THE ART OF CONSTRUCTION CO

Stay away from this company, far, far away. What happened ... The two "carpenters" were told to put aside items from under the porch before demolition and the contract called for saving the bulkhead doors. Everything was thrown away except rusted empty paint cans. I finally figured out they did not speak English. After demolition, they started to build the deck and saw cuts were angled incorrectly, & they covered up some dry-rotted wood on the house. They then started to demolish my sidewalks (not in contract) and the wall with an axe. They managed to knock out mortar from my fieldstone foundation wall, and poured a small concrete pad for the stairs (no rebar or metal screening for reinforcement) that was not level and was cemented to my foundation wall (not in contract) They broke my patio stones and cemented them into the existing stairs that lead down to the basement door. When they had demolished the wall, they used my lumber which was in my back yard and demolition debris to make forms for placing new concrete for the wall. I did not give them permission to use anything and I find them using my tools to mix quik-crete. Some of my tools are missing (I opened the garage to give them an extra source of electricity, bad move). They then poured bags of dry cement mix into the form and added water and dirt and other debris and mixed it with my shovel. No rebar re-enforcement and no footing!! The concrete mix dust got all over my central a/c unit, I had to call for repair and cleaning. Plus they put a cardboard form for a round pier inside the mold for the wall! No reinforcement!! The piers were needed for the 2 posts that hold up the roof, but they did not locate them properly (no plumb line was used to locate the place for the piers), and they were totally out of alignment with where they should have been to contact the frame of the roof. The contract required that they make a ramp so my dogs could get out of the back door the first day. One the 2nd day after I complained to the owners, they took my old stairs, cut them in half and put them 18 in. below the door and added a little hand rail so that I couldn't open my back screen door. Then they made some narrow stairs two days later that my dogs could not use because the treads are only about 8 in. wide! They called in "their" structural engineer, Frederick Lam of Midlothian, and he said the concrete should have been reinforced, but they could use quick-freeze for it, and then submits a drawing to my town's code department calling for drilling a hole at an angle through the existing concrete wall and into my fieldstone foundation and putting a threaded rod in to anchor the wall to the foundation! The concrete has air bubbles in it! It won't last very long. I wasted 5 days of vacation on this nightmare, had my personal property thrown away, destroyed, or damaged, and things done without my permission or knowledge. They purport to have a Chicago general contractor's license - not so, says the City of Chicago - I am not in Chicago - so it wouldn't matter. But that's right up there on their website. Their being insured for $2M is a bogus claim as well. I've had to hire a lawyer to get my $3500 back and to have them pay for everything they damaged or stole or threw away. I wish I could give them lower than an F.

They had excellent quality work. They were very punctual. They cleaned up after themselves very well.

I think they did a pretty good job. They were on time, and they gave me an estimate. At the time, I thought maybe the cost might have been a little bit high, but I don't really know what the cost of reversing a door would be. Everything seemed to go smoothly.

When he came out to my home he was very nice, he told me that he would have a quote for me the next week. He gave it to me two weeks later and did it over the phone, leaving the price on the voicemail and telling me that he could e-mail me a copy if I wanted it. I called him back and left him a message saying that I did indeed want it, and he never got back to me.

They sent a guy to do the estimate who was very nice and professional. After several attempts on my end to follow up, I found that that person no longer worked for the company. They also happened to lose my estimate in their system. They sent out different guys and when the work started, all the problems started as well. The color did not match, there were nails sticking out everywhere, and there were many many loose boards. It was a nightmare dealing with this company and although they fixed the structural elements, they did not fix the color element to my satisfaction. I paid them off just to get them out of here.

The actual work that was done was done very well, I have few complaints about that. However the administration and scheduling was a disaster; this one month project was unnecessarily dragged out to over 5 months. Project managers would come and go suddenly; there were 4 in all during the entire project. Subsequent project mangers didn't know what had been done or not done, ordered, etc, causing many delays. Project managers had to run things by the owner for approval, which was also a frequent source of delays. Often the coordination of work didn't make sense: one project managers scheduled painters and hardwood floor surfacing before most of the construction work had started. As an example, the newly finished hardwood floors were permanently and deeply gouged by workmen dragging a washing machine over the new floors. My new doors received deep gouges as well. Many weeks would go by without a call or notice as to when the work would resume. They eventually left the job with my garage still filed with work debris and garbage. I had to pay someone else to come remove it after the job was done.

Paul is a delight to work with. He is an excellent communicator and responded quickly to all issues. He and his manager Doug were on top of the work being done, followed up effectively on all of the issues that arise with a project like this, and really cared about my satisfaction with the work done. And I do love my new bathroom. Paul went the extra mile -- helped me order accessories and tiles, met with me several times at the condo to discuss the work, and handled well a frustrating issue that arose regarding a surprise need to replace the pipes when they had to be inspected by the building. There are always bumps in the road -- needed 6 more special-order tiles to finish the job with one day to spare, lost a week of work time for the pipe inspection and additional work it required, and a shower door not installed properly the first time -- but Paul and Doug remained highly responsive and responsible for quick follow up. I would definitely hire this company again.

