SILMAC Construction Inc.

Although we ended up using a different firm, Joe was very friendly and professional! Once we were able to nail down a date for him to come by and see the space, all communications with him were very easy and prompt. He got back to us within a week with an estimate, and answered all of our questions. We'll definitely contact him again for an estimate on our next project!

Overall, we are very happy with the work. Our few frustrations center around timing of milestones to be completed, especially at the end of the project. First the positives, and there were many. We dealt almost exclusively with Silmac's owner, Joe DaSilva. Joe was one of three contractors to bid on the project. His bid was in the middle in terms of price, but what was most impressive about his presentation was his insistence on bringing in a cabinetry and design company to develop a customized plan for the work. This was not something we had intended to do, as we believed it would lengthen the project and add complexity and additional players over and above the general contractor. In retrospect, going this route helped us visualize better what we actually wanted, and ensured the end result was a close match to this vision. Throughout most of the job, Joe was my contact person, and he was responsive and clear in describing how the work was progressing and aiding me in making decisions through the process. Apart from a few small details that weren't executed perfectly, the quality of the work appeared to be high throughout. From a cost perspective, we had a few items needing to be added onto our original estimate. From the beginning, I sensed Joe had no "buffer" in his quote, and as such having a few extras added during the course of the project seemed fair to me, especially for such an old house, rather than quota a big number at the outset and risk overpaying by project's end. The most important "positive" from this project is that Joe demonstrated himself to be a very honest businessman, and his company to be an enterprise that takes pride in their work. The only "negatives" revolve around timing. When we first discussed the project, we had the idea that we'd have a totally finished project by July. In fact, we are now done mid-October. I should note that we had 95% a finished and working kitchen by mid-August, and Joe did his best to put a rush on having working appliances in the kitchen with minimal delay such that disruption to our lives was lessened. Most of the delay was more irritation than anything else, knowing that a few odds and ends still needed to be taken care of, inspectors needed to sign off, etc. I also recognize that these delays are a function of various sub-contractor's schedules, which are not in the control of Silmac. Still, with regard to time (not cost estimates), this is an area where I'd recommend some sense of "buffer" be articulated to the customer, as one tires of hearing about constantly slipping dates. As one may conclude from reading the above, the "positives" from our experience with Silmac are both substantive and many; the "negatives" amount to really just one trend that cost us irritation and nothing more. Even on this one negative item, Joe did his best to mitigate it for us. It is on this basis that we give Silmac a solid "A" rating; we would recommend Silmac to others and would gladly utilize their services in the future.

Joe from Silmac quoted a large job for us including a kitchen, two baths, flooring, drywall and structural changes. Although we did not ultimately select him for the job, his attention to detail and prompt bid reflected positively on Silmac. I would certainly contact him again if the need arose.

Other factors caused the project to be tabled for the moment so ultimately no work was performed but Joe was very professional and knowledgeable.

We decide do the the project on our own.

Finding a contractor to come to downtown Boston and do a full kitchen renovation was quite challenging. Once we met with Joe and his team, we knew that we were in good hands. We live in a small space and were having our whole kitchen ripped out, including removing a wall. Joe's team was very clean and respectful of our space, cleaning up after themselves each night when they were done working. And Joe himself was very responsive to all of our questions and needs, often responding with an hour or two of hearing from us. The job went mostly smoothly, nothing out of the ordinary, and the finished product looks like it belongs in a magazine. Overall, I would not hesitate to recommend Joe and his team (SILMAC) to anyone looking for good quality work from a professional company.

First of all - SILMAC came to take a look at the job AND then followed up with a quote unlike several other local companies that were referred to us. They worked swiftly and put in full days unlike other experiences we've had with late morning starts and ending days early. They showed up, quickly demo'd what needed to be demo'd, cleaned it out and made great progress in a matter of days, NOT weeks. They were professional and the work they did was exceptional all at a reasonable price. They will be our first choice with any future projects.

