J Sitko Construction

We were referred to J. Sitko by a trusted professional so we had high expectations. We scheduled an estimate and nobody showed up. I called Mike and he didn't sound apologetic and was not overly concerned about our experience. I would not attempt to work with this company again.

Mike Fredman was the contact person to get a quote and answer questions. Mike was very knowledgeable and prompt with his responses. It was a little more difficult to get a contract/revisions from the owner, Jack Sitko, because he personally is involved on each job, but Mike intermediated well. The crew did a good job on the tear-down, which involved navigating through several neighboring townhouse patios, since there was no access from the street. Work was completed within a reasonable time frame. There were several items needing adjustments on completion, and Jack responded promptly and satisfactorily addressed all issues.

So far, the architect came out to draw the plans up and submitted to the city for permits. While most other deck companies skip this step, my deck will be elevated and I absolutely want to be sure it's safe. Recent porch collapse in Evanston again. This does delay the process some but well worth it. The architect was very quick and knowledgable about the process. His drawings were lovely. Then, the process is handed off to Eddie, who I met with originally in person to see the space in person. Eddie's team came today to start destruction of my old deck. His team was polite and quiet and worked very fast. They cleaned up their work and all debris immediately from the old deck. They dug holes for the cement/posts and will return tomorrow. I will continue the review when the work is complete, but I have nothing but positive things to say so far. I do feel that these deck companies, and landscapers are extremely overwhelmed this time of year. It really may not be possible for them to get to everyone immediately, so i feel a little badly that they have gotten such poor grades of late. Sometimes you have to wait to work with good companies who know their trade, especially when it's 'high' season for whatever the business is. So, please give them a chance if you're reading this review, I think you'll be happy with the work in the end.

I live in the city without a back yard. I wanted a deck built so my family (children & dogs) would have an outdoor space to enjoy Chicago summers. I interviewed several contractors and gave all them the same needs - make the most use of my property line and give me a space my dogs can go down and do their business on their own, with the least maintenance. Jack listened and came up with the most creative plan. He decided to build my deck out of steel with composite decking. I had shared with him different ideas but he always put safety and ensuring he could build the deck to code first. Comparing his rates to others, they weren't the least expensive but they weren't the most. I had to save money before we could move forward, but once we had the funds, we moved forward with Jack and his team. The contract was very straightforward and they had put everything in I requested. When the work began his workers came everyday (even in the rain) and on time to get the work done in the promised two weeks timeline. His team worked very carefully and paid attention to the detail of the work. They were also very respectful of our neighborhood, and neighbors (worked in our back alley so always moved their cars/trucks when people needed to pass.) They also kept their work area clean. We had a few small changes to the original plan as they built the deck and we saw how things were coming together. Jack was very flexible and made the changes with reasonable price adjustments and was still able to meet our two week timeline. Mike, the office manager was consistent and always replied in a timely manner so I was able to get my questions answered. Once the job was completed, Jack came back to fix a few minor items we found without additional charges. Jack and team built a BEAUTIFUL deck! He promised me we would have the best deck on the block when he finished and we certainly do! Many neighbors have asked for his number already. THANK YOU for a great experience!

I called the office and they said they would get me a quote by the end of the week and received nothing from this company. If they were too busy, they should have just told me.

I contacted Sitko Construction and talked with Michael Fredman, owner. I explained to him that I owned a 2-flat building on Chicago's souhside. The 2nd floor enclosed porch is constructed of wood. It is an add-on to the original building, which is over 100 years of age. In one corner of the 2nd floor porch, the wooden porch is pulling away from the original brick construction of the building. His worker, Greg came out about about 12 days ago to look at the job. He told me that the porch would probably have to be rebuilt. He said he would go back and confer with Mike and send me a proposal, probably by the end of the week. Tuesday of this week, I hadn't heard from Sitko, so I called. Mike said he didn't know, but he would ask Greg where the proposal is and send it to me. I received the proposal today, and it was not clear. From the scope of the work and the cost, it appeared they were rebuilding two porches, for both the first and second floors. My porch is different from the second floor, because it is a room with heat, drywall and built-ins. So, I called Mike and left a message. He called me back. I asked him if the project was to rebuild both the 1st and 2nd floor porches. He said he didn't know; he'd have to call Greg. The next thing I knew, I had a dial tone in my ear. A few minutes later, he called back and had Greg on the phone. So, I asked Greg about the scope of work. He said yes, the job called for total rebuilding of both porches. I told him he hadn't even looked at my porch, so how would he know what was required since it is different from the upstairs porch. Mike told me he didn't need to look at my porch. So, I told them my porch is constructed completely different. Mike then said, "Well, you don't have to do anything," in a rude manner. Then, he said, :"Arent't you getting other quotes?" in the same tone. So, I said to him, "I know I don't have to do anything." I then hung up the phone. I felt Mike, in both conversations, had been abrupt and condescending. I know I don't have to do anything with his company. But I would not have contacted them if I wasn't interested in having the porch repaired. I was only trying to understand the proposal, and the need to rebuild both porches. It appeared clear to me Mike was not interested in answering my questions. I will never again call this company for work I need to have done. The owner was rude and unprofessional.

