I owned my house 32 years before I had a house fire that forced us to move out, deal with the damage and rebuild significant portions of it. Over the years before the fire we had been through some remodeling as well as smaller projects on our house, family houses as well as rental properties we helped take care of. But when we had the house fire, I was unprepared for how many contractors and companies are involved in mitigating the damage, dealing with the aftermath, and then rebuilding a home and a life afterward. I was unprepared for the industry that swoops in on homeowners literally in the minutes and hours that follow the firetrucks driving away, as you’re still dealing with the smoke and water, the losses and ruined things surrounding you in a home you cannot live in for many months ahead.
I was unprepared for the extent to which my home stopped being mine, how many companies and agents would move through our spaces like this was now theirs to make a great deal of money in. And I was really unprepared for the padding of bills, the dishonesty, the carelessness with treasures that had survived the fire only to be broken or taken by the very mitigation company that my insurance company had told me to trust. At a time of great need, there seemed to be a whole industry of contractors betraying the trusts we were relying on.
After weeks of dealing with these many companies involved in the early stages following a house fire, when it came time to choose a general contractor for the rebuilding, we were weary from the lack of honesty, professionalism and competence. We researched every general contractor candidate in great detail, narrowing it down to the top three and then meeting with each of them; all three were excellent. Two came with glossy brochures and polished presentations, and then we met with Devin Nasvaderani of Marvel Homes. He was the most genuine, down to earth, knowledgeable, honest and engaging contractor I had ever met.
We had been through so much that our skepticism did not dissolve quickly, but it surely did with each passing interaction, as we witnessed a deep competence, experience, honesty and kindness we had never seen before.
In the weeks that followed, this only grew. His professionalism was not packaged, it was real, and deep. Before any contract was signed or any money received, Devin arranged meetings onsite with the subcontractors that would be required, 40 hours of detailed work he did on his dime, on trust, to prepare the tightest and most honest plan we had ever seen.
This commitment to excellence, honesty and hard work did not fade. This is Devin, this is Marvel Homes, and this is how every single aspect of that rebuilding and every project that has followed for ourselves, neighbors and family has been handled since.
I will give specific details that my help: (Please feel free to contact me about any of this.)
1). We were never in the dark about any step of the process. Devin made a detailed plan for each stage of the rebuilding, delivered on paper, as two or three week written plans as well as daily ones, so we always knew what was happening now, what would happen next, what the steps where, and what the timetable was. This helped not only our planning, but our comfort. With all the upheaval that a major job involves, this depth of honest detail offered a comfort that is hard to put into words. Progress wasn’t just before our eyes; these written and detailed plans gave the unshakeable view that this was part of a plan, executed by people who knew exactly what they were doing, and doing it well.
2). Unlike every other job we or our friends or co-workers had ever contracted before, his timetables were always spot on. Four things made this possible: experience, hard work, commitment and honesty.
3). His cost estimates were always spot on. There were no increases or “surprises” that are so common in big (or small) construction jobs. Four things made this possible: experience, hard work, commitment and honesty.
4). We saw what real professionalism looks like, even in unseen corners. The skill of each of his workers was so apparent, throughout. Even many years later, I will notice an excellence in the craftsmanship that I had not noticed before.
5). Professionalism in practice. His crew showed up on time to the minute each day. Their breaks were short, and the speed of work was consistently high, as was their planning for the next day. Clean-up was serious, and began with enough time before the end of the workday so the site was left clean, safe and protected at the end of the day, and ready for immediate work at the start of the next.
6). Devin organized and managed all subcontractors, so none of that fell to the homeowner. Not only did this make for better work and accountability, it is a great comfort to the homeowner to know there is tight oversight, without our needing to do it.
7). Until Marvel Homes, I had never noticed the extent to which I felt a need to be there with previous contractors, checking to make sure the job was being done as discussed. With Marvel Homes it always was, without my needing to be there at all. It is surprising, the extent to which this changed the whole experience, the deep awareness that it was happening exactly as hoped and planned, whether I was there or not.
8). Devin’s honesty was invaluable in obvious, but also not so obvious ways. For example, when he would make a recommendation of what might be worth an additional expense to consider – for example increasing insulation to more than it had been before the fire – because of his deep honesty, I could trust his recommendations both of what might, or might not be a good idea. I appreciated his thoughts so much, because so many of these potential projects or improvements were significantly less expensive at that stage, with the house gutted, rather than later. His suggestion increase insulation them has significantly dropped my heating and cooling costs every year since. Honesty is irreplaceable, and hard to come by.
9). “The job isn’t done until the customer is happy.” Easy to say, but here is one example of what that looks like in working with Devin. As the kitchen was finally taking shape and the appliances were going in, I got a phone call from Devin that since the refrigerator I had chosen was a few inches bigger than planned, he was concerned that the space around the island might be too tight when we were back in the house, using it “in real life.” I met him at the house, and he said if it were him, he would move the island 4 to 6 inches back to accommodate this. He was right, and I agreed, but the amazing thing is that Devin did that on his dime. I was the one who had chosen the bigger refrigerator than planned, and I offered to pay for the added work involved, but he did that on his dime. I also realize how many contractors might have just left it as it was, without saying anything at all.
10). Devin’s crew is wonderful. Not only top notch training and talent, but each of them is respectful, kind, and professional.
11). In the years since the fire I have hired Devin and Marvel Homes for several other projects at my home, family homes, and rental properties we take care of. In some cases they have come in after other companies had not done the job as planned. Every job has been done as described here – professional, honest, excellent. They are truly a joy to work with, and they get the job done quickly, and right the first time.
12). I got a letter from a neighbor who had read my recommendation for Devin and Marvel Homes and hired them for a remodeling job in her own home. She thanked me profusely for the recommendation and said her experience was exactly as I had described. I remember her sentiment that contrary to them being “too good to be true, they are too good to hire anyone else!”
13). I had heard it said that even with the best contractors, at the end of a big project, contractor and homeowner are a bit sick of each other, and ready for it to be over. With Devin and Marvel Homes, this is the opposite of how it was. Devin became one of my most trusted contacts for things that have come up over the years, for projects as well as advice. The experience of working with him changed so much more for me than my home. For the first time I saw what it was like to work with a real partner on a project, to have a real expert who is not trying to sell me anything, but to genuinely help and bring his significant knowledge, resources and experience to bear to make it happen.
The fire was a horrible experience, but it enabled us to meet and work with a contractor and company that sets the standard of what excellence, honesty, skill and commitment look like and feel like. We didn’t just wind up with a beautiful house, but a new mindset of what those we hire can offer us, and the best contractor and resource we could dream of. I recommend Devin Nasvaderani and Marvel Homes as highly as I can.
Suzzane D
