Fireplace Improvements.com

I was referred to Ralph Byrne from my Fireplace store where I purchased my fireplace unit. They also gave me the names of several different independent contractors. Also I searched “yelp” for the same type of contractors. After meeting and interviewing several different companies. I determined that “fireplace improvements” was the best company for my needs. Of course, the bid/price was most important for my uLtimate decision. However; Ralph was the consummate professional. His knowledge, expertise and experience was quickly noticed from the very first day of the rebuild. Just for disclosure, I was also doing a full condo remodel at the same time. I have heard that different contractors clash or butt heads during a build but that really was never an issue. The only issue that I had was from the city! The City (The building and planning division) in there infinite wisdom, postponed my plans to finish my remodel Approximately 3-4 months late. But all said and done, the rebuild of my fireplace came out beautifully! I could not be happier! Ralph was such a pleasure to work with, He was always on time, he never skimped on the quality of materials and was always fair on his pricing. He never added to his original bid to bump up the price (Many contractors always add to the original contract) but, Ralph never did. He was always neat and tidy. Putting away and cleaning after leaving my Job site. On top of everything, he is a very kind and understanding individual. He listened to my concerns and always delivered what he had promised. That being said, I could not give more praise or to “fireplace Improvements”. I give Ralph Byrne my highest recommendation! Thanks so much Ralph for my beautiful fireplace!

Ralph is by far the BEST contractor we've ever worked with. HONESTY: I think this is the most important thing for me. Before the job, he quoted us a certain amount. Then once he started the work, it was a smaller job than he originally thought, so he offered us a discount. I've never had any other contractor do that before. QUALITY OF WORK: Ralph is the most detailed and meticulous contractor we've ever met. Every brick was lined up so perfectly. He even made sure to cut out any blemishes on the stone and marble we picked out so that we would have the perfect look. He's a true artist. The mantel and fireplace were EXACTLY what we wanted, and everything came out looking so beautiful. In addition to our fireplace/mantel, we also had an existing chimney leak. He was able to come out in 1 day's notice and get it fixed just before we started raining PRICE: His price was one of the best we got from different contractors. Other contracts were going to buy a pre-made mantel, and Ralph built us a custom mantel for less money. PROFESSIONALISM: Ralph is extremely nice, courteous, and professional. He always showed up on time, and made sure the area was clean before he left for the day. He never took a break while he worked. He worked extremely hard, but never rushed his work to make sure everything looked perfect.

His response time to our job, bidding it out (which was very reasonable), and turn around time to complete the job was extremely quick. Ralph did an excellent job installing the fireplace and passed inspection with flying colors.

I think I did it through Angie’s List. They were excellent. I was quite pleased. It was a big improvement. They went above and beyond. They did everything and they are a very quality company. They were very professional.

Wow! what can I say Ralph was amazing and his work is the best anyone could find. We started with just wanting a mantel. Our fireplace was straight out of 1982 and was the ugliest part of the house and we hated it. Ralph came by and worked with us to come up with a new design (we did not know we had options). Once he started the craftsmanship was awesome he turned our outdated fireplace into something that looked like it was ready for a town and country photo shoot! I cannot recommend him more, you will do yourself a disservice if you do not consult with Ralph before any Fireplace work. It is so refreshing to see someone who is not only a master craftsman but an artist as well.

Simply put, Ralph is a fireplace artist. He saw the mantel that I bought online was too tall and he was able to modify the mantel to fit perfectly. He expertly installed the stone on the face and hearth and even recommended who I should get the stone from. He also saw that the existing fireplace wasn't to code and not safe, so he added new brick to the front, built out an accent wall and now everything is safe and beautiful. I will definitely ask Ralph to do more work for me.

I had two phone conversations with Ralph and email correspondence. He was slow - as in days - to respond initially - but when we talked, he asked for pictures and other information. I provided it to him and twice, tried to make contact with him afterwards. As was the case the first time, I he said that he was delayed "due to family" and would call me the next day. He never called me back. I should have heeded the negative comments on here. I will not do business now if he called, because if he is going to blow me off twice, he'll do it again, and maybe mid project. i can't take that chance. The proper thing for him to do if he doesn't want the business is say so. I can deal with that. What I can't deal with is people like him who make you go through the motions, only to become unresponsive. Pathetic.

He then completely flaked out and wouldn't return our phones calls or voicemails. Very disappointing experience, and not a professional way to treat people.

Called Mr Byrne and he made an appointment to come to my house and give me an estimate, even said that it would be easy to come out since he had family in area. NEVER showed for appointment, NEVER called to say he would be late, NEVER contacted me since. What a Flake !

