what were his prices like?

Is he licensed? Damn coop rules.

Me,
I thought he was very fair in his pricing. Not the cheapest out there but it wasn't bad. If you want a more specific breakdown email me at rusty at rustyclifton dot com.

mary #2,
Yes he's licensed. I'm in a co-op as well.

Is this Ming from H&M Contractors or NYC Contractors? He and his crew gut renovated our kitchen 2 years ago. The pricing was reasonable, but the work was not. <Insert contractor horror stories here.> He reviewed our architect's detailed drawings and said it would take 2 weeks (suspicious). It turned into 12 weeks of hell and we ended up just kicking them out. Just say no to Ming, email me if you want more scoop.

Jess:
It must be a different Ming. He owns his own company called "Public Contractors, Inc." and the quality of workmanship is superb. Very detail-oriented and meticulous.

Phew. My heart skipped a beat to see "Good Contractor" anywhere near "Ming." My guy was Ming Li -- seemingly nice, but prone to lying to your face. Even his later crew (sent in to just finish off the project) apologized to me for shoddy work done by the previous crew.

I'm just curious ... how do you make sure you get what you want done and/or understand why a contractor is doing something in a particular way when "the communication isn't always superb"? It seems there are already so many opportunities for misunderstanding, even between two native speakers of English, when complicated work is being done.

Jane,
I guess the answer (and what we've done) is talk until you know they know exactly what you're saying. For the most part communication is fine but it's important to be explicit.

Ming's workers just finished installing a wood floor in my kitchen-hall and large closet. They did a superb job. The language was a problem but Ming was always available by cell phone. Not only were they meticulous, they were very generous.
They offered to install my medicine cabinet for free and gave me a ride to return the cabinet when it i did not fit.

As if that were not enough he did not even ask for payment, I had ask him. I sent him a check at the end of the job.

Go Ming.

Susan

I used Ming of 'Public Contractors' to completely gut and renovate my apartment... and he did a phenomenal job. From a new sub-floor, hardwood floor, new pipes in the bathroom, glass tiling, installing skylights, to custom creating a maple walk-in closet. Language barrier made some things tough, but he would always answer his cell and emails. If you use email it's key since he could take time to understand what you were asking and respond. The project took longer than originally planned, but that was primarly due to the late delivery of the skylights, not Ming's work.
Highly recommend.

i hired Ming of Public Contractors to do some work on an apartment on the upper east side in manhattan - custom built in closets, kitchen pantry, removal of a wall and custom sliding doors. i am extremely happy with the results! ming's workers are efficient and kept the apartment clean every day. i've worked with other contractors before and this is by far the best i've experienced. there were no communication problems, especially through email and he doesn't bother you for payments. i'll definitely hire them again for future renovations. i'd be happy to give someone more info - you can email me at peachorama at gmail.

This is (Ming), Shuming Li. It was nice that my client Rusty put my information on the Apartment therapy website. I would like to introduce myself as follows: There are 60 workers in our company. We do the high end renovation work, and our working area is in Downtown and Midtown Manhattan only. If you are interested in requiring, please email me the floor plan and your scope of work at nycsming@yahoo.com. I will reply all the email that you sent to me. Please don't call me. I am very busy. Thank you.

Ming and his crew are currently working on my apt renovation and it's been great. They show up on time every day and work throughout the day. They re-did my entire kitchen/bathroom, removed the popcorn from my ceilings, put up walls/pocket doors, and put down new flooring. I've been very happy with the results thus far and am excited to see the place when it's completed. In addition, Ming always answers his email in a timely manner.

Colton/Peach - Can you give me Ming's number, contact info?
Thanks

Sorry - just saw the contact info above.