Local business owner has lifelong love of construction

PITTSFIELD – Michael “Mike” Laforest knows a thing or two about building and remodeling houses.

The owner of ML Contracting has had a lifelong interest in building structures.

Even as a child, he loved constructing houses and other buildings with Lincoln logs, he said.

“I always liked to build things,” he said while remodeling the bathroom of a home in Housatonic.

For 20 years, he worked for other building contractors doing a variety of new construction as well as remodeling jobs.

Then, he launched out and started his own company, ML Contracting. It’s based in Pittsfield and located at 312 South St.

More remodeling than new construction

Regarding the current housing business, Mr. Laforest said there’s more remodeling going on than building of new homes. He attributes this to the continued sluggish economy.

“Give it a couple more years, and it will be back to normal,” he said.

In the meantime, he’ll continue to take on all the home remodeling jobs he can handle.

Mr. Laforest, who advertises his work as reflecting “meticulous craftsmanship,” said most of his contracts come via word-of-mouth.

When a job is completed and a customer is happy with the results, they tell their friends. When the friends of customers need work done in their own homes, they know who to call.

“I’ve done this work all my life,” Mr. Laforest said. “I like to do anything.”

Has a variety of customers

He said he has a variety of customers, not just young people starting out. His last three projects were the bathroom remodel in Housatonic, an additional bathroom remodeling and a new roof.

When people look at a prospective home to buy, the two most important rooms to have appeal and updating are the kitchen and the bathroom, Mr. Laforest said. After all, those two rooms get used the most every day in the majority of homes.

Mike Laforest does a lot of in-home painting and remodeling. He can do pretty much whatever the customer wants.

If a family would like to have a whirlpool tub installed as part of a bathroom remodeling project, he can do it, he said.

Licensed and insured

A licensed and insured contractor, Mr. Laforest offers warranties on his work, too.

“I do good work for a fair price,” he said.

If an incoming assignment is a big job, he has people he can call in, including an architect, he said.

Having worked in contracting business all of his life, Mr. Laforest said he knows where to get needed supplies, such as tile, at the best prices.

Being an independent contractor allows him to be able to charge less than other contractors, he said.

In addition to Pittsfield, he can do jobs in surrounding towns such as Dalton, Lee, Lenox and in numerous towns throughout south county such as Housatonic and Great Barrington.

ML Contracting has been listed on Angie’s List since July 2012. It’s an online word-of-mouth network where people write “reviews you can trust” of companies they have used.

It is noted on Angie’s List that ML Contracting is “very reasonable and reliable, minimizing home improvement stress.”

It’s also noted that ML Contracting offers a 10 percent discount to senior citizens.

What kind of remodeling would Mike Laforest do in, say, a bathroom?

“Anything the customer wants,” Mr. Laforest said, from tiling to replacement of new fixtures. He’ll do it all with great attention to detail and for a “fair price,” too.

Posted by Susan M. Wicker Guerrero on March 21, 2013. Filed under Community News,News. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0. You can leave a response or trackback to this entry