Birkenmeier & Sons Inc

Everything was great and they kept my house CLEAN!!!!

They were clean, fast, professional and I trusted them to be in my house while I was at work. I already have them coming out to do more work for me around my house. They loved our dog and could not haven been any nicer, professional and fair. They were half the cost of our other bids and did an amazing job. I highly recommend them.

Throughout our long period of renovations (about 7 months from planning through final project completion), Al surpassed all our expectations. He was responsive, punctual, professional, patient, reliable, well informed and well-connected and extremely competent. He communicated clearly with us at all times, answered calls and questions and was willing to be available to give advice when we had to make purchases or decisions which were difficult. I felt that Al listened to me, and took my concerns seriously, and this was very important to me, as my husband was often not available to oversee day-to-day progress and a lot of that responsibility fell to me. I knew that I could count on Al to see the work through and that he would take into consideration my ideas, perspectives and preferences. My husband and I really liked the other people who worked closely with Al, as part of his core team, especially Papa Gary and Tom, and also all of the subcontractors he brought in to do different aspects of the work. He was the conductor of a very competent orchestra and he also did some of the work directly himself. He stayed on top of everything and was our main point of contact for communications. That worked very well. When we had to be away from the site, I knew that Al was following up closely on all the work and he updated us by email, phone, and through SKYPE calls with video tours of the house so we could see the actual work being done. He would check in with us immediately if some unexpected decisions had to be made. He and his team were very tidy and kept the work site as clean and organized as possible, at all times. They seemed to work well as a team and coordinated well among themselves. They treated our neighbors with respect, which was also very important to us, as their lives were also disrupted for months by noise, trucks and dumpsters, etc. We are currently moving back into our home and are very pleased with the way it feels and looks. The quality of the workmanship is excellent and we are very satisfied. We will be eternally thankful to Al and all his associates for doing such a good job. In particular, Al's attention to detail and his willingness to go the extra mile, to make sure that we got the results we wanted, meant a great deal to us. We strongly recommend him to others who are taking on home renovations, large or small, and we would be definitely work with him again in the future, if we had a similar project.

We chose Al's company to re-do the repairs, which were quite extensive. It was a pleasure dealing with Al and his whole team. Refreshingly, he is accessible, listens, does things the right way, and does what he says he will do. After what we had been through with the other contractor, we were SO relieved to feel confident that the work was being done in a very professional manner. Al truly cares that the work is done correctly and that we are happy with the results. Al has the communication and management skills to make it all happen. We are very happy with the work and highly recommend Al Birkenmeier and Sons.

I would have no hesitation in recommending Al for any construction work. From our first contact with him he has been nothing but professional, courteous, flexible, and efficient. We had an old bay window that needed replacement and decided to replace it with a fireplace and windows either side. Al dealt with the planning office, and was extremely patient with us as we made changes to our original designs as we went along. Al's team were very easy to have around, kept the area very clean and tidy and always went the extra step to help us. Architect, bricklayers, flooring guys, painters, and electricians that Al used were all up to the same high standards. During all the work, our 16 year old son fractured his femur and Al's guys did a wonderful job building ramps for the wheelchair! We will definitely be using him in the future. Thanks Al, Tom, Papa Gary and all.

Since my wife volunteered to paint the molding, Al delivered it to us a couple of weeks before the hardwood would come in.When all the material was in, All waited a few days to start to allow us time to move furniture. They removed the carpeting and all the doors/molding with very little mess. His flooring guy did a great job with the hardwood. Not the fasted installer, but well worth the time for him to install the hardwood. Then Al and his crew came in to install the doors and molding. They were very professional and had no problem handling the small issues our house presented them. They went beyond what was required by caulking some of the molding for us. Al was ready to address any question we had. The work Al did to our house made our house look 20 years younger. Would not hesitate to use Al again if we had to have some work done around the house!!!

