SILMAC Construction Inc.

Beautiful results for a very good price. We love our new basement which went from a grungy cement wire-filled mess to a light-filled multi-function space containing my home office, a tidy laundry and storage space, a guest room, and kid's play space. The deck and sunroom they built are fabulous too. We made a lot of changes on the fly as this was our first home reno project and they were quite accomodating. It did take longer than planned but we weren't in a big rush since none of the work done was on an essential part of our home. Joe and his team are really nice guys, polite and kind. Will hire again for other projects!

Joe and his team have previously done a bathroom remodel for me, so I didn't hesitate to recommend them to my fellow condo owners when we needed our front decks completely replaced due to rotting wood. We had several quotes and SILMAC came in the lowest, but this did not impact the quality of work. The work was completed on schedule and looks great. Joe recommended materials for us that would be low maintenance and help avoid costly future repairs. We have since hired Joe's team for other maintenance projects for our building.

This is the 4th time I have worked with the team at SILMAC (either for work I have personally had done, or with our condo association). I have been consistently pleased with the quality of the work, as well as the very reasonable costs. My bathroom turned out absolutely beautifully - it looks like a spa. The best part of working with SILMAC is that they are in consistent communication with me. This is not a contractor who is going to disappear on you midway through the job! If anything comes up in the course of the job, I know I can count on Joe to give me a clear explanation and agreed-upon next steps. I would absolutely work with them again, and I would (and have!) recommend them without hesitation.

We have used SILMAC for two major projects and have always been very happy with the outcomes. Joe is great to work with and gives honest and up front analysis of the work and it thoughtful about the proposal and costs. The workers were always very friendly and respectful and left a clean worksite each day. Joe also doesn’t hesitate to come back if issues arise later. My home has definitely benefited from the great work of SILMAC and I highly recommend them to anyone I know looking for a contractor.

Joe was very responsive and came out and gave us detailed information about the job to be done. I would definitely reach out to him in the future for projects we need help on.

Take home message: Joe DaSilva from SILMAC Construction is a reliable contractor who produces a great result and is easy to work with. We purchased an older home this summer and worked with SILMAC on a major renovation including full kitchen and 1.5 bathroom renovations, as well as updates, structural work and repairs throughout the home. Joe has been responsive from the start and worked with us on our timeline, starting work as soon as we purchased the home. We are now on week 16 of SILMAC's quoted 8 week turnaround time, but this is largely due to change orders we have made as we learned more about the home. Joe has brought in a talented team to do the work. Joe is knowledgeable and has good advice, and is willing to discuss and price out different scenarios for you before you make a decision about what to move forward with. He was an excellent resource when considering multiple options and saying "we can do it, but I don't think it's worth it for you." This really helped us stay on budget! Overall, our new home is completely transformed and we are very happy with the result. Communication has been by phone, text and email, which overall has worked well for us, but occasionally things have been miscommunicated or misunderstood. Just general advice for any construction project, keep in mind that your contractor is busy and to make your expectations clear, send reminders and document decisions. Overall, Joe was very reliable and easy to talk to and clarified anything we asked about. Everyone on his crew was very nice to work with, but specifically we wanted to mention Antonio, who may be one of the nicest people we've ever worked with! Joe's billing process was clear, transparent and if he left anything out or if we requested clarification or corrections, they were worked out quickly. We have completed several renovations in a smaller home with different contractors over the years, and this overall experience with SILMAC was better than any of our other renovations. We would work with SILMAC again and have already started discussing work that we hope to do sometime in 2020/2021. We are working through our punch list right now and will update this post or add another review if anything changes from what we've written here.

Joe is a wonderful person to work with. He was always available to answer any questions at the click of a text or call. He helped us survey his other projects before making decisions. All the people he contracted with were extremely professional and great to work. I would hire him again!

Joe responded immediately when I asked for him to walk an investment property with me. He had done work for me in the past and he was the first contractor I thought of for my next project. He took his time walking through the home from basement to attic - we discussed renovation possibilities and once he understood what I needed he developed a thorough estimate for the scope of the work - and it was extensive! Unfortunately my offer was not accepted on the home but if it was I would have without a doubt hired Joe/SILMAC to do the renovation. I will definitely use him for my next investment.

