Rainer Building, Painting & Repair

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!
One great experience working with him and his crew!

Pros: reliable, responsive, beautiful work

Cons: nothing really

Posted 11/03/09

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

Cons: none

Posted 09/04/09

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

Posted 04/12/09

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

Cons: None

Posted 10/23/08

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.

Posted 10/22/08

Ken is great to work with!! He followed up before and after the job to make sure I was satisfied with the overall project.

I had many estimates from contractors, but either never heard from them afterwards or had an outrageous estimate. I found "Rainer Building, Painting & Repair" via citysearch and decided to give it a try. The entire process from my first initial phone call till the finish paint job and floor refinish took about 14 days! Ken had all the necessary paperwork in less than 24 hours (very helpful when it comes to owning a co-op). His price was also very reasonable! He makes sure he gives his full attention per project which is better because he knows exactly what you want and how you want it.

Ken gave many good pointers as this is my first apt. He advised and explained the paint finishes I needed for each part of the apt. I am exceptionally pleased with the floor refinishing! It came out exactly what I envisioned it to be.

Overall, I had a very good working experience w/ Ken and would recommend to anybody who needs to redo/ retouch their apartment.

Pros: Full Service Attention, Reasonable Price

Cons: None

Posted 10/10/08

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

Cons: none

Posted 08/19/08

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

Ken and his team did an excellent job. Ken came back and spent an extra afternoon finalizing any touch ups and in the end we were extremely pleased.

I highly recommend that you use his services. We have heard horror stories with other painters and Ken came through at a reasonable price.

Pros: Great price and selection

Posted 06/25/08

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!

Posted 05/23/08

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.

Posted 05/21/08

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.

Pros: none

Cons: no return calls or emails

Posted 05/20/08

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!

Posted 05/19/08

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.

Cons: None

Posted 11/30/07

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.

Posted 09/10/07

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

Posted 09/08/07

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.

Posted 07/20/07

I approached Ken to build a MASSIVE bookcase in my loft, and from the get-go he was superorganized and excited about the project. His carpentry is gorgeous: meticulous and thoughtful. The scale of the project was enormous (12' x 24') , but he gave me a totally reasonable quote and stuck to it, even finding ways to squeeze value out of the price in terms of upgraded materials and handfinished details. We had a hard time matching the stain on my existing bookcase, but he was so determined that he stayed 3 extra days to get as close as he could. Ken is a pleasure to work with: friendly, forthcoming and old-school is the best sense of the word. I've already recommended him to several of my friends and I'm looking forward to using him on my next apartment upgrade.

Pros: Meticulous work, super-communicative, friendly as all get-out

Cons: He's getting busier, so scheduling takes time.

Posted 03/31/07

Rainer is well-spoken, spent an inordinate amount of time with us giving advice and explaining the work (we re-modeled our kitchen and had our old damaged hardwood floors refinished), and did great work for a great price. This was my first experience with hiring a contractor, and it was an A+ positive one. Highly recommended.

Pros: LOTS of free consultation, returned my calls!

Cons: None, but Call in advance!

Posted 01/14/07

Rainer is reliable and hard-working, Ken does what he says he will. He fixed up our 1500 sq ft water-damaged apartment, including plastering and painting a 25 foot high ceiling and a large amount of annoying window frames, in a really timely manner. His team was pleasant to have around, paid attention to detail and were flexible with our needs. I would definitely use him again and highly recommend him.

Pros: Professional, Reasonable, Friendly

Posted 06/05/06

Ken was a complete joy to work with. Professional, reliable and really on top of things. His work was very neat and precise. The paint job was very exact and dealing with him was really easy. Definitely recommend!

Pros: Reliable, Professional

Posted 05/31/06

Certainly worth talking to. Ken understands how to talk to you both before, during and after a job. i got a clear understanding that he was trying to help and more willing to risk his margin to do a good job which has to be respected and commended in this city. If you find good communication important as much as good quality workmanship then Ken is worth a call.

