JOSEPH JAMES CONSTRUCTION INC

Joseph James Inc. actually came with the roofing company we are planning on using to re-do our roof. However, we were impressed that they got on the roof and actually looked at the work that needed to be done rather than just inspect the situation from the ground. We were also impressed by the high marks other Angie's List members gave them. The work was done in a reasonable amount of time after the contract was signed. Clean, neat workmanship. We are very pleased.

They showed up promptly for the estimate appointment. The work was then performed within 2 weeks of the estimate. The men were professional and did a good job of cleaning up.

Two auditors from Joseph James came out to our house with a high-tech infrared camera and performed a thorough inspection of all walls in our house from below the roof to the basement. We had had some seepage problems in the basement and had wanted to obtain an understanding whether more seepage issues were hidden behind our drywall. The inspection using the infrared camera gave us some important insights about (mostly minor) structural deficits in the foundation. For the same flat fee the auditors also offered to look into a drywall crack near the staircase that had worried us. Without opening the drywall, they could clearly identify the root cause behind the crack: leaking duct work. As they worked their way up the house, they went all the way underneath the roof and discovered a water leak near the chimney, which they immediately sealed at no extra cost. Lastly they gave us important pointers by identifying two major energy leaks in our house. . Finally, they went on top of the roof and gave it a thorough inspection. Still using the camera, which also shoots high resolution color photographs, they shot a series of pictures of the chimney. Using the pictures, they walked us through significant structural deficits on the chimney (above the roof line) and recommended a remedial course of action. Following the inspection, we contracted Joseph James for the chimney work. They completely restored all parts of the chimney that are above the roof line. Not only is the chimney structurally sound again, they also gave it a very nice appearance. Ron Staffa, the firm's principal, kept personally in touch with us along all steps of the way. He ensured that all work was performed diligently and thoroughly. What was particularly nice is that you never felt like he was pushing for business and trying to make a ten thousand dollar job out of a two thousand dollar job. Actually he impressed on us not to "overdo things" by trying small fixes first and only move to bigger and more expensive solutions if small fixes don't work. He also has a great wealth of knowledge concerning all sort of structural issues around the house and gave us worth while advice on other services around the house that his company does not offer. The scheduling of his company's work is somewhat haphazard, a little flexibility from our side and the fact that the chimney work could be performed without anyone of us being at home helped.

Called for a quote to tuck point and do some chimney repair. Although I was a bit surprised at the cost initially, the quality of their work and time spent preparing and cleaning up behind themselves was most impressive. They even completely re-did one section of some tuck pointing when they discovered that there were some hairline cracks appearing in the mortar joints following their first repair. They had a crew come back, grind out the mortar deeper and start all over...with no additional cost to me. A true sign of professionals who care about the quality of their work and reputation.

Very well. They replaced the broken chimney crown. They removed and replaced the liners and installed chimney caps.

We had replaced a bay window awning 8 years ago and because the awning was shorter that the original awning, we began to have water and ice build up problems on the bay window which resulted in the need to re-tuck point.? We also had water seepage in the basement.? We called Joseph James to get a gutter on the awning and some tuck pointing.? We got a call back within a few days and we scheduled a date to do the gutter work on the awning.? They also suggested a thermo scan (something I had never heard of) to investigate the water problem.? They said it was a way to heat scan behind the basement drywall to find where the seepage was occurring. They came out within the week to install a gutter on the awning.? The new gutter matched perfectly with the other gutters on the house.? They also performed a thermo scan to pinpoint the seepage problem in the basement.? The thermo scan was a quick procedure and I could even see where the water was seeping in behind the drywall.? It was determined that in addition to the tuck pointing, we needed to replace the calk next to a basement window.? The new driveway had also settled and the calk between the driveway and basement window had pulled away.? I never would have suspected seepage from the driveway side because I thought the seepage came in from the tuck pointing problems by the bay window. The tuck pointing and calking were done the following week.? The cement matched perfectly on the tuck pointing.? They were very neat and clean. The basement is once again dry!? I never would have suspected the settling of the driveway as contributing to the seepage problem in the basement.? Because of the thermo scan, Joseph James saved us a lot of additional time?and money in fixing the seepage problem in the basement.? How else were we to find seepage behind drywall without tearing out the drywall. The thermo scan was great. We were very happy with the work and service provided to us by Joseph James.

