The House Surgeon

When I first contacted Mr. Williams to discuss this work, he stated that he was busy with work and couldn't get to the job for several months. He asked me to send him photos of the work issues which I did. He contacted me several days later and then came to my home on a Saturday to scope out the jobs. He spent 90 minutes with me and in the end, convinced me that building the staircase wall system was something to think over since it would close in a front door landing that is relatively open now. In addition, he pointed out how I could inspect the wood rot damage to my front door framing and then make a decision on whether to proceed with a relatively wholesale replacement of the door or a more limited repair. Bottom line is that I look forward to working with Mr. Williams in the future. I very much liked his professional approach and consider this - he spent 90 minutes with me on a Saturday and DIDN'T push an immediate sale.

We emailed the House Surgeon and left a message saying we had a number of small jobs and needed an estimate. Jamie Williams, the owner, got back to me within a day and asked for details on the work. His communications were always prompt. Although we had a 3 week window, he had work stacked up and our timeframe was a bit of a challenge. Fortunately for us, he worked it out. The job involved a lot of drywall repair. A ceiling hole in the kitchen left from a plumbing repair; numerous smaller holes in walls from some wiring work, reinstalling a programmable thermostat which a tenant had installed sideways (this also involved reworking a large piece of drywall; fabricating and installing new hatches for attic access points; repairing and painting wood around an outside door; repairing weather stripping which was built into the front door; moving a phone jack up from the baseboard into a more accessible spot on the wall. In a couple of cases, we had repair items which Jamie declined because the quality and depth of repair work he does would have cost more than replacing the item. In a couple of cases, he explained to us how we could repair the item pretty simply—in each case, his coaching was excellent. Jamie provided us an estimate in 2 days and proposed a work schedule. We signed a contract and gave him a one third of the total cash deposit .A snowstorm occurred in the middle of the job, but that did not take them off schedule (because we were not living in the house, the crew had to shovel their way in themselves—no extra charge!). One thing we really appreciated was the detail in the House Surgeon estimate and contract—everything was broken out costwise; Jamie had taken photos as he went through with us so there was no question what work was detailed. This professionalism permeated every part of the job from the quality and thoroughness of the work to Jamie's absolute punctuality. The quality of every part of the work was excellent. The drywall work whether a 2 inch patch or a 3 foot patch was seamless. In working on the kitchen ceiling they had to undo some past work wherein the drywall was not anchored well. You can not see where the work was done! The repair work on the outside door frame was beautiful—we will be able to keep the door several more years thanks to their work. We did the walk-thru with Jamie and he covered everything that he had done, any issues he had discovered and worked thru, etc. His care for and pride in his work is exceptional. And he clearly loves what he does. The world would be a better place if more people had the level of professionalism and attention to quality of the House Surgeon.

Jamie was very professional, prompt and detail oriented. The job was completed according to the estimate and the window screens looked great.

Jamie is very professional and meticulous. He showed up when he said he would, he worked non-stop, cleaned up after himself and kept us informed throughout the project. He was able identify and adjust to the idiosyncrasies of a 110 year old without missing a beat. His attention to detail resulted in a finished product that perfectly matched the existing woodwork in the room. It looks great.

What I appreciated about the work that this company did was not just the quality of the final product, but the planning that went into it. Jamey took the time to take pictures of the opening and through his review of them, found a potential structural issue with the nearby staircase. His detailed planning changed our approach and we finished with a quality result. He was responsive, courteous and detail oriented. I will consider him again for my next project.

Jamie came out to see what needed to be done - for this and every other visit he was exactly on time. After coming out, gave me an estimate the next day that was the same as the final cost. He explained what he would be doing and how. Signed a contract and we set up time for him to begin work. Jamie was a pleasure to work with. He was very sensitive to not disturbing neighbors with noise and to control dust while working. When he was done with each phase, everything was cleaned up. Excellent!

