JDF Services

Jack began work Tuesday, 7/22/14 because I needed the use of my front porch that Monday (he actually rearranged his schedule to accommodate me). There was some rain that week, but he assured me that he would be finished with the work by Friday as he would be on vacation the following week. He did finish Friday, in spite of the weather and told me I would definitely be able to use my porch on Monday, possibly Sunday, if I stepped on it and my shoe left no print it would be safe. The porch looked great and I thought all was well, but that was not the case. I didn't need to use it Sunday and Monday was rainy again so I actually did not use my porch until the following Monday, 8/4/14, a full week after Jack assured me it would be OK. The porch seemed a little tacky but no prints left as I walked, so I used it. I soon realized something was wrong, the porch was all scratched up from my grandson's bike, my chair, the dog. I explained all this to Jack, he responded with a message stating this was something that was not his fault or mine. He said it was the first time he had worked with this type of wood and it must take longer to dry. He said he would see about touching it up. Jack came to my house a few evenings later and saw how bad it was. Suddenly his tune changed and he said it was all my fault - I never should have used it, I should have known the porch wasn't ready to be used, even after his assurances. (Actually, the reason I hired a professional is because I don't know anything about wooden porches.) It is now 8/21/14 and my porch still isn't dry. I have no choice but to use it and it continues to get worse. Something is very wrong and I don't believe my porch can be fixed, unless it can be completely stripped and redone correctly. I am pretty sure Jack couldn't get the good reviews I read without deserving them and none of us are above mistakes. I just want Jack to own this one and give me my money back.

Jack was delightful! It is evident that he is passionate about his work and it shows by how he carefully works, pays attention to the fine details and walks you through everything he is going to do. His quote was very reasonable. He pointed out any issues he thought we might have and made sure we were in agreement with what he was going to do. He was always prompt and was very neat while he worked. He was also just a pleasure to be around; such a nice man. I would definitely refer JDF Services to my friends/neighbors and would use him again.

It went ok. I would consider using them again.

I work full-time and could never arrange to meet with the contractor during regular work hours. Several phone calls were exchanged and a time established to have the contractor view my deck but he failed to show. He later claimed to have stopped by, left me a card and left a message on my cell phone. As previously stated, I work full-time so I wouldn't have been home when he stopped by; I received no card nor did I receive a phone call. I think the contractor over extended himself with this offer. At this stage I'd just like my money refunded.

We have had many back and forths. The provider is pleasant, but I am unable to get an estimate from him. I wrote to the provider that the back gate was open, and he could come in to look at the back deck anytime. Instead, he tried to view it from the neighbor's driveway, and then never sent us an estimate, despite several phone calls and emails. Please refund $249. Thank you, Ilana --- Example of Email trail: DAN SCHWARCZ 4/6/2014 Dear JDF Services, I just purchased a service from your company. Please review the details below and respond within 2 business days to schedule the service. Scheduling Member suggested dates to schedule service: Morning (AM) on 5/6/2014 Morning (AM) on 5/7/2014 Morning (AM) on 5/8/2014 Note from DAN SCHWARCZ Item Price Qty Total $249 Deck or Fence Restoration 249.00 1 249.00 Order Number: 1191374 Ordered On: April 6, 2014 Item ID: 218817 Member Info: DAN SCHWARCZ 5880 HOBART ST PITTSBURGH, PA 15217 Coupon Code: Maint-1191374-1 JDF Services 4/6/2014 Dan got your email call to schedule appointment for estimate jack from jdf services 412 771 2118 thank you DAN SCHWARCZ 4/28/2014 Hi, Jack I'm sorry we missed you. We were out of town. You can come and look at the deck anytime. There's a fence with an unlocked gate right behind the front yard (left side of the house if you're in it) and you can come right in. Let us know your estimate. Thanks, Ilana JDF Services 4/29/2014 llana got your email next time i'm in your area I will stop by again thank you jack 412 771 2118

Job went very well. They came every day until finished, approximately two weeks. Even though we had some days where bad weather was forecasted. Very professional Neat, they cleaned up at the end of every day. We had some small changes which they took care of. Had issues with 2 items (threshold and gutter) after job was completed. They came up promptly and took care of it. And followed up with a phone call. Very pleased. Highly recommend Jack and his crew. Anyone wants to see his work is welcome to stop by and check it out.

