did not return your calls and did not follow the contract? I’d like to personally investigate this matter. Thanks, Mayan   

 

From: Salon X [mailto:salonx@mail.com]
Sent: Monday, October 29, 2007 12:58 PM
To: Mayan Metzler
Subject: RE: [The MyHome Blog] Comment: “Recent email from client” 

Hi,  Thanks for getting back to me. As I stated, my project is not finished yet and they do have keys to my home…For now, I am going to give my pm another chance to redeem himself. I really think this shoulc be addressed so I will send you a detailed email once it has been completed. Again,  thank you very much for taking the time to get back to me. Arlene 

 Dear Arlene,  Please keep me updated since I really want you to be 100% satisfied. Thanks, Mayan 

I haven’t heard back since this email so today I proactively followed up with the email below -

I will continue to post everything openly since I am proud of how we handle complaints. Like I said several times on my blog, things always happen, but the difference between us and the every else is that we care more and respond better.

Hi,

 

You posted a negative comment on my blog 6 weeks ago. Have things improved since?
 

Thanks,
Mayan
 


Mayan Metzler
President

353 West 48 Street
3rd Floor
New York, NY 10036

P: 212.586.8155 X-317
P: 212.666.2888
F: 212.665.0146
C: 347.992.0410

mmetzler@myhomeus.com
www.myhomeus.com

 

 

  

 
mmetzler @ 11:07 pm
Filed under: Products
Gutter Protection Options

Posted on Sunday 14 October 2007

The pros and cons of gutter protection systems

The leaves, twigs, spinners, pine needles, and other small debris are a homeowner’s gutter-nightmare. One way to deal with the problem is to clean the gutters a few times a year. Those who are too busy or unable to conduct a regular cleaning ritual can opt to gutter protection.

There are four popular choices for gutter protection:

Gutter Sieves: Foam or other porous materials that fit into the gutter and stop the leaves falling on top from getting into the gutters. This is the least expensive option and are very easy to install, but you still have to clean the gutters regularly.

Gutter Screens: Gutter screens are simple metal screen coverings which lay on top of your existing gutters. They are a simple and inexpensive option, but they still allow debris to get into the gutters. The result can be that debris collects on top and creates water clogs. Spinners tend to get caught in the sieve. So cleaning them has to be done regularly.

All-In-One Gutter Protection Systems: A gutter system complete with covering. Small leaves and debris wash off the cover while the water adheres to it and washes in. These systems allow much less debris into the system. The down side is that you would have to dispose of your old gutter, even if it is in perfect condition. Also, they come in large 50-foot sections. If a branch falls on one part of the gutter the whole 50-foot gutter needs to be replaced.

Clip-On Gutter Protectors: These covers clip onto your old gutters so they don’t need to be replaced. They offer great protection and they usually come in smaller sections which can be replaced individually if necessary. This also makes it easier to clean when the need arises.

liran @ 4:58 pm
Filed under: Products
A Typical Work Day…

Posted on Thursday 26 July 2007

Download link

Administrator @ 5:47 am
Filed under: Products
Sharing some emails

Posted on Thursday 28 June 2007

I thought it might be nice to share some interesting emails with you. This is one that was forwarded to me today:

Subject: Home Renovations

 

Hi Anthony (Udi and Moritz)!  Here is the contact information for Udi Hollander who was the architect presiding over my apartment renovations.  You may tell your client, with emphasis, that I was very pleased with the entire aspect of my renovations (even though I was nervous about undertaking such a project)  I found MyHome on the web and made an inquiry; they immediately contacted me and assigned a designer to me and my project who came over to look at the space.  I told her what I wanted to do; MyHome quickly gave me price estimates (which they adhered to throughout the project) and we made a contract with a schedule of payments; the workers came to my apartment on the appointed day and ripped out all of my flooring and installed gorgeous new flooring (I was in the Bahamas when they began the project, and I called my super to aks if everything was ok; he told me the workers were not there which annoyed me until I found out that they actually were there, they were just so quiet that no one was disturbed).  My walls are absolutely magnificent; the clean up was excellent and they were out in less than 3 weeks, which was as we had planned.   Udi was always available to address whatever concerns I had, there was no damage outside of my apartment, nor were there any complaints lodged by my neighbors and, in fact, my apartment has become sort of a show place in that many of my neighbors wanted to see what I had done and were all impressed by the finished product.  Best of luck to your client.  I hope he considers MyHome.  Cec 