I emailed a request for information and received a response within 24 hours. Tom the project manager called and we set up a time for us to visit almost immediately. Tom presented the estimate in person, after changes were made to estimate Tom again visited with me to go over everything. Prior to my signing a contract, Tom spent time with me at tile shops etc to see what type of products I liked. He also did a lot of research regarding the jetted tub and helped me to place the order for it. I also appreciated Tom's ideas and input on some of the things I wanted to do. He went with me to one of the preferred vendors. You are able to purchase products from any vendor you choose. I chose to go with one of their preferred vendors because I was able to order everything I wanted for the remodel from them at a good price. At that point, I finally signed a contract to have the work done by this contractor. About two months later the work was started. There were several problems along the way, but Tom (and Andy) was always reachable so that quick action could be taken to keep on schedule. Project was started about 2 1/2 weeks before Christmas and I was promised it would be done by Christmas and it was. Andy, who did all the work, did an excellent job. Throughout the whole process, and even after the work was completed, (there were a few more problems) Tom and Andy responded promptly to my email or phone calls. My bathroom and bedroom are exactly how I had imagined they would be.

After I asked him about that, he told me he would get with management and get back with me. A man named Tom then came out and looked at everything informing me of what was left out. He took down all the information and came out again with a proposal for $3,900. But now that this happened, I question their credibility. I wonder if I use them if they'll give me quality work since it sounds like they're taking a hit loosing $1,000. I'm not saying that they would do bad work, but it does bring the question to my mind. They also changed the date on how long the work would take as well.

I could not have been more pleased with the service and the quality of the work. Paul was constantly at the site to ensure all subcontractors were timely, doing quality work, and creating minimal disruption. All aspects of all projects were on time and on budget. By far the best part of the experience with Paul and Art of Construction was the "after-the-sale" service. As you might imagine, with the significant amount of work to be done, there are always many "little things" that come up after the work is completed - on every single one, Paul and his team were back in a timely manner to resolve the issues. Add that to a fair price and good personal service and I am set as a repeat customer. Next project: bathrooms!

Everything was easy and according to schedule (actually ahead of schedule), the guys were great, courteous and incredibly helpful for the planning stages to the cleanup phase and I ended up with almost exactly what I had envisioned!

I made a total of three phone calls. The woman answering the phone was professional and took all my information. She assured me that someone would call to arrange a look at the project and an estimate. Although she assured me in each instance that someone would call, no one ever did. Since the leak was active, I needed to find another company, which I did.

Paul came to discuss the project and prepare an estimate to make the recommended repairs. What set Art of Construction apart from the other contractors was that Paul was part of the project team and not an "estimator". He was able to work with me to evaluate what we needed to do and tailor a project to address our needs. The other contractors seemed to what me to commit to more project than we needed. Art of Construction was very timely, and the crew was considerate and worked diligently and cleaned up. We did have some minor communication issues between my understanding of what was to be included in the project and what was executed by the crew. These were very responsively resolved to my complete satisfaction. I anticipate using The Art of Construction for an upcoming project.

The decking plank replacement turned out great. We're very happy with the results. The workers were thorough and detail oriented about their job. They didn't always show up 'on time' but they were never more than 30 minutes late. Nothing was left undone. Working with Doug, the project manager, has been a great experience as well. He is professional, knowledgeable, and friendly. He came often while the deck was being worked on just to make sure everything was going OK. I learned how much integrity he along with the owner has. I was provided with other alternatives to show me different price points, which allowed me to make the best decision. Doug has gone out of his way to assist me in getting a pergola built on our deck above our garage. He came with me to the city's permit and zoning office. Unfortunately, that is still in the works, but I feel good knowing this company would not jeopardize their business or their customers by doing work such as the pergola without a permit.

GREAT! Paul Baraz came out three times to ensure that he was giving us accurate specs for the job, and we felt that he gave us much personal attention. The sidewalks were done all in one day, and the deck work basically only took 3 days. The crew initially did not put lattice on the bottom of the deck as we had asked, but that was resolved quickly with one phone call. Both crews (concrete and deck) were courteous, professional, punctual, and respectful towards our neighbors. Some of the work that was done was rather loud and they were at the house at 7am, but they did their best to keep the noise to a minimum where possible. We were very happy with the job that was done. One thing that would have helped a bit was if we could have seen the lead person on-site first thing in the morning. We would be there to let the crew in before we left for work, but it would have been nice to have someone to talk to on-site each day.