Joe arrived on time and was very thorough in his estimate. He had some great ideas about how and where I could add a half bath. He was punctual in getting back to me with the estimate and although the estimate did not include the cost of materials , Joe did include an estimate of materials also. We decided to delay the project due to possible relocation, however, if we find ourselves staying and decide to move forward with this project I would consider calling Joe again.

I was very impressed with how professional, on-time, and caring Joe was when he arrived at the viewing appointment. He gave us a reasonable quote and explained the scope of the work in great detail. I will definitely recommend them to anyone looking for a professional contractor.

Joe responded promptly to my request for an estimate and provided it within a week. Joe was able to provide a separate estimate for each bathroom as requested. The estimates were for labor and permit fees and all other costs (roughing and finishing pieces) are the responsibility of the home owner. The roughing includes wires, pipes, connections, blue-boards, studs, plywood, cement boards, thin set, screws, etc. We could appreciate not providing a budget for the finishing pieces (e.g., tub, toilets, vanity lights, tile, etc) as this may be difficult for a contractor to estimate. Joe was able to provide estimates on the roughing as we requested.

The entire process of getting the quote was very easy and Joe was incredibly responsive. He provided some good thoughts about design and work to be done which was very useful. He was also up front regarding his estimate indicating it would only include firm numbers for labor and not materials. This didn't bother me that much but other people may find it difficult not know the all-in cost of doing the remodel. There were a couple of items that weren't included in the quote that I did not realize but these were eventually clarified. What would have been easier for a consumer to evaluate was an itemized quote of what the estimate for material costs (and other costs like trash removal) would be as well as an itemized list of the types of materials the customer would be responsible for procuring and what will be done by the manufacturer. A simple template could be developed for this. In general, I would prefer an all-in estimate up front with line item detail for major expenses but would say with a bit of consolidation, the estimate provided by Silmac was complete and came in below the other estimates we got. We ultimately decided to delay the project so did not use Silmac but would recommend working with Joe in future.

I submitted a request for an estimate to remodel a bathroom. Joe replied right away and we set up a time to meet. He was here on time and very professional and knowledgeable. He sent the estimate as promised and the quote was competitive with others. I did not go with them on this project because they used subcontractors for electric and plumbing which added to the timeline for completion. I would get estimates from them in the future.

Joe DaSilva was helpful and professional. His quoted price for the job was in line with that of the contractor we eventually hired to do the job. I wish that Silmac’s initial estimate had been more detailed (that’s why the “quality” grade is a B”). If it had, I would have been more likely to hire them for the job.

It went well. We were in need of some major overhauls to our studio apartment and the Silmac team was able to complete the job as needed.

Went well, honest, helpful, great follow through and professionalism.

Joe arranged for fantastic plasterers to come do a ton of work, some requiring scaffolding inside our house. I must admit to being a little nervous and skeptical that all would be fine in the end - but it was better than fine. They worked with other subs doing work after a cooling unit was replaced, and then again when the cooling unit people damaged the just repaired plaster. They then went around and fixed all the areas of plaster, big and small, that had been damaged through last winter or for other reasons. As always, they were very professional and polite and cognizant of working in the house with us - and our dog who would have happily escaped to the neighbors if allowed to do so. Joe also fixed some broken hinges and a pocket door that has a metal frame, making the repair quite difficult. Again, he did it tidily, professionally and politely. We continue to call on Joe time after time whenever we need anything done in the house, big or small, because we know we can count on him to do a great job at a fair price and in a timely manner.

We purchased a new home that had a water damaged sill plate under a fireplace (that is the part of the frame of the house that holds up all of the floor joists). Not having any structural engineering experience, we called Joe to take a look at the repair that was done to it before we went through with the purchase of the home. He was very accommodating and looked at a couple of other things in the house for us. He did not charge us anything for his time and also quoted us on another job we were considering. Three weeks after we moved into the house, a leak from a burst radiator pipe ruined the ceiling, three walls and two floors in two of our bedrooms. He came into the situation when I was completely freaked out that my husband and I were going to have to spend the rest of our lives sharing a room with our 2 month old because we could not afford to rebuild that half of the house. He put things in perspective for me, explained what we needed to do, checked the work of the plumbers to make sure it was done properly and made me feel a lot better. He left saying "we will take care of this." His estimates were in for me before the appraisers from the insurance company had time to get theirs together and he was able to squeeze us in during a very busy season. The plaster guys had the room back together in one day (the ceiling and three walls insulated, sheet rocked and skim coated!). The floor guys refinished a hardwood floor in the other bedroom in about three hours. We were able to save a ton of money by doing the finishing work ourselves and the money we saved we were able to use to replace all of the carpet in the rest of the house after all of the damage was done. He also finished up the work on the sill plate to make it structurally sound. The work was done very well and he was great to work with. He was so accommodating and made me feel so much better after some serious damage in our home!