mmetzler @ 3:55 am
Filed under: Products
People who don’t use us

Posted on Sunday 10 June 2007

sometimes people choose not to use MyHome due to various reasons. When this happens I always feel like we did something wrong. Quite often I get some funny email describing bad experiences of such clients. I always wish I can post these letters on our web site, but off course that would be wrong, because it’s not very nice to describe other people’s bad experience. However, I think it would be ok to do it on the blog as long as I’ll keep the names of the clients anonymous. Here’s the first one, which I just received tonight (That’s what made me think of posting it). Below is an email I received from Beth, senior remodeling consultant forwarding her client’s email to her.

Hi Mayan,I thought you might be interested in this. This is a very satisfied former client of mine. We did some beautiful custom interior doors for her. I was RC and PM. A few weeks ago she called me that she was having some problems with the tile in her walk-in showers (she lives in a new building and these are only a few years old. We did not have anything to do with them) Her super had given her a price to fix the showers but she asked me to come over and take a look. I went with Eduart, and excellent tiler, and told her the work was more involved than the super led her to believe and gave her a (more expensive) price. She decided to save some money and went with her super’s guy and now she is regretting it. Read on:

—–Original Message—–

From: anonymousSent: Tue 6/26/2007 4:07 PMTo: Beth Gilbert

Subject: Hi

 

Hi Beth!

I hope that all is well with you! Things here are not so great. I just wanted to write you a note to let you know that ultimately we should have chosen you for the repairs in the bathrooms! I won’t bore you w/all of the details, but I did want to share this with you because it makes me think even more highly of you and your team now. And I really liked you guys alot to begin.

All the best,

anonymous

PS - If you somehow know of a way to make marble tiles look lighter in color, pls do let me know. Let’s just say, the “matching” tiles the contractor supposedly had are not so matching.

 

 

mmetzler @ 12:09 am
Filed under: Products
The Remodeling Process – Why MyHome?

Posted on Monday 7 May 2007

Remodeling is a very difficult experience. Even if everything goes smoothly it’s still quite a serious project to be dealing with. Usually the process is several months long and sometimes years. In many cases during the production phase your everyday life will be disrupted. Often there are changes and unexpected issues requiring your decision making and ability to suddenly adapt to changes. In any case you should assume that going through a remodeling project from start to finish will be an emotionally draining experience.

Yes we try to make it more pleasant. For sure the beginning during the design and specification phase is usually quite fun. The end is always fun. It is the middle that is more challenging. Off course we have a wonderful system and we will do everything in our power to minimize the inconvenience, but unfortunately there’s no magic. We still need to go through the production phase (construction), there’s still dust, tools, materials being delivered, etc…

I’m sorry to disappoint you, but as much as we all wish we did have some kind of a magic system that can avoid the unexpected problems that usually happen during every remodeling project, we don’t!!! Yes there will probably be less of them using the superior system that we do have, because we plan better, check more, train more, improve our systems more, think more, do more, care more, and to some it up we’re a real American corporation. Yes we are superior, but unfortunately there are still unexpected problems. Why? It’s because that’s what renovation is all about.

Remember Murphy from Murphy’s law? He lives in renovation. It’s so complex, because so many things must be coordinated, it’s never perfect and especially when renovating existing structures, one can never know what may come up. The good news is that we are constantly working on improving our systems. Whenever a problem occurs we track it and store it in a special database. Then we adjust our system and process so that more of these problems will not occur. So yes we do have a superior system, but we still should always assume that unexpected problems/ issues/ delays will occur.

So if we’re assuming that things will happen let’s not try to find a way to avoid them. What we should focus on when approaching a remodeling project is putting together the best team of people that will be around when and if anything should happen. You want your team to think and react exactly the way you would expect from your best friends. You want to positively, professionally and promptly address any issue, solve it and move on.