In Feb. I called and left my name and number. A few days later, Doug called; he said he would look at the project and call me with a recommendation and estimate. I heard nothing and called in March. I was told Doug would call me. It is now April, and I was very nice throughout. Truly unbelievable.

Paul responded to my request for a quote very quickly. He explained his recommendations clearly and his quote was similar to others and fair. He stayed in communication regarding when the work would start. It was delayed slightly because he was not satisfied with the crew he originally had to do the job. His communication was good and I was satisfied with the explanation. The work that was done was excellent. Paul was on site every day the crew was at my home and reported their progress to me every evening. The final product was excellent. They improved on the original design so that the roof damage will not be a problem again. The concrete porch took way longer than it should have but Paul was fair in pricing and communications. The crew broke a couple of light fixtures during the course of work. They replaced one and credited my billing for the other two.

Paul came over on time, and spent an hour going over our stairs and decks to ensure he identified all work required. He even called the city engineers to discuss the violation to ensure he didn't miss anything. Very detail oriented and a pleasure to talk to. His people started the job on time and left the work site clean and neat every afternoon before leaving. They completed the work on time, and the city inspector praised the quality of the work when he came for the final inspection.

Paul Baraz is a man of honor - you can take his work to the bank. He has a great crew whom he supervised closely. Responds promptly to calls and emails. Offers valuable input and pays attention to detail. Would hire again & again. Great integrity, honesty, willingness to listen and fix smallest detail. Also great crew; went beyond call of duty. As with any contractor, ask for REALISTIC time estimate & you will not be disappointed. Keep up the good work!

I spoke with Paul and had a great conversation with him on the phone. I was doing a "pre-interview" for a 102 year old home remodel that consisted of ripping off the back of the house, remodeling three bathrooms, one kitchen, adding a master bedroom, dormers, etc. Paul met me at the house with my architect. I had several general contractors come out to meet and take a look at the job to give a rough estimate, see how they got along with the architect, and see how competent they were. Paul didn't take ANY notes (all of the others did), he said he would have an estimate to us that afternoon - on a $150K project! I would expect he would have put some calls into his subcontractors at the least. He never did send the estimate that day, but came through with a really high estimate about a week later - wanting to cut structural corners I believe. I would not use him for any major work and consider myself a fairly seasoned re-modeler.

A very satisfactory construction experience from the start. Paul Baraz, the owner, responded promptly to my inquiry for an estimate and described and presented his company's capabilities (portfolio of photos of their completed projects). His quote was competitive. He was easy to reach by phone and email and replied promptly to questions. His construction crew and foreman were very professional and completed the work quickly (staying on the job until complete). A miscommunication on a detail was quickly resolved and redone. Overall, quality of the finished work is very good. The job site was cleaned up satisfactorily daily.

The owner, Paul, was always responsive to our phone calls. He was helpful and made suggestions to solve some problems with our unusual deck/carport situation. Another contractor that had come to give a quote didn't even want to do the project. The workers were on time and cleaned up after themselves. There were a few minor details that needed to be taken care of after the job, and Paul's men took care of it within a few days. The quality of the work was even better than we expected and the job was done on time. I can't say that about too many contractors.

POINT BLANK, THESE GUYS WERE FANTASTIC. THE PRESIDENT OF THE COMPANY DIRECTED OUR PROJECT PERSONALLY, MANAGED HIS CREW WELL, AND GOT THINGS DONE IN A TIMELY AND ORDERLY FASHION. THEY WERE ALSO VERY NEAT. WE WERE SHOCKED AT HOW MUCH EXTRA WORK THEY DID FOR US AT NO CHARGE. THEY WERE SO HONEST! THOUGH I DIDN'T MENTION IT IN THE WORK DESCRIPTION, THEY ALSO DEMOLISHED OUR GARAGE-ROOFTOP DECK (CITY SAID IT HAD TO GO) AND RE-ROOFED THE ENTIRE GARAGE, TUCKPOINTED IT AND INSTALLED A NEW HEADER BEAM ON ONE BAY. THOUGH THE BEAM WORK COST $1700 (A DEAL), THEY WERE FORTHRIGHT ABOUT THE FACT THAT MATERIALS HAD COME IN LOWER THAN EXPECTED, AND PROCEEDED TO DO EXTRA WORK TO MAKE UP FOR IT AT NO CHARGE. PAUL BARAZ WAS THE NICEST GUY TO DEAL WITH AS WELL--A TRUE PRO AND GENTLEMAN TO THE END. EVEN THOUGH THERE HAD BEEN SOME CONFUSION OVER WHEN THEY WOULD BE PAID IN FULL, AND DESPITE A MAJOR DELAY, PAUL TOOK THINGS IN STRIDE AND WAITED FOR FOOTINGS DONE BY ANOTHER COMPANY TO PASS INSPECTION. A++