Star Tuckpointing Inc

Star provided a competitive and detailed bid. Peter has been very easy to work with. When it appeared that the onset of colder weather would be an issue, he provided an alternative sealant that could be used in cooler temps and detailed information on its toxicity. When we wanted to go with the original sealant, he agreed to return the bulk of our deposit if he could not do the work this year, keeping a small amount to guarantee us a spot on the work list for the Spring.

Peter was the first person I had out for an estimate. Based on his price and the reviews on Angie's List, I decided to go with Star. I had to wait about 6 weeks for the work to begin. They got an environmental permit from the City of Chicago for the chemical washing. Not every contractor does, my neighbor's company didn't. The permit cost $200 but they charged $350 to "expedite" it. I could have done it myself. When they started the job, the concrete removal was first. This went fine. When all concrete was removed, it was found that the sills on one side were gone. The garage did sink and I had to have it repaired, but this was not Star's fault. Overall the concrete job seemed good and was very reasonable compared to other contractors. The cleaning of the face brick with power washing resulted in water getting in the basement in a storage area. Thank goodness it was a Saturday when we were home and it was noticed. My neighbor also had the same issue with the power washing from another company. At the very least, they should let you know that this is a possibility. They also ruined a mailbox that was credited in the final bill. The tuckpointing of the face brick was sloppy. They didn't match the color of the mortar correctly and dye got on the blond brick. The rest of the brick replacement and tuckpointing was good, even though it was sloppy in some places.

Overall a very good experience. We received 3 estimates for this work. I was most comfortable with Peter from Star. He spent at least 30 minutes with me (in the rain) looking at all aspects of our building, answering questions and giving his recommendations. His estimate was in the middle on price, but I felt he was not over selling me on the scope of the job, and that his company's reputation was really good. The work was scheduled about 6 weeks out, which was fine. I ended up pushing it back a few more days when they called to start the job, due to my mother's illness, and Peter was very accommodating and understanding. His brother, Voytek, was in charge of our job. Since I was not at the building each day, he was always readily available by cell phone if I had questions. He had to deal with some of our difficult neighbors, which he did without complaint. At the end of the job, he walked me around all the areas they had worked on, to show me what they had done. Everything looks great. Because our neighbor blocked an area of a wall right after it had been rebricked, Voytek and his crew have had to wait 6+ weeks to return to tuckpoint it. I called him 2 days ago, now that the wall is accessible again, and they will be coming back this week to complete this detail.

My experience with them was not nearly as good as I expected. The man that came out didn't explain anything. He took one look at the building and gave me a quote, he didn't even take any measurements. I didn't feel comfortable taking the number and no other information.

It went well! When they power washed the building they sprayed debris on our windows. After talking with them about this they gave us a 75 dollar coupon to get them cleaned. They were very friendly and reasonably priced.

They were very knowledgeable about the whole process. They recommended additional repairs to be done, but I couldn't afford them at the moment, so they told me that they could do some small repair work to manage the problems for now. Peter, the gentleman in charge, guided me throughout the whole process and kept me informed of how well the progress was going. He also is the one who gave me an estimate and worked with my budget to get done what I needed done within a reasonable price.

Good; did the work exactly as agreed on; screwed up the bottom step of the porch a bit, but took money off for it; they might not give you the aesthetic you want on brightly colored decorative brick, they had to come out a 2nd time and clean it again after I complained; but the common brick comes out real nice.

To Star's credit, we were able to get the appointment set up quickly and the estimate came fast as well. While it was cheaper than the other estimates we received from our A-rated companies on Angie's List, I felt Star didn't have as strong a feel for the project as the others. Plus, the actual estimate document we received wasn't as detailed as the others which certainly played a role in our decision to choose a different masonry and tuckpointing provider.

Peter and his crew were great! They not only had a really reasonable price, but they removed all of the old steps and sidewalk and replaced it in just under three days. I regretted waiting. They were professional and as they made some alterations, they called us to tell us how they could improve their work with a minimal cost to us. I would hire them tomorrow to fix our back sidewalk if I could. Our sidewalk had been a disaster and was awful during the winter with freezing - it was like a frozen pond. Our mail carrier hated it. She actually thanked us for fixing the steps and sidewalk!

Peter came out today to check out the perimeter of our rowhouse (at least the back part that is exposed). I explained that we had some seapage during the recent Chicago rainstorms. I wanted to get some options for how to address it and I thought tuckpointing the brick might be one way. He told me (to the contrary of another company I did not have a good experience with) that under our deck looked fine and we just needed a landscaping company to change the grade of the soil and while the side area did need to be tuckpointed, it wasn't dire and he didn't think that was why we got seapage. He said I should wait and see if the adjustment we just made to our gutters/downspout would solve the problem. I thought he was honest about it and appreciated him not trying to sell me hard on his services promising it would solve the problem. He left me with a quick estimate on the tuckpointing. I will probably call them in the Spring to get this done.