You may assume that there may be some good groups out there. There are some wonderful individuals and wonderful firms out there, but there is never a 100% risk free guarantee that you are choosing the best team that will respond the way you expect at all times. Some may respond properly most of the time, but not all the time. However there is only one company that is that risk free guarantee and warranty that you are choosing the best team, which will always react and behave the way you expect. And that off course is MyHome. Why?

That’s because of our long term goal. We are the only company in the United States with such a long term goal. Our goal is to become the first ever remodeling brand name. Just like Sony televisions and McDonalds hamburgers, MyHome’s goal is to become the first ever remodeling brand name. Because of that, we grew so fast and in 7 years have already turned into a brand name in the Tri State area. We are the only remodeling company that thinks and acts like a very large corporation. Because of our long term goal we are always committed to thinking long term. This means that we must satisfy every client.

Thinking long term means always doing what’s right for our clients. Some other companies may want to satisfy their clients and are aware of how important reputation is, but none are larger corporations with very ambitious long term goals. That’s why you can’t guarantee that they will think and behave long term at all times. This means that when problems come up, because we should just assume that they will (see paragraph 5), there is a risk that some may think and behave short term. And short term means not necessarily doing what’s right for the client, but doing what’s right for you. Usually it involves time and/ or money that doing what’s right may cost. The last thing you need during a renovation is that the team you’re working with must spend time or money in order to solve a problem and they’re approaching it with a short term mentality.

Since MyHome is already a well known brand name in the Tri State area we are committed to our clients long term. We realize that the only way to remain the only brand name people know and trust we is to continue improving our system and process. We realize that completing every project successfully and satisfying every client is the only way to do that.

Personally I feel that anyone who understands what the process is about and understands what MyHome is, there is no reason in the world not use MyHome for their project. Some may argue that budget is the only reason, but personally I don’t believe that even budget should be a reason.

Recently we were lucky enough to make an innovative move towards improving our communication with our clients. During the last three and a half years I spent all of my time developing the company. I very rarely met with new clients. However, since the company is currently supported by the best executive team in the business and all of our departments are superbly functioning, I am now able to devote 80% of my time to meeting with new clients. We currently meet between 200 to 300 new clients per month and my plan is to meet every new client at least for the next few months. In a few months, my help with development may be needed again. It may be a tough goal to achieve, but I do believe that it is possible. I’d like every client to meet me and I’d like the opportunity to personally present to you what I wrote above in regards to the process and MyHome. I’d like each and everyone of you to know me personally and know that when you’re doing business with MyHome you’re doing business with me. Actually that sounds like I’ve just contradicted everything I just said about MyHome being a big corporation with a very ambitious long term goal, because I just said like the smallest contractor, “You’re doing business with me”.

That’s exactly the point of why this new move is so exciting. You’ll be dealing with the only company that is a large corporation and a known brand. Normally in such cases you wouldn’t have a personal relationship with the president and owner of the company, but now at least for the next few months (And hopefully longer if I’ll be able to keep it up) you will get to enjoy both worlds. This is taking personal service on the one hand and the advantages of dealing with a larger establishment to the max.

The plan is for me to join remodeling consultants as they’re meeting with you at your home or in one of our three design centers. Some of you will meet me as I show up. In some cases I may be joining a meeting in the middle or leaving early and I apologize about that, but please keep in mind that it’s because I’m trying to meet all 200 to 300 new clients per month. Those of you that have recently met with remodeling consultants, but haven’t met me will be contacted by us to set up a time to either meet in person or speak over the phone (Whatever you prefer, personally I prefer to meet you face to face in order to get to know you, but phone is fine too). If you haven’t been contacted yet and would like to set it up please call 212 6662888 and ask Debbie to set it up or email me at mmetzler@myhomeus.com

Looking forward to meeting you,

Mayan

mmetzler @ 3:47 am
Filed under: Products
MyHome Cabinetry & MyHome Furniture

Posted on Saturday 10 March 2007

I posted this about 5 weeks ago and reposting it, because we are just now displaying at 2 booths in the Architectural Digest Home Show at Pier 94 in Manhattan. At one booth we had a MyHome Cabinetry kitchen and at the second, MyHome Furniture. Video coming soon. For now I can show you what one of our factories looks like.This is a very special announcement to all home owners, interior designers, architects and everyone else in the home improvement and building industry.

