Jim Riley
Steve came highly recommended to us, and we must tell you that he and his team of professionals are second to none! We could have not been more pleased with the outcome.
Our project was a complete bathroom renovation. From the outset, Steve and team treated us with the utmost respect and courtesy. Reviewing our ideas and plans and providing thoughtful input based on his years of experience. He works with you every step of the way. You will find him to be a great communicator who is sensitive to your needs, your budget, and your schedule.
Demolition is a dirty business, but Steve’s Team treated our home as if it was their own. Cleaning up every step of the way. Keeping the work areas sealed up, and the dust and dirt away from the rest of the house. During the construction phase every craftsman that came through our door was courteous, efficient, and performed outstanding professional work. The gentlemen that performed the tile installation are true artisans who did an amazing job. They are “old school” and very proud of their work and their craft. It shows!!
There are many contractors in our area. But none…. and we mean none… come close to Mantis Construction. Steve made our vision a reality. We have several other projects on the books that Steve is already helping us with. He will be our contractor for many years to come!
Steve and Team…thanks so much for everything!
Christine Boselli
Stephen has been great to work with through the years.
We have done three projects with him, one a sizable addition.
He has always taken the time to do whatever he could to make our projects a good experience and to give us just what we want. He is agile at guiding us to alternatives or ideas. We trust him and his crew to do a fantastic job.
Adam & Miriam Buchanan
Mantis Construction Company was highly recommended by a co-worker. We were very pleased with the work performed and it was a pleasure to work with Stephen Mantakounis and his team. They gutted a master bathroom, replaced plumbing & flooring, and broke down one wall to expand bathroom into adjacent bedroom. Also installed new tiled stall shower. Stephen was engaged in the design process from day 1 and provided regular oversight and guidance on the job. Stephen’s team was kind, professional and neat. We would not hesitate to hire Mantis Construction again, or to recommend them.
Jung Lee
Steve Mantkounis and his Mantis Construction team were a real pleasure to work with during our basement and master bedroom renovations last year. Steve took a thoughtful and detail-oriented approach to everything he planned and executed for us. He made sure we had full input and advised us on the pros and cons of choices we had to make along the way. He and his crew really did an excellent job in the actual construction of the renovations as well… good quality workmanship.
Walt Frederiksen
Stephen, the owner of Mantis Construction has worked with us on various projects over a ten year period to improve the overall aesthetics and value of our Main Line home. From turning a bland detached garage into a beautiful (and much praised) carriage house like structure to upgrading a kitchen to chef’s quality to tweaking the interiors with beautiful wainscoting to custom built in bookcases and adding beautiful exterior working shutters and copper gutters, represent some of these projects.Stephen and his team are always respectful of the home when working on our property. Mantis Construction to me embodies the following characteristics; honesty, professionalism, dependability, reliability and extraordinary attention to details. Stephen’s Drexel University education permits expert execution of the visions that we have presented in order to create the home of our dreams.Signed: One detailed driven and highly particular homeowner.
Vicki Sallee
We have worked with Mantis Construction on a number of projects from large (requiring engineering, structural changes, et al) to small (custom finish work). We have been more than happy with every aspect of the projects. Stephen (owner) is fabulous to work with. He really wants to understand your goals, your visions, your expectations and your budget. He and his crew are conscientious, work cleanly and have study to deadlines and timelines. Our current home has been almost totally remodeled by Mantis. The final room (bathroom) will be coming soon. It is important for us to point out that this is our third home that we have totally rehabed–top to bottom; inside and out. We have A LOT of experience with builders and contractors. Stephen has been the best by far. Stephen did not oversell to us, he did not disappear from the project, he did not hit us up for more money (unless we asked for things outside of the project), he was very flexible with meeting the changes we requested during the project and he communicated progress and issues proactively. Our current home is a small historic cottage that was built in the days when homes were built to last. The layout and physical location are very challenging. Stephen made our visions come to life. Not a day goes by when we don’t marvel at the work. Family, friends and neighbors always compliment us on the house and the quality of the work. We have referred Stephen to many people who have been just as happy with his work. Below is a list of the projects Mantis has completed for us:Converted an enclosed porch area into a formal front entry hall with a large powder room, laundry facility, pantry and coat closet. This required pouring a concrete slab, installing HVAC, plumbing, electrical and venting, rebuilding a 100+ year old interior brick wall, moving a doorway in a double thick brick wall, cutting a new door and window into an exterior brick wall, modifying the exterior front roof line to install an overhang to protect the new front entrance (did not exist prior to renovations) installing slate flooring, installing a bead board vaulted ceiling, installing all bathroom fixtures, installing new hardwood floor in the kitchen and dinning room to match the original hardwood flooring and refinishing the living room hardwood and completing all of the finish work throughout (drywall, trim, crown, doors, hardware, lighting, painting); Full kitchen remodel including a new layout; Installed and finished all new solid wood doors on all entrances (this includes very large French doors); Built a custom oak mantel for our fireplace and finished the wall above the fireplace with wainscoting; Modified the exterior rear roof line to install an overhang to protect the French doors and steps–this included installation of decorative columns, gutters and downspouts; Installed custom designed and constructed steel ‘bilco’ style doors over our basement egress to prevent flooding (none were in place prior to our remodel); Installed new doors, hardware and trim on all of the bedroom doors, closets and windows.