Jack was AWESOME!!!! He called me back immediately for an estimate and was able to start work in a short period of time. He did all the demo quickly and made sure to bundle the carpet and vinyl according the regulations in Mt. Lebanon fot the trash collectors. My kitchen and dining room was an especially difficult challenge for Jack and he crew, being one of the worst he's ever seen. There were layers upon layers of vinyl, carpet, nails (ever 2 inches), and whatever else you can think of. He worked like crazy to make sure my floors were perfect. He completed work about a year ago and I couln't be happier with the way they turned out! In addition to my floors, Jack also finished my small deck. It looks brand new. He stained it this great orange color that looks amazing against my orange brick. It's a world of change from the dirty unstained deck he started with. I would recommend JDF Services for anyone. A+++++++++e

Our experiences with JDF Services was one of our most positive with a contractor in the nine years we've been home-onwners. Jack came out to our home for an estimate in a timely manner and gave us a thorough and thoughtful estimate. He's careful to spend a good deal of time with his costumers, detailing his work and process for them if they so wish; he's cordial, professional, funny, and loves to talk about his work--which we like because we like to understand exactly what needs to be done and why. We bought our house in 2006 and hadn't had the deck power-washed since (nor had it been power-washed for several years before that); I was honestly afraid that Jack would recommend we replace the thing--but it had been so interestingly designed and lovingly built that I hoped we'd be able to salvage it. I couldn't believe what a thorough power-washing could do for the deck; Jack and his son-in-law worked on it together, and through their work, it looked like new wood. Then came the staining: J was thorough and coated the deck several times, and worked with us to get the color right. (We wanted it to be very dark so as to blend in with the garden surrounding it. Having looked at the color samples, we were afraid none would be as dark as we wanted but Jack assured us with his multiple coats that he'd be able to get it as we so wished, which he did beautifully. We also think that the protection the staining provides will be able to last us several years without even needing another power-washing (as Jack described it). So even though Jack's fees are slightly above average, we think his particular care and the longevity we should be able to expect from the work he did will actually prove to be less expensive (and more convenient b/c we won't have to do so many repeated power-washings and re-stainings) in the long run. He's also just a pleasure to work with; if I could find more contractors like him (reliable, direct, thoughtful about their work, they do the work themselves and take pride in it), I'd be one happy homeowner.

This was a big project, which took about one month from start to finish. Jack and Jeff worked off and on because of the weather and my travel schedule. The new porch is tremendously better than my previous one. The old construction was done before treated wood was in wide use, and the front step of the porch has ground contact. Jack and Jeff set me up with a fascia board made of a composite material that is impervious to water damage and rot, and constructed the substrate using pressure-treated wood and modern construction techniques. The decking surface is made of 8' strips of Douglas fir, pre-primed and secured with stainless steel staples. The columns are fiberglass and wood composite, fabricated to look exactly like the previous wooden columns. Finally, the deck was painted with the same color of paint that the deck had been prior to the work starting. Aside from the columns, which I still need to paint, the porch looks exactly like it did before, and is ready to last another 100 years. The quality of the work is great and working with Jack was very easy. He and I communicated via phone often about every stage of the project and he was easy to reach. I definitely recommend JDF Services for your next deck or porch project...

He came in and gave a quote and the work was going to be a more than I wanted to have done at that point. He contacted me quickly to schedule the estimate.

He was very professional, polite and knowledgeable. It was a good experience

They power washed the deck and stained it. Before he started he gave us an estimate because he thought it would require more stain and we wanted more services than included in the deal. We knew the additional fees prior to him starting the work. The service was great.

