FIRST CHICAGO REMODELING

They were fabulous. Everyone was courteous and cleaned up every day. They arrived at 8 am every morning and left around 5-6 pm. We were extremely pleased with the final results of the project and would definitely hire them again.

Marian was very good to work with. He came to house and gave us some ideas on what we could do to update our kitchen without replacing cabinets (they are only five years old). With the new lighting and molding and paint, the kitchen looks beautiful. Marion's workers were excellent. They showed up on time, were neat, and most of all, they were excellent craftsmen. Everything they did was meticulous; the painting, repairing drywall, installing the can lights, the new molding, replacing baseboards, and building a window seat. I wish I could have found Marion when we first bought our house. His price was fair and the workmanship was great. I will recommend him to everyone I know and will definitely use him in the future.

Lets start with we are very happy with the remodeling job done. We transformed a shabby circa 1950 kitchen and bath into modern, efficient and beautiful rooms. Now our favorite rooms in the house. The Contractor Selection Period. We got quotes from 4 contractors before deciding to go with Mario & Co. While it did take several phone calls and rescheduling to get a time that worked for everyone. When Mario was with us he was incredibly patient. He even came back a second time when we had further questions. He gave us great ideas, candid advice and was not afraid to disagree if he thought something could be done better or different. The quote was competitive and in the end it was an easy choice for us. The Work Period. The work started on time and overall went smoothly. There were some hiccups example location of outlets and switches mainly due to lack of communication. By both parties. But in the end everything was resolved.

It was fantastic. I reviewed bids from six Angie's List recommended contractors. First Chicago was able to give me a fair estimate and was able to work within our budget. We scheduled the work for two month after the contract was signed. They started exactly when they said they would. The workers were very professional and were able to make a few modifications to the original plans on the spot. We are very happy with the results.

We have worked with First Chicago Remodeling before (complete kitchen/bathroom renovation), and Marian was the first person I thought of for this project. Even though this latest project was much smaller, our experience was exactly the same - great! Marian was able to quickly fit this 2-day project into the schedule, and the finished work was perfectly. Craftsmanship and attention to details (concealing gas lines, retro-fitting new moldings with old, etc.) are second to none. We have lots of ideas and a very old house, and we look forward to working with Marian for a long time. If you are considering doing a project, you don't have to consider anyone else - call them, and you will not be disappointed.

From the first meeting with Mariam, it went very smoothly. He helped us make decisions on how to open up the room and how big the deck should be. First Chicago started the work on time and we were very happy how the work progressed from start to finish. Whenever a decision needed to be made or items purchased, either Mariam or one of his employees discussed the options with us including any cost implications. Mariam's employees were extremely punctual. They arrived at 8 am every day and stayed late on critical days to button up the exterior. They worked late to replace the roof because the weather forecast called for rain and it did rain later in the evening. Where they opened up the family room, Mariam was able to find an exact match to the original 60 yr. old chair rail. For the baseboard, First Chicago was not able to find matching wood at any of the local stores or lumber yards so they took a sample and made it themselves. First Chicago's attention to detail was first rate.

Tom and his helper were subbed out by First Chicago Remodeling. Tom's company is Dom Improvement. I was happy that Marion decided to sub it out because we wanted to start this project immediately. Apparently, his crew wasn't available. There did seem to be communication problems between Marion and Tom resulting in some extra work for them and some areas remaining less than what we asked for. Tom and his helper worked very hard and showed a genuine concern for the quality of his work. Tom is a jack of all trades type and other than a couple spots his workmanship is quite good. I've used 1st Chicago before and felt that Marion's crew is higher quality. The work dragged out longer than expected and after some finger pointing, Marion sent his guys out to finish the job.

We met with Marian and he seemed to know his stuff. He was a bit opinionated about some issues such as refinishing our tub. He showed us many photos of kitchen and bath remodels. His quote consisted of a brief email. This was not detailed enough for us by any means and because of that and the fact that his price was the highest of the three bids we got, we did not select him for the job.

Marian was prompt in setting an appointment, arrived on time, walked through the space with us and listened to our requests. He provided a timely estimate with some suggestions we'd hadn't previously considered. Although we didn't use him this time, we'd definitely consider him for future work.

Overall we had great experience with Marian. Price wise Marian is reasonable but definitely not the least expensive. I would definitely recommend Marian for bathroom remodeling.

Marian and his men were professional, clean, and good at the work. We are very happy with the quality of work they did. They did not start the project when we thought they would, but made up for it by working overtime and completed the job before we expected it to be done. It was a great experience.

We had a complete bathroom renovation that included moving water supply lines, building and installing a deck for a drop-down bathtub, installing a double vanity, and tiling the floor and shower. Marian was great to work with. He was always checking in as to how we thought things were going. We had a few delays with HD getting our order right and on time, but Marian was able to work around it and get the job done in good time. We're very pleased with the work done, especially the drywalling and the tile work. We were not moved in at the time of construction, so an adjoining bedroom was used for work, but was cleaned at the completion of the project. Marian offered great suggestions on other areas of the house we were renovating ourselves and is coming back for a small project in our kitchen. He is also first on our list for future projects.

