DAL Builders

Due to the weather, the job was slow to start, but once they started, it went well. If the city hadn't put up roadblocks every step of the way, it would have been finished in just a couple of days. They did a great job considering the problems the city caused us. I would use them again in a minute.

The folks at DAL Builders were very patient with us as we had several issues with the existing structure that significantly delayed the start of the work. They were able to continue to reschedule us as the date shifted for several months. Michael at DAL Builder was kind to keep checking in on us, on a weekly basis, to ensure that we were kept in their work scheduling queue. The guys that installed the deck were very professional and worked full throttle through the process to ensure that the deck construction was finished in a timely fashion. Should we have additional work to do, we will definitely be reaching out to DAL Builders for an estimate.

Called them originally for water control. Had water in basement and needed drain fixed and concrete refinished. Found structural issues and water damage to outside of house and problems with our original porch. After a discussion, we decided to remove and rebuild the deck and correct the water issues to the exterior of our house. The longest wait was the permitting process which actually wasn't too long and was taken care of by DAL. Work began in earnest and they made quick work of removal of the old deck and siding and the deck and exterior were rebuilt quite quickly but soundly. The deck is strong and looks great. There were a few cracked boards due to nails and these were replaced quickly. DAL and the project manager, Michael, were constantly in contact and were able to address/correct any issues we had. Michael also was able to answer any questions we had during the build. The process was easy and smooth and we are enjoying our new deck and the lack of water issues. We would certainly use them again.

We had an excellent experience with DAL Builders from start to finish. They were extremely professional and courteous the entire time - from the moment we made our first appointment for the estimate until the completion of the project. Mike came to our house and provided an estimate for a new staircase for our deck and also some other basic repair work. Once we agreed on the price, the work was scheduled and completed quickly. The carpenters were very friendly and worked efficiently. Mike also stopped by regularly to make sure everything was progressing smoothly and that we were completely satisfied with the work. Even though the job we were doing was relatively small, we were given as much attention as I would've expected from a much larger, more lucrative project. Someday we will need to replace our entire deck and based on our experience with DAL, we will definitely consider them for the job.

Scheduling the appointment and receiving the estimate went well. Unfortunately, the consultant who arrived at our home and the details of the bid made us think twice. 1. The consultant was super nice, but he misidentified the materials in our home. Said our floors were oak, but they are bamboo. Same for cabinets and fixture. I thought that was strange. We also wanted to tile around our bathtub which is pretty common in our area. He mentioned he only saw this in high end hotels, which made me question if he had experience with this type of project. 2. They have a permit expediting service and included it on our estimate. I think the permit and service would have amounted to a few hundred dollars. Two other contractors did not include this and I confirmed with the city that it was not needed for our project. We alerted the company about the extra costs and higher than normal estimate, they responded immediately and adjusted the price. I thought that was kind, but we found someone who we felt more comfortable with.

Overall it went great, we started with the project in August expecting not to finish until the following April, but Dave and his crew were finished in December. We moved in at the start of the new year! Great Job. We have had a couple of small issues to deal with, but Dave has alwas been prompt and courteous on the call backs.

From start to finish, Mike was the man. He gave us our quote and honest opinions on multiple projects we had in the house. When it came to sign the contract, Dave and Mike worked together to get us a fair deal, and they did a fantastic job of getting us on the calendar and scheduled in a very timely manner. Overall, I will have Dal Builders do any work because of QUALITY, TIMEFRAME, and HONESTY.

addressed my concerns as to loose stairs and wood needed to be sanded by the nails.

Will never know how the work was since they never submitted a quote.

OK. Recommended by my warrantee company

When I contacted Dal, I used their live chat and someone gave me a call right away. I really liked that they had live chat functionality. It was about a week out before I could get someone to come take a look at the property, but I wasn't in a big rush. Mike was very nice and knew his stuff. I would have loved to use Dal, but my budget wasn't enough to cover the proposal I got.

They were nice, but very expensive.

They were flexible and did some extra work for me. They started the work in September couple of years ago and finished it in January. They had to break for 2 months in between and later completed the same. They seemed knowledgeable and knew what materials to use. They were responsive to my calls and possessed great communication skill. I will use their services in future.

I am very impressed with the job Dal did. My husband and I are putting the finishing touches on what has been a whole house remodel and have worked with many different contractors the last couple of years. So I say with some experience that Dal is one of the best. From the first consult, thru the finishing touches, they were consistently professional and thorough. The decks turned out beautifully . They are clearly well built, and are exactly what I envisioned. The crew was punctual, courteous, and conscientious about what they were doing. They acted as if they were building a deck for their own house. They took no shortcuts, considered all the details, and would always clarify what I wanted if anything was ever in question. And while the crew was great, Mike, our project manager, is what really made the difference. He checked in regularly by phone, and was also onsite once a day during the work. He always made it clear what to expect, who would be here, and when. And then followed through to make sure that's exactly what happened. Every time we spoke, he was focused on our job, never distracted or rushed. Very enjoyable to work with, and huge asset to the company. I would highly recommend this company. We're planning on using them again when we rebuild the front porch.

