MakoExpert Ltd - Property Refurbishment Specialist

For the second time in the past 12 months, we have just used MakoExpert to coordinate and carry out a significant amount of work at our Buckinghamshire home. Our 5-bedroom detached house had been rented out for six years while we were overseas and was in need of substantial care and attention to return it to its original (new) condition. This was a large and complicated project that took place over a period of three months, with Mario leading teams of specialists to address items including interior repainting, grouting renewal, French polishing of a heavily scratched oak staircase, carpet removal and relaying, garage heating installation, garage floor painting, repainting of all window frames, renewal of all caulk linings throughout the house, overhaul of all doors and drawers to ensure proper opening and closing, deep cleaning of kitchen and utility room, testing of underfloor heating and associated IT controls, full electrical testing and repair, full heating system testing and replacement of boilers and pumps, plasterwork repair, and numerous other repairs and upgrades (e.g. window closing mechanisms, light switches, door stops, toilet flushing, window locks). The brief was essentially to make everything new again, as if the property had never been rented, and we simply couldn’t have achieved this without having someone we trust take care of everything. MakoExpert were excellent on every front. We recommend them strongly to anyone with a large or complex project.

I much appreciated the firm’s thoroughly professional approach. I was given a clear schedule of works, with costings, which was consistently adhered to. As the need for various further work became apparent, costings for those were promptly provided, and the additional work was carried out in an efficient and timely manner. All the work was done to a high standard, and I was regularly invited to inspect it. I had confidence in all the builders and decorators involved, who were consistently courteous , expert, conscientious and hard-working. The entire project was far from cheap, but executed to a high standard.

I asked them to refurbish a London flat, mostly complete redecoration. Mario and Joanna were very efficient and always got back to me quickly. Mario has good attention to detail and spotted other jobs that needed doing (all of which were then costed extras). The finished result is good. He is pleasant to deal with on site and works hard with his team to get the job done. Materials are generally not included on the quote and are bought at cost price. Leftover paint etc was offered to me to keep. The contract system included Stage payments and seemed very professional. It was pricey I think, with the disposal of rubbish being an optional costed extra (£300+VAT) when I’d expected it to be included. Mario was upfront about this from the start though. The final result is very good, so I may have paid more than I might, but a good result completed on a tight schedule was appreciated.

We needed some plastering work done on our walls. We engaged a number of vendors but Mako were the most in-depth and willing to come back to all of our follow-up questions. The quote was the priciest of all of the quote we received but we feel that we got good value for money: Mario was very responsive during the work; the job was done to a very high quality level and most importantly, they were very diligent about the post-work clean-up and waste removal.

We live overseas and needed a trustworthy and high-quality team to do a number of jobs at our five-bedroom detached home outside London, in our absence. MakoExpert took care of it all, including: repairing all window frames and doors to address weather-induced damage (including wood rot); rebuilding a first-floor balcony to give it a properly waterproof base and fit wooden decking; unblocking all guttering; identifying and replumbing an internal leak above the attached garage, with ceiling repair; advising on future interior refurbishment. This was a sizeable project that required full scaffolding front and back, and a crew of several individuals. The team was on site for two weeks. Mario kept us updated regularly with photos, videos, WhatsApp messages and calls. He was completely transparent throughout and ensured we were able to make informed decisions on issues discovered as work progressed. Joanna ran the administration, producing a clear contract, quotes and status reports to follow Mario’s on-the-ground feedback. All elements of the jobs were priced. The work was done to an excellent standard and we will have the team back next year for interior work before returning to live in the house. It’s refreshing and reassuring to find a business that delivers both technically and professionally, not least in the building trade. MakoExpert are such a business.

MakoExpert Ltd sent us a schedule of work with a starting date for scaffolding to be erected. All went exactly to plan. However, once the scaffolding was up it gave Mario a close up view of pipes without covers sticking out of the wall and some sewage pipes that were insecurely attached to the walls. Mario sent us a clear new estimate of what further work was needed. He brought in a specialised roofer who recommended how a small extension roof should be repaired, with an estimate. He also quoted for a complete refelting etc of a first floor balcony, from where water had been leaking into a pair of columns at the front door. All these new quotations were accurate and covered the amounts we were invoiced for. The work done was of the highest quality. There was minimum disruption of the household while work was in progress Mario paid us a courtesy visit every morning, reporting on ptogress.

Mario and his team did an excellent job and were so easy to work with. They were very professional and communicated well, keeping me informed about progress and timings etc. I originally contacted Mako to repair a hole in the wall and to paint a couple of rooms in my flat in preparation for sale. Mario was aware that I am looking to sell and made some excellent suggestions for additional pieces of work that would be good to complete ahead of sale (e.g. repairing the kitchen kick board, grout and silicone replacement in the bathroom, maintenance of door handles etc.). Mario was very good at explaining the options and work being undertaken at each stage. The work was performed to a really high standard, and they left the flat in a perfect condition on completion of the work (no dust, damage etc.). Joanna in the main office was also easy to deal with, and the invoicing process was really clear. Overall a fantastic job and I would definitely use Mako again.

Quoted me £6000 for laying 60m^2 of laminate flooring, that is £100 per m^2, which is almost unheard of. Different builders have quoted between £1500 and £2500 for the same job. As he was my first quote, we arranged to meet in person for a more detailed quotation on a few additional points. Initially, Mario was very friendly, but I was disappointed when he proposed just using scotia/beading around the flooring, without proposing any alternatives, for £6000 I'd at least expect him to replace the skirting. Mario also suggested that he could get a cheaper price for the flooring if I bought it through him, this is often no longer true with online wholesalers, he would know this. Having got a couple of new quotes since provisionally accepting his, I mentioned that his wasn't very competitive and that I'd be looking for closer to £1000 to £2000, he then got angry, accused me of 'wasting his time', and threatened to try to invoice me for his petrol and congestion charge. When I asked if it was because he doesn't like laying laminate flooring, or if the job was too small (I mentioned that we'd get him back to do the kitchen and bathrooms if all went well), he denied that this was the reason, and that this was just his price. It appears Mako Expert profits by charging extortionate prices to those who don't know better (as emphasised by his quote), and then doing decent but not excellent work (as emphasised by him proposing beading and not skirting replacement).

I asked Mario and his team to paint three rooms in our grade 2 listed home. When they arrived, the electricians had left the rooms in quite a bad shape and made some damage that Mario hadn't seen when he quoted for the work. We were working towards a really tight timescale, as we'd booked carpets being fitted and moving in. Despite all of that, Mario and his team were unfazed by the unexpected work, talked me through how it could be fixed and reassured me from the beginning that they could handle it and still provide great results in the timescales we'd agreed. Wow! They didn't disappoint. The team worked so hard to get everything done in time for us and the results were incredible. The finish they achieved was unbelievable, considering the state of the plasterwork and woodwork when they started. The rooms look brand-new, even though the house is hundreds of years old. We weren't living in the house, or nearby, when the work was being done. So Mario messaged me regularly and called every evening to let me know how the work was progressing. That level of communication and management was excellent and beyond what I expected. Once the work was done, Mario insisted on doing the handover in person and used a high powered LED spotlight in each room, to make sure I could see there weren't any floors. They left the house immaculate, having cleaned up after themselves and the other tradesmen and left us all the unused materials for us to reuse. I can't recommend them enough.

Mario was trustworthy and efficient. He was very professional and also kept things tidy. He did a nice job and stuck to the timelines he initially told me.