Overall it went well. The team performed light demo, framing, drywalling, flooring and all finishing touches. He had subcontractors do the plumbing and electrical. While a couple hiccups regarding communications along the way, SILMAC was well worth it as the cost was significantly less than similar contractors and we are extremely happy with the end product. Make sure to stay in constant contact with the Joe as it will prevent any language barrier issues. The cost below reflects the entire project (all materials, labor, all in)

They did a fantastic job! This is my 3rd renovation project with SILMAC and I wouldn't use anyone else. They are reliable, professional, and experts at their work. The work they did is literally perfect and I can't think of anything they could do to be better. They were 100% punctual and on time and exactly on budget and quality exceeded my expectations in every way.

Joe and the SILMAC team recently completed a total gut renovation of one of the bathrooms in my condo. I really can't say enough positive things about them! From the start, Joe was extremely responsive. He provided me with regular updates on the status of the project, including sending photos when I was traveling and not able to keep tabs. He and his team were punctual and completed all work on time. I, like many homeowners have had experiences with contractors who do not show up when they say they will (or not at all) - this was never the case with Joe and his team. They are professionals who clearly take a lot of pride in their work. I found it particularly helpful that Joe knowledgeable about the permitting and inspection process in Somerville - it was much more involved than I expected, but he was very much in the know. I also found it helpful that Joe was willing to provide his experience and knowledge to advise on design and layout. This is my first bathroom renovation, so having someone who has seen a wide range of designs, fixtures, etc. was very helpful. The work itself was very high quality. The bathroom is exactly what I was hoping for when I started this project, and I know I will enjoy it for many years to come! I would not hesitate to hire Joe and the SILMAC team for any future contracting needs.

I wish I could say my experience was as positive as all the other reviewers- but perhaps SILMAC was at their houses doing the work while I was waiting. I was told by another contractor that the kitchen could not be done in under 3 months but Joe said 6 weeks. The work started in the beginning of June and I did not pay the final payment until the work was officially completed in October (but the kitchen was functional by the beginning of September). They seemed to have a lot of issues keeping track of their subcontractors and getting them to actually show up to do the work. SILMAC was always polite to me but when the job was getting very behind I did feel like I they were avoiding my calls and emails. At a certain point, for my own sanity, I had to just let it go and accept that it would be done when they decided it would be done and that there was nothing I could do about it. Contacting them actually seemed to make the delays worse. I have no issue with the quality of the work (except one of the electricians did a crappy job but SILMAC replaced him with another). I am now very happy with my kitchen but I don't like to think back to that very long summer, feeding two small children out of the fridge in my living room and washing dishes in my backyard.

This was a follow-on, post-project request, after a $30K renovation of a bathroom, bedroom, and livingroom in an apartment in East Cambridge.