When he came out to take a look he gave a high estimate. I decided to request a refund.

Well we had scheduled a time and he advised that he would show up and he didnt. I had cleared plans and stayed home for it and everything. After a couple days had passed and I hadnt heard anything from him I reached out to him and he mentioned to me he was overwhelmed at the moment due to the deal he had posted with Angie's List. He didnt even give me an expected time frame for when the services could be completed.

When I initially called them to schedule the work, he said he was booked up for weeks. I’ve since used someone else because I just can’t wait that long. They were professional enough, though.

JDF flooring guy came over and went over the potential solutions, and we agreed on a price of $300 over and above the payment $49 to Angie's List. Scheduling was an issue, first he couldn't schedule as he was on a big job. Then I was away during a time when it might have happened. We agreed to try for week of April 28th. During calls to him he kept saying that he has other big jobs. On a rainy day he called and wanted to come over but I was not able to drop everything and be there that day or the next. He finally stated he could not give me a day for sure. I have been strung along by JDF since March. It's May now. He should have just told me he can't do this small job in the first place. Work was never done.

False advertising with this "deal" coupon, saying that it would be $249 to restore my deck, and then he came over to tell me it was actually going to be $2,500. I have never heard of a deck costing that much to stain. Ridiculous pricing.

I purchased a Big Deal of $279 for $500 worth of Deck Restoration which includes up to 200 square feet of decking restoration securing loose nails and applying clear waterproofing sealant (up to one-gallon). I had a difficult time scheduling an estimate, perhaps due to seasonal reasons. When Jack was finally able to inspect my deck, he quoted a $1500 cost, even though the size of the deck is only slightly larger than the 200 sq ft covered by the big deal. The cost was higher than expected, but was reasonable since it included steps, overhang, railing, and extra coats of sealants (which are not included in the big deal). The biggest issue was that Jack would not recognize the "promotional value" of the deal, which is $500, which would leave me with a net expense of $1279 = $1000 + $279 (cost of the Big Deal). Instead, he would only recognize the cost of the big deal, so in total my net cost would be $1500 = $1221 + $279, so there would be no discount to me at all! He also said that ALL of the $279 that I paid goes to Angie's List and NONE to him, which I'm pretty sure is not true. At the end, I asked if he could just perform the services included in the big deal, but he did not respond, so I am requesting a refund. I hope, for Jack's sake, he has been collecting part of the $279 (cost of the Big Deal) that he is due. Otherwise, he would not be making any money when he performs the services provided in the Big Deal!

I purchased the big deal through Angie's List, but the provider was not available to give me an estimate for the job I needed to have done in a timely manner. However, he did cal me, and was very courteous, to let me know that he would come to my area when he had enough people in my area who needed estimates. I'm sure from the other reviews that I have read, they would have done an excellent job.

He did a wonderful job. It was hard to schedule. Once he got here, he did a really nice job.

Pricing is too high for the "DEAL". They said it would be a $1000.00.

They took a measured approach to creatively restore the floor at a very good price.

Refunded "deal" from Angie's List. The contractor called to apologize about the confusing wording of the ad, which I appreciated. His ad has been corrected. The contractor seemed knowledgable about his work. I would consider in the future.

Jack and his team were personable and professional, he was very easy to communicate with, he took the time to answer all my questions and concerns. I felt very comfortable with his demeanor, he was consise explained in detail his job itinerary, I never once felt unaware of what the plan for the day was going to be. He finished the job as scheduled and cleaned up behind themselves. I never thought my floors and stairing would look this great. I was speechless which for me speaks volume. I will have future jobs for Jack and his team. I want to Thank Jack and his team for taking on this project!!!!

It went well. The work was preformed in a reasonable amount of time despite the humid summer weather. Offered advice on maintenance too. Overall, I am pleased with the work and the workers. Additional square footage cost was well worth it beyond the Big Deal used as part of the job.