DAL Builders

Overall a very positive experience from the first meeting, to being available to answer questions, to the final meeting when the job was complete. The final product is of great quality and Michael was a great representative - always straightforward, reliable and responsive. I felt good with the crew and their work throughout the process.

Dal Builders was not the lowest estimate that we got but we had confidence that they would do the best work. Mike was very informed when he answered my questions and when he came to do the estimate he even fixed a problem on our back porch that was stumping us for free. There was a minor miscommunication about the start date but it was only the difference of a few days. They finished the job when they said they would and even threw in an upgrade for free.

I had a little problem with the gutter because it had to be realigned. It took a long time after I had paid them for them to come out and readjust it. They finally got the job done but I had to keep calling and calling before they finally came out. They did a good job until I needed the realignment done.

We had DAL out for an estimate for deck repair on our newly-purchased home last summer. They came on time, but the bid was laughably high - far higher than any of the other 3 bids we received for comparable work. I'm guessing they would have done a fine job, but the quote was absurd (maybe they didn't want the work for a smaller job? We ultimately paid another contractor about $1300 for the work - DAL's quote was about $4,000/$4,500). Took longer than I thought it should to (1) come out for an estimate, and (2) provide the quote, too.

I have somewhat mixed feelings about DAL - the office seemed a bit disorganized and it took a little time to settle on a service date. The"power wash and seal" deal turned out to be somewhat LESS than I expected: Mario, the technician who actually performed the services, said the deck wasn't really dirty enough for a power washing but there was no offer of a reduction in price from DAL for the switch from power washer to scrub brush and elbow grease. And most disappointing, I was informed that the deal included ONLY a clear sealer - a colored stain would have almost doubled the price of the job, which I thought was a little outrageous. However, I would use DAL again if they could guarantee sending Mario - he was great! Very thorough and careful, didn't rush even though it was ungodly HOT while he was working. He's a credit to the company - I hope they appreciate him!

The man that came out was very professional. We got estimates from two other places and the other places were clear about what obstacles there could be and where money would have to be spent. It’s an old building and whenever they get into the walls there are different scenarios about what has to happen to complete the project. This guy wasn’t really concerned about that. He was really nice but he got in and got out after he took the dimensions. He was pretty late in turning in his estimate. Other than that, he was fine. I don’t think we would get another quote from them because they were a little out of our price range. I wouldn’t not recommend them to someone.

DAL was prompt and courteous.

David Larkin, owner of DAL Builders, went over my specifications in detail at our first meeting. He listened carefully and offered valuable suggestions and budget options. I incorporated many of these into the design and was quite satisfied with the results. The work started on time with the various trades well scheduled to coordinate the job. Mr. Larkin was always available by phone to respond to any questions or concerns. Problems were few, if any. The work was completed on time and on budget. I have recommended with complete confidence DAL Builders to friends who are contemplating remodels.

They sent out a salesman who was very good and quickly got a quote back to us. I decided to go with another provider who gave better pricing but was very impressed with the knowledge of the salesman.

They’ve been terrific to work with overall. They’re reasonably-priced, honest, and have done a great job! They’re very professional, knowledgeable, and most importantly they’re trustworthy. They’re one of the good guys and they’re the people we go to when we need something done.

Representative called ahead and informed he was early and if it would be ok to come by ahead of schedule. Appreciate the early arrival and courtesy. We discussed our desired materials and he took some measurements. Received quote a few days later, but unfortunately priced 25% higher that of Angies List equally rated competitors. Very professional, and would consider again for a different job if price reasonable with competition.

I had an appointment today for 8:00 am ans no one showed up or called to say they would not be coming out. Very unprofessional!

They informed me they did not do work in my neighborhood (Deerfield). Information on company should show towns (or regions) where company will perform services.

I was referred to DAL through our realtor; they came highly recommended. At first my husband and I were hesitant to pay a small fee to have them look at a house we were unsure of but the fee was then applied to the work. We were on a tight budget, and they gave great ideas to save us money, and allowed us to do portions of the work ourselves where we could in order to keep costs down. They were extremely punctual and responsive; the workers were on time daily and didn't waste time getting the project completed. They also were very informative, and answered all of our questions when we had them. I definitely will hire them when I'm ready for my next project.

The guys at dal are true professionals and really make working on my home an enjoyable experience. I knew I wanted actual laundry room but didnt think I had enough space, mike came out and had some great ideas for my small area. Dal custom built a cabinet for the washer and dryer and l and added four cabinets with granite counter tops. They also added a deep sink with a resturant style faucet. At the same time they changed out all the baseboard in the basement as well as replaced the railings on the basement stairs and painted the entire area. I have a will continue to use these guys for all my home projects.

