ACJ Remodeling-Joseph Ashley

Our garage roof which was in desparate need of long overdue repair. The rafters and shingles were rotted and threatening eventual collapse. Joe Ashley of ACJ Remodeling found on Angie's list as top rated in Roofing and remodeling. He turned out to be the right choice. Joe brought his workers and finished the job in two days and the end product was not only a roof repair but an extraorinary facelift to my property. His workers were the most skilled and dilligent guys I have seen in this business. They finished the job in record time and left my property showplace clean. He even checked my home roof and secure some shingles that may have caused a problem during the past stormHis price quote was right and he was good to his word, I look forward to working with him on future home projects and highly recommend his talents. Thanks to Angie's list and Joe Ashley of AJC Remodeling Inc.

On October 25, 2012 I met with Mr. Joseph Santillo (owner of ACJ remodeling Inc.). As soon as he entered my home, he had his license in his hand ready to show me that he is a qualified contractor and takes his work/company/livelyhood VERY seriously. Upon the initial pleasantries, I explained that my roof has been leaking each time it rained. Mr. Santillo decided to go and take a look on my roof to have a better idea on what he may be dealing with (he also checked out the rooms where the leak occurred). Based on his assessment, Mr. Santillo stated that I needed a new roof (the roof have never been replaced, just patched numerous times since the house was purchased over 20 years ago). Mr. Santillo explained the type of products he use, the best products on the market and the techniques he use, he went as far as provided me with newspaper clippings of bad roofing jobs in the surrounding area that caused fire, which could have been avoided if the workers used a different material. I LOVED the fact Mr. Santillo was prepared to answer ALL of my questions, had documentation to back up what he believed, showed me his license, and he was professional as well as personable. We then discussed pricing. I MUST say, Mr. Santillo's price was VERY reasonable based on the type of job needed on my roof. He also added our porch roof to the scope of the task for FREE!! Let me explain- the porch roof was also in bad shape, when it rained, the porch looked like a waterfall! However, due to financial stresses, I did not tell him about the porch cause I knew I did not have enough funds to cover the main house and the porch. Upon exiting my home, Mr. Santillo looked up and saw how bad the roof was and asked if I wanted to get it done as well, I said, "umm, no because I don't have enough funds to cover it, so maybe next time".... Mr. Santillo waved my comment off and said, "I'll throw in the porch for free, don't worry about it, there's a big storm coming (Hurricane Sandy) and it needs to be done! That gesture made me cry on the spot! He did not have to do that!! This shows that Mr. Santillo does not only do this type of work for money, BUT he does it because he cares and actually changes people's lives! Living with any house issue causes stress, especially when funds are minimal!! The entire job took two days to complete, and Mr. Santillo oversaw everything. It has now been a full week since the job was done, and sure enough, Hurricane Sandy made her presence on the East Coast. And, MY ROOF DID NOT LEAK! IT WITHSTAND THE FORCE OF SANDY!!! I would definitely recommend ACJ remodeling inc to anyone and everyone that needs their roof done! They really did a great job! Thanks ACJ Inc!

I called ACJ Remodeling and left a message and Joseph called me back and we set up an appointment to meet. He was prompt, but he didn't take a ladder out. He took measurements of the house and was very informative. He told me what he would do based upon what he saw from the street level. I needed a new roof and he would take it all off down to the wood and if the wood needed to be replaced he would do it. I think that he was going to throw in several new sheets of wood free and was also going to give me free liters and gutters with a complete GAF or ELK five part root system which sounded very good. He sounded very knowledgeable and was attentive to me and his overall price was $18,000. I liked him more because of his confidence in doing the job and making my roof a new roof and being 100% problem free. As we spoke he mentioned someone that I actually knew which was Dr. Manner who I know personally that he did work for. He then asked me to go to his website to see Dr. Manner's house before and after pictures, so I had my computer and went online an saw what he was telling me and that boosted my confidence in him. I liked everything about him and he wasn't pushy and what he told me he was able to back up. He told me not to take his word of it and that he would give me names of the people he worked for and that I could go and ask them about his work. I applauded him for that and he says he stands by his work and I believe him because I saw those before and after pictures and it was impressive. I thought the price was still kind of high so I continued to shop around.

