JB General Contracting

When life throws you a curve ball, you need the right people, people you can trust, to help you. This is what happened when unexpectedly I needed to be in a wheelchair. Since the entrance to my home has many steps, I wanted to have a ramp built so that I could exit my home. From my internet research, I read that there were specific measurements related to the dimensions of a ramp. This literature was confusing and complicated. So I called Joe at JB Contracting. I had used his company before and I hoped that his team would have the expertise to build a ramp for me. Joe sent his Project Manager (Moe) to talk to me. He understood exactly what I needed and he said he knew the required specifications to make a safe and compliant ramp. I approved the project and the timeline. JB Contracting finished the job ahead of schedule. After the completion, Joe followed up to make sure I was happy with the job. While I loved my ramp, I asked him to do some cosmetic work to the nearby fence. He sent his team over and they put the finishing touches on this job to my complete satisfaction. I am very, very happy with my ramp. There are no words to express my current feeling of independence.

We did not hire this contractor. His manners over the phone were very rude to begin with, he rushed me of the phone, was speaking to other people while I was describing the work and had an attitude about him. Even through this, I decided to meet him in person with hopes he was just caught in a moment. He came to our house for an estimate and arrived nearly an hour late. Then when he got there, he told us that he wouldn't do the work we wanted him to do (which would have been fine because we were open to plenty of ideas but he disregarded our plans completely), we could only do it his way; his tone was very condescending then, when he explained his idea and gave us an estimate that was DOUBLE what we had been quoted by another contractor; a few thousand over I could understand but we were previously quoted $15,000 -$30,000 for the same job seems absurd. I got the vibe that he didn't want to do this job in the first place especially when his parting words were "good Luck" instead of "I look forward to hearing from you".

Hurricane Sandy had knocked out cinder blocks supporting a PVC fence. As the fence squeaked and swayed to 45 degree angles, I held my breath. It was impossible to get return calls from contractors, let alone get service. I finally joined Angie's List and was pleasantly surprised when Joe promptly returned my call right before Christmas. Imagine my total surprise when the work was done on New Year's morning! It was repaired properly and efficiently! That's an "A"!

Excellent experience. The owner and workers were very caring and professional. They made it their priority to make sure I was happy with the work. They were all top notch guys. Some of the coloring was off in the bricks and they were replaced immediately. They are very passionate about their work and it shows. Fantastic.

It was a pleasure to deal with Mr. JB and his associate Mo. They were very professional and delivered what they promised on time. I am also very happy with how clean they left the area when they were done.

Joe Battaglia and his staff were very professional and pleasant. They have an excellent work ethic and the work done was great. I may have them do more work for me in the spring of 2013.

Joe came a little later than expected for his initial appointment, but called to alert us (which was appreciated). His estimate was presented clearly and the price was agreeable. The job took 3 days, with two different crews. Day 1 crew was excellent. They came early, were very professional and coordinated, and did a wonderful job on the sidewalk, curb, and walkway. Day 2 crew came later than expected, worked the entire day, were pleasant, but did not complete the job. They promised to come early the next day. After repeated phone calls to the office, they showed up hours later. There were a few concerns (e.g., different color on one stair riser). However, Joe followed up and had the crew return (which again was appreciated). Overall, I would not hesitate to use this company again, particularly for concrete work such as sidewalks, curbs, and walkways.

I can't begin to explain how please I am with the service and work I received from JB Contractors. From the very first call to their company to book a quote to the last invoice being sent, I have been met with professionalism, punctuality, and flexibility. After meeting with 6 different contractors for the demo job in my office in Manhattan, I chose JB because they seemed the most knowledgable, professional, and the price was very reasonable. The Project Manager, Eric Afanasewicz, was very communicative during the entire process. He was quick to schedule a meeting for the estimate, as well as ready to answer any questions I had. He was extremely flexible when we had to make multiple changes to the project (Two reschedulings and a request to use Union workers.) and was patient when interfacing with my building managers for walkthroughs, insurance certificates, etc (the managers of my building are the worst and it says a lot about a person who doesn't get frustrated!) When it came time to do the demo, the team was on time and was in communication with me about the entire process. They took down the walls in only a few hours, patched and hauled away all trash in about 7 hours. Amazing. It looks absolutely amazing down there - my staff was so happy with the work, when I came downstairs to see how everyone was settling into the new space - they gave me an applause because they were so happy. Thanks Eric and the JB crew for making me look good! In about a year, my office will be relocating and I will most definitely be using JB's services again for the build out. They rock and I HIGHLY recommend them.

