JW Home Improvement

It went well. The two men team did a wonderful job that only took half of a day. Each job was done with much satisfaction, so pleased with their work, very professional.

Great service, the work was done in a safe and fast way. He was very professional with his job and I will definitely contact him for next projects.

This was my first experience with JW Home Improvement, though I have a LOT of experience with other contractors for a host of problems and home renovations, including many unexpected problems. I used them based primarily on Angie's List positive reviews, so I want to leave one to help others. Overall, I was satisfied with their service and would use them again. At the same time, there were a few shortcomings worth mentioning that help explain, to me, the several negative recent reviews I see as well. Bottom line, and this is most important: they seemed highly professional throughout, Oscar and Jesus were extremely nice and very competent, and they seem to have done an excellent job in quickly finding the source of the guest bathroom leak and in repairing it. Ultimately, that matters most. I also appreciated the fact that while at first they said it would be 2-3 weeks before they could get to me, after I pointed out it was an active, albeit slow, leak, which could cause a lot of damage in 2-3 weeks, they were able to fit me in to the schedule two days later, which was very helpful. JW was very efficient from the moment I first called them, always following up with phone calls, texts and/or emails on scheduling the estimate, the work date and time, and the follow-up. Josh the supervising estimator was very nice and explained their approach and what would happen very thoroughly. Oscar and Jesus showed up right on time, told me what they had found and what they needed to do to repair the leak and reattach the kitchen light that had detached from the ceiling due to the leak, and kept me informed throughout the process. So, all that is an A, without qualifications. In addition, the light cover developed a big hole in the process of their taking it down, and JW agreed to pay the $80 cost of a quick, immediate replacement, which was appreciated. Now I need to add the shortcomings, which gave me some pause despite the excellent service noted above. 1. JW appears to be a high-volume, high overhead operation. From the telephone receptionist, to Josh the estimator, to the assistant who called to schedule the appointment, to the person who followed up to make sure I knew of the appointment, to Oscar and Jesus, to the accountant who sent me the invoice, to Brian the JW adviser, I dealt with at least 8 different people over the 4 work days I dealt with JW. That's a lot! To their credit, they appeared very efficient, but I couldn't help but think of dollar signs and how that was adding to the cost of my service, to support that many staff, compared to most contractors I have dealt with. 2. Josh's estimate, which he stated was "conservative" when he supplied it in person, was between $1450-2000 to cover all the tasks. He said he liked to be conservative so there are no surprises and that often the final bill is on the low end. Well, despite the fact the leak was quickly found and only a small area of kitchen ceiling drywall had to be exposed and then repaired, and despite the fact the minor jobs were completed very quickly (just a few minutes), the final invoice sent to me was for $2475, after a 10 percent discount and including $131 in materials. So I was unpleasantly surprised, and said so, politely but by email and phone call. To JW"s credit, Brian, an adviser, called me within a few hours, explained that despite the quick diagnosis, they had had to remove a toilet to get to the leak in the water valve, and that explained the extra time and expense. Ultimately, he agreed to reduce the bill so that it ended up $100 above the high end of the estimate, plus materials. While I was still disappointed it was so high, and it's not like removing a toilet should be unexpected when facing a bathroom leak or takes that much time,, I appreciated the accommodation and the quick and courteous response. 3. The invoice itself was non-transparent. It provided no breakdown of the hours spent (I'm pretty sure I ended up paying for the lunch hours of the two workmen, which maybe should be expected but was still news to me) and the time spent procuring materials from a Home Depot five minutes down the road. This is why the explanation from Brian helped, but it should have been spelled out in the invoice in the first place. Moreover, it was clear I had been charged for the time spent both in installing the new light fixture to replace the one that had been broken and for the time it took Oscar on the phone to get approval to reimburse me for the fixture. Had I not objected, I would have had to pay both for the fixture and for its installation, when I had nothing to do with it. 4. Oscar and Jesus left the 4-foot long broken light fixture in my dining room, so now I have to spend 45 minutes going to the recycling center to dispose of it. 5. Their pricing is somewhat high, in part due to their high overhead, I think. I am not someone who goes for the least-cost service, as that often is short-sighted in solving the problem over the long run. This crew was professional, and the repairs come with a one-year warranty. I am willing to pay somewhat more for the reassurance of professionalism, as that is more cost-effective in the long run. Even so, given the relatively small size and scope of the leak and ease of repair, I thought the pricing somewhat high. That's something to note up front if you're going to use JW, and I am more willing to accept it when none of the other shortcomings mentioned above take place, but when they do, it becomes a bit more of an irritant. I would have graded the pricing a D had Brian not reached out and somewhat accommodated. So, to end on a positive note, when faced with a leak of unclear origin and scope, it's like going to the emergency room--you don't know exactly what's wrong or how much it will cost to fix it, but you do know you need the problem diagnosed and fixed, pronto and that it won't be inexpensive. JW did that, and they operated with professionalism throughout the process. I likely will use them again in the future, though given their high overhead and thus cost structure, I will make sure to choose them for projects where leveraging their experienced personnel to greatest advantage makes the most sense. In other words, not for more routine matters, but where it matters to get experienced and prompt service.

I've hired JW now for a couple of small projects and have been pleased all around with the service. I had a coupon 1 man for 6 hours $402. The job required 2 men for 4 hours. A 40 foot ladder was also required. The final bill was higher than I anticipated ( I had to pay for extra labor and for the materials) and it seems like the price has gone up from previous jobs done. However, they did exactly what I wanted and the work has been done so I'm satisfied.