Once again we needed to make some repairs around the house and once again we called on Jamie the House Surgeon to help us. It is at least the third time he has helped us solve home repair problems. We had one very large repair need and two smaller ones. The first was to determine why the bathtub was leaking into the basement. Jamie looked at it carefully, analyzed the problem and came up with a couple of different ways to eliminate the problem. It was a big job! He spent quite a few hours working on it Friday and came back on Saturday to finish, replacing pipes and improving the access space to the tub from the basement. The leaking has stopped and the access panel is so much better than it previously was. The next job was to replace a leaking kitchen faucet which fortunately was not too complicated; and finally we asked him to determine why there was so much heavy overflow from our gutters. We were concerned that the overflow problem was caused by a rotting soffit, but it turned out to be a simple matter of a clogged gutter. Jamie cleaned it out and there is no more problem. Jamie has been a wonderful help to us over the past few years. He gives careful thought and analysis to what the problem is and how to solve it. He presents a couple of ways to go about solving the problem, explains how he will do it and after we all agree on the best way to fix it, he gets back to us with an estimate a few days later. He was able to fit us in fairly quickly to make the repairs and we were very pleased and appreciative of the promptness and quality of work. Jamie is so conscientious and gives outstanding service. I had given him a key so he could get in to work while we were away and then I forgot to get it back. He showed up a couple of days later with the key, without any request or reminder from me. I recommend Jamie and his outstanding work to anyone needing home repairs. We seem to call on him at least once every year!

We had a broken screen door and had purchased a replacement from the home improvement store. Jamie Williams came out, measured everything and gave us a quote. When time came to do the work, the replacement door had some problems of design in the hinges that most contractors would have ignored. Jamie did not, and figured out how to retrofit the hinge from the previous door that was good with the new door. He spent several hours trimming the door, the brass footing, adjusting the opening, matching paint to do touch-ups and finally installing the door. The door looks great, works wonderfully, and shuts easily. I couldn't have asked for more. Despite taking more time to get the job right, Jamie declined to charge us extra for the long, meticulous work he did, which was clearly above and beyond the original scope.

Jamie came to our house on a Sat. morning. He was responsive, prompt, and did an excellent job. He fixed the problem on the spot. We would hire him again without question.

Jamie Williams came over prior to the job and gave us an estimate. He carefully explained what they were going to do and had a very professional looking contract. He said it would take 3 days and it did. Everything was fine. After Jamie left, my husband came home later and noticed that once the screen door on the screened in porch was fixed -- Jamie and Paul straightened it out very well -- that there was a gap under the door where the bugs could still get in. We probably should have asked for a brush under the door. Instead, I put a rug down, and it seemed to fix the problem. Overall we were very satisfied with their work.

Jamie is a meticulous craftsman. He was responsive when I called. He was thorough and detailed in considering the work that needed to be done. He communicated extensively with me through the job. He took care to minimize mess and disruption as he did the work. The quality of his work is exceptional.

Jaime responded promptly and professionally to my request for an estimate. It turns out, though, that's he's really a general contractor and not a handyman. However, he patiently listened to my litany of projects and told me he'd try to figure out when to work me in. He called back as promised, but couldn't help me within my time frame, as we're moving and have to get the house on the market soon. Based on having him here, I can tell you that he's nice, professional, has a good sense of humor, and what really impressed me, was he told me some things that really didn't need doing, or of cheaper ways to do some things.

Amazing. After a half-dozen contractors who wouldn't answer or return phone calls or grossly exaggerated their prices, Jamie Williams was a breath of fresh air. From the very first estimate, he was completely professional: punctual, honest, and competent. For each project, he walked me through the multiple alternatives with advantages and disadvantages. He actually steered me away from options that would have been unnecessarily expensive. Moreover, he gave me advice on other projects I was working on myself. He went out of his way to fit my projects in on a Saturday so that I could have house guests the following weekend. His work was top notch, and I realized quickly that he was a perfectionist, a great trait in a contractor.

He's really more of a contractor than a handyman, but he will do small jobs. A perfectionist. Very professional and trustworthy. Loves his work. Very nice man. Excellent quality. Probably not the cheapest.

The work performed is professional quality and we couldn't be happier. Jaime delivered an estimate and the project came in right on budget. He is very responsive and professional and we would definitely use him again in the future.