They came back out to touch up a crack on the bottom landing. They are very professional and did an excellent job. They were very responsive in getting back to me as well.

We called on Wednesday and the job was done on Thursday. Can't ask for better. The office was a pleasure to deal with.

First off, I would like to start that JB has been doing brick work for years and they do put forth a quality service when all is said and done. He is widely known for his brick work within the Ozone Park, Howard Beach area from years of doing service there. JB is the son of the JB who actually started this construction company over 30 years ago. The company had great success in the 80's and 90's in it's area. If you don't mind paying the extra money and need a professional looking brick job that's clean, straight, and quickly done, I would actually suggest them. I would actually think if you knew EXACTLY what you wanted and again were going to pay his "exclusive" fee, you would have your brick job done more quickly then anywhere else. He likes to "bang em out" and knows time is money. But there are realistic and negative points to be aware of... ATTITUDE: He is rushed, a fast talker, type A personality. Additionally he is very arrogant. He will be courteous and polite as long as he thinks the job is coming his way and YES he will assume he is getting the job if he is standing there. I do completely believe the recent F comment review that he sent men to the customers house who didn't decide on using him yet because he will jump all over a softer (or nice) person who doesn't strongly/definitively say no to him. In my opinion he doesn't listen to barely anything the customer says once he perceives what the job is. I could feel the fuse getting shorter as I had him wait on me a few days to decide while I had more questions. His fast moving attitude works as a positive sometimes as he "ball busts" his employees and subcontractors to get the job done quickly. But it is a negative if you are a soft spoken individual who will may get run over by this guy. PRICE PER JOB: His estimate was the highest of my bids received. He stands behind it on account of his reputation and history in the area. He sasy job will be perfect. When you mention price he turns into a "buddy" and explains that he has regular employed crew, workers compensation fees, lawyers on retainer for unpaid jobs. Really? Thanks for all the info bud. All in all he might be right but I'm not complaining to him that I have to pay my mortgage this month so I have to pay $500 less. Truth is even if you do have a problem at the end of the job you're gonna get stressed REAL quick because he has your money already and has no financial reason to return. JOB: As said earlier, ultimately the job was finished in a timely manner and clean. ALTHOUGH, he did act like he was doing the job and that it is his JB quality yet when the job day came, he actually subcontracted it out to another brick layer company that he must use regularly. Now, I think most people would have a problem with this, which I would of too but the job winded up the quality that he touted as "JB", so I didn't complain. I realize he is a General Contractor so sub-contacting is not unusual but he is known from his brick work so I was surprised. OVERALL: This is what you have to watch out with a very seasoned and savvy contractor in JB. Profit and time is his game so he has his plan down to protect himself to the fullest and keep leverage in his ballpark. So you are at a disadvantage because he has done this hundreds of times and this might be your first or second contractor called. If the job isn't a large one such as a full house over haul or something he will assertively acts as a "friend" and does it with no contract written whatsoever. I was fooled by this as he acts like "No problem... I'll come Monday.." and you are happy the job is starting. But he does this so he doesn't have to stick to any agreed price if he missed something like he did with me or if he sub-contracts without letting you know (like he did to me) or anything that would legally bind him to the job in words as I gathered after my experience. So I okay the job,.. Then next day (and two days before the job starts) he actually passes by at 6:30am before I awake and pounds a four foot 4x4 wooden stake with a JB sign on it right in my lawn. And to make matters worse he actually made two holes (4"x4") in my lawn as he must of not liked the advertising position of the first hole. He doesn't ask you if he can make holes in your perfect lawn or advertise on it like other normal respectful people because he already knows that it might come up in price negotiation or he could get rejected.. so he just does it without asking. This is what I mean by ARROGANCE as he does a number of things like this and you have to decide if you are going to argue with someone who is disrespectfully taking liberties for his sake or let it go because you have other things going on... I opted for the latter. Then, again this is my fault as I naively let him start without a written contract,.. So the job consisted of about two smaller parts and one medium part of similar work. He gave me a price for a wall for some brick pointing and repair. He said complete repair of the cracked brick and pointing,.. "Good as new".. But days later the sub-contractor he used balked on the total job price as I was going over it with him. JB had the gall to come back at me (a week after we agreed on price and the same job) and tries to raise the price. He actually acted like I didn't explain what was going on when he clearly told me what I wanted days earlier and said he got it and repeated it! He just didn't like that this small part of the whole job wasn't bringing him the profit he initially thought he'd get. The job was already half done. So I argued and argued and he politely said he could " No problem. I can walk off the job half finished... Your choice." I laughed and thought this guy will take it all the way until we're in each other's face.. I had to calm myself and think that I don't have a contract and what are my options. I see now why he laid it out as such,.. so he can pull quote changes if there are unexpected obstacles from him not estimating the job correctly. This is entirely his fault because he rushes and thinks he knows what your talking about before your on your second sentence. But now it's my fault because he didn't write the job quote down in a contract. I decided I'll pay a few hundred more and just give him a realistic review as I knew what I was getting into with him and I still risked it. The other thing that didn't go well with the job was he was supposed to communicate and time manage the job plan with another contractor that was doing something else on the property. No calls were made and the other contractor complained that JB doesn't cooperate or listen and will only do the job on his schedule. The other contractor was stressed over dealing with him as well as I was by the end. When the job was over I was happy with what I had. JB did do a quick walk around with me to show the job is done. I actually saw a missed spot here or there after that we actually discussed before the job started but knew that it would be a lost cause and loads of stress to bring it up because he had my money already and would never come. The reason I know this was how he raised the price after the subcontractor re-evaluated the quote. He would never call the sub-contractor back again as it would cost him. In fairness, usually a contractor that doesn't listen and has the level of arrogance as he has doesn't put out a good service but in this case with JB he actually does. Maybe that is why he is the way he is. If you can get through the stress and obnoxiousness of it all I think as far as brick goes, you will be happy with what is there. So that's it. That is my experience with JB. If you use him I think you will be able to attach a lot of what I have written here to your own experience. He acts like he's "a friend of ours" but he's no friend of mine.