Does it seem odd not just to have survived the difficulties of renovation work but to have actually had an amazing experience? All I've ever heard are war stories from other people - but I guess those folks weren't working with Joseph Ashley. Let me set the scene - a poorly built extension on my brick row house in Carroll Gardens was begging for some serious work after a leaky roof collapsed on my work table. My assistant and I emptied and gutted the entire studio to see how bad everything was and it was clear I needed a brand new roof ? I mean the whole thing had to come off and be rebuilt. An architect friend helped me come up with elegant and supposedly easy plans, but in the end they were just too complex for my budget. I just needed someone who knew what he was doing, and would do it right. Joseph and I came up with a great simple plan, which included a new roof pitched the correct way (instead of peaked towards my neighbors') and a new window on the second floor to accommodate it. I went for a really nice rubber roof, with insul-board underneath, plus two skylights, new wood windows and french doors to the garden. I appreciated the way he broke out his estimate, down to the number of 2x6's, which kept it clear that I was getting a fair price and made sense to the way I do things. (I used to design and art direct sets for TV commercials.) What's truly amazing is how fast and easy it all went. Once we were ready (and I didn't wait long, though he's a busy guy) it took maybe ten days total. Instead of having just a few guys toiling away bit by bit, Joseph brings a big crew of seven or so, and they just get it done ? nice, polite and professional guys, too. In the end there were a couple of extras, as there always are, including a last leak caused by my neighbor's bad stucco. Joseph and his guys made sure it was taken care of before they left, at no extra cost. Honestly, I'm saving now for the next big thing I can do here. I have only the highest praise for Joseph Ashley and his crew, and I can't wait to work with them again.

Unexpected Roof Renovation Well, it was not totally unexpected...The monsoon rain(s) of August caused water penetration under the gutter at the back of the house. Water made its way into the kitchen from an overflowing gutter, and unsealed fascia board and brick. We looked at several contractors. We chose Joseph Ashley Roofing Contractors (DBA: ACJ Remodeling, Inc.) Joseph has been in business for himself since 1984--Italian boy from Staten Island. He has a steady crew of professional workers--no day labor here. He told us his son is also in the business. He's personable and no-nonsense. He made the time to come out and quote personally. As we looked at the job, initially we thought of doing just the gutter. The gutter repair was quoted out at about $1200. To repair the gutter, the roof needed to be cut back and a new fascia installed. OK, so this prompted us to consider re-surfacing the roof. In order to accomplish this properly, the coping stones would need to be replaced, so the roofing membrane material (GAF roll cold-adhesive adhered with a white pebble granular coating) could be extended up under the coping stones, thus giving a complete seal. And, while doing the roof, the skylight should be replaced with a vented one...and a new roof-hatch...all told, $7700. Two days work with a crew of 5-8. The work over the two days (Aug 31 @ 91 degrees and September 1, 2012, at a slightly lower, 89 degrees). I was hanging with the crew on the roof for the duration--8-10 hours a day. The crew arrived on-time, and worked steadlily and methodically throughout the two days. Replaced the old coping stones: The old roof was laid up to the underside of the stones, and not up and under them. This was done back in October 2009. Cheap job done by the former homeowner. Not the way to go. Corrected nicely by Ashley's crew. There would be a re-build of each of the front parapet walls before the new coping stones could be installed. One continuous roll of roofing material is applied to the parapet walls and lapped over the top and over the main roof. The material was applied using a heavy-duty flashing cement, Bulldog brand, and flashing cement and fiberglass mesh was used to seal around roof protrusions. Overall, we could not be more pleased. I'd highly recommend Joseph and his crew.

