Rainer Building And Repair

My apt looks ? in a word ? gorgeous. I hired Ken to do a gut renovation of the kitchen and a 95% gut renovation of the bathroom (kept the original tub due to building issues.) Pros: very close to budget, work finished on time, affordable Cons: Renovating a NYC coop isn't exactly fun. more

Ken from Rainer was a great to work with, and I was very pleased with the results of his labor. From my initial phone call with him, I got a good feeling. He was asking me detailed questions about the work that needed to be done, and he informed me about the paperwork that I needed to obtain from my co-op/management company. His estimate came in slightly lower then some other contractors which helped with my budget. We hired Ken to build a wall that would divide my living room space to create a bedroom for our daughter. The new wall he built looks like it was always part of my apartment. He replaced my old, ugly existing radiator cover in my daughter?s new room with a new design that looks fantastic! Ken painted our daughter?s new room as well as the new living room wall, in the colors I had chosen. He was very careful and did a nice job. I also had him installed new shower/tub doors in our bathroom. Ken was accessible throughout the process, either by email or phone, since I was at work and not on-site. I would describe Ken as professional, organized, conscientious and reliable. He finished the entire job in the amount of time he originally quoted to us, which was less than one week. Ken is a craftsman that does quality work and I would definitely use him again! Pros: professional, organized, conscientious and reliable more

Rainer painted our pre-war 3 bedroom apartment on the upper west side. His team was professional and took the time to do little finishing work that my husband and I would have never noticed, and explained everything you always wanted to know about painting but never thought to ask! Ken also helped us with color and finish selection (he's a former creative director!)?Definitely a bonus and a pleasure to work with. Pros: Professional. personable more

We had a fairly small project (new moldings, window sills, recessed lighting , some minor electrical etc.) and we met about 3 different contractors. Ken was very friendly, responsive and was a bit less expensive than the others. His work is very good, and he honestly cared about the project. He gave us some helpful advice such as a good layout for lighting, molding sizes and so on. He also did a couple extra smal projects at no charge. I was so relieved that our first contractor experience was a good one. I would highly recommend Ken! Pros: on time, on budget, friendly more

Ken is true to his word, reliable and responsive; the work is beautiful, exactly what was promised, and even better. He did spectacular bookshelves for me, within the stated contract time and within the very reasonable budget; he also painted the whole apartment. He even did a few extras, out of the goodness of his heart! Pros: reliable, responsive, beautiful work Cons: nothing really more

Ken renovated my kitchen and bathroom in slightly under a month and did wonderful work. The renovated rooms look fabulous and ken put a lot of energy in to getting them just right. Moreover, and perhaps more important, beyond just being good at the construction end of his job, Ken is great to work with b/c he is very reliable and efficient when it comes to all the other stuff involved in renovations. He's easy to get in touch with on issues that come in planning a renovation, as well as during the actual work, and he was great about supplying all the documentation needed for Board approval. His prices are reasonable and based on a good estimate of what the job will actually cost, and he will supply you with an accurate work plan and finish on schedule. What more could you ask for? So believe the reviews: he really is great contractor (and an all around nice guy as well). Pros: skilled, reliable, helpful with reno planning & board approv more

I've interview a few licensed contractors and Ken offered the best by far (2.5X less than some others I got quoted for). He is very accommodating and I am very satisfied with the work done. Pros: Price and Quality of work more

My husband and I bought our first apartment this past summer and Ken did an awesome job renovating it at a very reasonable price. And by reasonble, I mean we got 3 other quotes for the job and they were all significantly higher than Ken's. In just 12 days, Ken and his team replaced the floors, repainted the walls, replaced the baseboards, and replaced the interior doors in our 1 bedroom apartment. Everything written into our contract was 100% satisfied. In addition, Ken was also able to satisfy the strict rules set out by our coop building. This saved us from having to deal with problems that other tenants in our building had to deal with. Before starting on the job, Ken was also kind enough to impart useful (and free) knowledge about our many flooring options based on the conditions of our apartment. All in all, we had a great experience working with Ken and would not hesitate to work with him again for future projects. Pros: Price and quality of work more

While at first Ken, who owns the company came across as very together and helpful and started out doing a good job, at the end of the project when I asked him to clean up a few items and pointed out a few mistakes, he began to get very hostile and refused to complete the work. There are better painters in the city. I would not use. more

Ken is great to work with!! He followed up before and after the job to make sure I was satisfied with the overall project. Pros: Full Service Attention, Reasonable Price more

My husband and I bought a 1 BR pre-war apartment on the UWS, which needed a sunstantial face lift. I'm so glad that we found Ken. I could not be happier with Ken's work. He is detailed oriented, professional, kind, and hard-working. He and his crew went above and beyond to make sure that they smoothed out the walls, baseboards, and doors. He also spent time determining where to skim coat walls to work within our budget. I highly recommend Ken- not only was he a pleasure to work with but he exceeded our expectations. Next time we need any work done, we will definitely call Ken. Pros: quality work, dependable, and reasonably priced more