We purchased a deck seal coupon on Angie's List and decided to get the deck stained in addition to the sealing. The salesman wasn't very knowledgeable, continually stating he had to check with the owner of his company with questions I had on the work and pricing. Finally, Dave (who I assume is the owner of the company) reached out to me and answered all my questions politely and succinctly. I got the feeling he was the one who really knew what was going on, and he was very professional. When Mario came out to the house to stain the deck, he started the job by hosing down the deck with our water hose to clean it. Yet after the initial cleaning, we still found all the dirt wasn't off so we called Mario and expressed our concern. He was very gracious and came out again the next day to rewash the deck. The following day, he came out to the stain the deck and finished i in one day. The deck came out looking fantastic - it looks brand new. Mario was very meticulous and did a great job. All things said, Dave and Mario were the stars of this project, and I would recommend working with both.

It was awesome. They were absolutely fantastic. The work is night and day. They are very nice. It is an old frame building that they had to level out the floor without costing me an arm and a leg to meet the French doors. They did a great job. They roofs look very nice too. They ran into a couple of problems with the old framed building. They were able to alleviate the problems without going way over budget. There were a couple other joists they had to fix on the roof. Because they were able to save on another part of the project they didn’t charge me anymore. They let me know every step of the way what was happening; they were on top of it. It was relief to not have the unknowns. They were the most professional, on time, and on budget contractors that I had ever met.

Their service was good. I felt overall that they were a little bit pricey. The end result was good, but it took a lot of back and forth to get there. I would work with them again. I would probably haggle more on price than I did on this project.

We met with David Larkin in October 2011 to begin plans to remodel our kitchen. The project called for a complete gut of our existing kitchen, as well as the opening of a wall to incorporate the family room, kitchen and dining room into a more open area. David had a great idea for merging these three rooms and we decided to move forward based on his proposal. Work began at the end of December 2011, because DAL Builders waits to begin their projects until the cabinets ordered have been delivered - a good idea to keep the flow of work going and preventing unnecessary delays. We were told the project would take approximately one month to complete. The project was also to include re-flooring our family room and a small area near our first floor bathroom, as well as installing a ceiling ventilation fan in the bathroom. Our experience with Michael Streff, who managed the project on a more direct basis was overall a good one. Mike was very responsive throughout the project; he was available to chat about any issues that came up along the way, and worked to make sure we were satisfied with the project. The project got off to a bit of a rough start when DAL began opening things up and discovered we did not have proper support for our second floor. While it added to the cost of the process, we felt DAL gave us a fair price to fix the problem which enabled us to continue moving forward. Our experience with DAL's carpenters (primarily Brian and Ron) was outstanding. Both are very skilled at their trade, and are also open to questions about the work being done. We felt we could talk with them about any concerns and they would take the time to explain things to us in a manner we could understand. They both were very knowledgable. Our experience was equally good with the plumber DAL subcontracted with, Patrick McDonagh. Patrick and his employees set up and connected all the plumbing, including doing work not originally in the agreement at no extra cost to us, because as Patrick put it, it was important to have it done that way. He also brought to our attention a plumbing problem we were unaware of, which we had fixed after the remodel was complete. DAL's subcontracted electrician, Eddie was also excellent. He works fast and efficiently, and re-wired everything in the kitchen, as well as installed wiring in the bathroom for our new ceiling exhaust fan. The painter DAL used, Mario did an excellent job. Although he works at a little bit slower pace, his work is excellent and is worth the slightly extended work time. Our problems in this project arose from the subcontractors used by DAL for the floor finishing and the drywalling. The drywall company hung new drywall in the kitchen and attempted to merge the drywall with our existing plaster walls in the pantry and the hallway near our basement door. After completing the initial hanging, sanding, and priming the cabinets were hung in the kitchen. At that point, we discovered that at least two of the new walls in the kitchen were not squared or plumb. While it was explained to us that "no two walls are perfectly square" by David Larkin, we felt that the drywall company rushed to complete the project and did not check their work to ensure it was done properly. Additionally, there was another area of wall in the kitchen that was not sanded evenly, and we could see a wave in the wall which was visible to the naked eye. There was also a wall seam near the basement door that was very wavy. While we acknowledge these issues were fixed (to varying degrees of success), we felt that DAL should have verified the quality of the work being done by the subcontractors they hired to do the work, instead of us having to constantly play quality control. Michael Streff told us that he was unable to look over the shoulders of his subcontractors constantly, and that he trusted them to do a good job. Since this was not the case with respect to the drywalling company, however, we feel that DAL should be held at least partially responsible for the work done by the companies they recommend and/or use. Additionally, DAL recommended a company for granite countertops. We were advised by David Larkin that the the owner was not very punctual. We made an appointment for him to come take measurements; an appointment he never showed up for. We received no phone call until the following day, from his secretary - who advised he was "stuck in traffic" and that his phone did not receive messages...obviously poor excuses since he knew he had an appointment with us and did not call to advise he would be late. We felt it was completely unprofessional, and a poor reflection on DAL who recommended him. Our experience with the floor staining company, headed by Vasil was very irritating. Vasil stained and put three coats of sealant down in a single day. When we returned home, we found what appeared to be bubbles in the sealant, as if air had been trapped in the layers of sealant. We found this unacceptable for a new floor, and Michael Streff agreed. The floor was buffed and re-sealed, requiring us to move out again, which DAL compensated us for. However, upon returning, I found dust trapped in the floor sealant, and the floor had the texture of sand paper in certain areas. DAL had Vasil come out a third time and finally fixed it, but we were very irritated at how difficult it apparently was for Vasil to seal a new floor properly. When we were near completion, DAL began cleaning up the site. They removed the rosin paper that had been taped with painters tape on our existing hardwood floor for six weeks, which peeled the finish off the floor in two one-inch strips approximately thirty feet through two rooms in our house. While we ultimately resolved this matter financially with DAL, we were extremely irritated that this happened to our existing floor, creating yet another problem for us to resolve. We were also told by Michael that he would provided two laborers for a full day to assist with cleanup. In actuality, we were provided with one laborer for about an hour and half. We had to do the bulk of the cleanup. We found it disappointing that Michael would promise something that he came nowhere near delivering. Overall, our experience with DAL was positive. The only observation we made is that as a homeowner, one has to definitely stay on top of the work being done. We felt that there was little proactive quality control, which at times created tension and added stress on an already stressful project. The project ultimately took approximately two and a half months to finish - well above and beyond any estimate given to us before beginning the project. While we understand that in any remodel, unexpected issues arise which prolong the project, we feel that the duration was way beyond what we felt was reasonable. We would recommend DAL Builders, but encourage homeowners to play the role of quality control to ensure the job is being done properly.