Joseph Ashley met with my wife and I to discuss all of the work that might be needed. He gave us prices on the new roof which would depend on how bad the old roof was underneath the part that could be seen. His prices were, by far, the most reasonable of the roofers that we got estimates from. He was able to start the job almost immediately and was able to complete it in 2 days because he sent a lot of workers to do the job. The new roof came out beautifully. My wife and I could not have been happier when we saw the final product. If you need a roof repaired or replaced, get some estimates from other companies. Then call ACJ Remodeling. Then you will appreciate the work and prices that they offer. PS read the reviews from other clients. My experience was the rule not the exception.

We could not be more pleased with the high-quality work performed by Joe and his able crew. Built into the side of a steep hill, our house is taller than most and the roof is difficult to access, requiring elaborate scaffolding. Several other contractors refused the job or simply failed to return with an estimate, but Joe didn't even blink. His response to the challenge: "No problem, my guys can do that." Indeed, they could. They were seemingly unfazed by any complication our 100-year-old house threw their way. Dozens of old birds and bees nests were no problem. Cracked, flaking stucco was no problem (they replaced it). When a violent thunderstorm moved in several hours earlier than forecast, the crew scrambled to secure the gaping roof with multiple tarps and not a single drop came through, despite a pouring rain that lasted through the night. No problem! The crew arrived on time each day and made extra efforts to make a messy, noisy job as unobtrusive as possible. They cleaned up beautifully at the end. The single most important thing we learned about Joe over this 7-day project is that he is 100% committed to client satisfaction. He was determined to make sure we were happy with each and every aspect of this project and he and his team went above and beyond to make it so. We have not hesitated to recommend their work to our neighbors and we look forward to bringing them back to restore our porch in the future.

This was the first time I used Angie's List and after reading the reviews about ACJ Remodeling, I decided to call them for an estimate. Within that same day, Joe called and set up an appointment with me. Upon his arrival, we walked around my property and it was a real education for me. He was extremely honest and took the time to answer all of my questions. One of the things that most impressed me was that he was very professional and showed me his licensing upon meeting me. In the past I have had some pretty horrific experiences with contractors. ACJ Remodeling was a breath of fresh air. He worked with me as to the start date, arrived precisely on that day and was true to his completion date. His workers showed up the same time every day and worked a full day. They never left my property. Not only is his work impeccable, but every day they left my property safe and clean. Since I work, I was always able to reach him by phone with any concerns or questions. Upon completion of the job, we walked around together to make sure I was satisfied with everything. I was so pleased with everything from start to finish that I entered into another contract with him to refinish my basement and do some window replacement. Contractors like Joe are rare. He takes pride in his work and he should. My neighbors are still commenting on the beautiful job he did on my house! Moving forward, if I ever need additional work done on my house, there is no question that I would only use ACJ Remodeling.

Everything went very well. They were prompt, professional, and tidy. The roofers left the yard cleaner than they had found it.

This company did a great job. They were very professional and prompt. They also had very good workmanship. I recommend them to others.

Our house needed a complete tear off all the way down to removal of the original cedar shingles, and then installation of plywood sheathing over the entire roof. It's a major job so we searched extensively for a reputable contractor and we interviewed and took estimates from more than a few roofing contractors. Joe Santillo of Joseph Ashley was very knowledgeable and experienced, and spent time answering all of our questions. He did not rush or pressure us, and gave a list of homes in the area which he had worked on. It was looking at his other jobs, and his Angie's list ratings, which led us to select this company. We then were offered a written contract specifying the work to be done and the material used, along with the guarantee papers for the roof before the work was begun. We asked for, and were given, proof of insurance. Joe and his crew made this difficult job go very smoothly. There was usually a crew of 9 workers on the job, which took about a week and a half, with 1 1/2 days lost to rain. These men are professionals, who work very hard and are pleasant to deal with. Not only did they respond to all of our questions, but they were willing to work with us when we made suggestions or asked that something be done in a particular way. Joe came by on a regular basis to monitor the job. The work was done as agreed to in the contract, and very nicely done. In installing the shingles, existing siding on the roof dormers had to be removed and then reinstalled. The crew was careful and reinstalled all the siding so it looked like it had never been touched. They installed flashing and gutters and leaders, as well as aluminum trim as needed, and did so expertly. They even wore new gloves when they worked with white aluminum, and wiped all the aluminum clean when they finished. The crew takes time to make sure that their work looks good cosmetically too. The lines on the roof are straight and the new roof lies flat, with no uneven surfaces. They take pride in their work, and it definitely shows. The job created a lot of debris, but the crew cleaned up every day. We had rain on 2 days, but no leaks as the contractor worked only in sections which could be completed each day, and covered the roof with tarps. They installed flashing around the chimney, as agreed to in the contract, but then threw in an application of ThoroSeal, so that it was sealed and looked as new as the rest of the roof. A nice touch. This is the kind of attention to detail and pride in their work which this contractor puts into their work. Highly, highly recommended.