We contacted Ralph with Fireplace Improvements to complete a fireplace remodel. We provided Ralph a picture of a fireplace we wanted to reproduction. Ralph provided recommendations on a fireplace inspector prior to completing any work and where to purchase tile and stone. Work included modifying the fireplace’s opening as suggested by an independent inspector, building a new hearth, floor to ceiling stacked stone, a custom wood mantel, painting the fireplace box, installing a gas igniter, cleaning out the chimney and installing a new spark arrestor. Ralph’s work is very clean and precise and he takes pride in his work. He keeps a pretty clean job site as well. Scheduling work is a bit challenging but worth the effort for the quality work Ralph completes. We had other companies quote us 1/3 more of want Ralph quoted us. Ralph did not try and up sell us. He wanted to give us a fireplace we desired and he accomplished that. I would use Ralph again and recommend him to friends and family. We look forward to using our beautiful new fireplace for many years.

Ralph did the job fast and clean without incident. He is a real artistic guy when it comes to design for a specific area and setting.

Ralph did an amazing job. His attention to detail was spot on.

Called this company 3 times to try to get a quote for a fireplace remodel. Nobody EVER called me back! I guess they don't need any business!

After consulting with a couple of contractors, we chose Ralph and Fireplace Improvements to perform work in our home. Ralph was great about talking us through the process, and he gave us instruction on how to do demo in preparation for his arrival. (This was our choice, and it saved us money!) The job did begin later than anticipated, as real life affected schedules and couldn't be helped. That being said, once work began, we were quite pleased with the process. Each day, Ralph cleaned the work area and let us know what to expect the following day. When all was said and done, we had exactly what we had requested: a beautiful, working fireplace with adjacent built-in shelves and a wooden mantel. (We painted the fireplace brick and shelves ourselves, and stained the mantel. Again - this saved us money.) We wouldn't hesitate to recommend Ralph and Fireplace Improvements to our friends, nor would we hesitate to hire him again. He is courteous and professional, and his artistry and craftsmanship are greatly appreciated.

Ralph came out to give an estimate and I really liked him. I was excited to work with him on our new mantel and built-in bookcases. I needed to delay the project due to the holidays and work. I'm amending this review because I did hear back from Ralph and we have started work. So far so good. Getting a hold of him at first was difficult, but now that I'm working with him I'm very happy. I'll re-post with photos once the job is done.

Ralf was slow to respond to inquiries initially, but was a pleasure to work with. He is a true craftsman and I very much appreciated his integrity and attention to detail.

Ralph steered me by phone where to shop for stone for the fireplace, and scheduled an appointment to see our fireplace and bid some repair work and façade replacement. At the appointment time, he called to say he was waiting for an inspector on another job and kept me waiting for him. He later texted that he couldn't make it that day and would reschedule. He didn't return or take my calls after that. I felt deceived about his availability, and annoyed that he wasn't on top of his schedule. I notice this is not the 1st review saying he flaked out on an appointment.

I sent a message via Angie's List with pictures and dimensions of the mantle we wanted. Ralph responded with a very honest answer. He said he didn't have much experience with the materials we were looking for and referred us to another company. That honesty is very much appreciated. It tells me that Ralph cares about our homes and respects exactly what we want.

Our original fireplace was a very outdated style and less common design (wraps around a corner) than I had seen on various searches. Ralph had great ideas, provided his tremendous knowledge and experience to indicate what was currently trending and why, suggested materials as well as design and the final product is really impressive. Ralph communicated his schedule (and delays) regularly and worked around our needs. We're on the outskirts of the area he usually works in but the photos I saw of his work convinced me he was the right person for the job and we couldn't be more pleased. - demo of tile, brick, and concrete hearth - rebuilt hearth - refinished firebox - built custom burner

On time, reasonably priced, respectful and extremely high quality work. Also does not try to upsell. Just gets the job done!

We had a great experience with Fireplace Improvements. Ralph was courteous and reasonably priced. We explained what we wanted and he gave suggestions for additional changes that were fabulous. His creativity, craftsmanship, and attention to the smallest detail exceeded our expectations. He cleaned up every day. We love our new fireplace!

Ralph Byrne was friendly and highly professional in all our interactions. He was always on time and was careful to keep the work site clean while he worked as well as when he finished each day. His estimate was straightforward, honest, and clear. He explained code-related issues, the best way to do things, and made recommendations that saved us money by not recommending things that we thought might be needed. The work was done quickly, professionally, and with a minimum of mess. And all the work took only two days. We are extremely pleased with our entire interaction with Ralph, from the first visit for an estimate thru the completion of the job. Our fireplace and chimney have been completely updated, made much safer, and our cleaned and modernized by a true professional. We have nothing but wonderful comments to say about Ralph and the work he's done for us.

Very friendly upon first call, set up appointment window for the following week. Left a message indicating he'd be late for my consultation due to waiting on another client. No show on the consultation. No return to follow up phone calls I left asking to reschedule.

Ralph is a great guy. Built a custom firebox and remote control system for me which completely transformed my house. I still can't believe how great it looks.

Ralph Byme is a true professional. I found him inititally on Craigslist. He arrived on time for our initial meeting. He estimated that it would take three days and the job was completed in three days. His work is clean looking and he cleans up after himself. A nice guy and a great recommendation for any fireplace issues you may have.