Star Tuckpointing Inc

They discovered the chimney needed to be rebuilt and added in for that. I observed that the front wall of the house could sue tuckpointing also, so they added 900 for that.

Our experience with Star Tuckpointing was excellent. Peter was very responsive to our requests for an initial quote and then a subsequent walk-through with another member of our association, as this project required a special assessment. Peter also took the time to give us his assessment of the project, which in his opinion didn't need to happen for another year or so, but we felt the urgency to go ahead with the project sooner. Peter and his team were prompt and professional in getting us a quote and the job done. The project has a 3-year guarantee and his quote was significantly less than what two other companies had quoted us for the exact same project.

We put a deposit down for this in November 2008, knowing that the work was unlikely to be completed in the Fall. Star called us a few weeks ago and did the work in around 4 days starting in late March 2009. We paid an initial deposit of around 10%. Star offered a cash discount and an Angie's List discount, and we took advantage of both. With both, the price was very close to three other estimates that we got (Star was a little bit more, but they recommended more services and a different product than the other vendors). One other estimate was nearly twice as much. In the end, I think that we made the right choice. The work looks very professional - we'll just have to see how well it holds up during the five year warranty and beyond. The caulking work seemed to be especially time-consuming. The product Star used for sealing has a five-year warranty - I'm hoping that it lasts for a good bit longer. Our building was poorly sealed when built and we had had increasing numbers of leaking through the open-face masonry block. Everything has been bone-dry in the two or three hard rains we've had since then. I was especially pleased with Star's responsiveness and willingness to explain what they needed to do and how they did it. Other companies seemed kind of standoffish about explaining the work that they were going to do and seemed to think that their "trust us" approach was the one I should accept. Star's guys (Woijtek and Peter) were great about spending a little extra time to explain the materials, process, etc. Also, Star is well-licensed, bonded and insured. That seems like a necessity for work like this, and I was surprised that other companies got defensive when we asked about this.

Everything went well with them. The work was not quite as neat as it could have been, but they got the job done so we were happy.

He was saying that I didn't need to have building permits. I didn't feel he had my best interest at heart. His estimate was not as detailed as the other companies I received estimates from. Peter was very nice. He followed through and did what he said he was going to do. I did appreciate all of that. He didn't mention how hard it would be to match the bricks because they are so old.

When the roof was repaired, they recommended the tuckpointing be done first. We found Star on Angie's List. The work was explained that needed to be done beforehand and they took photos. They tuckpointed the chimney and the supporting wall. They pointed out the chimney flue cap was missing and they also replaced the limestone cap. The finished work looked great. The brick and mortar was smooth and blended in very well. It looked professional and craftsman-like.

We had them quote the job in September. Their schedule was filled through November, but they were able to take advantage of the brief two warm, sunny days we had in December to do the work. It went smoothly from start to finish.

They were excellent. They did a great job, they were on time and finished in a timely manner.

They were professional, prompt and well priced. They seemed to be honest and did not run up the work to get more money. The work looks very good to me.

We had several estimates and this company was able to do a more thorough job by replacing the brick. They did a fantastic job and it only took them less than a day to do the permanent fix. They were a great bunch of guys and the clean up was thorough.

We purchased our home in July knowing that some masonry would have to be done eventually, likely prior to the winter. We got three quotes, one was very low with a very limited scope of work, the second quote was very expensive, had a tremendous scope of work and made it seem like the house was riddled with masonry defects. Star came in and gave us a reasonable quote addressing our concerns and helped us sort out what really needed to be done and what was "opinion" in our second quote. Their work blends in completely with the original masonry, everything went well, the work was started on time and finished in the time frame specified and before the first frost. The workmen were respectful and careful. Additionally, the foreman for the job was on site with his men for several hours EVERY day, not only supervising but assisting and working as well. They also took the time to educate me as a customer, enabling me to make an educated decision. They were very responsive to any concerns I had and were able to pull off some amazing fabrication projects in days that I know would typically take weeks. Star is a family owned and run business and they know masonry inside and out. They also know that with these older Chicago homes, they are forming a relationship with a customer who will be with them for years to come. I felt comfortable every step of the way and when all was done, the building looked fantastic, bright, regal, in a word renewed! And we have the peace of mind of knowing that the masonry was done right and that Star has been around in our Neighborhood for decades. We're very satisfied.

They were timely with their proposal. They were prompt with our inquiries. The workmanship was good. We did have a little question area that they promptly came back and resolved without any additional charge.