I hired Silmac to do some remodeling in my new condo in Boston. The job involved relocating the laundry room from kitchen to the master bathroom, removing a tub, relocating a double vanity, and building new closets at the entrance and in the master bath. I collected bids from several contractors. Jose Dasilva's estimate came in the middle range. I decided to go with him after reading all the glorifying reviews. I thought this could not go wrong!... I fired Jose Dasilva after 6 weeks. I still kick myself for waiting that long... Below I state solid incontrovertible facts only. I don't wont to get into gray areas and open the door for subjective arguments. The actual experience was a nightmare and much worse than what these few lines may suggest... My goal is to help you make a better decision than I did. UPDATE: AFTER I STARTED WRITING THIS REVIEW (BUT BEFORE SUBMITTING IT) I RECEIVED A LETTER FROM JOE'S ATTORNEY THAT THEY HAVE FILED A NOTICE OF CONTRACT AND ARE GOING TO PUT A LIEN ON MY PROPERTY IF THEY DO NOT RECEIVE 14,000 IN UNPAID BALANCE! FYI, Joe's original estimate was ~24k, by the time he was fired he had collected ~18k with less than 1/3 progress in the overall project... 1. Joe had promised to finish the project in maximum 6 weeks. During 6 weeks they worked on and off in my condo, less than 2 days per week on average. After 6 weeks they had done only rough work, a lot of which had to be redone by my new contractor due to errors and poor workmanship. It took my new contractor another 6 weeks of hard work to undo shoddy works and finish the project. 2. Attached photo shows laundry plumbing done by Silmac's plumber. You don't need to be a plumber to immediately realize what is wrong here. Just google laundry plumbing sketch, or look under your kitchen sink and you'll see what I am talking about. Where's the trap? If you install any drain system that way, sewage gases from the city will stink up your whole house. After I fired him, two other plumbers looked at this and they both said that there is NO WAY, ABSOLUTELY NO WAY, that a professional plumber would do something like this. This is not something complicated or difficult that someone failed to execute properly. This is plumbing 101. 3. See the floor nail pressing on the PVC pipe. It's not piercing it yet, but it very well might with some shaking and movement of the pipe or the floor. It just gives you an idea of the level of work that was being done. 4. See (some of) the brutal damages to our common area walls. Joe would not take responsibility. 5. Attached photo shows Joe's insulation work. The brick wall you see in photo is an exterior wall and it's against the code to put these thermal insulation directly against it. Building inspector specifically asked Jose to do this properly. He did not listen and just packed the cavities with pink insulation and closed the walls. Pictures are taken after he was fired and we opened the walls and found out. 6. Trash removal was most frightening. His guys would stack up 7,8,10, whatever, large 12x12 tiles (we're talking about 50-60 lbs here) and walk down 3 flights of stairs while trying to maintain his balance with this wobbly stack over his shoulder. I was just praying he wouldn't fall, or drop the tiles over someone's head, not to mention damaging the vintage balustrade around the staircase... It was a really scary scene to watch! Hope you get the idea of what you'll be getting yourself into... 7. The same trash removal workers were carrying a heavy bath tub in an unsafe and unstable way and lost balance and dropped it on our brand new vanity and broke it. This happened right in front of my eyes. As reckless as these guys (trash removal workers) were, they had the decency to feel bad about what happened and were very apologetic. Next day, Jose refused to take responsibility! He said that his guys did not drop the tub on the vanity!! That the vanity had been damaged by a hammer that the painters had put on it, and that the damage was fixable anyway! You get the idea... 8. Due to sloppy, careless, and poor workmanship, almost anything that they did in my place had to be redone or retouched, either by himself or by my new contractor. See attached photos for the location of the sink pipes and drain. They were too low to allow the vanity to be installed and we had to raise them. See also the location of the electric boxes. They were too high and we had to lower them to allow for the mirrors to be installed. Note that he had physical access to vanity and the mirrors many weeks before these electric and plumbing works were done. It's not that he didn't have the dimensions. There is no excuse. 9. Joe was often confused about measurements, dimensions, plans, etc... A few times he dragged me from work to the site to tell me that the plan was infeasible, only to find out that he was confusing numbers. At times he did come up with interesting solutions such as the bathroom not having a door!!! He once told me that he would never work for an architect or with an architect because they are too picky about everything. Now I understand why! The list can go on but I think there's enough info for you to decide whether Simlac is the right contractor for you or not. UPDATE: REBUTTAL TO SILMAC'S RESPONSE: Silmac's response is simply irresponsible! I won't bother to refute all accounts due to space and time limits. 