They were excellent. They did such a good job that I hired them to do the second phase of my home improvement. They came in and knocked the job out. It was beautiful. Joe Ashley talked with me and kept me impressed. He made me feel comfortable. There are no words to describe Joe Ashley. They were done on time. He even gave me some pointers on some other things. I was so impressed with the job, that I gave him another phase of the work to do. It was great. I checked out three or four of his other jobs. When I checked with the people, they had nothing but high praises. I hired him to do the job on the spot and never regretted it. I know that he does roofing and siding. He put his crew on my house and went to a wedding. He was gone for several days. Those guys that he hired, didn't miss a beat. He called me from the Dominican Republic to make sure I was satisfied and everything was alright. You don't get better than that. I call him the Leonardo DiVinci of vinyl siding. His professional, effectiveness, and ability to do the job is second to none. I would say that he isn't the cheapest and not the most expensive. He will work with you if you have issues. He tries to give you as much play as he can so he can make a buck and you will be satisfied. He is always in communication with you. He checks the job and makes sure it's done properly. I have seen him change things that his standards would not accept. He treats you like family. He makes you feel like he is doing his best.

There are many rave reviews here about Joe and RCJ Remodeling. From my own experience, I have found these comments to be entirely justified. Joe is very professional, knowledgeable, and takes great pride in his craft. The stucco on my chimney needed replacing from the second floor on down. After meeting Joe, I knew I had found the contractor for the job and we signed a contract the next day. Joe’s crew was courteous and hard working, and work was completed on schedule. The chimney now looks good as new.

The man gave me very good advice. He was willing to take on a very difficult job. Some roofers did not even want to touch this job because of how complicated it was. These guys are completely honest, friendly, and very clean. They swept their mess everyday and they were such a pleasure to deal with. It took a number of weeks to get them but when they came they came when they said they would and they spent the amount of time they said they would.

Joseph Ashley gave us a thorough consultation where he showed us samples and explained the work to be performed. He also went up on the roof to assess the old roof, vents and skylight and to describe in detail what work he was going to do. The entire job was performed in about five hours. The laborers were very efficient and professional and there was no cleanup required after they were done. We are very happy with the work and would definitely recommend ACJ Remodeling.

Joe and his team removed our roof and siding, they replaced the old slate roof with a beautiful new roof and siding of our choice. They replaced rotting wood and gave us new gutters and leaders. They did an excellent job at a fair price. They also put natural stone on the front of our house and travertine on the patio ,stairs and walkway. The new look of our home is dramatic, our neighbours are still comming by to see it and ask for Joes number. We choose Joe from three contractors supplied by Angies list, the estimates were all in the same ballpark. Joe being the owner of his company could make decisions as we spoke. The Sales Reps from other companies had to call their office for any change that we requested. Joes sense of pride in his work was very evident even on the initial visit. He has a team of ten permanent workers which is a great plus. Joe and his team paid so much attention to every detail, at one point the pattern for the Travertine looked so complicated on paper, but they just studied it until they got it perfect. My husband and I are very difficult clients to work with, we had done a lot of research before starting on the project, we kept changing our minds on the stone and travertine right in the middel of the project. Joe was so patient with us and wanted everything to look perfect as much as we did. It is truly a faboulous job in every way. We could not be more pleased, we have reccomended Joe to all of our friends and anyone we know who is planning to remodel a home.