Quality and Professionalism--A. The workers did an excellent job with every aspect of the project. They were clean and courteous from start to finish. . The different crews for demolition, plumbing, tiling, electrical, carpentry, and finishing were polite and courteous, and took care not to damage other areas of the house. Finished bathroom looks fantastic. Responsiveness -- A. Joe was usually prompt in his replies to our many questions and comments, within 24 hours but usually more quickly (same day) either by email or by phone. He was always patient and knowledgeable. Cost - C This is not a bad grade, but "average" for the typical contractor for a project like this. Total labor cost $15800. (Materials not included.) Upgraded electrical box material and labor, additional $2100. Punctuality - C. This is not a bad grade, but "average." It seems like projects always take longer than anticipated. Job was scheduled for 5 - 6 weeks. We had the shower available during the 7th week. Total project completed after 11 weeks. We did restrict the times that we wanted the crew working by requesting they not work after 6 p.m. in the evening because of the disruption it would cause at night. (Also, the building permit stated: "allowable hours of work Monday - Saturday 7 a.m. - 6 p.m.") We didn’t think that was an unreasonable request because we were available nearly every day from 7 a.m. to late into the afternoon, including most Saturdays. Overall - B+. We are very happy with Joe, Silmac's job, and all his workers. Silmac will do a great job on your remodel. If our experience is typical of a Silmac project, by all means, hire Joe. Remember that the work may require extended time. If time is a factor in your decision, it might be advisable to amend Silmac’s contract to set a completion date. Guarantee is for 1 year after completion. We did need to call back Silmac in November for a small problem with the heating system. It was handled promptly and professionally.

We have asked Joe and his team to help us with several projects, and they have always done an exceptional job. On this most recent project, he returned to our home to help repair plastering and general carpentry in a playroom in a finished attic. When I contacted Joe about our needs via email, he came to our home and assessed the work. He quickly sent some of his carpenters to complete the job, which they did expertly and efficiently. We appreciate that Joe always follows up via email to ensure that everything completed. We will continue to use Joe for projects in the future, and we have provided his name to anyone that contacts us. He is an excellent general contractor and person!

Joe and his team did a great job overseeing a closet build out project in our home. They were professional and did the job quickly. The finished product looks better than we could have hoped for. We would use Joe and his team again in the future.

Excellent work Joe & team! The original plan to bury the pipes in the wall didn't work, but you found a great solution and it looks great. Also, thank you very much for being sensitive to the downstairs and upstairs tenant, who was very concerned initially that there would be a lot of noise and inconvenience. Thankfully, everything went smoothly despite the hiccups in our plan!

Silmac provided high quality workmanship at a reasonable price. Not only were the new materials installed with glistening perfection, but an old wooden door with panels was painstakingly sanded and painted so smoothly it looked as crisp and new as the rest! New baseboard moulding in the adjacent room was custom ordered and stained to match the old wood trim as if the room had always been that way. The specialists brought in for plumbing, electrical work and carpentry had clearly been carefully vetted. The drawers and cupboards under the knee-wall are fitted to take full advantage of the space, and faced with paneling that matches the style of this 1920's house. When the plumber saw that the sink was wall-mounted he came back with decorative chrome piping for underneath - something I wouldn't even have known to ask for! Everyone worked hard and cheerfully and communicated with each other as well as with me. Best of all - there were NO DRIPS ANYWHERE - not so much as a smudge, on my wood floors and stairs. It was such a relief working with people who know how to do things well, since I don't always know how to specify good work. Labor and materials came to about $22,000 .

Joe and his team are fantastic. This is the second time we've used Silmac, and I would not hesitate to recommend them. Joe actually contacted me to follow up on the work he had done for us about 2 years ago to check that all was still ok, and as it turned out we had new water damage that needed his attention (welcome to life in MA!). He works with us to find simple, cost effective solutions but ensures things are repaired properly. Great work, and his team works clean.

Joe gave me a quote on a bathroom remodel and repairing some drywall in another room. It was a pretty close call but I ended up deciding on another contractor. I had confidence that Joe would have done a good job for what that's worth. The quote was pretty reasonable but didn't include any materials or trash removal (not sure how much that would have been). Of the 4 quotes that I got he was the only one who suggested I hire someone else to replace the windows. While not a big deal I thought maybe that was a little odd. Although I did respect that he said that wasn't an area of expertise and he'd be happy to work with whoever i hired for the windows. The estimated time for completion of the project was on the long end as well so if you're on a tight schedule this might be a consideration. Overall, I would consider Joe for any future projects.

We decided to go with someone else, but we were impressed by Joe DaSilva's responsiveness. He responded quickly to our inquiries, came to look at the job when he said he would, and promptly got us a detailed estimate. We would certainly consider him again for a future job.

Joe was very professional and knowledgeable. He was responsive, punctual with meetings, and provided estimates within a reasonable time period. He had ideas to meet our intent that would have saved money. The contractual aspects were very reasonable. We were unable to proceed due to personal circumstances.

We were impressed at every step of the way with Joe's knowledge and professionalism. He quickly understood our situation and was upfront about any potential problems we might run into. He supplied extra information to make sure that the members of our condo association got their questions answered. He communicated with us regularly about the project and his team was always friendly and professional. And our bathroom looks great - they did a truly exemplary job. We would definitely recommend Joe and his team to others.