This was a positive experience from start to finish. I called the company to request a quote for a sidewalk replacement (required by our insurance company) and the owner Joe immediately returned my call and scheduled an appointment for the next day. He said the weather was still warm enough and that he could get a permit and do the job within a week. He followed through and completed the job as promised. The work was so beautifully done that we received complements from our neighbors. This company has been around for many years and the owners take great pride in their work. If you need a job done by down to earth no-nonsense, top-of-the-line professionals, we strongly recommend you use this company. We were so pleased with their performance that In the spring we will have them back to do brick work on the side of our brownstone.

I called JB General and spoke with Rosa, who took my information and said I would likely hear back from Joe on Monday, since I called on a Saturday. Joe called back 4 hours later. I sent him a drawing by email. I next heard from Joe on Monday, and scheduled a site visit with him for Wednesday. On Wednesday Joe called to tell me he was running late, so we met a little later than planned, which was no problem. Joe looked over the job, quickly measured the space, and calculated a price for me. He also told me how he would execute the job, and that it would take two days. I presented Joe's price to my partners, who decided that a job of this size would be out of our reach at present. We at least have the benefit of knowing what the cost would be, for which Joe has my gratitude.

On Saturday August 4, 2012 I met with Joseph Battaglia, the owner of J.B. Custom Masonry & Concrete regarding some masonry work that needed to be done on my house. I explained to him that we were in the process of selling the house and that the purchaser had requested that some repairs be made as per the inspection report. The repairs were minimal in nature such as filling in some loose mortar on the front steps and repairing some concrete that had seperated. Mr. Battaglia insisted that more work needed to be done and quoted me an estimate of $2,800.Since I had already recieved an estimate of $1,000 for the same work from another contractor I had no intention of hiring JB. The next day a work crew of six men from JB showed up at my house UNANNOUNCED prepared to begin work. I explained to them that I had only requested an estimate and did not authorize them to begin work and requested that they leave the premises immediately. There was NO agreement between myself and Joe Battaglia that they should begin work on my house. A week later I recieved by certified mail a notification that a Mechanic's Lein had been filed against my property in the amount of $1,700. This would have to be satisfied prior to closing in order to have a clean title. I have never recieved an invoice from J.B. Custom Masonry for any alleged work that was performed. This is nothing more than an EXTORTION attempt on the part of Mr. Battaglia, attempting to get me to pay for work that was not requested nor performed. I strongly recommend not doing business with this company. UPDATE 12/3/12: I would like to restate that there was NO agreement between myself and JB to begin work. All that was requested was an ESTIMATE. I never gave my consent to begin work and was totally unaware that a work crew was being sent to my house. When I met with Mr. Battaglia we did not even agree on what work needed to be done. If Mr. Battaglia had contacted me to schedule an appointment this would have been explained to him. Instead he sent a work crew without my knowledge and blames me for his error. Placing a lien on a homeowners house two weeks prior to closing is a serious matter and should only be done as a last resort. Mr. Battaglia did not contact me to resolve our differences prior to placing the lien. Is this the action of a gentlemen? Because of these heavy handed tactics, JB has lost its A+ rating with the BBB. I do not enjoy filing these complaints. I feel that I have been treated unfairly and you leave me with no other option. If you are true to your word you can contact me and we can resolve this like gentlemen. A court proceeding will serve neither of our interests.