The initial contact/response was timely. We scheduled an appointment for the estimate and discussed the project. I followed up a few days later with photos for detail options. Got an email on 4/21 that I'd have an estimate by the end of the week. I followed up on the estimate request a week after his date. Same reply about getting it by the "end of the week". Followed up again on 5/8 and asked if I should just move ahead with another company. Got a reply saying they were very busy with other projects and I should probably find another contractor. Glad I finally got a straight answer, but it took a month to get there.

It went bad. He initially did not state that they don't do sheds. He asked for my address and once I gave it to him, he then he stated that they don't do sheds & that they only do porches etc. I feel like I was discriminated against. He could have simply said that they don't service that area.

Demolition began and ended as promised. All debris was removed from back yard the same day. Construction of new back porch commenced immediately upon completion of demolition. Basic construction of new porch was completed in three days. The back porch appears to be constructed of excellent quality wood. After new porch was erected J Sitko construction immediately returned and sanded all surfaces that might deliver splinters or cuts. I am impressed by all I have seen of the details of construction. Large through bolt fastenings have been used in all high stress area. Footings have been provided to ensure proper drainage for all members that contact earth. We are extremely pleased by the work of Sitko construction and also pleased by the politeness and courtesy of their employees. We will be having additional projects and Sitko will be the first company called. Well done Sitko Construction.

I had a very positive experience dealing with J. Sitko. They gave me a fair price. They did a great job changing my deck according to my specifications. When we asked J. Sitko to make some changes to their existing work, they did it without any issues. They were very responsive to any of my concerns or questions. They went out of their way to accommodate my timing. The work was done in a very prompt and professional manner. I would definitely recommend their services and use them in the future.

I called Michael Fredman for an estimate and he was able to provide Jack from J Sitko Constuction to fix the carpentry violations and Eddy from E&B masonry for the brick/tuck-pointing work. The work involves rebuilding two chimneys, tuck-pointing four sides of the building, tear down two rear porch roofs and replace rear stairs going to the 2nd floor. But Michael was a huge help in leading me through the building code violation procedure. With his recommendations I had to get a plat survey for the architect, get architect drawings then apply and get the city permits. Since this was my first time with city violations, Michael?s experience and knowledge in this was reassuring. With permit in hand, Michael acted as the coordinator between me and the carpentry and masonry work. For instance, the tear down of the porch roof and rear stairs had to wait until the work on the 2nd floor chimneys was completed. Then Jack came in and tore down the rear porch roofs and 2nd floor stairs. Now without obstructions, Eddy returned to complete the tuck-pointing around the building and brick up 3 windows that was partially covered by the stairs. Finally when Eddy finished his work, Jack returned to build me a new set of 2nd floor stairs according to city code. The masonry work looks great and the new stairs are solidly built (and a bit wider than the original stairs). The construction materials were top notch. The new stairs constructed by Jack made the original stairs like they were built with sticks. I am very satisfied with the results. Michael was always in communications with me on each phase of the work. I felt confident in Michael, Jack and Eddy that they would worked together to get the job completed before my city court date. In the end the work was completed ahead of time and my building passed the city inspections.

Mike Fredman was extremely helpful, courteous and punctual at every phase of this project. He made the whole interaction with the company very smooth and painless. There were quite a few changes and revisions I wanted to make during the architectural drawing phase of the project. Sitko was very accommodating and willing to cater to my needs. Once the building began, the work went quickly and smoothly and the end result is exactly what I had asked for. I am very happy with the new back porch and I would definitely use Sitko again.

The estimation came in a week later as Jack said. Price was good and signed contract. Work started next day for deck foundation. A 23'x7' deck on 2nd floor high was done in one and half day (Thu and Fri). While deck is going on, patio door opening started and door (I provided patio door bought from Home Depot) got installed on first day. Old windows was removed and new windows installed (I provided window bought from Home Depot). The carpenter left the window and patio door external aluminum capping unfinished and did not show in Sat and Monday. My 2nd payment paid on time. Finally on Tue main exterior work completed. I finished up some minor work myself. In General the work process were fast and well done. i'm willing to introduce them to my friends.