Marian was a pleasure to work with, he was thorough, from beginning to end. He accommodated all of the design requests we had after the project started (four new closets and many other things). Most importantly the quality of work is high. He wants his customers happy and we are.

Marian was very polite, took his time listening and providing ideas in our first meeting. I was interested in hearing more based on the feedback on this board and his general approach. Unfortunately, he determined the project was too large for his company at this time due to other commitments, so we were unable to progress further.

Very satisfied with the overall job, an amazing transformation of a dark and dirty basement that was only good for storage. It is now a very usable and brightly lit space for our family. This is our third time using First Chicago for remodeling jobs, I highly recommend them.

The remodel I am doing is for a small bathroom. This company didn't want to quote on my job saying they are just doing "very large bathroom remodels or new very large new construction" right now. I bid them farewell.

Let me start with the conclusion. I am very happy with the resulting work and I would & already have, called on Marian again. What mattered most to me, was not finding the least expensive bid (First Chicago was not). But rather being comfortable, who I was dealing with, ensuring open and reliable communication, phone always answered while my job was underway. And ability to work in an iterative manner where issues and there are always some, would be dealt with promptly and to my satisfaction. For those reasons, I recommend First Chicago Remodeling. Marian offered suggestions which were quite helpful for me. For the things that weren't right initially, I was able to leave notes, call, and/or email the summaries and they were resolved very quickly and to my full satisfaction. Marian puts a great deal of emphasis on customer satisfaction, which I think is the most important criteria for consideration. You'll need to participate a bit, as work is done but you'll be happy in the end.

Our first meeting with Marian left us with a great feeling. His presentation was very professional and provided loads of photo samples of work done on bathrooms similar to ours which was very helpful. Had great ideas - we appreciated the input. We had an issue with another company that caused a leak in our old pipes from the bathroom. Marian knew right away what the issue was and how to fix it and replaced it with minimal invasion. His crew (Andy) was great - very polite, professional, punctual and mindful that we had a 4 month old in the house. These guys understood our concerns with an infant and construction dust and noise and kept all of that to a minimum. VERY clean. End result is a fresh new bathroom from a gut rehab that fits the style of our home. Looks wonderful. Will have them back for other projects, planning on expanding a bedroom in late summer and will go nowhere else but First Chicago. These guys are top notch.

I called him on his cell and he said he would come over the same evening to do an estimate. He told me he would call when he was on his way. He did not call, did not show up. I guess he doesn't need any work from Angie's List customers.

Basement duplex from 1st floor. Followed my requests and contract except for single item. Marian was willing to haggle the price and make changes mid-work. His crew worked very hard and were here six days a week, 10hrs. or more a day until the job was done, with maybe one or two days absent. That's excellent in my book. Willing to let me play general contractor and schedule HVAC to be done simultaneously. Started about three weeks late, but not a big deal. I am currently strongly considering this company for work at another building.

We are very pleased with the finished project. Mario and his crew were very professional, pleasant and cleaned-up and hauled away the garbage each day. Although Mario was not on the job site daily, he always returned our calls immediately and took care of concerns promptly. I only have one comment that is negative; the crew was not on time two of the five days but this will not keep us from hiring First Chicago Remodeling to remodel our kitchen.

I made an appointment on Wednesday for this contractor to come to my home in Elgin on Friday night at 6:30pm for an estimate. When I called him, I told him our home is in Elgin and described the work we needed done. My fiance and I made a special trip to the house to meet this contractor. At 6:00pm, I got a voicemail from him stating he decided not to come because it was too far of a drive to go for such a small job.

We initially interviewed First Chicago Remodeling after reading the very positive comments posted on Angie's List. In our opinion, all of glowing remarks are well deserved. Marian was very responsive, beginning with our first meeting to discuss the project. Once underway, the work crew was extremely polite and hard-working, and arrived ready to work at 8am each day. The job site was cleaned each night, which was great for us because we have 2 small, curious children. Even though we spent a lot of time planning our design prior to working with Marian, he offered very creative suggestions that we ultimately chose to follow - much to our satisfaction. I am a very particular person, and I was impressed with the extra attention that was given to make sure that I was happy and the job was done correctly (not just done). Best of all, our complete kitchen/bath rehab was totally completed as forecasted within 6 weeks.

Marian was very polite and professional, and his workers were always professional and respectful of our home. We were impressed with Marian's creativity in creating a second bathroom within our budget. We would highly recommend him and would use him again in a second.

I had set-up an appointment to meet with Marian for a free estimate on bathroom remodeling. He was to meet with my wife and I, at our place between 7:00 - 7:30 in the evening. I called the same day to confirmed the appointment, and had talked to Marian who said he'll be there. My wife and I patiently waited until 8:00, and did not hear from him at all. I finally called him on his cell phone, and talked to Marian. He claimed that his earlier appointment took longer than anticipated. Due to my big disappointment of him not calling that he was running late, I have decided to cancel the appointment. His lack of Professionalism showed me that I cannot continue to do business with someone as irresponsible. He called me back in 5 minutes to re-schedule, but I refused to do so. They say first impression always count....