I checked Angie's List and then called Peter. We played a short game of "phone tag" because I teach and could not always have my cell phone on. He was prompt and polite in returning calls. We set up a time for the estimate. He called when he was en route and then arrived five minutes early (further proof that contractors seldom arrive when they promise, except that he was early!). He gave the estimate, was very polite and professional, and then he said he would need to call in several weeks because they were booked solid (Build a better mousetrap and they will beat a path to your door...). I was satisfied. We all want good contractors to stay in business and do well. He called as promised and soon Voytec, Peter's brother, and I met to discuss a drainage issue related to the roof and chimney repair. He was prompt and courteous. We arranged a start date and time for the project to begin and soon a crew of five or six men were working on our property. They gave me a narrow window for when they would arrive and showed up very early in the window. The guys were great. They were diplomatic with the neighbors and careful to minimize disruptions to our southern neighbor whose property almost met our wall. They worked hard, identified added areas of concern (a long-time and trusted building inspector had identified these exact problems recently also) and provided revised estimates should I decide to have the extra repairs done. The figures were very reasonable compared favorably with previous estimates (My inspector thought the figures were very fair also.) Without any prompting on my part, they fixed a forty foot downspout that was in pieces and was not part of the project. They cleaned up after each day's work and by the end, you could not tell they were there. I could not have gotten better service.

He came out and gave me a quote in Sept, but didn't come back until Dec to do it. I wasn't happy with the wait. It ended up being more expensive than the quote said, but the work was fine.

When they sent their crew on the roof they were all talking in Polish. The guy I was with told me that they were saying I had water on my roof. I went up on the roof to try and see what they were talking about and they kept distracting me. My roof is fairly new and I couldn't understand why there would be water. I just didn't feel right about it and I couldn't argue with them. They were nice, it is just tough to tell exactly what they did and what I was paying for.

When I called for the initial appointment, they let me know that they would not be able to start the work about for 6 weeks so as to not waste anyone's time. They showed up for the appointment on time, looked at the chimney and basement and explained the work they would perform to correct the issues. About 6 weeks later, they called to schedule the actual work. They showed up on time (!) the day that we agreed to, worked the complete day, and returned the very next day to complete the job. The quality of the work was excellent, the cost was very reasonable, the workers very professional, and the post-job cleanup was great. The basement was actually much, much cleaner after they left than when they arrived.

They were reliable and finished the job. They a supervisor that made them return to properly finish certain areas.

He was very prompt, showing up on time. He climbed up on my roof to look at the chimney to see what type of work needed to be done. He said that I could wait until spring for the repair. I was pleased.

I started talking to them 2 years ago when I first bought the property, always had time for me and never gave me the brush off even when it took 2 years to get all the budget parameters worked out. Work went great, guys on time, basic cleanup at the end of work day, and super big clean up at the end of the project. Clean up was very important since to gain access to east elevation they had to work on my neighbor's property. Concrete pouring was a big job, bigger than they could have known, no complaints, we talked, they needed to up charge since the pour was 6 inches thicker than the original estimate. No way they could have known that at the time of the estimate, concrete looks great, water run off perfect. Chimney was in bad shape, looks great, I got up on the roof a week after the work was completed, no mess left up there and the weather seals around the new cap look great. I will be using these guys in 09' for another masonry project. Family owned, no subs, I personally worked with both bothers and father through out the project. Nice to work with a family crew where everyone cares about the job and keeping a life long customer.

Very impressed with the Star Tuckpointing quote, in May, and how they answered our questions. In June we called them back to do the job in July, but our start date was pushed back by them a couple times from mid July to the first week of August. The job was scheduled for three days. The crew came early the first day and began cleaning and tuckpointing the front face brick (we didn t know how dirty the brick was until it was cleaned!). They also started dismantling and rebuilding the chimney on the first day. The second and third days, they tuckpointed the problem areas on the side of the house, the back of the house, inside around the attic windows and finished rebuilding the chimney. They promised in the estimate and when they began the job to replace several bad bricks on the back east side and in the attic but they talked us out of it afterward when we brought it up at the end of the job, stating the bricks were in decent shape. They did a good job cleaning up. A neighbor hired them later in the year, based on the quality of the job done on our house. We had a punch list after we looked over all their work on the job site and they agreed to all our requests. The brick cleaning, tuckpointing and the chimney look great. Thank you, Star Tuckpointing!

They came out and gave us an estimate, and it was really fair. They were very good. They were a little late but they called us and told us they were going to be late.

Crew arrived on time. Did the work as stated over several days. Just as they were about to finish the job it started rain. The crew removed their equipment to their truck quickly and helped me cover the knee walls with plastic. The heavy downpour caused a hasty departure for the crew. I assumed they were coming back another day since the space between the knee walls and sidewalk were not completed. I spoke with Peter and he had the job completed within a couple of days. I felt they did the job I hired them to do and the knee walls look great.

Although their workers were punctual for the job, they were extremely messy. They only covered the Northern windows and all of the rest of our windows were left filthy with the sealant. They left trash on our lawn. We had to call them back to have them fix visible cracks that were left and also to clean the windows. They barely cleaned the windows, or if they did they used dirty rags and now they are smeared. Our sidewalk and stoop are now spotted with the sealant and the workers' shoe prints and bucket prints- they didn't use tarps! We will see if the actual work holds for 3 years, but we will not be using them again in the future...what a mess.

They were great. They were prompt, efficient and very nice. The craftsmanship was very good. I would use them again in the future and would recommend them to others.

They completed all the work in a single day. It was all high quality and very clean. I would definitely recommend this company.