J Sitko Construction

Expediting of paper work was very fast. Work start took a bit to get started, but men worked through tough weather to get the job done. Final product is not perfect, but equal to what we paid for it. When adjustments needed to be made. Jack was very amenable. They also came back to check the work out and clean up when weather permitted.

At this time we are waiting for an inspector to help us prioritize the things we need done.

THEY SHOWED UP ON TIME. THEY CLEANED UP THEIR AREA. THERE WAS NOTHING FOR ME TO CLEAN UP AFTERWARD. THEY DID EVERYTHING THAT WAS PLANNED AND PROMISED. IF I HAD ANOTHER PORCH I WOULD USE THEM AGAIN. ALL THROUGH THE PORCH PROCESS I KNEW WHAT WAS BEING DONE BECAUSE THEY ALWAYS STAYED IN TOUCH, OR I WAS ALWAYS ABLE TO REACH SOMEONE TO ANSWER MY QUESTIONS.

Great work overall. It took some time to get a few final touches finished, but the porch looks great. Would recommend J.Sitko.

Our wood porch could have been repaired again and repainted, but that would have postponed the inevitable: replacement. We wanted no-maintenance materials which we would not have to reseal and repaint regularly and would stand up to the elements. Jacek demonstrated that he was comfortable working with composites and other non-wood materials. He worked with us to find design solutions like wrapping the treated wood columns with artificial materials, finding just the right materials for the decking and steps, and matching siding around the porch with the existing house siding. We emailed him and partner Mike Fredman a photo of a porch design we liked, and Jacek matched it, with variations we agreed upon. When we requested proof of insurance, it came by return email. Overall, Jacek and Mike were pleasant and easy to reach by phone or email and responded to questions promptly. We are delighted with our new porch by Sitko and the experience with the company.

The first part went well: we had a bid in hand in early May, with work scheduled for May 27th. Memorial Day and rain caused understandable minor delays and the bulk of the work was done on Friday, May 30th. We were assured that they would be back to sand the deck the following day, as there were bands of lighter color on the wood caused by strapping and we were anxious to seal the deck before it rained again. The second part did not go well. They did not return the next day, the next week or the next month. After multiple calls went ignored, a letter brought some action - on August 1st, two workmen showed up armed with one piece of sandpaper wrapped around a piece of wood. By this time, the porch had been rained on multiple times, cracks were appearing in many of the boards and several appeared to be warping. After about 30 minutes of desultory sanding and at least two calls that they made to their office, they left. Our porch is still striped, but we sealed it anyway to prevent further damage. We sent another letter indicating that since the job had not been finished, we were not going to make the second 50% payment. We have heard nothing from them since. While some might think we "got a deal" because we paid half of the agreed upon amount, we wonder what our deck will look like when the warranty is up next May. We don't know if rain did all the damage or if the wood used wasn't first-quality. We wish we had read the Angie's list comments more thoroughly. Apparently, J. Sitko Construction gives better service if the job is an expensive one. Buyer beware!

All the details were handled by the company from start to finish---permits, architectural drawings, hauling of debris, etc. All details I asked for were taken care of. I've done construction myself when I was younger so I am familiar with how a job can be complicated if you have a 100yr. old building.

They did a good basic job of remodeling the room. The work done was excellent and I think it was done affordably. The work was done in a timely manner, but wish they would have been more creative with the room.

E-mailed Mike Fredman for an estimate 6/11, received a response that evening and scheduled an appointment to obtain measurements 6/13. Jack came out and measured the area and said he would have an estimate by the end of the day. At about noon, I had an e-mail from Mike with the deck estimate. Called Mike to say we were going to go ahead, and he asked if they could come out on 6/16 to start work. I said, "Sure!" and they came out early Monday morning, demolished the existing deck in about an hour, and had the majority of the new deck done by 6pm. The debris from the old deck had already been cleared by the middle of the day. The next morning they came out to finish the job, and the deck was done by 2pm! I was pretty impressed by their work, but the next day wasn't happy about how it looked below the deck (the concrete slab underneath and the walkout basement steps just looked ugly) and wanted to add lattice skirting to the bottom of the deck. I gave Mike a call, and he called Jack to get pricing on cedar lattice, and he said they could be out the next day to do the work. The lattice gave it just the right touch, and we are EXTREMELY excited to have our lovely deck just in time for the summer! Would highly recommend J. Sitko Construction and will definitely use them for our next remodeling project!!! Thanks Mike, Jack, and crew!!!!

Spoke with Mike who confirmed the scheduled appointment by email, including helpful info. Jack simply forgot the appointment. He was honest in saying so, and arrived on time when next scheduled. Jack agreed to do all three jobs. He was clear that they did not sell doors; we would be responsible for sourcing/buying them. This appears to be the norm for many construction and general remodeling firms. Quote and contract arrived by email from Mike the next day: railings only. Door replacement quote/contract would come after we selected the doors. Jack had told me to expect a labor-only quote on the doors. No biggie for that to be handled separately, I thought. Clarified to Mike that I did want to go ahead with the repair work. Fine with me if they wanted to write it up as a separate contract. Turned out, though, that Jack decided he didn't want to do the deck/wall repair after all. So much for what was said during the on-site visit. Neither Mike nor Jack bothered explaining why Jack changed his mind about doing the repair. Which prompts me to wonder: Was he ever serious about doing that work in the first place? After all, nothing about the scope of work changed in the interim. What began as a trio of jobs, turned into a quote on one...a pass on another...and a "do later" on the third. Not the sort of behavior I reward.