They replaced some of the steel and did a lot of upgrading. The work was great; they did a good job. They were very thorough and followed up well. They were priced competitively. They were out this week actually because they had one last thing that they had to finish. I would use them again in the future if necessary.

David Larkin who is the owner of DAL Builders did a wonderful job converting our 1954 kitchen to a 2011 kitchen. I can't believe the difference. Should have done it a long time ago. The crew showed up everyday on time and the work progressed smoothly. His people are polite and clean up after themselves (Unlike other trade guys I have used in the past.) They are truly skilled craftsmen that know there trades. One nice thing about David was the guidance he provided when we had bad ideas or no clue about colors, materials, etc. The work was completed as scheduled with only a small delay caused by the granite fabricator company which David had no control over. DAL builders is now the company we will call for any remodeling projects in the future.

When Dave arrived to look over the project and provide an estimate he was prepared and professional. He listened attentively and reviewed my project list carefully. He asked detailed questions about what I wanted. He made several suggestions concerning possible improvements to my list. I took most of his suggestions and am happy with the results. The project was well coordinated. The various tradesmen were scheduled in progression. All were on time, very capable, and eager to accommodate. During the project Dave was available to answer any questions and resolve any complications. The project took the exact time to complete which he had estimated. I would not hesitate to hire his company again and recommend him to others.

It went really well. DAL got the whole job finished in under two weeks - they were amazing. Little issues popped up from time to time but not due to their work. They were professional, punctual, and respectful of my time and space. I highly recommend DAL Builders to anyone for your next project. My only suggestion to DAL would be to provide your client with a detailed timeline - who's coming when and so on, so that the homeowner will not need to contact the office with a lot of unnecessary questions.

This is the second time we have used DAL Builders and the primary reason is David, the owner of the company. He is a pleasure to work with and offers great suggestions after listening to your goals. The work, while certainly not the least expensive bid, was high quality and done within the timeframe initially provided. We highly recommend them for all of your renovation needs.

Dave and team were responsive both by phone and email (which is important to me b/c email is easiest communication channel for me during work hours). They were on time for all appointments. They were pleasant to deal with. And my new windows are great.

Demolished old bathroom and installed a new tile floor, it's perfect. Installed a new sink and very difficult wall mounted faucet. New drywall on wall. It looks beautiful. Also found large leak upstairs and repaired large portion of damaged ceiling with drywall, some of the best drywall work I've seen. You can't tell. Repaired several large holes in walls too. Also installed can lighting throughout first floor, spaced exactly right and finally a large chandelier, which included new ceiling support. The workman are unfailingly kind, courteous and committed to doing it right. Dave, the owner, frequently checked in and made sure I was happy and that the work was well done. He is always responsive by phone or email. Most excellent company all around.