DO YOURSELF A FAVOR AND HIRE THIS MAN! I use Angie's List frequently and Al is by far my greatest find! I will keep my comments brief in hopes to attract more readers. We consulted several general contractors to obtain bids and it was clear from the beginning that Al was a skilled craftsman who genuinely cared about doing a thorough job and making us happy. Al is very professional and fair. He is down to earth and has a very likeable personality, which was very important considering how long and how close we worked together. Al is organized and stayed in daily contact with us about the progress on our home. The renovation process was stressful at times, but with Al's calm temperament and confidence it went very smoothly. The best compliment I can give is to say hat I would hire him again and refer him to friends and family. Neighbors have already hired him because they were so impressed by his strong work ethic and beautiful work. Al is a rare find.

We are happy with the finished work. Al has a number of excellent men working as part of his team, they were punctual, neat, courteous and good humored from the tear out to installing the drywall and Durock, mudding, tile work, fixture installations to painting. Al was easy to reach by phone or email and came by often to check on progress. He was not the highest nor the lowest bid but over the past few years ranks as one of the best teams that have come to work for us. We would have him return without question.

I wanted to express my appreciation to Al Birkenmeier and his crew for the outstanding job they performed making repairs to my late mother-in-law's home. The house was built in 1951. The interior walls are slat and plaster. Al competed with three other contractors and won the bid. We had the home's cast iron drain pipes replaced throughout the structure. This required the demolishing of one of the kitchen walls to replace the pipes in the adjoining bathroom and throughout the kitchen. We also had the interior walls for any holes and cracks, and painted. Two corners on the exterior of the structure needed to have concrete work. Electrical wiring was also performed to bring the house up to code. We were extremely pleased with the work that Al and his team performed and would highly recommend them. Al communicated with us often and thoroughly and his work was always timely. Additionally, during all of our interactions, the team was friendly, upbeat, and concerned about our needs.

It went great. Al was very hands-on and customer oriented from the initial quote to the final walk through. In addition to his own employees, Al used several sub-contractors to complete the work. Al effectively managed the sub-contractors, followed-up on their work and communicated any issues we identified to them. He made sure that the work was completed to our expectations and personally inspected all work. The quality of the work was very nice overall. Although the the work was spread out over a relatively long period (which we planned), Al and his team executed each piece of the work quickly, efficiently and cleanly. Al and his team were very accommodating of our schedule and were extremely gracious with our two young, inquisitive children. He even let them help out where they could. Both kids still talk about Al and Poppa Gary.

This bathroom was not original to the 1936 home. It was added 25 years ago by going into the attic area which made it very small with low ceiling height. Al re-designed it moving the sink and toilet to a different wall and was able to fix the low ceiling problem by lowering the floor by 4 or 5 inches. The original floor was elevated by the original contractor 25 years ago because he said the floor could not be evened out. Al and his crew evened it out and now you can look into the medicine cabinet mirror without having to bend over! Al and Papa Gary, his co-worker, installed all new fixtures and cabinetry in the bathroom and even added a closet! They took off the old bathroom door and installed a pocket door which added more space to the bathroom and the adjoining master bedroom. I had some very old tiles that I had been wanting to use in some way and over the years anyone who did work in the house said they couldn't be used because of the age, old cement on the back of them, etc. Al, said no problem they could be used. They are now on the wall in the bathroom. The tile work is just beautiful. The shower was completely redone with new fixtures and tile from floor to ceiling and it too is beautiful. The ceiling fan in the bedroom was right over the bed. Al took it down, patched it up and then installed a ceiling fixture in the middle of the room instead of over the bed. All the patch work was perfect. In re-doing the second floor bathroom Al found that our plumbing was not properly vented which required breaking into the first floor bathroom wall, fixing the plumbing and then patching and painting the bathroom. The patching was perfect. The painting was a bit difficult because it had a glaze on it and Al's painter matched it perfectly. There was so much that Al, Papa Gary and the others did that I know I am leaving some things out.. But the attention to detail was the best I have seen. They were professional, courteous, and kind. They cleaned up after themselves never leaving anything a mess and always went above and beyond what was asked of them. Al always followed up with me and communicated everything that was being done and why. I waited and saved a long time to get this bathroom fixed and I so easily could have been disappointed but this project turned out better than I could have imagined all due to the quality and price of the work and to the character of Al and his crew.