A close friend of ours used Ken to paint her two bedroom apartment and recommended that we use him to paint our apartment. We just closed on our two bedroom new construction in chelsea and we wanted to make sure that the apartment was painted to our liking before we moved in. Ken was extremely patient as he showed us all the different available colors and schemes. He was even willing to paint a simple design for our nursery Pros: Great price and selection more

I contacted Rainer to paint our one-bedroom apartment in the west village, and the process from beginning to end was WAY better than experiences we've had in the past with painting contractors. He asked alot of questions from the get-go, and explained that he wanted to give us an accurate no-nonsense assessment. I felt the value we got was great, especially since they finished before schedule, and there were no surprises. Definitely recommended. Pros: Professional attitude, communication, work. Cons: None, as long as you're ready to go?call ahead! more

I?m really happy with the job Ken did on my studio. He is extremely knowledgeable and willing to explain away. He had lots of great advice on picking baseboards, where to save money and thoughtful methods on how to renovate the type of flooring and walls, etc I had. Also, due to my difficult bathroom re-tiling and some co-op building constraints he dealt with while working, I can attest to the fact that his level of patience is high! He even came back after the job was done to look over some concerns I had so everything went smoothly. I?ve heard of horror stories with contractors, but being that I found Rainer off citysearch and it was my first and only choice, I feel like I lucked out. more

I wish I could add my positive review, but this company is obviously far too busy to handle new work or even consider it, seeing how they are unable to return phone calls or an email, even after sending a detailed list of the project, as requested. Cons: no return calls or emails more

After past experiences with contractors, I dreaded renovating my new apartment. I found Ken here on citysearch and all the reviews were on point. Ken was the first contractor I have met that held himself with a true business attitude. Not only did he give me an honest and thorough quote but he helped direct me towards the best design choices for my needs. He was also extremely patient and helpful, a rare quality in these days of service. I look forward to working with Ken for all of my future projects!!! Pros: Quality, design experience, professionalism Cons: None! more

Like most homeowners, the task of finding a reliable general contractor was daunting. I had heard horror stories about contractors who failed to finish on time or miscalculated and were over budget. My only experience with procuring a contractor had been to hire painters through Home Depot?s At-Home Services. It was not surprising that I was unable to get a decent referral when I was looking for a general contractor to renovate my apartment. By chance I came across Rainer Building, Painting, and Repair on Citysearch and was impressed by the reviews. I was still skeptical because the reviews could theoretically be phony. I took a chance, called Ken, and he was very personable and professional. I knew he was my guy after he showed up early for a scheduled appointment to look at the scope of the renovations. Ken asked questions about what I was trying to accomplish and was forthcoming with advice and did not push for improvements that weren?t necessary. He is super organized, keeps you informed on the project status, and is just a pleasure to work with. Ken finished the job early and within the estimated budget, while abiding by the building rules. I would not hesitate to call Ken in the future and I would recommend him to anyone in need of an honest, reliable contractor. Pros: Professional, personable, organized, honest, and reliable. more

Ken just completed installing a wooden deck in the backyard of our house in Brooklyn. The entire process and construction was easy. He was very thorough and helpful during our initial consultations by phone and in person. We worked out a schedule that was best for the both of us, and Ken came by and even finished the deck in less time than he had originally allotted for construction. The results were still great, too. He took into consideration minor aspects of the construction that didn't occur to us and everything looked great in the end. Best of all, ken was trustworthy. After finishing our deck we asked his opinion on another possible repair in our backyard. He said that while he would be happy to do the job, he didn't think we needed it and recommended against it. more

Ken recently installed a bamboo floor for us in the basement suite of our brownstone. The subfloor was in abysmal shape, but ken meticulously leveled it and anchored the entire floor--he went above and beyond (using nails and glue in some areas) to make sure the floor would last. I love walking on it! It feels sturdy and looks beautiful. Ken also installed baseboard to finish off the floor--his mitering on corners is tight and professional. Were very satisfied for a job well done. Pros: Detailed professional work, great communication! Cons: Book in advance-he's popular more

Ken recently completed a major renovation to my 1 bedroom apartment. He blew out walls, built new ones, demolished the old kitchen and installed a beautiful new one. It all looks amazing and he did it all on time in just under 4 weeks! It was a large project to handle in such a short time period, especially since we came upon some strange electrical issues...but he came through and even made a house call on a SUNDAY, just to make sure my new kitchen sink wasn't leaking. He made sure he understood what i needed and wanted before tackling any issues and even came up with solutions to make sure the kitchen looked its best. I would recommend him to anyone who needs work done, and especially to those who know they want work done but aren't exactly sure of how to get it done. He explains it all from beginning to end. Pros: Attentive. Finished on time. Friendly. Takes time to understand what you want. No extra surprise costs. Cons: Good craftmanship and honesty will cost you a little extra - but still reasonable. more