If we hadn't gotten a very personal referral for another company, we would have chosen J Sitko Construction for our project amongst the other 5 or 6 companies that bidded on the project. We appreciated the Sitko's knowledge of city codes, professionalism and willingness to work within our budget, and their price was right.

Both Mike and Jack were great to work with. We got an original quote and then about 6 weeks later decided to do the work. Jack came out and discussed the details and the crew started on time and finished the project on time. We had a couple of items we wanted to discuss once the project got started and Jack came out early the next morning to make sure we were clear on the details. The deck looks great and we appreciate the wonderful customer service!

They are easy to work with, flexible, and lastly they are easy to get a hold of.

Showed up 45 minutes late without calling; parked in neighbors driveway (which created problems); never sent quote.

Overall, the job went great. The porch came down. The new porch went up. The roof was put on. Gutters and downspout were attached. Electrical work was upgraded with motion sensor lights. (An unexpected bonus.) At the final inspection we found a few items that needed to be addressed. They were taken care of in less than 48 hours. (Cigarette buts had been left in our side lot and they were picked up as well.) Sitko constructed a well built, structurally sound porch. The reveal for the metal brackets was slightly unsightly, but that's the new building code. The new porch will last for at least another 100 years. Sitko did a wonderful job. No complaints whatsoever. I would highly recommend J. Sitko Construction and will use them again.

I believe I was the first to ever submit a report on this company (December 22, 2004) for a $35,000 deck rebuild they did on our six-unit condo. We had been really please with them three and a half years ago, and knowing this, I would have presumed that we would have received top-notch service from this company. While they were quick to call us when we inquired about our major home rehab project, they NEVER got back to us with their estimate (which was promised in what should have been about less that four days). We followed up twice after the supposed date we could expect our estimate. To say I was disappointed is an understatement, given I probably got their business going by putting it on Angie's List in the first place. This home project we're doing will cost probably between $150-$200,000 dollar so I'm really unclear why any contractor in this economy wouldn't call back. I'm glad we've found someone more reputable to work with. Seek a contractor elsewhere.

Overall it went very well. They did everything they said they would.

The project went fine except for a snag with the unit owner's debating over the placement of the stairs. Jack, the owner, was very accommodating and helped us come up with a solution to make everyone happy - he did some extra work, at no additional charge, to make it happen (he moved a fence and cut a concrete stair for us). Note: they provided over 50 references. I checked several similar jobs in my neighborhood and everybody spoke very highly of Jack and the crew. Mike, the estimator and salesman, was very efficient and friendly.

Sitko Construction did not fax the estimate on Monday. One week later, on the following Monday, I contacted Sitko and asked about the estimate. Mike Fredman stated that they were having a hard time finding a supplier of a certain wood type, and he asked me for more time to send the estimate. Another week went by with no estimate. I emailed Mr. Fredman and asked about the estimate. He responded that "I do not like your attitude - we are not obligated to quote on your project or anyone else if we choose not to." In my opinion, this is not a contractor you want bidding your projects. Estimated cost was $10,000.

Mike (in the office) promptly answered calls, and he came out with Jack to give an estimate. They were friendly & easygoing. The contract process was pretty easy and they were willing to do some really custom stuff for us (we changed the deck plan a couple of times, and they poured a concrete pad in the backyard for us to build a hot tub). The workers were nice & really did a good job - we were very happy with the finished product. They did have to fix a few things along the way (and even after the fact) but continued to be responsive. My only complaint is that it took twice as long as they said it would (over a month) because they failed to show up several days when they were supposed to, and would sometimes only stay a couple of hours. But unfortunately, I know that is par for the course when it comes to a job like this. Bottom line - our deck looks great and I think we paid a fair price.

Great! They were responsive, professional and very skilled. After dealing with repeated incompetence (contractors not returning calls, not showing up for appointments, failing to submit bids, etc.), it was refreshing to work with J. Sitko.

It is always stressful working on something to satisfy all of the City Codes & correct violations. This company helped to ease the process & alleviate stress by doing a good job.

Overall it was a good experience. Unlike a number of companies that tried to talk us out of getting a permit, Sitko handled every aspect of the permit process and obtained a permit much more quickly than I expected. We did have to call and ask when they intended to start working, but once we did, they came out right away. The whole process -- including tearing down our existing deck and building the new one -- took about two and a half days. My only issue was that they left our yard a little messy (we had to pick up a lot of nails, splinters and cigarette butts before letting our toddler into the back yard).

J. Sitko Construction scheduled time for an estimate very promptly, but arrived late. I had to call to determine if the appointment should be rescheduled. When he arrived to review the project, he only looked around for 5 7 minutes, said thanks, and that I would be receiving his proposal later that evening. And much to my surprise, I did. He was proposing similar construction, as that proposed by the others, which were 3 and 4 times his proposed cost. However, it was not prepared in enough detail to make a comparison. His proposal seamed to good to be true. I believe he would have done an excellent job, but price and proposal details became the barrier.

Michael Fredman set up appointment for estimate with Jacek ("Jack") Sitko. Jack arrived on time and gave us a competitive bid. Received a written bid from Michael through email that evening. Michael followed up to discuss. After a few modifications, we accepted their bid. We couldn't be happier. Workers showed up on the dates and at the times we were told and worked very diligently. They were mindful about dust and cleaned up work area each evening. They worked out and completed all details for baseboard heat, masonry and wood trim to accommodate the new sliding glass doors. All work was skillfully completed. Although there was some miscommunication on the shape the deck, one call to Jack and he had his workers redo it the way we had intended. Their craftsmanship on the deck and door installation is excellent. Jack and Michael have an excellent system worked out. We have already used them a second time for another project and were again completely satisfied. Highly recommend.