OWC Renovation & Repair

UPDATE: 04-29-2015: After the original post, Mr. Burns emailed me explaining that he was very sorry for not responding promptly. This was due to the the busy season starting and he was in the process of hiring additional help. Mr. Burns came to our home on 04-23-2015, and arrived at the agreed time. Very prompt. Mr. Burns listened carefully to what our project needs were and asked questions just to make sure he had a good understanding of our needs. He said he would get back to me in a couple of days with an estimate and he did. I thought his price was very reasonable considering the work that would be involved. In the end, we decided to put off the project until a later date.

It absolutely baffles me how a service provider can forget not one but two separate appointments in a row. I found Mr. Burns here and was quite optimistic because finding someone who can make a new exterior wood door (or restore a century-old one) is hard. On Wednesday March 4, I sent an e-mail to Mr. Burns setting up an appointment for the following Monday, March 9, when I would be home. We exchanged a series of e-mails setting the time for the appointment and the next thing I see, Mr. Burns writes me, "I'm on my way." What? Our appointment was clearly for the following Monday. In fact, the last e-mail I sent said, "My street address is xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx. My cell is xxxxxxxxxxx. I look forward to meeting you then. Thanks." Shortly thereafter I receive an e-mail from him: "Perfect. I'm on my way." What? I write back and emphasize that our meeting was scheduled for Monday. Does that faze him? Not at all: "I'm on my way it would only take 15 minutes at most to look at the door I will be gone [quickly]." The problem? I wasn't home. And that wasn't what we agreed to. That should have been the tip-off. So Monday rolls around. He proposed coming between 1 and 1:30 pm. His choice. FIne. 1:30 comes and goes. 1:45. 2:00. 2:30 Nothing. Not a call, not a message. Nothing. So I finally contact him. What happened? He forgot. So we exchange another series of e-mails. Set up another appointment for the 23rd at 10 am. Again, he picked the time. You guessed it. 10 am comes. And goes. 10:30. 11:00. Nothing. Not a word. This time, I don't even bother contacting him. And guess what? He never got back in touch. No call, no e-mail, no message. No apology for my lost time waiting at home while he forgot a second appointment in a row. He may be a great craftsman but he has a lot to learn about service--and about manners.

Unfortunately our financing option fell through so we are going to have to hold off for awhile. I thought James' bid was very strong and he considered our thoughts and needs in the process. Again overall a very pleasant experience in dealing with James.

Called James and he said he would call me right back. He didn't. I called again later and he said he forgot. OK, everyone does from time to time. Made appointment for him to come the next morning to meet me at the building. No show. No call -again. I called him and he was apologetic and said he was "in a meeting that ran long". I don't believe him. He forgot and just blew me off. Didn't call on either occasion so I wasted the morning trying to get this done. Would not recommend or call these folks again -ever!

My experience with James starting with the first job was excellent. I found him to be thorough and reliable. I was very happy with how detail oriented James is. The decorative borders on my front steps were particularly difficult to install and required a carpenter with skill. I had several quotes from other vendors and they were all quite high. James felt he could do it at a lower cost and he did a bang up job. I'm really happy with the work James performed and I feel like I found a good and reliable carpenter for future projects. I would recommend him without hesitation.

The team, (4-5) was diligent, well trained, polite and willing to take feedback, and make any adjustments, if necessary.As an example, they had a new employee on siteone morning who was not quite pulling his weight - he was gone the next day. Because they were so busy, it was a little difficult to get them started on the project, but once they did, the team was here until the end. The quality of their work was excellent and has held up very well. Daily clean up was OK, but they had to be reminded on a couple of occasions. Overall, I would recommend James and the team highly. They are capable and dependable.

We were a bit out of his area and he did not want to come this far.

There were two people here to do the work. It took them a lot longer than a week. I wish he would have told me upfront it would have taken longer. We had some delays due to the weather also.

