CHR Home Services, Inc.

Overall, JRL Design is very organized, does high quality work, and takes care of all the details and hassles, but is probably a little expensive for those reasons. Jim called us back promptly after our initial inquiry. He was interested in our ideas, but was also forthcoming with feedback about the difficulty and expense of some of our grander ideas. Estimate was presented at his office in detail, but there were additional costs not included that he verbally estimated (dumpster fee, permits, tile cost). Met with Marty, the project manager, and work started on time. They were extremely conscientious about the dust and protecting the floors. Demo was smooth. Subcontractors were great overall. Electrician, tile installers, drywaller were all exemplary. Plumber and painter were ok, but had to be called-back to fix things. Custom cabinets are beautiful and well-planned. There were a few small mix-ups that were promptly addressed. Project took a couple weeks longer than anticipated, but we are very pleased with the end result. Communication was constant during the project and Marty was meticulous about the final fit and finish. We would gladly work with JRL again.

From the beginning Jim was honest and upfront with all the options and costs associated. He allowed me to provide some of the plumbing and lighting fixtures, as well as the appliances, and do the painting to help keep costs down. We were able to create a reasonable budget and stick to it and still end up with a beautiful kitchen. The work was completed in a timely fashion and Marty, the Site Supervisor kept me informed thruout the process, either by text message or phone, letting me know what was scheduled days in advance. All the work is high quality, everything fits exactly, everything looks perfect. A tremendous job, from beginning to end, my house was treated with respect, I was apprehensive about having contractors in the house while I was at work, but everything went well and I couldn't be more pleased with the end result. I just have to finish the touch up painting to complete the project, but I have moved back in and have started cooking again. Thanks JRL for a job well worth the money and time.

After speaking with multiple contractors about the four projects JRL Design was by far the most professional. Jim Lebair contacted me shortly after I made my initial call and made an appointment around our busy schedule to come out and take a look at the scope of the four projects. Jim and his site manager Marty DeRocco showed up on time and really listened to what we envisioned all of the projects to be at their completion. The first project was to remove twenty-seven very old windows and replace them the Pella Architect Series replacement windows. Being a Certified Pella Installer, JRL insulated and filled all of the spaces around the interior of the windows and they capped all the exterior trim with a high quality capping material that perfectly matched the window color. We now have windows that are not only functional but very energy efficient. The second project was to remove and replace our front door. We worked with one of Jim's suppliers and picked out a door that was a bit smaller than the original. Marty came up with a plan and created beautiful interior/exterior trim that would fill in the void created by the smaller door we selected. It came out perfect and we are very pleased. The third project was a complete kitchen remodel. The JRL team came up with a layout that we discussed over several meetings at the JRL showroom. The plans allowed us to view our new kitchen in 3D and really get an idea of the end result. Jim was very willing to listen to our needs and make changes as we got closer to the final plans. His showroom allowed us to select our cabinets and get a head start on picking out all of the finishing touches. Marty's craftsmanship and attention to detail is top notch and we couldn't be happier. The fourth project was a complete remodel of two bedrooms and a walk-in closet on our third floor. This was an extremely challenging project because we needed to demolish all of the plaster and lathe in all three rooms and find a way to get it out of the house safely and with as little dust as possible. We also had to get 56 sheets of drywall into the space. The JRL team figured out a way and the dust in the rest of the house was minimal at best. JRL ran a new electric line from the basement to a new panel on the third floor and we installed baseboard heat and an attic fan. They also insulated the entire space. Again, the end result is perfect. Prior to each project Jim provided us with a detailed schedule that kept us up to date on things and that really helped us coordinate all of the supplies that needed to be delivered. Marty contacted me daily and made sure I was aware of any issues that needed to be discussed further. When an issue did arise we never felt pressured into making a quick decision and Jim would come out and we would all make a group decision that made the most sense and stayed within our budget. All of the sub-contractors used by JRL were also very professional and all of the work performed was of high quality. Each day the work area was neat and they took great care in not disturbing the rest of our house. This couldn't have been a better experience and I would highly recommend JRL to anyone in the need of home remodeling. JRL was a pleasure to work with.