Pros: Quality, Clear communication

Cons: Underestimated Cost

Posted 05/26/06

Ken is a real find - he works like a fiend and does absolutely top quality work and is totally reliable, always doing just what he says he will. He solved all sorts of problems (like getting a fridge to fit into an impossibly small space no-one else could manage). He painted, put together & installed kitchen cabinets, and other handyman jobs which made our kitchen a stand-out. We were thrilled with his level of expertise and would highly recommend him.

Pros: Reasonably priced, reliable, creative

Cons: none

Posted 02/02/06

Ken and the guys at Rainer are excellent professional painters. They recently finished painting and doing minor repairs on our new 3 bedroom condo on the lower east side. We were really impressed with them throughout the entire process. In the planning stage Ken answered all our questions and promptly relpied to all our phone calls and e-mails. The job was on time and on budget and considering how beautifully they cleaned up and all the personal service we got it was a great value. We are thrilled.

Pros: Professional, Reliable, Fair

Posted 11/08/05

I recommend Rainer Building, Repair and Painting very highly. The jobs they performed for me were beautifully executed on time and on budget.

Posted 08/08/05

We hired Ken to paint the entire interior of a brownstone, using various "period" paint colors in appropriate rooms. He did an outstanding job, on-time, and at a very reasonable price. He cared about the little things and even came back to "touch up" after we moved in. He also constructed a wooden fence in our backyard . . . again on time and well done. We would highly recommend Ken for almost any requirement. And, an added bonus, he's a very nice person, good to talk with and very interesting.

Pros: Professional, Reasonable Pricing, Detail Oriented

Posted 06/24/05

Ken was very knowledgeable, efficient and professional. He installed doors in my apt that I had originally tried to do by myself (oops) He took care of the problem and we plan on using him for several future projects. I've had alot of people in my apt to do work and he is above all the best I've seen and very pleasant to have around!

Posted 06/11/05

Rainer redid a deck and waterproofed a leaky roof for us in the spring of 2005. The job was done on time well. I did not get any other estimates, but the price seemed reasonable. I would recommend them highly.

Posted 06/11/05

Ken installed a wire roof railing for me. A job no other person was willing to undertake. He did it exactly the way I imagined and kept me in the loop on all options available. I plan On using him often for almost anything.

Posted 06/08/05

I needed a broken wooden sofa chair fixed and found Ken through citysearch. He was friendly, efficient and fixed the chair up perfectly. I recommend him highly!

Posted 03/29/05

Had 'Ken' come and renovate my uncle's place in Brooklyn while I was visiting from LA. He and his associate were polite, well-spoken and thorough pros. Explained in exact detail what they would do and made no guessing games of cost. ONly wish I could find guys like these where I live.

Posted 02/19/05

These guys must be throwbacks from another era because they are well-spoken, courteous, do the job on time and honest. They replaced the rotting wood on my deck and kept me informed every step of the waythere was none of the usual "contractor mystery".
Nice to know there are still small outfits like this around!

Pros: reliable, quick, know their stuff!

Posted 01/25/05

The great thing about this guy is it just feels like you're working with your buddy from college who happens to be an expert builder/designer etc. Great speedy service, thorough work, very pleased with the end results. I wouldn't hesitate to use him again in the future!

Pros: Personable, Knowledgeable, Professional

Posted 01/20/05

I just expected a wall of bookshelves, you know, one step above bricks and boards, but I got a beautiful and unbelievably sturdy set of shelves that my friends are blown away by. This carpenter is excellent! Even with pathetic plaster walls that are about to collapse, he somehow managed to anchor them securely. Also very attractive design and stain. .

Pros: Great quality, professional attitude, excellent design sens

Posted 12/18/04

Have had nothing but problems with contractors and repair people here in NY. That is, until I met Ken from Rainer. Not only was the work he did on my apartment perfect (he built a wall with french doors) but it was reasonably priced too. The icing on the cake was his reliability and his charm. Great guy. A winner all around.

Pros: reliable, excellent quality, friendly & personable

Posted 12/17/04

The carpenter was great - very friendly, efficient, and did an amazing job on the pressure wall we had built. He was very patient with my high-maintenance roommate's needs. I highly recommend his services.

Pros: Affordable, Friendly

Posted 12/17/04