JOSEPH JAMES CONSTRUCTION INC

We talked about the job and therer were a few things I wanted specifically. My old sidewalk just kind of ended toward the house and I wanted to change it and they said no problem. They suggested a few things. They had a slight delay because of the weather but it was no big deal. They poured the sidewalk later and everything was fine. We got other quotes that were priced much, much higher. They even came back a few weeks later and did some sealing right near the base of the sidewalk where it connects to the house. It did take us a few emails to get things going. In fact, I emailed them recently for another quote and they still haven't gotten back to me.

Original contract estimate provided 5/13/10, signed contract 5/21/10, with work to begin in 2 -4 weeks. Actually occurred 34 days from contract. Trying to coordinate between other contract work and the masonry was difficult without a firm commitment date until the Friday before work was performed. Not a major issue, but an inconvenience. A weekly update status would have been helpful after 2-3 weeks of signing the contract. The work performed was OUTSTANDING and exceeded my expectations.

First they took out the deteriorating mortar where necessary and refilled with new mortar. They matched the color very well, which was a major concern with any spot tuck-pointing. For the front of the house that is adjacent to my patio - they wound up doing the entire wall so that it would all match. The work looks great. They were on-time and very courteous. They cleaned up after themselves. I was very pleased with the work. This company is responsive, and very professional.

They have been out several times to do repair work. They were reasonably priced. We had three estimates and theirs was within the normal range.

They took a long time to get back to me when I initially called. When they finally came out their analysis of the work to be performed did not jive with the other 4 companies I received estimates from. They said that they would require a structural engineers report, which no one else requested. Kind of gave me the impression that they were not 100% sure what they were doing. Their estimate was higher than anyone else and I decided to go with another company. I'm glad I did.

They did a great job, very happy with the results. Did have some back and forth calls for scheduling due to weather. They not only put back the antennae but put back the satellite dish so that we could get the Hawks game until we could get the satellite company out to reallign the dish. Very little disruption while they worked.

I didn?t hire them at that time because I had some other work going on in my house. I have just emailed them about 2 days ago to continue with the work. Initially they responded quickly. I have emailed them only twice now and they have responded quickly to that. My guess is that they are just busy this week. I will be upset if they don?t return my third call.

Originally, they were only going to tuckpoint the top part of the chimney where I knew there was no mortar. They were also going to pour a new crown on the chimney, and clean and repair some effloresence. They ended up doing all that AND MORE!! As they dug into the chimney, they discovered the ENTIRE THING needed to be tuckpointed. So they did it! And they did a BEAUTIFUL job!! Here's the best part -- they didn't charge me for the extra work! It was an extra 1/2 day at least.

They originally estimated the project at 1600.00 but after they started it was evident that the entire wall needed rebuilding. We worked out a reasonable additional amount for all new materials. They did a really nice job. I was very happy with the results. The workers were very professional and cleaned up after themselves very well. The estimators were very professional too. I would recommend this company to anyone who needed masonry work.

Estimator was thorough. Estimator made multiple trips.

I just wanted to mention that the workmen were extremely professional, clean and on time every day. They did an excellent job on our home and we were completely satisfied with the work, the cost and the time it took to complete the job. Ron Stafa is an extremely professional human being and his staff as well. It was a pleasure working with them all.

Overall, I was very pleased with the work of the Joseph James crew. Arthur gave me a detailed estimate and thoroughly explained the job. They came in a little higher than another estimate, but I was looking for quality work. Reading about good experiences via other Angie's List reports I decided to hire Joseph James. After sending in the initial deposit, I did have to follow-up with them after a few weeks to ask when the job would start. (Next time, I'd call as soon as the check goes in the mail to get things rolling.) Once the job was scheduled, things moved along very quickly, even though the weather didn't cooperate. The work on the main chimney looks great - the new crown and tuckpointing are a big improvement over what was previously there. The second chimney - for a fireplace that no longer functions - was a cracking & crumbling disaster (inherited from a previous owner) and the Joseph James crew turned it into something attractive and useable. They removed the majority of the chimney, leaving about 3 or 4 feet at the base, then framed and poured a concrete ledge on top of the base, which I can now use for entertaining, gardening, etc. (While they were pouring concrete, they also patched a few spots on the front stoop - at no charge, which I really appreciated.) After removal of the chimney, the back of the house needed brickwork/tuckpointing, as did the base, and they did a great job on that as well. The crew cleaned up the yard and deck exceptionally well. Would definitely hire them again.