The energy efficient audit was a by product of tuck pointing work we needed. I believe the use of a thermo scan device saved us a lot of time and money. We had replaced a bay window awning 8 years ago and because it was shorter that the original awning, we began to have water and ice build up problems on the bay window which resulted in the need to re-tuck point.? We also had water seepage in the basement.? We called Joseph James to get a gutter on the awning and some tuck pointing.? We got a call back within a few days and we scheduled a date to do the gutter work on the awning.? They also suggested a thermo scan (something I had never heard of) to investigate the water problem.? They use this device for energy audits of the house but could also use it heat scan behind the basement drywall to find where the seepage was occurring. They came out within the week to install a gutter on the awning.? The new gutter matched perfectly with the other gutters on the house.? They also performed a thermo scan to pinpoint the seepage problem in the basement.? The thermo scan was a quick procedure and I could even see where the water was seeping in behind the drywall.? It was determined that in addition to the tuck pointing, we needed to replace the calk next to a basement window.? The new driveway had also settled and the calk between the driveway and basement window had pulled away.? I never would have suspected seepage from the driveway side because I thought the seepage came in from the tuck pointing problems by the bay window. The tuck pointing and calking were done the following week.? The cement matched perfectly on the tuck pointing.? They were very neat and clean. The basement is once again dry!? I never would have suspected the settling of the driveway as contributing to the seepage problem in the basement.? Because of the thermo scan, Joseph James saved us a lot of additional time?and money in fixing the seepage problem in the basement.? How else were we to find seepage behind drywall without tearing out the drywall. The thermo scan was great. We were very happy with the work and service provided to us by Joseph James.

We were experiencing seepage in the basement after heavy rains. We had replaced a bay window awning 8 years ago and because it was shorter that the original awning, we began to have water and ice build up problems on the bay window which resulted in the need to re-tuck point.? We believed that this was the reason why we had water seepage in the basement.? We called Joseph James to get a gutter on the awning and some tuck pointing.? We got a call back within a few days and we scheduled a date to do the gutter work on the awning.? They also suggested a thermo scan (something I had never heard of) to investigate the water problem.? They said it was a way to heat scan behind the basement drywall to find where the seepage was occurring. I thought that the water was coming through the cracks in the cement. They came out within the week to install a gutter on the awning.? The new gutter matched perfectly with the other gutters on the house.? They also performed a thermo scan to pinpoint the seepage problem in the basement.? The thermo scan was a quick procedure and I could even see where the water was seeping in behind the drywall.? It was determined that in addition to the tuck pointing, we needed to replace the calk next to a basement window.? The new driveway had also settled and the calk between the driveway and basement window had pulled away.? I never would have suspected seepage from the driveway side because I thought the seepage came in from the tuck pointing problems by the bay window. The tuck pointing and calking were done the following week.? The cement matched perfectly on the tuck pointing.? They were very neat and clean. The basement is once again dry!? I never would have suspected the settling of the driveway as contributing to the seepage problem in the basement.? Because of the thermo scan, Joseph James saved us a lot of additional time?and money in fixing the seepage problem in the basement.? How else were we to find seepage behind drywall without tearing out the drywall. The thermo scan was great. We were very happy with the work and service provided to us by Joseph James.

Outstanding!!! Arthur was a an absolute pleasure to work with, from start to finish. He was very professional, thorough, engaged, and caring. He went the extra mile by going to many different suppliers in order to find just the right brick to match the existing chimney's brickwork. As far as cleanup, you would not have even known there was work done; it was spotless. I would highly recommend this company to anyone.