My experience with Jamie was excellent. He was always on time, never missed an appointment, was very informative,provided a very detailed contract of the work to be done and finished on time and on budget. Jamie is all about the quality of his work and he should be proud. I would characterize him as a craftsman. He was by far the neatest person to ever work in my home. Jamie will be the first person I call when I need a repair or remodeling in my home.

Jamie was exceptionally courteous, professional and knowledgeable. He showed up on time, did a great job and cleaned up after himself. He set aside time for my job, even though it was comparatively small, but treated me like I was a high paying customer. I highly recommend him!

Jamie showed up on time and spent the entire day working on the job. He did a great job.

Jamie came over in July to walk through the house and get a good idea of the work we wanted done. He emailed me an estimate within the week and we set a date that worked for both of us in August. Jamie arrived on time and got right to work. Besides doing all the originally agreed-upon work, he spent a lot of extra time trying to figure out how to fix the faucet handles in the bathtub. I think it became a personal challenge to see if he could come up with a way to fix it even though the parts were not available in the area. He finally got the handles set and caulked to hold them as best they could be and would not accept extra payment for the extra time (at least an hour!) he put into solving this problem. He walked me through all the repairs he had made throughout the house and his work was excellent. We like to have Jamie come and help us with our maintenance work. He is delightful, creative in problem solving, very attentive to detail and making things right.

Jamie returned our call right away and came over within a day or two to check out the job. He answered all questions and even offered information in response to unrelated jobs. He mailed us a detailed estimate with all steps of the work laid out. Once we committed to the job, he fitted us into his schedule on short notice. He arrived as promised to do the work, which he completed with care. We are very happy with the results. He was a joy to work with.

Mr. Williams contacted me and visited my home within two days. During his visit we discussed the required timeframe. No definite answer was given as to when the project would be started, but he acknowledged that prior to Thanksgiving would be feasible. Approximately two or three weeks later Mr. Williams left a message disclosing the estimate and I spoke with Mr. Williams to revisit the required deadline and at that time apparently it was no longer feasible. Mr. Williams was suppose to get back to me to confirm his availability approximately three weeks has past and he hasn't contacted me.

We originally contacted Jamie to help us locate a sealed-up crawlspace access in our finished basement. When that proved impossible, through no fault of his, we asked him if he was still game to do another job for us since he was there - restoring the appearance of the back of our house after air conditioning installation in the attic left holes in the soffit and a black refrigerant line running from roof to beneath our deck. Jamie readily agreed, gave us a written estimate and set to work as soon as we'd agreed. He plugged the soffitt holes, caulked and painted them so you could not tell where they'd been. The faux downspout likewise was masterfully constructed, especially because the refrigerant line had an outward bend in it near the roof - he had to build a kink into the spout. He attached it to our wooden-siding and to the soffitt, then caulked and painted to give it a completely finished look. Now an eyesore in the back of our house has been completely neutralized.

He was very punctual and courteous on the phone and in person, and was very knowledgeable. However, he did not give me an on-site estimate, as he said he had to go figure it out and would call me in a couple of days with it. He did as he stated, but the estimate (almost $1000) was completely outrageous for such a small job that would amount to less than one day of work for one person. Jamie asked me who had referred him to me, as he likes to thank them, and did not know what Angie's List was (I explained). He said he called every former customer named Angie to thank her, and they all said they didn't do it. I did not hire him to do the work. At least the estimate was free.

EXCELLENT! Jamie returned my call immediately and scheduled a mutual time to come look at the closet to provide an estimate. He took his time examining the damage, providing an analysis and suggestion of what potentially caused the damage to the ceiling (water from roof) and how he would repair it. Although he originally had a tentative appointment with another client, he understood our emergency and called the client to see if they were confirmed and if not, inquired if we could switch times. Fortunately, they understood and Jamie arrived 10 minutes early the NEXT morning to assist us. He proceeded to clear out the debris left from the damage and repair the ceiling. In addition, he inspected other areas along the attic that might indicate the need for additional repairs down the road. I can't begin to express my gratitude to Jamie for his professionalism, advice and excellent craftsmanship. I would HIGHLY recommend him for other jobs.

He was great but his price was too high.