Shining Hammer Construction and Remodeling

On the recommendation of a neighbor, we hired Emil Nagy and his company Shining Hammer to completely rebuild our tiled deck and outdoor staircase. The job entailed removing wrought iron railings and complete demolition of the deck and stairs. We were more than satisfied by Emil’s reliability and his obvious competence, and the finished project looks fantastic.
We loved our old deck (which is one of two matching decks) but the rebuilt one looks even better, as all our friends say. It is definitely sturdier. Emil made subtle, but crucial adjustments, like adding extra supporting posts and ensuring that the deck surface slopes slightly so that water is directed properly. The tiles themselves are superior to the original ones, and yet they look the same. The railings were replaced on the staircase and deck perfectly, and then sanded and painted by hand.
Emil and the other workmen were on the job every day. When questions arose that needed our input (for example, the placing of decorative tiles), we were always consulted. Otherwise, they got on with the job. Clearly, they were all extremely experienced, and they worked together well.
We could not have been happier with the job and with their professionalism. It turned out that the railing needed more work, because of the hot weather we had around the time of painting, but Emil had this taken care of. We would recommend Emil and the whole Shining Hammer team to anyone.

Emil does fantastic work. He is as much an artist as craftsman. I am so happy with the results of both my floor and my shower that I make all my friends look and then look again. I highly recommend Emil. I scored when i found him on Angie’s List! Oh, and he’s a kind and gentle guy too.

Emil with Shining Hammer Construction has done two major tile projects for me, to my great satisfaction. He knows outdoor and indoor tile well, is very reliable, will finish a job, and is a pleasure to work with.
First, Emil is one of the most reliable contractors I have ever worked with. The trait that is hardest to find in a contractor is their ability to FINISH a job, and continue to show up and do quality work right up until the end. Most contractors seem to get bored and start to cut corners in the end. But Emil does have the ability to finish, and he completed high quality work both times, on schedule and on budget.
The first project he did for me was to lay over 1000sq/​ft of Saltillo tile on my outdoor back patio and my entire front porch and walkway. He knows his materials, and has a great artistic eye. He handled tricky odd sized stairs, combining Mexican tiles and Saltillo in beautifully balanced patterns. He also laid the Mexican tile for a custom outdoor BBQ countertop with a sink and backsplash, and followed my directions on the design perfectly. When part if it didn’t come out level (not due to him, but due to the framework of the cabinets) he took the time to redo his work and find a way to make it look even again, and seemed happy to do it without charging me more.
For the entire project, he was very good at asking my opinion and what I wanted. He showed up very regularly for three weeks in a row, and always did what he promised. His price for the work was excellent and fair. It was not the lowest, but much lower than the highest bidder — who actually gave me bad advice that Emil helped correct. I felt the quality of the work was well worth the cost.
So I hired him again, this time to do my custom tile work for our new high-​end kitchen remodel. This was a very delicate job, and needed an artistic eye. We had ordered custom molded tiles for some center pieces, and wanted to have the highest quality look in the end. Emil was efficient, showed up on time every time, and did a beautiful job. His price was very reasonable, and he even helped us fix some really bad work another contractor (who my general contractor had hired) had done on the floor. I actually asked my general if I could replace his guy with Emil, and was glad I did.
Obviously, my experience with Emil was very positive both times. He is a genuinely nice man, and very trustworthy. Highly recommended.