Menard Systems

Mark Menard was hired for our fairly complex 1000 sq ft 3 level redwood deck w/ iron railing rebuild. The project was started approaching the rainy season because the first contractor we hired bombed on us at the last minute after 6 weeks of communications. We hired Mark thru Porch.com with hopes to get the deck completed hopefully before the rains hit to hard so we could get the redwood stained, which we did. Mark was easy to work with, and has just enough of a perfectionist streak to insure the work was done to a high level of quality. He did the entire tear-out with a small crew, obtained the necessary permitting from the Town of Paradise, installed a very strong substructure including new concrete piers much stronger than the ones in the original deck we were replacing. All cut ends of pressure-treated substructure were appropriately saturated w/ wood preservative. We opted to stain the deck ourselves, and as a side point we obtained redwood from Berco Redwood Co in Sacramento--they supplied excellent redwood at a better price than local resources, on time w/ minimal delivery charge and I would use them again. Upon final inspection & clean up the town inspector was clearly impressed.

Mark is skilled in multiple disciplines, electrical and plumbing. He had ready access to adequate support helpers, both semi-skilled and skilled, and utilized them to keep the project moving as fast as possible. The bid price was fair, and in fact we felt so happy with the outcome we felt compelled to give Mark a sizable tip for his excellent work ethic and workmanship.

I hired Mark to handle all of the plumbing on a high-end bathroom remodel. This was a challenging project for several reasons: The client has an acute attention to detail, and is selective about whom she'll allow in her house. The fixtures were all to be moved to new locations, and replaced with all very expensive (and often complicated) Kohler parts. The city building department is notoriously picky and difficult to please. The time line required major flexibility, and the budget was tight.
Mark came to look at the job, and promptly submitted a very reasonable proposal. I was impressed with how personable he is, and I got the feeling that he'd do excellent work. I decided to hire him, and gave him an approximate start date.
Murphy's Law struck several times as the demolition was underway, and I had to move the start date back more than once. Mark was more than accommodating.
When the space was ready, Mark came to the job site, fully prepared with all the right tools and materials, and worked long days to help us get back on schedule. When a question was raised about building codes, Mark would do whatever research was necessary to make sure everything was in compliance. During the course of the rough-in, Mark found a couple of existing leaks in ABS drain/waste/vent pipes, and fixed them at no additional charge. One vent pipe ended up being in the way of a recessed lighting can I needed to install. I had failed to inform Mark about its location, so it was entirely my fault, but he moved it for me without complaining or even charging me for the extra time.
When it came time for the trim and fixture installation, Mark followed very complex and confusing instructions on the Kohler products. More than once, he called customer service for clarification, or to point out mistakes in their own product literature! I was amazed at his level of attention and patience. On this job, anything out of place could have been disastrous. A mistake could have required tiles to be broken out, or worse. Mark made sure everything was right. He had to make an extra trip out to install some faucets, because another subcontractor screwed up a vanity top installation. Mark took it all in stride.
Another benefit to having Mark on the job site, is that he is so knowledgeable about other trades. For example, he had insight into a problem I was having with routing a furnace B vent. He also has experience with energy efficiency, home performance, insulation retrofits, and I get the impression that he considers "the big picture" whenever he's working on a house-- how all the different systems are interrelated. Someone with that level of awareness is such an asset on a construction site.
I would not hesitate to hire him again. In fact, he'll be the first person I call whenever I need a plumber.