Al Birkenmeier came to the house well prepared with his plumber and tile guy. They listened to exactly what we needed and worked up a design and estimate that closely meet all our needs. Al was very responsive and the bid was competitive. He had many useful suggestions based on his years of experience. I would not hesitate using Al for any future work.

Al & Gary did some minor renovations in our sunroom. They had just recently did a major renovation on our kitchen & as expected, this project went very well too. The project entailed drywall, painting, & adding all new trim (windows & baseboards) that matched the rest of our house. It also included updates to our electrical work & replacing a ceiling fan/light fixture. He also wired up a TV for us, which is something that was not even included in the bid & also offered to hang the shelf for the cable box. He is very thoughtful & went out & bought us a HDMI cable when he thought we didn't have one. Al is always very professional & on budget. He may not always be the cheapest bid, however, you will get no surprises with Al. This is the second project he has done for our home that came in exactly as the bid with no surprises & the work is quality! We couldn't be happier & we will only use Al for future projects!

Our architect recommended Al Birkenmeier to us for an addition and renovation to our 1922 home and how fortunate we have been to have selected Birkenmeier and Sons. Throughout the process, Al communicated what they were working on, when it would be done, and any issues they encountered. We have never had any contractors in the four cities we have lived in willing to put the time into communicating with us like Al has done. What a true partnership it has been! Spending $400,000 on an addition and renovation can be stressful, but Al's experience working with older homes and his calm demeanor, kept us sane and helped us avoid potential costly mistakes. One thing that sets Al apart from other contractors we have worked with is that he really wants you to be happy with the work and goes above and beyond to ensure results. He truly truly cares about his craft and his work product speaks for itself. Al, Papa Gary, and the whole gang at Birkenmeier and Sons set the bar pretty high for other contractors. I don't think anyone else can compare to the experiences we have had working with them. Thanks to Birkenmeier and Sons, we have a wonderful like new home they have built for us.

As all of the units are occupied, the ability to safely and conveniently work around tenants and pets was a major concern. This would be a long project with interaction between the contractor, myself and tenants so I had to feel comfortable with not only the ability, but the personality of the contractor as well. I received bids from three reputable contractors and talked to a few more. Most were capable and didn't see any major problems, as long as I stayed within their scope of work. My input was not readily accepted. It was my building and my money so I was frustrated until I narrowed it down to Al. Al answered my questions promptly, working out details and listening to my concerns. He had the most reasonable bid and was the only one that was going to do a complete rebuild (eliminating all of my structural concerns). His calm presence put me at ease from the beginning and it became clear he was the right choice. Al brought in a great designer who prepared a final design plan and drawings. He walked the process though the city architectural review board for final approval and obtained all permits and inspections. Al did hands on demo and at my request was able to save the existing roof structure and original ceilings in 2nd floor porches. He rebuilt the entire two story porch structure to code with new electric, quality windows, drywall with wainscoting detail, crown molding and vinyl flooring. The final project is everything I wanted and more. Al listened to me throughout the project and I liked having direct contact with him without going through an office or secretary. He understood my goal while offering some great ideas and suggestions. He worked with me and the city to get the look that was true to the building style. There were a few minor issues that came up and one call to Al and he immediately resolve the problem. His crew worked hard through some very bad weather and were respectful of the tenants. Everyone was pleasant and considerate to our needs and it was really appreciated. I think the pets may even miss them a little. I will use him again and recommend anyone considering a construction project to speak to Al Birkenmeier of Birkenmeier & Son's before committing elsewhere.