They’ve been excellent to work with overall! They’re responsive, attentive, and do good work.

Job went on schedule with no problems, took about four days for 21 squares of material.Joe suggested replacing the two 1950 original half-round copper roof vents but we choose not to.Front of house has full width eight foot deep concrete porch 2/3 covered in permanent, fragile sun baked fiberglass awning, concealed by large evergreen bushes. Joe's assurance that he'd be very cautious held true, they spanned it with a scaffold, tarped it and didn't drop material on it. Only issue was the day after they completed we noticed some dollar coin size pieces of slate in the grass. We have small front and backyard lawns that we spend most of the summer walking on barefoot, especially since this is a beach community. Concerned we policed the two areas and picked up a coffee can of slate chards and over a dozen old roofing nails, wish they had been a little more thorough with the cleanup. Very capable, would use again.

Excellent! This guy is good, really good. He a total professional who delivers as promised. He actually has you sign a real contract - how I love that! He did my house - the siding, roof, stucco, etc. so I was familiar with the quality of his work. This review is for my aunt house that he just finished in Bensonhurst. Joe is without question the best contractor I've worked with, period. This guy is a water leak specialist. I give him high praise because he's a breath of fresh air in a world of terrible contractors. My next project with Joe is fixing my son's roof and stucco work. The GC we hired to do the roof raise at my son's house turned out to be a disaster. All I did these past two years at my son's house was deal with terrible subs and awful so-called GC's. The GC wanted to use his own people, but I regret not insisting that Joe be brought in. Now Joe has to redo the mistakes our GC and his subs made. You cannot possibly dislike this man. He is all about quality work at a fair price. He's meticulous and his crew is great. If he was just only a nice guy, I wouldn't bother reviewing him. He's the real deal however.

After five estimates I went with Joe Ashley for this project. I felt that he was the most knowledgeable in addressing the issues of an old wood frame flat roof house. I wasn't in a hurry to replace the roof because I didn't have any major leaks but I knew that there was about a hundred years worth of roofing material applied over time. I wanted to reduce the impact of the multiple layers of roofing material to alleviate the pressure and give it some ventilation. Joe was prompt with the initial appointment and the project outline and time-frame was totally reasonable so it came down to agreeing on a start date. His crew showed up in full force and knocked out a smaller section of roof the first day. At the end of the first day I was confident in their work. They were very prompt to communicate with me along the way whenever a problem came up. Throughout the project I was nervous about the amount of decking that might need to be replaced. Any and all concerns I had during the job were met with understanding by Joe and his team. At one point when I was checking on the progress I was impressed to see one of the crew unclog a neighbor's drain to free the standing water on their roof. We battled a lot of rain during this project and Joe would call periodically to check in to make sure there were no leaks. I was impressed with his level of concern for a job well done.

My wife called and spoke to Joe while attempting to set up an estimate at the house. Joe was very rude from the onset, lecturing my wife on stucco and how much he knows (although he never actually demonstrated any knowledge) and then talking about the dangers of asbestos. After a week of trying to set up a time to get an estimate and after I left several messages for him Joe finally called me back this morning. We spoke briefly about setting up a time to meet and then I described the job that we wanted. He first lectured for about ten minutes on how california stucco is awful and not to use it in New York (I did not mention california stucco, he apparently pulled that out of thin air) and then began lecturing me on how dangerous asbestos is. I repeatedly asked him to stop lecturing and tell me if he would be able to help me get the job done. He basically said that there is no way to do it, that he won't work with asbestos related products and said I should just forget about the house that I had just bought. Why I had to spend two weeks playing phone tag to have him do that is beyond me. From what I can tell his company does good work but I guess this project was too much for him. If your house is complicated or could present difficulties in completing the project I would recommend choosing anyone else or at the very least shop around and try to find someone with a less condescending attitude towards potential clients. After posting all of the above information, Joe called my wife and told her that he was going to "make sure that your house will never get the asbestos out of it", threatening to report us to the City. This is irrational since I have been trying to find, and specifically asked him about finding someone who could properly remove the shingles IF they contain asbestos.