They came on Sat 9 May 09 and began work. There were three men it took them 5 hours and they ground out my old mortar and tuckpointed my chimney. They built some forms after removing my old chimney crown and proceeded to build a new crown with cement

Work was originally scheduled late last Fall, weather didn't cooperate. They honored the price quoted last year. Ron called early this spring, ready to start the work. They did a great job, the chimney looks great. I've already recommended them to my neighbor.

After the snow melted I noticed a lot of "brick chips" on the roof of the house. From the second floor bedroom I could see that the bricks were disintegrating and that the cement was falling out from between them. I bought the house a little over a year ago and the house inspector rated this "good." I looked on Angie's list for a company and found Joseph James - highly rated. I e-mailed to enquire about an estimate. They e-mailed back within a few hours and make an appointment to take a look at the chimney. Two of their workers came out - looked at the chimney; took pictures of areas that I could not see from the ground (both inside the core and outside); they identified a few minor roofing problems that could present problems with water leakage. They then prepared an estimate from their computer equipped truck and came back in to explain exactly what they would do. I had looked at prices for comparable work and their bid was more than fair. I was asked to give a deposit and signed the contract. A few days later the masons came to look at the work. The weather was still bad and so they continued to keep me updated through e-mail of the status - all of which depended upon having at least 2 consecutive nice days. They called a day in advance and notified me that were would be able to start the work. The masons were amazing - I watched one of the men use a level for each brick he placed. While they were working, they noticed that there was a build up of "crud" that they could not get to from the roof and explained that this might be a fire hazard. They cleaned this up from inside the house, cleaned out the crawl space where the debris finally landed and they cemented the pipe that was loose. I could not have asked for any more attention. It was as though they were working on their own homes. The work is complete and I never thought I would say a chimney is "beautiful" but it is. They even finished off with strips of siding to hide the areas where the chimney conntects to the side of the house. Andy, Arthur, were conscientious, polite and explained each of the steps of the process and answered the multitude of questions I had as a new home owner. Then, they proceeded to wash down the driveway. When I mentioned that I could't believe they were doing that, Arthur said "That's what we do." I wish I could use this company for all work on the house.

I contacted Ron Staffa with Joseph James Construction, Inc., after my husband and I discovered water seepage issues in the new upstairs of our very recent home addition/renovation. From the first phone call through the final meeting, when Ron sat down and explained the results of the report, all our interactions with every employee of the company were very cordial and extremely helpful. After an initial consultation with Ron on site, an appointment was set up to have the thermal imaging done. Ron went to great lengths to get this appointment scheduled as soon as possible, as our situation was quite serious. Ron and two other employees of Joseph James Construction, Arthur and Andy, arrived punctually and worked diligently to provide a thorough assessment of our situation. They took time to explain what they were doing and finding, even as they were performing the assessment. What was especially beneficial to us was that, though we knew there was water damage and that energy efficiency had been compromised, the thermal imaging accurately revealed the extent of the damage and even revealed areas of compromise that were not identifiable by a surface inspection. It also revealed areas of insufficient insulation in existing areas of our home that were not a part of the renovation, which was additionally helpful. My husband and I found every part of our experience with Joseph James Construction to be pleasant and very helpful, and we would consult with them again in a second.

I spoke with Ron at Joseph James and he was professional, friendly and courteous in all interactions. The crew was professional and punctual and totally cleaned up the work area afterward. The work was done at the estimated cost and there was even some extra work done at no additional charge.

During our last major rain event, the wall of the fireplace leaked and there was extensive damage to the ceiling. The repairs were done to seal the chimney. Ron suggested that, instead of performing major work, we start conservatively and seal the chimney with caulking and install the vent covers. Time will tell whether the problem has been fixed. But, without doubt, the company was very responsive and addressed the issue responsibly. If I do have issues in the future, I will not hesitate to call them back out!

It went great. They where prompt with a bid and where right on. They came and did the work immediately with little to no mess.

Dealt with a gentleman named Andy who was very polite and responsive to my needs. It's difficult to get a contractor to take on a small job but Andy was quick to come out although he was very busy at the time and did a very good job for us.