J. Sitko Construction was one of 3 companies considered for this project. They were chosen because of the prompt and professional way that Mike Fredman responded to our requests, as well as their clear and unambiguous proposal, including payment terms. Plans were prepared by an architect, construction was begun and completed within 2 days. A crew of 3 workers were on the job at 7:30 each morning and did not interfere with out family's schedule or activities. Waste materials were removed upon completion. Because of a local building code requirement regarding handrails, Sitko was required to return twice to make the necessary modifications. This did not require significant delay or any additional cost. All in all, I was extremely satisfied with the quality of the materials and workmanship of the deck, the value received for the cost, and - above all - the professionalism of the provider's organization. I would recommend them without reservation.

Jack Sitko came out on July 29, 2014 and looked at the job I needed done, a front porch put back on a Victorian that had been taken off about 60 years ago. He asked a lot of questions which I liked and asked me to send him he architects drawings and elevations so he could come up with an estimate. I sent the drawings. The middle of August, 2014 I called Mike Fredman to follow up and he said he had gotten the drawings and was still working on the estimate. I emailed Mike on August 29h asking for the status of the estimate. He emailed back on Sept 4th, 2014 and said that he didn't think they had time for the project but could recommend someone else. I emailed back and asked why it took so long to decide they didn't want to do it and why not tell me instead of waiting 5 weeks. I emailed him back telling him I got them off Angies list and they came highly recommended and how very disappointed I was . He immediately emailed me back saying he'd try to have a estimate ready ASAP. Needless to say I wont't be using them. Extremely disappointed with their poor customer service. This was a $15,000 + job for them.

Rushed home from work to make the agreed upon appointment time. Gentleman showed up 20 minutes late and stood out front to look at the three columns/porch in question. Told us the columns looked like they were leaning (yes, that's why we called you) but said he thought repairs could be delayed anywhere from a year to maybe five years. (Later confirmed by a structural engineer not to be true). Asked what the repair would involve if we chose to move forward and a few options were outlined. We had to make the request for an estimate to be sent and were told it would be available the next day. No estimate was received so we followed up and told they would send something ASAP. Almost a month later and we have received nothing.

Everything went well. I am pleased with the work and the fast response to my little complaints. Complaints: they pieced the facing on the bottom step instead of giving me a full board; the handicap rail installed was not steady enough; a nail pierced the plastic covering on one of the rails. They replaced the facing; they installed metal railings, which are really sturdy; they sanded and painted the nail pierce. Everything is to my satisfaction. The carpenter was wonderful--old school European. Would definitely use them again. Mike in the office was very helpful in getting the carpenters back on the job.

I really wanted to like J Sitko. My initial experience with J Sitko was very positive. The job was scoped in a reasonable amount of time, price wasn't bad, and work began very quickly after the contract was signed. Mike was very responsive, courteous, and professional throughout the whole process. However, Jack and the crew that did the work didn't seem to be in sync with Mike, and were unreliable. Although I appreciated the work starting as soon as it did, Jack told me they'd start the following week. No big deal, but it'd be nice to know when things are actually happening. I also felt like I had to stay on top of them to follow my architect's specifications, which ultimately were not followed in some cases. However, the work has been described as "sufficient," and I'm hoping that since these guys do this kind of work all the time that they made the right sizing and materials choices. I'm suspicious of the bolts used to fasten the beams to the posts (treated lumber) as well - I'm not sure if all of them are galvanized. Nonetheless, I will be keeping a sharp eye on things. Hopefully I don't have to try and get them back out to fix anything as I can't imagine it'd go smoothly. Lastly, two electrical junction boxes that were removed to do the work were never reconnected, which I was told would be done several times on specific days. It never happened, and they have my money, which was a dumb move on my part. I've given up and will do the work myself. Again, not the biggest issue as I do electrical work all the time (and I trust myself to do it the right way), but it's just another case of not doing what you said you'd do, when you said you'd do it. I don't mind when schedules change, that's just how business works sometimes. But to say you're going to show up at a certain time, or do certain work, and you just don't without informing the customer directly and you make me chase you, that's just bad business.

Appointment was made with Mike and Jack came out to inspect the old deck. The quote was sent to me by email that evening. We went with J Sitko and our deck looks really good, professional, quality work. The quote may have been pricey, but it looks great. The work was completed in 1 day. I noticed the deck had not been stained and I called Mike and spoke with Jack and he agreed to stain the deck to match our neighbors at no extra cost. We live in a townhouse development and all decks must match. If you use J Sitko make sure you request stain in contract if that is what you want or if you have a very old deck where the stain can no longer be seen because of dirt or weather.