He dropped the ball right after coming out to look at the job we needed done. Never heard from him after taking extensive notes. It was an odd experrience

My interior designer crafted a plan to modify some existing built-ins in a bedroom. I contacted three carpenters to submit a proposal based on the sketch provided by my interior designer. Based on other reviews I decided to contact Old World Carpentry, Restoration, and Repair. Mr. Burns arranged an appointment to come discuss the project with me and present a proposal. After he cancelled our initial appointment, he showed up on-time after we rescheduled. He was extremely gracious and personable when discussing the project. Within two days, he texted me a rough estimate for labor that was simply too high. His proposal wasn't the highest I received, but I did receive a much more competitive bid that included labor and materials from a carpenter who has worked with my interior designer on other projects. I greatly appreciated Mr. Burns's interest in my home and my project and I wouldn't hesitate to contact him should I need any other carpentry or remodeling work in the future.

We called Mr. Burns to install a mirror for us. He was on time, he came prepared to do the job and he was very professional. Mr. Burns is very fair and reasonable and we would like to work with him again in the future with a bigger job.

I called James at Old World Carpentry to provide an estimate for carpentry work. He cancelled 3 times, and always seemed confused on the phone. On the 3rd attempt, he told me he was out late the night before and wouldn't be able to make our morning appointment. I finally gave up an went with someone else.

Things went quite well. The framing was difficult because walls had been cut in half to allow for water proofing. James is patient and has an eye for the details of the work. The drywall mudding and sanding was done until the walls were as smooth as silk, which makes a big difference when painted. He even repaired part of a door frame that was water damaged. But the most impressive thing was that on the last day he helped me clean the room that was coated in concrete and dry wall dust, getting on his hands and knees to wash the floor. He also helped me hang the heavy mirrors and flat screen TV. James burns is quite a guy.

For the longest time we were trying to enlist a carpenter to repair the trim on our home. Since it involved a great deal of retrofitting and creative problem solving, we were having a difficult time finding someone to take on the job. James of OWC came out to look at the job at the end of May 2014. He was a quiet guy who walked the house with me while I explained what we wanted. After about 1/2 hour he said: "I'm your man" without hesitation. James and his men spent the whole summer working at our home. All of the painters were extremely friendly and professional. James was very proactive in pointing out potential problems and recommending solutions. He was able to fabrication railing posts (using abitron) which have been a trouble spot on our home since we purchased it in 1997. At the end of the job James volunteered that there were a few paint spills high up on the back of our home. He took it upon himself to rent a 40 foot ladder and paint over the spots. While the work was a bit more costly than I originally expected, James attention to detail, honesty, and skills were worth the extra cost. If you want a carpenter with great skills, creative solutions, and is responsive to your concerns, James "is your man."

The work was completed to my satisfaction. Good craftsmanship.

He was fine. He did a great job. What stood out was the quality of his work. He was in line with two other estimates that we got.

Very competent. My deck was destroyed by the ice falling on it this past winter. He completed the work in sufficient time and knew exactly how to fix it. The price for the work was reasonable. A little higher than the estimate due to supplies needed.

He came out to give me an estimate and I decided not to use the service.

Provider took a long time to provide an estimate . When the estimate was provided it was over the phone and the written copy was not provided at the agreed upon date.

Contractor came out to look at the work. I only wanted part of the porch repaired. Estimate was more than I expected.

I left 2 messages and called today and he has not responded.

James has worked for us the most of the last year. He has done built ins, crown moldings, beautiful trim work, a window seat, outdoor drainage and masonry. He is an all round strong worker. A good man that pleased us with his work and we came to trust him greatly. You can't ask more than that.

We are very happy with the wall unit. And when the shelves needed to be reinforced, he came out right away to do this for us, months after the original job.

We have worked with other contractors and whether they are able to take the job or nor, they do respond. A couple were not exterior carpenters, but somehow got on that part of the list - however, they did contact us to explain. Since this no response seems to have been an issue in the past with this company, it was felt we should post our concern If there is a reasonable explanation for igno ring the request for an estimate, then that should be clarified by the company.

Excellent. Work is fantastic - asked him to stay on and do more projects.