1. Jose mentions he was fired when he had 1 week of work left. If anyone thinks that of a 6 week project 1 week is enough for the finish work which involves lots of "finish carpentry" for two shelved closets, a kitchen pantry, building and installing several doors to match existing, a laundry closet, installing vanity, lights, toilet, framing and recessing two large mirrors, bathroom tile work, finishing pluming and electric work, bringing all walls and ceilings to paint-ready state, etc. etc... then they should definitely hire Silmac. It took my new contractor 6 weeks of hard work (6 days a week, literally) to finish the project. It is well-known that finish work is the most time-consuming and most expensive part of the work. Though it is plausible that with the sloppy shoddy work that he was doing he would've finished in one week!! Thanks but no thanks, not in my house. 2. Note the pattern and attitude of "it wasn't my fault and it doesn't matter anyway" in the response: "The vanity damage was the painter's fault (and it can be fixed anyway), the common area damages were the flooring guy's fault (and old building's in Boston are full of these anyway), the nail touching the drain pipe was existing (and the house is probably full of those anyway)." etc. etc... His response just confirms my claim about his disrespect for our historic building and my personal properties. If you are comfortable with working with such contractor then Silmac is probably the right guy for you. 3. He is claiming that it was due to ADDITIONAL hallway work that he had to get a 2nd permit. See attached documents and decide for yourself. The problem was that he never did the right things from the first place. To save a 100 bucks, he declared only the bathroom work in the permit that he requested. My neighbor complained (rightfully so) about the hallway work being done without a permit. When I brought this up Joe started giving me legal advice on how to deal with my neighbor! Later I received another call from Jose's relative, again offering me unsolicited legal advice and offer to draft a letter to the neighbor for me!!! I had to really push hard to make him just do the right thing and get the permit. On day one, I did notice that the permit was incomplete and it did give me a pause as unethical to say the least but I let go. I ignored this and other red flags as I had hired him in good faith, and also somewhat blinded by Angie's list. 4. He is claiming that he is not asking for the last 1/3 of his quote ($7,433). See attached documents and decide for yourself. 5. "The trap was under the floor!" How convenient! The pipe (with floor screw on it) is the laundry drain that we are talking about, photographed from under the floor. There was no trap, period. We have additional photographs and we videotaped everything with experts explaining the (many) problems and what needed to be done. I had an independent master plumber assess the situation and verify the problems. 6. Paint and flooring guys were fully insured licensed contractors. Nobody was working under Jose's liability. We had discussed this plan from day 1 and he was updated all along. He never said anything other than "it may not be a good idea to paint when there is dust around". 7. I never threatened him that he would lose his license if he didn't pay me 7k. I did text him that he may lose his license because of the violations he had done (plumbing and insulation) in the master bath. 8. The email dated Oct 12, 11:12am that he is claiming as "additional work and change in scope" is mostly a confirmatory email asking him to cut doors and tiles as previously agreed, to help flooring job be completed, and to remind him to correct his other mistakes. He complains about repeated change of plans. There was a laundry alcove that was always supposed to be outside the walk-in closet. Confusing dimensions and measurements, he concluded that it couldn't be done. He dragged me from work to site and in a hurry I OKed his requested change of plan. Later that day I reviewed the original plan and I concluded that Joe was mistaken. Of course, I asked him to go back to the original plan, which he did but screwed up the implementation. We needed 29" distance after finish work but got 29" between studs! 9. Five other groups (painting, wallpapering, flooring, plumbing, and general contracting) worked for me. Everyone did their job and no one's payment was delayed by one day. 10. The vanity: I immediately texted him after his guys broke it. See attached.

From the estimation phase through the end of the project, Joe and his team were very responsive. When challenges came up (as they inevitably do during a renovation) he and his team were prompt to respond. I did feel I had to keep a close eye on the smaller details, but anytime something was missed, Joe and his team were quick to address it and correct it. I'm happy with the end product and the way everything came together.

Joe was prompt and responsive, and his crew very professional. Inevitably, there were some surprises during the project. There was a hidden chimney that had to be demolished, pipes to nowhere, pipes that had to be brought up to code, plumbers who got sick, various design issues, etc. Joe handled all of these with great patience, fairness, and common sense. We plan to use Silmac again.