Estimate was right in the ballpark with other I got thru the List; not only was estimator professional, punctual and polite, he came up with ideas that had not occurre to me to improve drainage issues we had. He kept me posted on timing (when they'd start destruction, when they'd be back to pour, etc.). The man who did the actual pour (Ziggy!) also had great ideas regarding pitch of the driveway to improve drainage out to the street, which he patiently explained to the village inspector. Ziggy was professional and VERY clean -- a concrete artist. He obviously took pride in his work. The clean-up after the final inspection was pristine. A stress-free and satisfactory experience.

I had contacted several companies on Angie's List and determined Joseph James Construction to be my most viable.. Crew came out & made inspection & sent written estimate & description of work to be performed. I sent in required deposit & waited for work to begin. Project was delayed a bit due to our rainy October and their work load, but when the weather finally let up, they began work. They were very friendly, professional, and neat... I am very pleased with my choice !!

Contacted Josph & James . Came out to give me an est. We scheduled a date and a crew of approx. 4 individuals arrived promptly to tuckpoint and set molds for the crown portion and poured the concrete. Return 3 days later(due to rain) to remove the molds and place the caged cappings. It went very smoothly and proffessionally.

Everything was excellent. They were very neat, and I was happy with their work. They were easy to do business with and were extremely professional. I would certainly use them again.

I had a nice experience scheduling the estimate. Arthur said he would get me a bid in 2-3 business days. 10 days later, I reached out to him asking for the bid. He required additional information about my gas fireplace which I e-mailed him that evening. Three and half weeks later, I still have not heard from him.

Excellent. On time for estimate appointment. Gave us a computer printed quote while on site. Arrived as scheduled four days later. Workmen were polite, well trained, cleaned up after their repairs.

Arthur contacted me promtly and gave me an estimate (highest). The estimates ranged from a few hundred dollars to a few thousand dollars. I needed to understand why the variance. I was educated by another contractor to the decided to go with Joseph James because they had crews that could do brick, tuckpointing masonry and stucco work. It took a while to get the work scheduled, once scheduled they showed up on time. Arthur came to check on the crew of 3 and came by the week prior to start to show me the brick they had to match my house. The first day the crew worked about 6 hours. Two days later the stucco work began, with a crew of 3. Due to the depth of the stucco, layers needed to be placed and dryed over the course of 5 days. They cleaned the stucco from the original builder and did a great job in matching the texture and color! Ready for winter!

Our chimney has needed tuckpointing for a few years and this was the year we decided it was time...well before it got to the point where the bricks would be damaged and end up costing us much more. We had our new chimney sweeping service give us an estimate that seemed very high, so we looked up a few other people who specialized in tuck pointing or masonry, not just chimney/fireplace maintenance. So glad we did because those estimates were easily $800 less! We chose Joseph James Construction (JJC) over the other contractors largely because of their response and personalized effort. One contractor told us they'd send someone out and mail us a quote. We got the quote but never met a soul. JJC sent out two guys who were very polite, informative, thorough, and direct. They worked up a professional quote right on a computer in their truck to hand me when they were done. The price was in the same range as the other lower bids, so we went with them. We delayed booking the work due to other unrelated issues, so I expected that we'd have to wait longer than the 2-4 weeks they initially told us at quote time. But the same day that the deposit check cleared, someone from JJC called to set up the work for the very next day! I don't know if we just got lucky and caught them at the right time, or if that's normal for them but we were very pleased. We were told it would take less than a day and would arrive between 7-8 am. I was pleasantly surprised when the 3-man crew actually showed up around 7:30 and got right to work, after establishing where they could access water and electricity for their equipment. After that, they went hard at it and were done before lunch. I was expecting to have to give them a check for the balance, but they left without saying a word. The original men who quoted the job returned two days later with a final bill, already adjusted for the Angie's List discount they advertised here; saying it's their policy to come and inspect the completed work prior to requesting final payment. Nice touch. Did I mention that the chimney looks great? It does. More than great...almost brand new. In fact, the original chimney sweeps were back out the next day to do the cleaning and admired the work...saying it looked "fantastic." I failed to take a 'before' photo, but I am including a picture of the chimney after the work was done. All in all, I'd definitely use JJC in a heartbeat for any home repair or construction project that they claim they can handle.

