Rider Homes Inc

We had a specific vision for a small powder room renovation, and working with Mark Rider, it was fully realized. In addition to delivering on time and on budget, he was honest, approachable, and maintained a clean work site daily. There are many examples of good management which deserve a shout out: First, when a space is small, it’s important for each element to be coordinated. At one point, Mark stood with me to show me where each piece of wooden trim would land—and he talked through the pros and cons of different spacing patterns. It’s an example of the detail-oriented approach that he brought to the project and it showed that he cared about the finished product. Another important aspect was Mark’s proactive communication to resolve an existing pipe which was discovered in the wall right where we wanted a new stained glass window. He didn’t change the design, but rather he communicated the topic with us and walked through the ways we could resolve it. It turned out great, and it was especially meaningful to be part of that decision. Third, Mark also helped us navigate an issue with an out-of-stock vanity. He was patient and flexible, managing the timing of other activities so that we could resolve the order. He even went the extra mile and tested out an alternative vanity. Fourth, and possibly most important, he was mindful and proactive about the safety of our young kids. When activities needed to span several days installing a pocket door in a new opening, he blocked off the opening in a secure and durable way. I’m grateful to Mark for his dedication to help realize this transformative project and I would recommend Rider Homes Inc.

Mark Rider did a complete re-haul of our three-story South Philadelphia rowhome: new framing, drywall, mechanicals, floors, kitchen, 2 bathrooms, and much much more. He kept things moving on time and found creative ways to keep budget in check. Mark was also great about coming up with creative solutions to make our home work for us. Mark was incredibly responsive and addressed all of our concerns and questions in a timely manner. I would recommend Rider Homes Inc. for large or small projects.

Mark renovated our entire 3rd floor—completely gutted it, expanded our bathroom, moved and opened new walls and doorways, framed out our exterior concrete wall on the interior, built new closets, installed new radiators, and then did all the finishing work. From the jump, Mark was so much easier to communicate with than some other contractors we were talking to, and he just seemed more legit. For example, rather than trying to subtly suggest that we could skirt around permits, like literally every other contractor we talked to, it was just a given to him… we need these permits and this is how much it will cost. Gave me the impression right off the bat that Mark will do things the right way, and the permits are not even a big cost anyways. Throughout the process Mark gave great suggestions that made our renovation even better. For example, open up our stairwell wall to be a half wall, and then make the front bedroom doors glass french doors, which immediately let SO much more light into that floor, and it was not a huge cost increase to do it. He also suggested a different spot for the vanity (notched into a wall) in the bathroom, which essentially allowed the bathroom to be much bigger. And that wasn’t even a cost increase at all. As we had never done any renovations before but have heard plenty of horror stories in the past about contractors ghosting, constantly upcharging, being incredibly behind schedule, we were so pleasantly surprised when not a single bit of that was true with Mark. He stuck within the budget he said, with a few increases for things we opted to add along the way and an unforeseen old pipe issue. He kept everything moving on schedule and to be honest the only reason the renovation took a month or so longer was because the tile we ordered was delayed and we didn’t want to choose another. Quality of work was great. When I did point out anything I wanted a little adjusting / finessing, he was completely on board and made it happen. We would recommend Mark to anyone looking for a home renovation!

We recently finished up a full bathroom renovation with Rider Homes and could not be happier with the experience or the outcome. Our bathroom has been totally transformed…it’s far more functional, has better flow, and just looks incredible. Mark and his team were super friendly and communicative at every step along the way. They even made some really smart suggestions that we could never have envisioned ourselves. The crew was really good about tidying up every day when they left, and even worked with us to do some of the louder work outside of our child’s nap time - great personal touch! We came away feeling like Mark really understood what we were looking for, and delivered on time and at a reasonable price. If we ever need to take on another house project like this, Mark will be my first call. Highly recommend him and his team.

Rider Homes built our roof deck. Mark and his team were professional and easy to work with, kept us informed on timing and progress, and, importantly, provided excellent quality work. We're very happy with the service and would highly recommend.