, went really well. bathroom is fantastic

went fantastic. the bathroom is my spa. the only delay was in getting the vanity top since i wanted a pure white top other than that it went great. my dog was in love with all the guys and they were good to him. would use again in a flash

Overall, we were very pleased with the look and quality of our remodeling project. JRL Design and the subcontractors they used were very professional and a pleasure to work with. First, we interviewed and received bids from three contractors for the project. Even though JRL Design came in with the highest bid, we chose Jim LeBair and his team because of his professionalism, outstanding ratings on Angie's List and a belief that his firm would deliver high quality work. We also wanted custom-made cabinetry for our bathrooms and master bedroom --- and JRL Design specializes in this area. Demolition began in July 2011 and the project was completed in late October. While this was somewhat longer than we had anticipated, the delays were not all due to JRL Design management of the project. We would rather a project take a little longer than promised and have it done correctly. A project manager from JRL Design was in charge of managing all the subcontractors during the entire project. We were particularly pleased with work done by Millman Electric, Farley and Son Plumbing, Severino Granite and Marble and tile intallers from Delia Tile. These contractors spent a lot of time and effort at our house and seemed to genuinely care that we were satisfied with the quality of their work. This was the first time we had undertaken a remodeling project, so in retrospect, there were a number of questions and decisions that could have been discussed earlier in the project. For instance, we had radiant floor heating installed in our master bathroom and the final placement of the heating didn't cover the front of the toilet area. While a "fix" was proposed by JRL Design, it wasn't reasonably doable because of the type of heating coils that were used. Knowing of our concern, Jim LeBair offered to split the cost with us, which we thought was a fair outcome. We were also realistic enough to expect that a project of this size isn't without some minor hiccups along the way. Good communication between the client and the contractor is a key factor in the success of a project and helps to minimize the surprises. Although JRL Design provided detailed work orders and cost estimates, we would prefer more realistic cost estimates in the beginning, rather than dealing with upcharges at many steps along the way. Toward the end of the project, the JRL team went over the final "punch" list and made sure that all items on the list were taken care of to our satisfaction. Not having worked with contractors much in the past, you often hear of the "horror stories" with home improvement projects --- but we never had to worry about that with JRL Design and felt confident that we were in good hands. We love our beautiful new bathrooms and master bedroom and continue to receive lots of "oohs" and "aahs" when we give tours to family and friends. We would certainly recommend JRL Design Inc. to anyone considering a major remodeling project.

He was not interested in doing the work because I had already purchased the materials and he wanted me to buy from him.

James was extremely professional. He called within a day or two of me contacting him through Angie's List. He was able to work the appointment around my schedule and was at the house promptly when he said he would be there. He was extremely respectful of myself, my time and our home. He then began the estimate process and updated me every few days as to his status. His estimate came in right in line with the other proposals we had gotten but with all else being even we decided to go with a contractor we had prior experience with. James' attention to detail and professionalism is top notch and I would recommend him to anyone.

They were very professional. They were on time and seemed very knowledgeable. I didn’t go with their company as I thought that their prices were too high for what we wanted.

Below is an summary of my contact and conversation with this contractor. I called JRL Design and left a message. I received a call back later that same day. I told the gentleman I was looking to have my kitchen and bathrooms renovated. He proceeded to tell me that bathrooms cost $20k to $60k each to renovate and kitchens are even more expensive and was I prepared to pay this. I told him for what I am looking to have done, the costs he quoted is very excessive. Since he was talking in generalities I recommended he come out to my house to let me show him the size of my bathrooms & kitchen & the work that needs to be done before he tells me how much it will cost. He then refused to come take a look at my project. I was very shocked that this contractor was quoting me possible costs without even taking the time to see my property or have me give him a detailed explanation of what I am looking to have done. When I told him my bathroom would not be anywhere close to a $20k project - he kept telling me it is expensive to re-route and re-do plumbing and electrical. I tried to tell him that my bathroom will not be moving any fixtures and the existing plumbing and electrical is in very good condition. The same would go for the kitchen - he did not want to hear this. I know a good bit about what different projects should cost as I have re-habbed 5 properties in the last few years and the "estimates" he was trying to have me commit myself to were excessive based on the size and scope of my projects. In all my dealing with many contractors over the years, I have never had an experience like this. I will not contact this contractor ever again for an estimate to do any work for me.