Since this was a very involved project, we talked with a lot of contractors. We found Al on Angies List & were impressed with all of his positive ratings. From the beginning, Al was the most responsive of all of the contractors we interviewed. He was very patient with us as we took a long time to make our decision. He was not pushy at all, but was always willing to answer any questions we had regarding the project. We couldn't be any happier with the decision we made to select Al as our contractor. He has been working on the jobsite every day and personally overseeing that the job stays on track and more importantly that it is done to his high standards. Nothing ever seems to ruffle his feathers and in his words "he has truly seen it all, in all of his years in the business." Al's communication with us has been great. He always lets us know what the plan for the week is & always gets it done as stated. Al and Gary (his co-worker) are the most courteous, timely, respectful contractors that we've had during our 17 years of owning older homes from the 1920's. Just like on the Angies List commercial, Al & Gary even take care of our English Bulldog at lunchtime by feeding him, letting him outside & playing with him while they are on their lunchbreak. On large jobs such as this, trust in the contractor is at the top of the list & we completely trust Al 100%. Without a doubt in my mind, for any future project that we do on our house, we will definitely use Birkenmeier & Sons.

I've noticed some negative comments/ratings on Angie's List for Al Birkenmeier, and I honestly don't believe Al would ever deal with anyone unfairly so such comments are unfounded. To you review readers, I wish to share some of our experiences. When my wife and I first walked through the door of one of Al's duplexes (now our new home), we were instantly impressed with the floor plan - not your usual cookie-cutter duplex. We could tell right away that Al has a very intelligent use of space and aesthetics. When we first viewed the home, Al and Papa Gary were busy un-doing the previous resident's damage and getting everything prepared to lease again. The previous resident had painted the walls un-inviting colors, and his/her cats had completely ruined the downstairs carpet. Seems reasonable to expect the previous resident would take responsibility for the damage and repaint the walls neutral colors and replace the downstairs carpet before moving out, but they left the clean-up to Al. Al didn't just clean-up - he made sure every detail was taken care of before leasing the home to us. Right from Day One he has been not just professional, but very personal, friendly, and caring. From his experience with the previous resident(s), he could have easily dismissed us from consideration for a lease because of our pets, but instead he offered to split the cost with us to have a chain-link fence built in the back yard so our puppy could have a place outside to run and play. He has always been very sweet to our dog and cat whenever he comes around, and we always enjoy his company. He is very accommodating and hospitable - it has been a real blessing having the builder of our home also manage the property. He really cares about us having the utmost comfort and enjoyment in our new home. When we first negotiated our lease, he brought the rent down to accommodate our budget. The previous resident poorly installed slat blinds in the dining room, and both have fallen down - Al has paid for new blinds. We offered to split the cost of an upgraded faucet in the kitchen - Al covered the entire expense and offered to come over to install it. We discovered a minor pipe leak in the basement - Al is on top of it, like always. We HIGHLY regard him for his ethics, fairness, kindness, and care. If Al says he'll take care of it, you can take it to the bank that it will not only get done right, but he'll go above-and-beyond to accommodate. There will always be a bad apple or two trying to poison the whole barrel because they refuse to "own up" to their own failures, so I ask that you ignore them and take it from us - you couldn't work with anyone better. Al is #1 in our book, and we're not the only ones who think so.