Our first project started in September 2013 and we have used Mantis continually since then. Our most recent project was January 2016. The Approximate project date we have indicated below reflects the date of the largest project and project cost.
As stated above, we will be using Mantis for our bathroom remodel and garage rebuild. We highly recommend Mantis Construction.
Yvonne Arch
Stephen is a perfectionist and a problem solver. He oversees all aspects of the work. He was efficient and professional in our initial consultation . He listened to our thoughts on what needed to be done and he gave us some design suggestions and ideas. We received the estimate within 8 hours. It was comprehensive, easy to understand and very reasonable. His timeline for commencement to completion of the project was spot on and his workmen were always respectful of us and of our home. Stephen undertook two projects for us. The first one involved the refurbishment of our 23 year old kitchen. The second job was the construction of an outdoor porch. Both jobs were were done to a very high standard. Our next project is refurbishing a bathroom and we will have no hesitation in contacting Stephen to do that work.
Rick Develin
This company helped us to redo our kitchen and hall bathroom on our second floor. Steve, the owner of the company, was very much involved from the beginning to the end. He listened to our proposed vision for both rooms and worked diligently to satisfy us. He did give us his input and constructive suggestions when necessary. He was a good communicator and was punctual when he said he would be here. He didn’t just send others to do the work but supervised most of the job as it was being done. He did appear to be a perfectionist and took pride in his work. He does really want to satisfy his customers. They were neat and cleaned up after working during the days. I would definitely recommend him and use his company again if we would ever need to transform another area in our house.
Kris Jackson
I knew I would hire Mantis Construction to do our 2004 remodel of our 40 year old colonial (1st floor reconfiguration; new, expanded kitchen and mudroom; new exterior including roof, stucco, decking; 2nd floor addition for future expansion) when the owner, Steve, toured us through a prior project and asked me to pick out where the original home stopped and the new addition began…and I couldn’t do it! The craftsmanship was amazing and the attention to detail exceeded my expectations. Our project was no different. While we were under construction for nearly 8 months upon completion my wife and I were so elated with the results that we proclaimed we would happily do it all over again. Sure, we had a few bumps in the road but not unexpected for the size (and cost) of our project. We sold that home in a bidding war nearly 2 yrs ago within 5 days of putting it on the market – mostly attributable to the fine work done by Mantis Construction. I have recommended them to friends and associates and have already engaged them on a project in my new home.
Valentina Crosson
Mantis has renovated my kitchen, 2 bathrooms and powder room, and other minor projects in the house. They are professional in executing their work. They cleanup, repair any damage that may have occurred, such as wall dings, which you will get on projects like this. They stand behind their work. If anything is not as you had expected or does not work as expected they will remedy the situation immediately. They stayed on schedule and in budget. The timeline was as expected and there were no over runs. Of course a lot of that was based on working out the plan first with Mantis first. I have contracted them for two more projects because I know they will be a success as well. I recommend them highly.
Douglas White
Mantis construction was recently hired to repair damage to the dining room and kitchen from a water problem in my mother’s home. The ceiling , walls, window, chair rail and moulding in the ceiling had to be replaced and painted. Upon completion, you couldn’t tell there ever was any damage. Even the Insurance Company’s Inspector commented how excellent the job was done. This is only the smallest job.
The previous rehabilitation of the living room, porch, hallway, bedroom and bathroom was the second at this address and completed with the same standard of quality. This job was $14,000.
Four years ago, I converted my garage into a 20’x20′ studio and built an oversized two car garage, with attic storage, to replace the converted garage. Heating, Electrical, Engineering for beam replacement, roofing, paving and hardscaping was all handled by Mantis Construction. Total project cost – $150,000.
You will not receive a rush job of low quality and they stand behind their work. My only concern is that this review, and those that are sure to follow, lessens his availability for my next project. Highly recommended!
Steve Rodia
I’ve used Mantis Construction for numerous projects over the past 12 years. Their work is excellent and back-up service is both timely and thorough. On the half dozen projects I’ve used them for they were never the cheapest but also not the most expensive either. They were initially referred to me by a friend and I was immediately impressed with the owner Steve, who gave me confidence when he provided a solution to a complex structural problem with my home. I learned that Steve in addition to being a contractor/builder, he’s also a structural engineer which enabled him to solve a problem that others could not.
Jim Friedrichs
Very professional, exceptional quality, turned an absolutely awful basement into a virtual palace! This work added significantly to the value of my property! Very Highly recommended!