They came out one day after I signed the contract! They finished in one day. In terms of cleanup, they did such a good job, you wouldn't have even known they were here. Excellent service in terms of work and explanation. We are completely satisfied.

They did an excellent job. They were prompt and detailed in providing an estimate. Peter, the representative, apologized that it originally would take about two weeks to come out to do the work. Then he called and said they had a real big job coming up. I was expecting a delay for our small job, but was pleasantly surprised when they moved us up and did our work sooner to wrap it up before they began their big project. They were prompt, very neat, and did quality work. They also matched our brick very well, especially considering that the brick on our house is an unusual color. I would highly recommend them.

I have nothing but great things to say about Joseph James Construction (JJC). First of all, because it was a relatively small job, most companies would not give me the time of day. I was referred to JJC by another company I found on Angie s List. I dealt with Joe. Joe was prompt and responsive. He even met me early in the morning so I did not have to miss work. I was also very pleased in that he proposed solutions that would fix the problem while being mindful of my limited budget. Good wood was preserved and reused where appropriate. The work was completed promptly within two days. When Joe had an opening, because of a material delay on another job, he called to see if it was all right to start my job early. Since he worked during the day while I was not at home, Joe took photos to show me the progression of the job. He followed up with a phone call to be sure I was happy with the work. In a world filled with less than trust worthy companies, I felt very comfortable with JJC. I will definitely use them again.

The project went very well. The finished product exceeded our expectations. Our contact, Peter, was very attentive and fielded our calls readily throughout the course of the project. He was very knowledgeable about the work and talked with us in detail. The crew was very tidy and cleaned the work area at the end of each day. The team was able to accommodate our schedules by adjusting the start date and they didn t rush through the work--they put in extra time to do the job thoroughly and correctly.

The work was done in a very professional manner. The actual time was about 4 days of work. I didn't realize how bad the old structures were until the new ones were installed. Originally, I had concerns about doing work without a building permit, but they contacted the village and I confirmed with the village that it was not necessary. I was also concerned about the removal of the old material. It was taken away each evening and our property always looked neat and clean. The work was finished yesterday and this morning I received a phone call to verify my satisfaction and a bill was e mailed to me. This company did the job without even receiving a deposit. I was OK with the original written estimate, so you can imagine my surprise when I was told that the amount I owed was over $100 less because they were applying the Angie's List discount. I thought it was already there.

I discovered that the concrete cap on my chimney was cracked and leaking water down the front of my fireplace. Joseph James Construction (Peter and his crew) were recommended to me by the roofers I had out to the place. The original detail of the job was to cast a new concrete cap and tuck point the existing chimney. As Peter's crew started work, they quickly realized that the bricks were badly damaged due to the crack in the cap and that the chimney would need to be re-built. I had left for vacation by the time Peter had called me with this news. Peter assured me over the phone, "I will find matching brick with the exterior of your house and make it look really nice. Enjoy your vacation! I will talk with you when you return." When I returned to my house and saw the chimney I was absolutely speechless. It looks fantastic! The bricks Peter found are an exact match and the chimney looks like the original that came with the house. I honestly could not be happier. Peter and his crew were extremely professional. They left the area spotless and even found a nice dry spot behind my house to store the extra bricks. Since we were able to find a time that Peter and his crew could come out to my place while they were still in the area, they gave me a wonderful discount. I recommend this company through and through. The entire team I worked with was very generous and gracious (even calling to thank me for my business before work even started - an awesome and professional gesture!). Thank you!

I had a couple of projects that I needed done. At first, I received a verbal quote of $350 but the written bill was for $425. They said they would honor it. We had a bit of a delay because we had a miscommunication. We were not aware that their tuck pointer would be away for 2 weeks, so we had started looking at other providers. However, they finally came out, and he did an exceptionally good job, he also walked the perimeter house and picked the leaves out of the gutter. They were the lowest price bid of all the bids and I am very satisfied with their work.

The work went very smoothly. They looked it over in advance and then showed up on time and started to work on grinding out the exterior step cracks. They also worked on the front my my stone fireplace. It looks much better to have the efflorescence gone.