We interviewed 4 highly rated basement remodeling building contractors from Angie's list. We liked Dave from DAL builders. He was easy to talk to, and offered up great ideas the others didn't. When he walked out, we both said he was the one. His quote was reasonable, but more importantly, we felt that he would be someone we would trust to take us through our first big home renovation. The contract was signed. start date was set, and permits were obtained. We were told it would take about 3 months to complete. Dal provided us with a worksheet defining what we were to provide, i.e. vanity, plumbing fixtures, door hardware, flooring, so we could shop early and not slow down the process. About 2 weeks before the start date we were contacted about a 1 week delay to start. But that's all it was. Work began early september, pretty much everyday, some weekends, and not if we wanted the weekend to ourselves! On day one the plumbers came in and installed the ejection pump system for the bathroom. We were very concerned about the location, and size of the ejector pit. It had to be moved a due to an unknown drain tile pipe. (a blessing in disguise, in that other contractors wanted to add a drain tile system, we had one!) We freaked about how this would end up looking in the closet. Dave was hurt that we were upset on day one, and assured us in the end, the pit location would be visually minimal. He was right. The recessed beam went in next, which was a big plus for our design, and Dave was the only one to offer it up. Keeping the family room ceiling clean looking was one of our many goals. Before framing began, the carpenters snapped out the floor so we could "see" how our drawing laid out. This was great, cause we saw some areas for improvement, and shifted some walls, making our shower ... huge. Framing happened quickly, followed by plumbing and electrical. We sub-contracted HVAC work ourselves and had the option to include heating the basement, we did not. Dave stated that after everything was insulated and sealed up, we wouldn't need much. He suggested 2, 6 ft electric baseboard heaters would do the job. They work great, we use them when we need them. Any issues we had, Dave was quick to respond. I was home for most of it, doing the low voltage wiring and got to know everyone. They were all good guys. We loved the tile guy. My wife discovered when she came home from work the the tile bullnose was to low for our vanity, which we had trouble with cause Dave marked the wall. He came back that night and fixed it before things set, our only tile issue. The end result was fantastic. The plumbers were "challenged" with the gravity hot water circulating system, they worked hard at it and in the end had to open up the ceiling to make an edit. They did and the system worked. It used to take minutes for hot water to reach the kitchen, now takes 8 seconds. We showed Dave samples of the laminate flooring we purchased and he approved, but when we showed it to him pre-install, he pointed out it was not interlocking and would not work. Well, that didn't go over well, he graciously apologized, and were able to fix the problem with the phone, and an additional trip to carpet one. Again, all minor and resolved issues. We know Dave also provided some extra's, he didn't charge for. Shelving in the utility and the hallway closet, painting the utility room when it was only to be dry walled and taped. . . . It was completed on time and within budget -mid - Dec. We are thrilled. Our little idea on paper my wife drew more than a year ago, is real. And now that we have "moved in" it's even more incredible. It took us awhile to accept that it actually was ours. We love to send friends and family downstairs and listen for the "oh my god - this is awsome!" It happens every time. Thank you Dave Larkin, and everyone at DAL builders.

Dave was prompt for all appointments and with all estimates. He was very patient with our scope changes as we learned what was really required to complete the remodeling we wanted. I visited three of his job sites (two significantly in progress, one completed), and was very impressed with the quality of the tile work, the wood work, the thoughtfulness for the final customer experience, and the general level of finish. Really an amazing deal given his very reasonable pricing. Ultimately we decided not to go forward, but if I were to need remodeling services in the future I would definitely look to Dal Builders again.

Once the project was underway, it went very well. Dave and his team were very responsive and efficient. They provided suggestions but also were open to our ideas and took the time to answer any questions that we had along the way. We are extremely happy with the end result and plan to use DAL for future renovation work at our home.

Due to problems encountered with the previous builder (not on AngiesList), the expected new staircase has been delayed 12 months along with a 12 month old signed siding contract. I knew I needed a reliable, honest and professional builder to rebuild my back staircase. I decided to use wood instead of steel this time and am glad I did. Not only for the price but also the maintenance and new look it gives to the building. I have had found 6 companies on AngiesList so far and now I needed #7. After reading the reviews, I made an appointment with DAL. David Larkin, the owner, came on the specified time. We discussed what needed to be done. He took measurements and gave me a quote. Later that week I met for an estimate with another builder (advertises frequently). The basic quote was similiar but he addded extras that David had said was not necessary. Wanting to see DAL work, I emailed David for a list of porch work his company did in Chicago. Looked at the locations, the first being complete and the second still being worked on. For this one I saw the owner about the job and got good feedback. After the job was completed we went back and liked the new porch. Compared this work to another new porch in the area and this job was superior. This other company stated they were a large city porch builder. After a couple more emails, met with David and finalized the contract. The job start was delayed twice (about 2 weeks) due to getting the necessary permit which was a new process with the city of Chicago. On 12-15 David showed up with a 5 man crew and also gave me the permit to show thru my window. This first day the roof was stablized before tearing down the existing staircase. The remaining days were used to re-build a new staircase and new deck which now gives my east facing rear porch a brand new look. Since I don't have a garage, anyone going thru the alley can see the new porch/deck.The outdoor wood looks great. All the men were polite. Also, I took pictures so that when I do sell, I'll have visuals of the great job they did. Whatever questions I had I discussed with Brian and he always presented his viewpoints. He was always willing to work with me, i.e. explaining to me an option for the top landing outside the 2nd floor door and using excess pieces to have 3 posts added under the porch, which now gives me a future option (latice) to do this spring. The men were always on time, polite, professional and cleaned up when they finished taking away the excess including some old wood pieces I had that were no longer any good to use as Brian explained to me. I also had them add the company nameplate to the deck so that people can know who built it. This week I met with David Larkin at my residence for the final payment and to 'walkthru' the great job that was done by his employees. I am now the only person in the neighborhood, and possibly one of the few in the city, with a wood deck and when the fibercement replaces the existing asphalt, the look will be unique/classy/professional. Unfortunately, I'm unable to post pictures at this time.