Our new kitchen is beautiful. The hand-crafted new cabinets exactly match the older custom cabinets, which we loved and wanted to keep. Other workmen on the project simply refused to believe the cabinets had not all been built at the same time. Jim's stable of suppliers made it easy to make good selections, and his team coordinated the installation to work well with our travel and entertainment schedules. Through the entire project the kitchen was never unusable for more than a day. We felt the price was very reasonable for the high quality of the service performed.

I was very pleased with the quality of the work and I love the new look of the Pella door. JRL staff was courteous and professional.

Fantastic. Jim and his crew, aside from being responsive and professional, did a great job on our project. Its one thing to have work done on your home, its another when you can completely trust that the job gets done well, which is exactly what occurred here. I plan to use JRL Design again and will recommend Jim and his company, without hesitation.

JRL was terrific. They showed real pride in their work and great attention to detail. They were very responsive to our questions and concerns. They were complete professionals, and so were their many subcontractors. It was a long, long job _ about nine months in all _ and they were very respectful of our privacy and careful to minimize the inconvenience for us.

With a new baby on the way, we were converting the home office as the baby room. We had to convert a walk in closet into our new home office. We wanted something good looking, functional, and not too costly. Jim LeBair and his team delivered. He used decades of practical experience to suggest very cost effective solutions for flooring, design, choice of wood and stains for the built in home office. He provided detailed CAD drawings of the design prior to demolition. All his team, including Marty, were professional, experienced, and punctual. They worked well with our needs. For example, when we accidentally damaged the new floor and needed to replace it, his floor guy managed to remove the old floor and install the new floor backwards, avoiding the need to rip out the newly installed built in office to do so, and saving us time and money. They were not the cheapest but you get what you pay for and we certainly did. We will not hesitate to use them again.

It generally went well though a bit slower than we might have liked. The result is exactly what we were looking for - beautiful..

Contacted JRL (Jim Lebair) and scheduled site visit the following week. Jim was very pleasant and forthcoming. The kitchen space is very small and not conducive to my original vision but Jim designed a layout and made suggestions that made sense. His original estimate was lower than what I expected to spend but it was based on lower end selections. I upgraded all of my selections which put me over my original budget but was well worth the additional expense. Marty DeRocco supervised the job and made sure everything was completed to my satisfaction. Marty's crew were very clean and professional and they treated my home with respect. The job lasted longer than anticipated, in part because I was not happy with the cabinet above the refrigerator which was 30" in depth and required a wooden frame around the refrigerator. The space was too small and the wooden frame gave me the feeling that I was in a closet when I would be working at the sink. Marty and Jim worked with me to redesign the area and they had to order a smaller cabinet which added an additional 4 weeks to the schedule. The carpentry team was headed by JR who was a perfectionist. JR and his team built me a separate countertop and very resourcefully used the wooden panels that were originally supposed to frame the refrigerator. It turned out to be a beautifully crafted countertop and the wood was used as brackets, making it look like a fine piece of furniture. The countertop was made of the same quartz I had selected for the sink and counter area. JR also used cabinet doors to create a large two-panel pantry door for my existing pantry, to match the new cabinets. The electrician and plumber were sub-contractors and had the same respect for my home as did the JRL team. I found the painter, another sub, to be somewhat careless since I'm still finding paint drops on my floor and pale paint spots on the wall that should have received another coat of paint. The painter used a semi-gloss wall paint on my wood trim instead of enamel and I was not satisfied with the finished coat so I asked Marty to have him repaint my woodwork with a can of enamel paint I provided. The spackling work done by the painter was very good.