I bought my condo in July with the intention of redoing my rooftop deck. This renovation will include complete demolition of the current aging deck, replacement framing and upgraded materials, and new design elements such as adding a pergola, benches, lighting, etc. DAL Builders was one of three firms that I spoke to to get a design/estimate. Mike, the DAL project manager, met me at my condo to survey the building site and discuss ideas. He was on time and very professional. He delivered a description of the work to be done with itemized pricing in the days to follow, as promised. Unfortunately, he did not provide drawings, photos, or creative touches which would have been nice to see. In the end, I have no doubt that DAL would have performed great work and the price quote was competitive. I just decided that I was going to be more comfortable working with a different firm.

No work was done by Dal Builders. See note above.

I cannot say enough of how impressed I was with the respectful, cordial and professional demeanor of all the trades who worked on this project. Dave certainly surrounds himself with quality subcontractors and his carpenters were simply stellar. As far as the project management goes, there were 2 project managers, Mike and John. Mike was the initial project mgr and later replaced by John. As much as Mike is a very personable individual, John's listening skill set and thoroughness with details were much appreciated after experiencing a few lapses in communication with Mike. The process felt like an eternity hampered much by weather conditions that delayed the progress of the exterior phase of the project. There was also a frustrating delay in the siding delivery caused by shipping errors on the manufacturer's end. Things got a bit tense in the latter weeks of the project, due to my impatience and unnecessary micro-managing which no doubt battle-tested Dave and John, and for this alone, they should be awarded a medal and commended for their level of calm professionalism. Post-project completion: Dave stands behind his work and is ready to make things right if something is amiss. He immediately remedied a problem with the roof after the first big snow fall presented leaks and shortly, he plans to have a section of concrete walkway re-poured after having been inadvertently stained with oil by one of the subs. DAL Builders went above and beyond in the finished product for this job, everything looks terrific and it far exceeded our expectations. We have received numerous compliments on the overall appearance and quality of workmanship. Dave Larkin conducts business in an honest and honorable manner. We highly recommend DAL Builders.

The project manager was very good at answering all of our questions and making us comfortable during the bidding process. The company gets appropriate permits and ensures that the deck is rebuilt to city code. The project was delayed due to weather and we had some scheduling difficulties. The project manager seems to be overloaded with clients or slightly unorganized once the build starts. The guys that performed the work were professional and performed excellent work. One of the owners stopped by to check on the project and took pictures after the work was done. The deck is beautiful and built solid. Many of our neighbors have commented on the craftsmanship. I would highly recommend them for their deck work.

The project manager said that he would have a roofer and HVAC person contact me with details for coming out to do an estimate. I did not hear back from anyone for over two weeks. I have yet to have the project manager follow up with me. I finally received a call from the roofer after two weeks.

I had drywall work done by Dal Builders and some plumbing work done by another company. So, it was about $4000 between the two jobs.