They also did interior tuck pointing. They put installed windows that I had purchased. My experience with them was excellent. They said they would come at a certain time they came and did it. If not they called. They were some miscommunication but they fixed everything just how I wanted it.

He was very honest and said that tuck pointing was not necessary, and suggested a few minor things I could do on my own. He was on time, and overall I was very impressed with them. If I ever do need their service, I will definitely call them!

They did a very good job and I was very pleased with them. We got the lowest quote from this company. Every other company had told us to completely tear down the chimney, but Star told us that we could just take it down to code. They came out on time and gave me a quote pretty rapidly. The guy that gave us the quote was no nonsense and cut right to the chase. The brother of the owner, Voytec, was very service oriented, returned calls quickly, and was very easy to deal with.

My experience with them was around a B grade. They were on time which is great for construction workers but the work wasn't exactly what we were hoping to get from professionals.

I scheduled an appointment with Peter to give an estimate. He came the next day and provided an estimate by email two days later. Peter told me he could begin work 4-6 weeks after I signed the contract and submitted a deposit. I had to call and get an update on when work would start after 5 weeks. After determining whether a permit was needed from my village, Peter had the crew out a couple days later. Peter (different Peter) arrived promptly on Monday morning and had completed the work by the time I arrived home on Tuesday. They did a great job and cleaned up/replaced everything as it had been before they arrived. There was some slight trampling of the flowers on one side.

They came out and gave me a quote. Six weeks lead time, fine with me for I was having a new roof installed. Checked out 3 other tuckpointers but liked their work best. 2 day job, 4 men. A little wavy on the mortar, but was told that the its suppose to look.

The estimate was competitive. The estimator was knowledgeable. The work was completed efficiently and exactly as specified.

It went pretty well. They came exactly when they said they would be here. I accepted their proposal, and now we're waiting for the work to be done and for it to be scheduled.

They tuckpointed the whole 4 unit building, removed the concrete blocks on the roof, added flashing and reinstalled the concrete blocks.

I was very pleased with them. They came out the next day or two after I called. Peter said he would email us the estimate, which he did. They are very reasonably priced for the work. They did a great job. They finished in 3 days, which was the exact time they said they would.

This was an excellent experience from estimate to completion of the work. Peter came to give the estimate and was prompt and friendly. The crew who did the work were prompt, and cleaned up well after the completion of the job. The work itself took two days, with a visit on the 3rd day to remove the forms around the poured concrete top of the chimney. During the work, Voytek came to make sure things were going as planned; he also was friendly and professional. We will definitely hire this firm again; we have more work to be done on our house.

They came out for quote within 24 hours of first call, gave written estimate and once deposit was received they scheduled work for within 4-5 weeks. Work was completed at earlier end of range, in 4 weeks. Very thorough and professional, work was neat, area left clean. Rep. returned to site and did walk-through with me at end of job to ensure nothing was missed. Excellent service. I've used them before and would again.

I left a message and my call was returned the same day. They came out 2 days later to do a free estimate. We agreed to the work, but had to wait a couple weeks for availability. They arrived on time the first day and the three days of work. Very polite. Final product looks great.

I emailed Peter requesting a quote on some glass block and concrete work and received a response via email within 24 hours. Peter came out within a week to give me an estimate. He was thorough, answered a lot of questions I had and diagnosed the problem with a leaky glass block window (needed a new lintel). Peter wrote up a detailed contract and was flexible regarding some of the concrete work as I wasn't sure I wanted plain concrete for my new patio. Work was tentatively scheduled to start within 6-8 weeks (due to my availability). I paid 1/3 up front for the work. Between the estimate and start of work, I found a different company that could do stamped and colored concrete. I called Peter to let him know about the changes with the concrete decision, but did not receive a call back. When I returned from out of town (soon before work was scheduled to start), I emailed Peter, but received no response until he called to confirm a start time for the work. Despite the communication problems, work started on schedule and Peter was flexible about the changes to the job. A company representative showed up a few days before the work to double-check measurements. On the day of the work, Peter's brother and another worker showed up on time. Peter's brother was also able to diagnose a masonry problem in the garage we hadn't previously asked about, he said he'd be able to fix the problem on the spot and quoted a very fair price. Since the scope of the job changed between the estimate and the work, my down payment was more than the work that was eventually done, I received a refund check for the difference within a week of the job's completion. I am extremely happy with the work that was done. The people I have talked to are knowledgeable and professional. Star Tuck pointing does clean, solid work.

They were the best price of the companies I called via Angie's List. Peter was good about emailing me a quote for all the services. They gave me a time period when they could get to the job. After that time I emailed them to find out where my job was on their schedule. Peter emailed me back and set a time to come out to do the job. They came to the house, did the job and cleaned up. They had someone come to the job before it started to make sure everything was ready to go and again stopped by after the job to see that it was completed. Great job, I would use them again.