Click here to watch the video

MyHome has just launched 2 lines, which are the biggest and most exciting events of our industry. The reason it’s so exciting is because with these two new lines we will be able to completely revolutionize the New York market. To make a long story short, let’s get right to the point and show our advantages over the competition in regards to these lines:

Starting with Furniture:

1. Custom - This is the only line that you can easily customize without being charge a fortune. Our exotic wood collection and various finishes will be offered, including the option to order custom sizes. Our customization option is unlimited so for some special customizations we will charge, but in most cases the costs if any will be minimal!!!

2. Lead times - Currently similar style furniture is only available in European stores who import from Europe. The few local manufacturers are so busy and since the market standard has turned into 16 to 20 weeks they choose to follow the Europeans and not make any special attempts to reduce lead times. Our lead time will be 4 to 6 weeks!!!

3. Quality - The most amazing thing about it all is the fact that the quality material, craftsmanship, engineering, assembly, finishing and service will be top class. We don’t want to expand on how it would compare with our competition since we don’t mean disrespect to any of the other most reputable furniture companies in the market. However, with all due respect our quality will be completely superior to everything else in this price range

4. Price - Actually with all of our advantages we don’t even need to be less expensive, but initially we will be 10% to 15% less expensive than comparable looking products and there’s a reason why I say looking, because there’s no chance the quality is even close to what MyHome Furniture is about. We don’t know how long we’ll be able to maintain the reduced price since our forecasts are that there will be a very high demand within a very short time period. Our manufacturing facility is equipped to handle very serious volume, but we are already discussing several large orders and that’s before any supporting documentation (photos, catalogs, etc…) have been published. That’s why this is a rare and special announcement since through the power of blogging I am able to release such an announcement to the general public and especially to the trade (Interior designers and architects) and announce a special trade discount of 15% for anyone who will open an account before the end of February. This special one time only promotion will be available only until February 28th for home owners as well as trade professionals.

5. Last, but not least the real revolution is that MyHome Furniture will be designed, sold, supplied, installed and serviced by MyHome. This is the natural ultimate extension of MyHome’s full service concept. Isn’t it easier and probably more enjoyable to have the same team of people who you already know and trust and who will design and renovate your entire space to help you fit the right furniture to your taste and budget and then manufacture it for you right here in New Jersey and finally deliver and install it? Not only that the same people who are providing the 5 year warranty for all the labor on your project will warranty and service the furniture.

6. Perfect style!! Our designer was one of the founders and designers of one of the most well known furniture brands in the industry. This means that our furniture designs and his ability to work with you to develop your own design is second to none in the furniture industry. Below are some links to manufacturers who are making some styles which we can custom make:

www.delaespada.com
www.ligneroset.com
www.troysoho.com
www.danieldonnelly.com
www.cliffyoung.com
www.dennismiller.com

7. How about some patriotism? Yes patriotism. I’m not trying to be political about anything, but why should we spend our hard earned American dollars and invest them in European companies overseas who are not really helping our economy in any way while American manufacturers are suffering, many plants are closing down and the craziest thing about it all is that we can manufacture stuff in the US!!! I know it sounds crazy and it’s popular to think that everything is going to China and manufacturing in the US is way too expensive, but I’ll tell you one thing for sure in the furniture and cabinety industry - European furniture is easier to make than American furniture!!! Fact!!! What this means is that the American manufacturers are actually pretty good, because producing one of those super traditional old American kitchens is much tougher and requires more precise craftsmanship than a modern frameless European kitchen. Yes we’re jumping to kitchens, but it’s exactly the same with furniture. Since we’re already moving on to cabinetry, let’s about MyHome Cabinets and what they’re all about -

Cabinetry:

1.High end traditional American - The same manufacturer making the MyHome Furniture will create furniture finish cabinetry!! The quality of the finish, wood, attention to detail, cratsmanship, engineering, stability, hardware quality, and any other high end innovative feature will all come together to create the perfect super high end custom line. The quality of MyHome cabinets will be as good or better than other high end manufacturers such as Neff Kitchens. Please click below for Neff web site:

www.neffkitchens.com