Al came in with his plumber, tile man and we all discussed the job and what my ideas were and they gave there help in that as well. We were sent and estimate and we approved and contract was signed and off we go! From the first day of the project it was professional with a huge touch of kindness for the huge project. I at no time had any mess in the rest of the home. First came in took out everything in the bathroom from bath tub, toilet, wall tile to vanity, floor etc. Leaving a shell of my bathroom. Then they put in place part of the flooring that was not useable any more with new floor. Then the next project was the plumbing and that went very smoothly on a huge job. We are talking replacing all the pipe from basement to bathroom shower to vanity to tolet. Which was part of Al's team and they were great. Then came the set of the floor for shower it came and was delivred when Al told us it would be here. It was set into place. Then came the tile man, we did have a upset on the part of were to put the insert for the soap etc. After talking it over with the tile man we decided on another place (which tile man explain why he thought his idea was better) I seen were he was right so we went with that suggestion and after the project was over and wall tile set into place man it was starting to all come together. Next day came the grout install, that went smooth as well and when the day was done I loved it! All without a hitch and done in 2 days. Plumber came back to connect the shower and toilet and we now have shower and toilet. Now we had to wait on the vamity top to be finished and Al set that and connect the plumbing for that. From beginning to end Al Birkenmeier and all who did there special work on this project were kind and considerate and very professional. My husband and I will for sure come back to Al Birkenmeier if I need a contractor who does excellent work and a project done he will be the one.

Al's attention to EVERY detail is what makes him a EXCEPTIONAL contractor!!! Al has done numerous entire house remodels on homes that we have sold. His quality of workmanship has allowed us to sell these homes that he has remodeled within days on the market!! The quality of the remodel work that he has done has even attracted the attention of appraisers, who have simply called me to compliment him on his workmanship and quality of materials he has used on remodeling homes!!! We see the expertise and the quality of Al's work in addition to other professionals in the Real Estate Industry calling me to compliment Al on his outstanding work!!! We have worked with Al for many years, and will continue to PROUDLY market his good workmanship on homes we sell for many years to come!!! Dan and Amber Cook

Al Birkenmeier and his sub-contractors did an outstanding job in repairing our home. Al was very responsive and answered all our questions during the contract neogtiations. He and his team started the job the day we signed the contract and were on the job over the next two months until it was completed. He kept us informed of progress and alerted us when certain parts of the job were to be conducted such as the installation of the new roof. He handled all the permitting and inspections with no problems. The job was complicated since it involved reconstructing the chimney, repairing the roof and the interior and exterior walls of the second floor bedroom and then inside finishing work on the walls and floors. In addition the external cooling unit of the air conditioner was replaced and electrical service restored to the second floor. Al and his sub-contractors were very professional and got the job done with minimal disruption of our home.

Work was completed on time (8 weeks), on budget and with superb, custom, craftsman quality. This is the 4th and largest project for which I have hired Birkenmeier & Sons, Inc. I have high standards and the quality of the finish exceeded my expectations. Al was on the job site every day to supervise the subs. He communicates constantly (issues, progress updates, timing) and is very professional. Al pursues perfection, forcing the subs to redo some work that I probably would have allowed. The best review that I can possibly give is that I am certain that I will hire Birkenmeier again.

Swimmingly! They replied to our request, visitd and evaluated the needs, promptly within two or three days. We accepted the proposal, scheduled the job. Voila, they were in and out in one day!

We have struggled finding a decent contractor to perform various work around our home, so we researched Angie's List. When Al came out to review & bid our project, we were very pleased with his helpfulness & knowledge. We were kept informed throughout the entire process & they were always punctual & very professional. We were so pleased with the quality of work, we also hired him to remodel our Master bathroom. Al prides himself in his quality work. That, in itself, is worth paying a bit extra to make sure things are done right and being happy with the outcome. We are confident that we will be using his services again in the future.

I had a deadline because of upcoming surgery which Al kept in mind and finished before. I would use him again and would reccommend him to others. He and Bobby are both charming to have around and they clean up the clutter before they leave each day. Al has years of experience which I like because when a problem came up he could figure a way to fix it. The cost I listed above was for Al's services. I have not yet figured out how much I spent on tile, toilets, sinks etc.

We decided to go with another contractor whom was significantly cheaper. Had the bids been the same price, I would have chosen Al. He was very pleasant and professional. He asked a lot of questions and was open to answering as many. He was well organized and I have no doubt he would have done a great job. I will consider him for future projects.