From Vincent Gold.
Russell Construction
Hello homeowners!
First off I want to say that Joe Mikhaylov is a hard working man, which is an understatement. Before I get into the crux of this review I'd like to go into my timeline from start to finish with Joe. My aim is to give you a perspective on his professionalism.
We have an old home that needed serious work. The breadth of the work needed was, new flooring, complete bathroom over hauls, kitchen tiling, electrical work, base board installation, carpet installation, door and trim installation, soft demolition, sheet rocking, mudding and general debris hauling. Joe reached out to us and a few days later he was at our home giving us an estimate on all the work listed above within a week of contact.
We've had contractors come out and give bids before, but the tone is rather bleak. With Joe he came in with a combination of energetic and a determined demeanor, spotting things even we didn't notice that we're wrong with the house. One moment that comes to mind is when we spotted a piece of siding that was unhinged from the house. Joe whipped out a ladder and climbed on our roof to take a closer look. This in itself is a gesture that shows his intrigue with the profession he chose.
This in tandem with his calm demeanor and keen observations pretty much sealed the deal. My mom and I both knew he'd do the job correctly and this wasn't a rug-pull. Over the next few days we e-mailed back and forth and the entire renovation project bid came in super reasonable.
Work started promptly in February and him and his team were very dedicated to the project. I've been jacked around by plenty of contractors and handymen. Other unsavory contractors I've hired would give me excuses Can't start on time due to X problem, unable to show up a certain day due to X problem, can't perform this job because X isn't available or pinning responsibility that's included in their job title on the home owner, poising issues as if it's your problem to deal with instead of theirs.
That's not Joe. That's not his team.
Joe showed up on time, everyday and even I couldn't keep up the pace of his ardent scheduling to finish the work on my home. Even with the February snow storm of 2021 he managed to put in hours until it was unsafe to drive.
At this point I should mention that his team members Aaron and Kyle were also very genuine and easy to work/communicate with. I recall a conversation I had with Joe about how in his profession It is very difficult to find workers who put effort into their work. His staff members work just as hard as Joe. He told me about how some contracting companies literally pick people off the street to perform labor for pennies on the dollar and of course, they perform shoddy work.
That's not Joe.
During the renovation process Joe and I communicated close to daily. He was sure to ask questions first before acting. I visited the home several times during the weeks of renovation and Joe always made sure we were seeing eye to eye on the whole process.
You will notice that if you ask Joe about how he will address a certain task, he goes off in an almost meditative state where he'll take you through his thought process. He'll give you several different ways on how he'd tackle something and guaranteed one of those ideas he proposes you'll be happy with. When Joe goes into the pondering state telling you his ideas- pay attention because you will get the right option you want. He will make sure you see the project verbally in your head before he actualizes it.
Through and through up until the end of the project in mid March, Joe was very patient and communicative. We had several change orders that came up and he made those little bumps in the road very smooth, even the walls got smoothed!
If you're still searching for a contractor, I put my top dollar on Joe Mikhaylov, Aaron and Kyle- full stop. Period. In my honest opinion you're wasting your time and money on hiring any other contractors in the Portland area. The patience and work ethic that they provide is unrivaled.