I had three other bids on replacing my gutter, but Joe was by far the most professional, responsive, and straightforward of the bunch. I am a new homeowner and have never had gutter work done, so I really appreciated that he explained the replacement process to me and didn?t gloss over details like timing and cleanup. Joe was the only person to present his credentials and show photos of other jobs he had done recently. He actually took the time to sit down with me to go over the contract and explain the cost. His crew completed the entire project in one afternoon, so I came home from work to find beautiful new gutters?and there was no mess left behind. It could not have gone better. I would definitely recommend Joe?s work to my friends and neighbors. Thanks again, Joe!

We used ACJ before to reside our house and were so completely satisfied that we hired the company to do the roof repair. Once again, the company did an outstanding job. There was a crew of ten men who completed the work in the time frame promised. Both the crew and Joseph were careful to check as aspects of the work to ensure that there would be no problems afterward. It is a pleasure to do business with this company.

Joe is a consummate professional from estimate to the completion of the job. The time he spent with me (a home improvement novice) from the initial phone call, the estimate phase, to his visit after the completion of the job was unexpected and appreciated. He listened to my ideas and concerns and walked me step by step through the work that needed to be done and where he saw the potential for issues. We knew that several pieces of plywood would need replacement due to rot and that there was the potential for additional cost at the end of the job. No unexpected surprises. Fabulous! While we walked through the work to be done he told me that while he normally replaces gutters as part of the roofing job, mine were in good shape and did not need replacement. In lieu of gutters, he instead offered to take care of several other things that I knew needed repair but could not afford to have done at the time (window cap, chimney, siding repair, new skylight). All were done to the same exacting standards as the roof work. Again, workmanship, reliability and integrity reign supreme with Joe. When several obstacles presented themselves, weather being the primary (it rained from the first day of the job to the last), Joe was still able to complete the job in a reasonable amount of time (6 days!) and would have his team come and work around the weather whenever possible. He called several times to check in with me. Am I was satisfied with the work that is being done? Are there any questions that I have or issues that I need to discuss? When weather prevented the team from working one day, Joe made sure that I was aware that they did not show up due to the torrential downpour. In my experience that level of communication is unheard of! The final result is that I have a brand new roof (it looks great), all other repairs are done (one less thing for me to think about), and aside from the sign in front of my home and the beautiful new charcoal colored roof, no one would know that I literally just had work done (the job was completed 2 hours ago). The property was left in immaculate condition! My only disappointment is that the highest grade available on Angie's List is an A. The workmanship, fairness of price, professionalism and reliability and of Joe and his team far exceeds an A rating. Will I work with him again? Absolutely, without a doubt or moment of hesitation. We're discussing project #2 (a new driveway) next week. Provided that Joe's company does the type of work that I need completed, he has the job. End of story. A big thank you to Joe and his crew! Great job and an absolute pleasure to work with.

Called Joe on 2/2 to come and look at my roof and gutters. He called right away and the next day he was at my home at the time arranged. We discussed the project, I was happy with the price and he said he would come in two weeks if the weather remained good. On 2/12, Joe contacted me that an another job was postponed, and he could start the next day, on my house. The next day his crew of great guys came and started the work exactly on time. The roof was totally torn down (all 12 inches of tar paper) to the frame, skylights removed and replaced and new gutters replaced in the 3 days promised. A few problems did occur but Joe made sure everything was corrected and I was happy with the job before leaving. I'm sorry for waiting this long for my report but I wanted to wait a while to make sure there were no leaks and everything held up and all I can say is EXCELLENT JOB JOE!