Neil Kelly Company

We have used Neil Kelly’s handyman services several times and have always been pleased with the results. The staff are knowledgeable and friendly, and the work is first-rate. They’re not cheap, but the quality is worth it. To amplify the above brief comments, which were describing a relatively small recent job, I’ll add a longer response regarding a much larger job Neil Kelly completed for us several months ago. Our house in Lake Oswego was heavily damaged by burst pipes following a deep freeze, ice storm and power outage in January 2024. There were apparently 40,000 insurance claims from this series of events in Metro Portland. Neil Kelly was not taking on repair jobs from this storm because of the difficulty of managing insurance-funded projects. However, because they had done several earlier tasks for us, including a seismic retrofit and an energy efficiency upgrade, they were willing to help us out. The amount of work was immense and the challenges of dealing with our insurance company were incredible. Neil Kelly staff helped us in every way—assess the damage; figure out what could be salvaged (not much) and what needed to be replaced; negotiate with the 11 different insurance claims adjusters we were assigned; show us all the options for each portion of the job; manage all the subcontracts and sub-contractors; give us weekly updates; and follow up afterwards. It wasn’t perfect—communication at times was difficult, as some of the design contractors were stretched too thin because of the number of simultaneous jobs across the region. But given how extensive and complex the whole operation was ($600K total claim), and how beautiful the results turned out, we have no complaints. Neil Kelly staff turned one of our family’s most traumatic events into a lesson in resilience and partnership. We highly recommend them for jobs small and large. (The photos below show some of the totally rebuilt rooms, after and before repair.)

Hired Neil Kelly for my dream outdoor patio/pool project. In the end I am satisfied, but the process was somewhat painful, compared to commercial construction I was used to as a Facilities VP. Scope included a new roof overhang, concrete basin to recess and drain the swimspa, electrical upgrade, removable decking for maintenance, fence changes and an outdoor shower. I was happy with the collaboration and skills of most but not all of the people involved. Took 1 year to get a $10k design with result being a 2-page artist rendering not including specifications and requiring corrections (no blueprints). The schedule changed so often and extended so many months that they gave up on providing schedule updates. 2021 to 2024. Primary contact during design was non responsive and I waited weeks for replies. Project manager and others were let go by Neil Kelly and replaced. Carpenter left unhappy and was replaced. Replacements were good. Concrete for recessed swimspa was not leveled to drain properly and required corrections. Several subs appeared to design on the fly how they would build their portion of scope, such as pool and shower underground drainage. I felt I had to meet every one of them to make sure they met requirements. On the plus side they got permits timely and did the work or rework until it was done satisfactorily. The finished space is aesthetically pleasing and functional, and I enjoy the result.

We could not recommend Neil Kelly more. They helped us restore my childhood home, which needed quite a bit of love. Cal, Wes, and Leda were responsive, kind, efficient, and extremely professional. They listened to all our requests and helped us bring life back into our 1920's Tudor home, all while preserving the character and charm. Their trade partners were phenomenal and the work was finished on schedule! 10/10 experience!

Janel Campbell is the perfect designer for older people. She knows her stuff and is fun to work with. Paul Louis goes above and beyond as project manager and it was a pleasure to work with Cale Johnson again. Everything was done on time. They always clean up after themselves. The tile guys were very skillful. We couldn't be happier with our renovation.