Joe is responsive, courteous, and thoughtful. We had no trouble scheduling the original appointment and he was helpful in thinking creatively about the options for the project. The price was reasonable, similar to that from other contractors with good reputations. You should note that Silmac's price is for labor only and doesn't include ANY materials - including basic things like paint, grout, etc, or for removing the trash from the job (we had to pay that separately to a trash removal company). It's a reasonable approach, but if you don't read the fine print on the estimate, you might be surprised or frustrated, since most contractors I have used for other work didn't charge for the standard materials for the job - they just included it in the overall estimate. There were two main hiccups along the way: First, the plumbing didn't work out exactly as Joe had envisioned, so we had to do more work downstairs than expected. This slowed things up and required us to do some modest remodeling in our dining room below the bathroom. Second, the project itself took longer than expected, in part due to the above issue, but also separate from that there were often periods of a week or more waiting for the next subcontractor or inspection to come. The quality of the work was excellent, but if you're on a tight timeline you may want to find someone else. Overall, we were very satisfied with the final product, and I will continue to hire Silmac and Joe in the future.

After reviewing various contractors, i decided to go with Joe. Joe gave me fair warning that this was going to be a stressful project. The project had taken much longer than i was quoted and when you are living in the house without any facilities, the stress level rises pretty fast! We ran into a few snags which required me to step in and resolve. Work was being held up due to HVAC problem and Joe was unable to provide a sub-contractor, so i had to go out and find my own contractor for that portion of the job in order to keep things moving. The job was started in mid April and finally completed mid September. Communication is very important and more importantly attention to details is a must! I have to say the end result made me very happy and i'm so glad to have a bathroom i can enjoy. I really do like Joe and would recommend him however, i felt the job could have been completed sooner had he paid closer attention to my needs and that is why i gave him a B rating.

After reviewing various contractors, i decided to go with Joe from Silmac. Joe gave me fair warning that this was going to be a stressful project. The project had taken much longer than i had anticipated and when you are living in the house without any facilities, the stress level rises pretty quickly. We ran into a few snags which required me to step in and resolve. Work was being held up due to an HVAC problem and Joe was unable to provide a contractor so i had to go out and find my own contractor for that portion of the job in order to keep things moving. The job was started in mid April and finally completed mid September. Communication is very important and more importantly attention to details is a must! I have to say the end result made me very happy and i'm so glad to have a bathroom i can enjoy. I really do like Joe and would recommend him however, i felt the job could have been completed sooner had he paid closer attention to my needs and that is why i gave him a B rating.

Went great. Very helpful and would consider again in the future.

Out of the three contractor quotes we got, Silmac was the only one who quoted just labor and then said they'd submit receipts for all materials (all bought from Home Depot). Really liked the transparency of costs for all materials. This also meant I could also occasionally source a specific item myself and just hand it to them to install. This was my first serious project working with a contractor, and I can say that Silmac made the process great. The company owner was helpful throughout the project, and the on-site project manager was easy to work with. Over the course of the project, we quickly learned to trust the project manager's decisions. This was particularly important as both our kitchen plans were a little light on the final details, and sometimes things were "discovered" along the way that required a quick decision to keep the project on track. The sub-contracted workers (plumbing, electrical, drywall installation, tiling, etc.) were all good. When there were minor issues with the work, Silmac took care of us fairly and ensured we were satisfied. Overall quality of the work was good. Going back to trusting them and their judgement, there were several parts of the project where Silmac actually suggested some things that were not originally in our plans which were great (specifically the computer nook and how to take advantage of additional space in a way we hadn't thought about). I really liked how their suggestions were always helpful, and every time I went along with their idea I was glad I did! I'm writing this review just over 6 months after the work was completed, and can confidently say we continue to be pleased. We would definitely recommend this contractor.

Joe arranged to do the needed work within the tight time frame we had to ready the apartments for new tenants. His carpentry team did a good job of achieving our plans for the apartments, and we were pleased with the plumbing and masonry work done by his subs, despite a few delays. Most importantly, Silmac stands behind its work. When a problem emerged with one of the bathroom vanity installations a year later, Joe was quick to remedy the problem at no charge.

The Job started in January and in April he said head be done by the end of the month. He finished or we stopped him in September. His original estimated 2 months turned into 9 months. The contractor was hardly ever on site and does none of the work himself hiring sub contractors for everything. There were many many many miscommunications which could have easily been resolved if he had stopped by ( I work out of my house 60-70% of the time) he insisted to communicate via email and text. He was obviously busy with other more profitable jobs and ours did not rate his time. There were cost over runs and delays due to things being done improperly the first time again that could have been easily taken care of if he had had the interest to stop by, Our new hard wood floor is a mess (I had to stop them from trying to fix it more since it was just getting worse), the electrical was not done the way we requested, the new walls are not smooth. Everything was an extra. If you do go with this company be sure everything you want is is specifically detailed in the contract (ie. move the light switch to the other side of the sink). He also attempted to bill us extra for repairs to the original poor work.