Dependable Construction

I was pleased with the work and Joe is very good about getting back to you when you call. After the work was complete, I inspected the job and found a very small crack in the cement used between the top of the flue and the brickwork, so I called Joe and he said that this is common when the cement dries and that he would come back out and patch the very small crack, which he did. So I am pleased with the work and the price was very reasonable, as I did get 3 other quotes on the same job.

.I was referred to Dependable Construction by Angie's List. Called them to set up visit for estimate and got that in a couple of days.I accepted the estimate and work was completed about a week later. I was very pleased with quality of work and clean-up.

They are excellent. They were polite, on time and the work was done well. Most importantly, the person who assisted us was careful selecting the correct stones to match the house and they were put in beautifully. I would use them again!

He didn't do the work. He sold an Angie's list deal for 4 hours of masonry work and then said he couldn't do anything in 4 hours. What's the point?

In May we began gathering estimates from companies to have some general tuckpointing done as well as some stone repair, window lentils and window weeps sealed, etc. We had three companies come out to provide an estimate. Joe arrived on time to do the review and provided us with a written estimate. When he didn't hear back from us, he followed up. (It was an email snafu on my part, not his.) His estimate wasn't the cheapest, it was the one in the middle we received. But he had everything on his list that the more expensive company had, and he was more responsive and friendlier. I figured that if I'm giving anyone $4000, I kinda want to feel like they like me. But aside from his timely follow ups, his being incredibly easy to get ahold of, his ability to answer every question we gave him, he also has a team that did great work. They showed up everyday for 3 days at 8am and worked diligently. Not only was it great to see the work being done so smoothly and quickly every night. I could tell where they stopped because the ground around the buildings was cleaner than when they found it. I also appreciated that Joe explained why the entire building didn't need tuckpointing, explained what the difference was between a lentil and a weep. Described how the damage we had occurred, and what we could do to make our mortar last longer. I imagine it will be a very long time before we need more masonry repairs, but if he's still in business when we do, I won't bother to get estimates from other companies.

Joe and his crew arrived on Tuesday morning at 7:30 AM and began work. They worked continuously for a week (including Saturday) during one of the hottest weeks of the summer. The crew (Wesley and one other person) performed an extensive tuck-pointing job on a graystone that is more than 100 years old. I bought the building a year ago, and it looks like the tuck-pointing has not been done in more than 30 years. The crew did an excellent job. Wesley was always willing to answer my questions. He even smoothly handled my somewhat-neurotic neighbor who interrupted his work from time to time with her concerns. I highly recommend Dependable and I'm puzzled why two other raters would give them anything but an A. My experience was entirely positive. I've already schedule Joe and his crew to return next summer to complete the work on my West wall and to pressure wash the front of the building.

I didn't have a good experience at all. The contract proposal was very one-sided and not consumer friendly at all. They were not willing to change any terms. I did not feel as if the Big Deal I purchased was being honored. I also didn't feel the fine print in the deal was accurate with the proposal. I became very skeptical about this company and did not want to do business with them.

I spoke with Joe to get a quote to rebuild a chimney. After some back-and-forth about the scope of my request, he provided a quote, and I sent him a deposit. He told me that he was backed up for a couple of weeks. I told him that I needed to know when he was going to start working a week in advance or so I could inform the tenants in the building. A few weeks later, I e-mailed him to ask when he would be available to do the work. He arrived the next day. No notice at all. Apparently, you should be careful to specify that the brick used in the repair work SHOULD MATCH THE ORIGINAL BRICK COLOR. I thought it was implied. He used an off-white brick to repair a red-brown brick building. Given the lack of notice, I wasn't there to see him start using the wrong color, else the work would never have been completed in this fashion. When I finally saw the work, it looks very well-constructed, but it is VERY OBVIOUSLY THE WRONG COLOR. Fortunately, it's on the back corner of the house, so it's harder to see. Be very clear about your expectations, and don't expect a lot of communication. But good price.

I purchased a 4 hour/$99 "Big Deal" coupon from Dependable Construction. The work the guys performed was on my chimney--it needed mortar repair. Joe B. and I communicated via email, which included me sending pictures of my chimney concerns. Joe scheduled a time with me and his crew showed up on time and performed the work within the allotted time. I have no complaints and believe they did a very good job. Materials for the job added another $25 to the total.

It went excellently, they found more bad bricks, and did them at no additional charge. They were so clean you wouldnt have even known they were here. I highly recommend them. Additionally, they replaced 1 screw in the gutter, inspected the rest of the gutters and replaced 1 more without charge.

Bought a $99/ 4 hours coupon from an Angie's list big deal. Joe was great - he came out to take a look at the project and scheduled us in right away. The 2 men that did the work were professional and very neat. They cleaned up everything at the end of the job and the repair work looks great!