Bob was great! He is a craftsman to be admired. Unfortunately, good quality takes time, so the estimates were a bit low since the estimator did not really understand what was involved in the work. So, for the time we had Bob, he & his assistant did great work. The company went out of their way to schedule us before the holidays AND made sure to put the right employee on the job for the work to be done. The following work was done: fence repair, garage ladder installed, a bit of masonry repair, gutter diverter (specialty gutter companies had not come up with a solution), and faux ceiling beams installed. The work was done over about 10 days.

It was a total waste of my time and money. There is a mandatory payment of $50 for providing estimates, of which I have not yet received. More importantly, they were not able to do the core work I really wanted done, even though I had previously sent a punch list of my work items.

These guys were super prompt. They were on time, returned calls, and gave good estimates. The best part was that the technicians working on the house would text me with updates of completed work. They would send me pictures of completed work. They offered advice on other things that could be fixed to ensure top dollar on our rental. They were NOT pushy if I declined advised services. I would hire them again in a heart beat!!

Juan was great price and did a nice job

I left several messages and tried contacting them multiple times and never got a response at all from them.

The two technicians who worked on these projects, Kevin and Soren, were extremely professional and personable throughout. They let me know when they would arrive and were right on time. They made sure they had all materials necessary and took pains to do everything the right way. They even took the time to help me with some of the things I was trying to fix on my own. The work they did was superb, and despite the hot weather, they were cheerful and friendly throughout. I was extremely impressed with the care they took with my home, and I look forward to them returning in a couple of weeks to paint and install a new cupola on my garage roof. JW Home Improvement and Kevin and Soren are top-notch.

Team arrived on time, with the appropriate tools. Work completed efficiently. Next day the debris was picked up as promised. All went well and we are very well satisfied.

After arriving an hour late, and pre-charging me $50 for an estimate, the representative for the company gave me an estimate of $420-$680. Two days later, I received an estimate of a flat $680. I asked for an itemized statement and an explanation of services. I am still waiting on that.

Very well. Thorough and knowledgeable. Wrought iron, front rail, exposed to street and passersby. Looks like new.

Thomas Matamoros is outstanding! He arrived on time and complete all 7 projects...(new porch light, house numbers, mailbox, flag pole, a/c installation, fire alarm installation)...and more than the great quality, he was cheerful and pleasant all 6 hours. He is an 'A+' handyman and we appreciate his hard work.

Technician knew more than a prior electrician. Fast worker.

All went smoothly. The estimating process (with Josh) was great, and JW provided a detailed and conservative estimate on cost and time. JW was able to schedule during a time when it worked for us, which was challenging as we were in the middle of moving. The guys who showed up to perform the work were diligent and focused. They worked so efficiently they were able to get some of the lower priority items on our list, and did a good job with everything. While the prices were slightly on the higher end of others we spoke to, our experience was such that we'd definitely hire again.

The metal plate has been re-installed professionally, but the roof was only inspected partially due to rain at the time. They did a smaller thing instead with a small reduction of the price.

Initial contact and dialogue went as expected. I spoke with a representative, sent the specifications and the sample design/picture. The rep said she would get back to me within 30 minutes, she did not. When I called I was told she had departed for the day. On the next business day, I called again and was told the request was with the Master Carpenter and I would receive a quote soon. After a few calls and conversations, another representative provided a verbal quote but without any detail, and did not send a written quote. I suspect she sensed my frustration and was trying to be helpful. I subsequently spoke with the rep I originally contacted. She assured me the Master Carpenter had my request and I would get the quote. To date, I have yet to receive the quote. I am disappointed with JW's performance. I used this firm a few years ago and was very pleased with their responsiveness, the quality of the work and the professionalism of those who preformed the work. Something has changed in their process, I hope they regain their edge.

Finished job turned out very well. Workers were skilled and professional. There was a glitch in ordering the window when the original JWHI estimator quit mid-project which put us several weeks behind schedule.

All jobs were done in sequence, qui key and efficiently. So far so good... everything is holding up.

They were very excellent. Superb work. Recommend promotion.

The only problem noted was a lack of communication unless initiated by me. The work provided was excellent.

Jesse Wertjes responded promptly to my request for an estimate for work. He examined the areas in question, explained options and provided me with a quote. Major work was scheduled and the work crew arrived on schedule. Work included removing rotted wood trim on exterior door and replacing with new wood, priming and painting, caulking. Other work included installing a new exterior light fixture, reattaching a gutter downspout, and cleaning all gutters and replacing gutter covers. I found Jesse Wertjes to be extremely professional and very good to work with. The crew was skilled and did excellent work. I would definitely hire this company again.

Excellent professional work! Have used several times. Will use again

This review is for the service provided by Oscar in April. He was on time, professional, and skilled. I had several to-do's, some of which required waiting for cement to set and purchasing supplies at a nearby home improvement store. I could tell that he planned his time well and was organized. The new mailbox post and mailbox was installed perfectly (no complaints from the mail carrier) and the old mailbox was removed with no issues. He rebuilt one of my window boxes (there are two) that had fallen off the house by salvaging the materials of the old box. This was a big plus, because the estimator thought that both window boxes would have to be rebuilt from scratch with new materials. He reinforced the other window box and modified the brackets to match the rebuilt box (attention to detail!). He also cut closet shelves, which wasn’t on my original list, but saved me a lot of time and headache. When chatting with Oscar, I learned that carpentry is one of his specialties. If I have future carpentry projects—or any other to-do’s I can’t do on my own—I will ask for Oscar by name. The cost was manageable with an Angie’s List coupon. There was a little confusion with my bill, but I think it was because they were transitioning to a new system. The issues were resolved promptly with no drama.