This company is top notch. Here's my story: We live in a seven-unit condo and from the day we moved in four and a half years ago, we've been having a leak in our main room. Our builder takes no responsibility, and so we have spent so much time and energy (and money!) hiring roofers, construction companies and masonry experts to find the source of our leak. Each time we think it has been taken care of, the leak returns. I finally called Joseph James Construction to see if they could help. Arthur and Andy (who were exceptionally nice and professional) showed up on time, took their shoes off at the door and spent about 45 minutes measuring, using a thermal imaging camera and crawling around out on our roof. They came back in and said they are pretty sure they found the source of the leak - a small hole in the masonry of the building. No one - in four and a half years - sighted that hole. You would have to be on the roof, on hands and knees to see it. They plugged the hole with a concrete-based caulking, and advised that we wait out several rainfalls to see if that really was the problem. They also took photographs of the hole, which they e-mailed to me so that I could share with my condo association. When I asked them how much I owed them for their time and work, they said, "We cannot charge you for this. Just keep watch over it to make sure that no more water is coming in. If the leak continues, we'll come back and do some more extensive work." We're still waiting it out to see if the water returns, but no doubt in my mind that I would highly recommend this company!

- This may be long, but when it is 'your' building, you want others to know the work done. - Did not know about this company. Got name from K. Wood of BaldEagle who my architect told me about. While discussing my siding and stairs w/Kevin, mentioned the need for a tuckpointing company I could trust to do very good work cause the brick on my building is unique. Did not like most of the work that I have seen done on buildings in my neighborhood over the past 2 years. By knowing what I did NoT want helped me distinguish the talks I had with other companies along with their proposals. Kevin's suggestion about JosephJames was great. Looked up their company on the Internet. Became a member of AngiesList to help me in my decision. This helped me verify JosephJames could do a very good job on my building. Called the company and spoke with Arthur, the representative. Felt very comfortable choosing them to do the work. I believe 1 reason was that I had a good idea of the work I did and did-not want for my building and expressed it to Arthur. Ted: the mason/tuckpointer. Kept me informed when necessary. Always felt comfortable watching him work and ask any questions. He also did extra: patched small chiped area on limestone An important factor, he worked on my building like it was his own! The 2 people who worked for/with him (apprentices?) were obviously trained by him cause it showed by their work ethic. If this was a public company, I would buy stock in it. Built in 1929,this building has been mine since 1985. Don't know if or when it was ever tuckpointed before. It looks like a new building now (or as close after 80 years). Going forward I can now say with confidence that this is the way these type buildings should be done 'if' you want it done correctly. Although price is always a factor, their proposal was competitive in dollars. In workmanship, they were thorough / professional / covered the ground of mine and my neighbors / cleaned up the debris each day and also where needed on the neighbors property. At least call them for their opinion and an estimate. I would tell all reading. I am unable to add pictures. I did send JosephJames pictures, so, be sure to ask ( Irving/Kedzie area). Thanks for taking the time to read my words.

We called 3 companies from Angies list for estimates. Art Jastrzebski and his associate arrived at our house right on time to give us an estimate. We walked around the house and they got on the roof and took pictures of the damaged chimney. It was a lot worse than I thought. Art explained everything that would be done and how long it would take. The estimate was provided very quickly and after some discussion they provided the "Angie's List" discount. The start of the project was delayed for several weeks due to all of the recent rain. Art kept in contact with us to let us know what was going on. Finally, the crew came to start work on the chimney. The crew set up fast and kept the area clean. The work on the chimney was completed a little ahead of schedule. Next came the tuckpointing and brick replacement. This crew was very good and worked fast. In and out in less than a day and the clean up was excellent. They even did a couple of things that were over looked on the estimate. The caulking team came next and worked very fast as well. They removed all of the old caulking off of 28 windows and replaced it with new caulking. They were in and out in a little over a half a day. Clean up was excellent.

They were very professional, punctual and responsive. They knew exactly what they were doing. Their pricing seemed to be fair. The quality of their work was very good and I was satisfied with their service.

I was very pleased with the work performed. They did a good job identifying the scope of the work that was required. Two other firms underestimated the work (in my opinion) by only recommending that 12-14 rows/courses be replaced. I believe that replacing the brick work down to the roofline was necessary based on the condition of most of the existing brickwork and issues with the way the existing brickwork was attached to the flashing. They were the only contractor to get up on the roof and thoroughly inspect the chimney before supplying me with the estimate. The new chimney looks great, the new poured crowns are very well done, and the new brickwork has been neatly attached to the flashing. Overall the quality of the work was high.