Work was performed well, on time and with good clean-up. I was pleased with the professionalism of the final work. That said, Dependable Construction is using a classic bait and switch, offering 4 hours of service for $99.And then charging much, much more. Two masons showed up. Worked for 4 hours (8-12). Took lunch. Left at 1PM. Charged me an additional $300 for the assistant. The rationale behind this charge is that there were two workers involved in a very elementary (no brick/just mortar) basement wall job. The second worker wiped floors and swept. He, evidently, billed at $50 an hour. They two charged me $100 for their lunch.If you want them to do your work, they will do a good job. You'll just pay. . .a lot. . .for it.

All work was accomplished in a timely and excellent manner. The masons were polite, responsive, and straightforward. They took considerable trouble to protect our household with plastic sheeting and to clean up after their work. I highly recommend this provider.

We purchased a $99 big deal from Dependable Construction for mortar repair, which was worth two hours work for two employees. Because our work schedules are difficult and we were leaving on vacation within days, I called Joe, the owner, instead of waiting for him to call us after we purchased the big deal. He said he would come out to check the work we were requesting within a few days. By the next night he called to discuss the work and emailed an estimate to us, which was $725, which included the discount. We were happy with the estimate and gave the go ahead. Joe said when the weather was good he would be able to send a crew out. It had been raining, so obviously work couldn't be done. A week after our vacation, Joe called to say he would be able to send a crew out on April 6, which was perfect for us because we would be home. A two person crew arrived around 9:30 a.m., and we met the men who were professional and friendly as they were setting up work. They got to work, and worked for about five hours, rebuilding the corner so it looked like the bricks had always been there, plus doing all the other masonry work. They had to remove and return a long downspout to do the work around the bricks, and they did that without causing any damage to the downspout. All of the work was excellent, and they seemed almost apologetic that they had to leave dusty marks on the walls where they had repaired the walls. The marks were unavoidable and easily removed with water later, which we were instructed to do. Obviously they couldn't wash the marks off because it would damage their work. Joe stopped by to check on the work, and early the next week Joe called to ask how we liked the work and if they needed to do anything else. We were very happy with the work and would happily hire Dependable Construction again.

They were only here about 1/2 hour-it seemed that the 99.00 was a little expensive for the work. He also charged me a $10.00 material fee. I think that should not have been necessary. It took 3 phone calls and about 3 months for the service to be performed but to be fair the provider is from the Northwest suburbs.

From the time we purchased the "deal" from Angie's List until the completion of the inspection and repairs, we felt well-informed and confident the work would resolve our problems. Mr. Baran did not disappoint--he's thorough, competent, and very pleasant.

I signed a contract with Dependable Construction because I thought he was the most fair and knowledgeable contractor that came out. The job took longer to complete than I expected but that was because we were dealing with the City of Chicago. After the work was completed the front of my building looks great, and I am very happy with the work. If I need any other work done I will definitely call Dependable Construction and I would recommend him to anybody that I know. Leo

I called Dependable for an estimate. Joe came out on time and was courteous and polite. He answered all my questions with patience and knowledge. I decided to use Dependable even though they were not the cheapest estimate. I felt that he was the most knowledgable and fair. His workers were courteous and did a great clean up job upon completion. Joe personally supervised the job and was there once or twice daily. I was very happy with Dependable and would recommend them to anyone.

The workmen were punctual and efficient.

I don't know much about tuckpointing, so I can't say about the quality of the work, but his crew cleaned up, and the work looks great. He also had to do some extra work, and his prices on that work were VERY reasonable. I would highly recommend Dependable Construction for any tuckpointing work that you need done. He also took down my chimney, so I believe they do any kind of brick work.

They did the work in one day. They were polite and answered questions. They cleaned up after themselves so well I couldn't tell anyone had been there.

Dependable Construction is, without a doubt, DEPENDABLE. Joe Barron was on time with the project and on budget. I feel confident that, in his hands, any job would be completed to above average standards. He and his company are extremely capable and, in my experience, provide excellent work, true craftsmanship.

He came out and we talked. He was on time. The only reason he was on time was because he had locked himself out of his office. A few days later he gave me the estimate over the phone. It was for $4200. I asked him for it in writing, but I never got it in writing. I asked him to make some adjustments to it, but I never heard back from him. He did not follow through.

Last fall Dependable Contruction did tuckpointing work. Cement had cracked at back of building. Called Joe he came out and repaired at no charge. Very please with his customer service and work.

The work was delayed for some time due to the wet weather we had this spring. But, we did keep in touch with one another about scheduling and he got to our project as quickly as he could.