JB contracting was very professional, punctual and did a great job. They called back quickly, provided an estimate, were here within a week and done the same day. The team showed up on time the day of the job and were all very nice, thorough and clean workers. We would recommend them to anyone and use them again. Thank you for a great job.

Joe returned my (Muriel) to set up an appointment to meet with my sister Editha. Within a two days my sister heard from him. They met . He discussed what had to be done. He gave her a written contract. She negotiated with him price. He was receptive.She gave him a deposit and he told her he will start the job in a week. They started the job as agreed upon and remained with the job until finish. No absenteism. My sister was constantly kept informed of the progress of the why's and wherefore's. My sister is a very challenging person to please, so when she told me that she was happy with the work and the professional performance of the team. I knew then that I had chosen a winner for her. She was totally satisfied with the job and also with the followup by Joe Battaglia made to make sure that everything was on target and to answer any questions she may have. He also kept in touch with me. On the whole Joe and his team did an excellent job. There were no hiccups. .Will recommend him highly to anyone.

. We are very pleased with JB Contracting, and our new front stoop and wrought iron rails. The owner, Joe B, is very hands on. His crew is professional, knowledgeable, quick, and courteous. Not only did they make great suggestions regarding choice of brick and granite, I was able to view the materials at their nearby facility. And, due to our travel schedule, they showed up and did the work on a Sat and Sun! The railings were installed a few days later, and are very attractive and sturdy. The clean-up was very thorough as well. We definitely recommend JB Contractors of Queens NY, and will certainly consult with them in the future if needed.

I MADE A DOWN PAYMENT ON JUNE 9, 2012 TO START THE WORK. THE BOSS WHOSE NAME IS JOE TOLD ME IT WOULD BE WITHIN 1 WEEK BEFORE THEY STARTED DUE TO OTHER CONTRACTS THEY HAD BEFORE MINE. TO MY SURPRISE THEY CAME EARLY ON THE MORNING OF JUNE 11, STARTED WORKING IN CLEANING THE YARD AND REMOVING THE DEBRIS, CONTINUED WORKING ALL DAY, ORDERED AND POURED THE CONCRETE THAT SAME AFTERNOON. WHAT WAS GOOD WAS THEY CLEANED UP AS JOE PROMISED. NEXT DAY WAS SOME TOUCH UP. THE WORK WAS EFFICIENTLY DONE, QUICK AND GOOD QUALITY.

They were very attentive, professional and quick. The whole process took about 8 hours. Joe followed up to make sure I was happy and if there were any questions. Working with them was a breathe of fresh air

My front stoop was in desperate need of repairs. I contacted JB Contracting and they responded right away. They stopped by to assess the work and called me with an estimate which I felt was fair. I am very pleased with the work; my stoop looks wonderful and SAFE. The crew arrived on time and were friendly and professional. I would also like to add that everyone I dealt with, from Joe who originally contacted me, to a lovely woman I spoke with in their office to the gentlemen who came to do the work - what very nice people!! I would definitely use this company again and would absolutely recommend them to anyone.

Excellent. While they were doing the work, the owner asked my mother "Are you happy with the way the work is going?" She was delighted with their work and so am i.

The company was very professional from the estimate to completion of the new side walk.

They did a really good job. They were able to match the siding on the outside and you can't see where the holes used to be.

Called for a free estimate price was a bit high but I liked there review's from Angie's list was able to negotiate price . And yes would hire again. Sorry for not sending in my review sooner.

We really appreciated that the project started with a written contract, spelling out exactly what JB would do, the project start date, ending date and the cost. The work started and ended exactly on time. The work included clearing trees and stumps, removing old fencing, grading the earth, and then installing a concrete base for the paving stones. The stones were set in place in a beautiful herringbone pattern. The job was finished on a Saturday, and Mo, the foreman, returned on Sunday, his day off, to put the fininshing touches on the project. We are overjoyed with the results. We love our beautiful new yard and we love JB!