The workmanship was excellent and resolved a problem we have had for years. Would definitely recommend.

My whole experience with this company was strange. The initial appointment had to be re-scheduled (no big deal) and Jack came and looked over the job and said it was a simple job and would send me a quote. Several days later, Mike sent me a quote but it was missing some key points and had details from other jobs in it so I asked him to revise it. Three weeks passed and I received the revised proposal and as the reviews here were great and his pricing was good I wanted to move forward with him. I asked him for more detail about the job and then I asked for an additional quote as my neighbor also needs some repairs. I emailed and called and finally spoke with Mike who said he would call me back. He emailed me today saying they are too busy for my job. I just found the whole experience strange. I am not sure how they are getting such good reviews.

First, the final product is a massive three-story porch complex that seems sound and passed the city inspection. It is a vast improvement on the old structure and it generally looks pretty good. So, the major objective was accomplished. Also, communication during the process was generally good. Mike seems to work all night and all day. Jack was also available to discuss items of concern. Jack's crew worked in January and February of 2014, two of the coldest and snowiest months on record. Unsurprisingly, the project took a little longer than expected. No big deal. However, I was a bit disappointed in the overall lack of attention to detail. The work was just a little rough around the edges. Maybe this was due to the freezing conditions. Jack addressed some of the issues, but I was surprised to have to point out some of the problems. And my biggest gripe is the condition in which our yard was left following the work. I retrieved over 150 screws, broken saw blades, nails, etc., not to mention a window's worth of broken glass. And I gathered most of this only after someone had supposedly come to clean up. I realize it was a big job and the mini glacier in our back yard made an immediate clean up impossible.... but come on. That warrants a few demerits.

This company's pricing seemed reasonable. However, they missed a meeting that I left work early for, did not apologize, and then promised to give me quotes via e-mail by end of week. That still did not happen. When I called, they told me that I needed to be more patient. If you value your time, save yourself a headache and do not use this company.

I am very happy that I selected J. Sitko for my deck project. They do extremely quality work and are very easy to work with. I have a bathroom that I need to remodel and will use them for that project. I got 4 quotes for my deck and they were all right around the same price but I felt that Jack had the most experience, listened and offered suggestions, and wasn't trying to make it a much bigger project than needed. I asked them to look at my roof when they removed the old deck and Jack said it was in great shape and suggested they just do sealing on the outside as that was probably what was causing some of the leaks in my garage. He was very accommodating when I wanted to make changes or add the bench. They started the project just a week after the permits were obtained and they completed the project very quickly. Very positive experience working with them and very happy with their work. Would highly recommend J. Sitko. They recommended JSG Designs to do the architectural drawings and my only recommendation would be not to work with them! Stephen came out and we walked through the design of what I wanted and I gave him a picture of exactly what I wanted and he still couldn't manage to create a deck design of what I wanted. I wanted to do the right thing and get the permit and this required the architecture drawings but he was a big waste of money as I had the workers use the picture instead of the drawings. I tried to go back and forth with him but after numerous attempts he got close but just didn't pay attention to the details. It was a very simple deck design so rather frustrating that he couldn't get it right. In the end it was fine because Jack and his crew listened to what I wanted.

J. Sitko construction completely ripped down my old deck and installed a beautiful new deck in less than a week. From the first time I spoke to Mike on the phone scheduling our appointments which was painless. He even provided me an e-mail to show me the date and time for my convenience. The quote was detailed and explained everything I wanted done and more. Jack the other partner showed up on time and was extremely professional and easy to deal with. Jack understood what I wanted and did not try to oversell me on anything. Jack took the time to explain in detail what he would do with the old deck and that it was not even worth saving. Jack explained how long it would take his crew to build a brand new deck out of pressured treated lumber. The installed three gates, to prevent dogs and children from getting into the swimming pool and yard when we are in the house. Everything was sanded down. No sharp or rough edges. When one situation did arise when I wanted a gate added in, I thought it would be a problem. Nope, just mentioned it to Jack and he had his crew frame it in, in about a half an hour and in looks amazing. The simple little touches they do little routing the hand rails to give it a nice if finished edges. Make the deck that much better. Overall the company from top to bottom is solid and does outstanding work, I could not have asked for better service. They cleaned my yard up and left it looking better then when they started the job. The crew would even stop to talk for a few minutes to make sure we were happy and ask us about dogs and give us time to let them out in the yard while they were working. True professional. I will be using again. I would highly recommend them.