I had various estimates for a kitchen upgrade. When it came time to ?just do it?, I picked the highest rated guy on Angies list. Jim came out an worked with me on what I wanted done and the budget I had to work with. JRL?s estimate was in the same ball park as the others. Once the preliminary designs/plans were done, I was turned over to Marty (the general contractor). I was told the project would take 4 to 5 weeks (which I really assumed meant longer). But they ended up have a majority of the work done in less than 3 weeks ? meaning ? I was able to get in there and use my new kitchen is less than 3 WEEKS. Over the 4th and 5th week, finishing touches and changes I requested were made? still ? it was FAST. There were some issue with the project ? such as a cabinet that didn't fit as planned, some of the molding needed to be redone, the floor needed to be corrected. I've never had any other MAJOR projects done, so I can't saw if these are typical or not...but I have to say they did address all my issues/concerns right away. Marty was super easy to deal with and always available via his cel?even on a Saturday. I loved all the subcontractors, they were all helpful, friendly and very competent. Over all, I was happy with the project and super happy with the team who did it.

I asked JRL to bid on this job based on their high ratings on Angie's List and my neighbor's good experience with them. The response was professional from the first phone call. Full time office staff and high tech systems insured my communications were always addressed immediately. Jim and his right hand man, Marty DeRocco came to evaluate the space which was a challenging bathroom fitted into a complicated roofline and dormer area. We discussed numerous possibilities and I followed their recommendation to stay within the existing footprint to keep the cost within reason. My objective was to upgrade all the finishes, swap out the tub for a large, walk-in shower, warm up the area, and keep the style informal farmhouse, in keeping with the rest of the house and the age of the neighborhood. The finished product is exactly what I was envisioning. Jim and Marty are both good listeners, responsive, and the communication loop is well oiled. They stay on top of tasks, oversee all subcontractors, are efficient and respectful. I found the pricing fair, though not cheap...and I was not looking for cheap. They took their time, as I was not in a rush and did not cut corners. I always felt informed, even when unexpected issues arose. I always felt comfortable with the caliber of people in my house and appreciate their effort to control the dust, protect the walls and generally clean up.Above and beyond that, the team of Jim, Marty, JR, Jay and Yuliya are just nice human beings and there is a congenial, family atmosphere to the company. The proposal process I find the most daunting. The initial proposal does include a baseline budget based on more "builder grade" choices with a laundry list of items that are "to be determined", such as tile, upgrades, dumpster, permits. It takes some additional work to actually predict where the project will end up. And of course, some of the design work evolves as you go along. Jim has a pretty good system for "updating" the budget as you make choices, so things don't get away from you. I was thrilled with the cabinetry which Jay crafted from a very poor digital image I had on hand. The design was just what I wanted, and was very nicely finished with full backs and smoothly finished wood shelving, and hidden electrical outlets. All work was completed to my satisfaction, and was followed with a final budget review. I would hire them again in a heartbeat, and give them my highest recommendation. The whole experience was a pleasure.

Everyone was wonderful. Our bathroom is tiny (6 X 6) and Jim (the owner) and Marty (the project manager) listened to us about our ideas of trying to make it more spacious without moving walls. The project took about 6 weeks and there was very little down time. Because we were living in the master bedroom at the time of the renovation, they placed plastic barriers and used an air purifier to keep the dust down. In fact, we had very little dust and mess during the renovation. Marty took particular care that our dog (who tends to bolt out the front door) did not escape. Everyone who worked on the house was polite and punctual. Marty answered my texts within minutes. At the beginning of each week Marty would email the plan for the week. If anything changed, he would text me. Jim and Marty listened to our concerns. The bathrooms are both beautiful and we love them. We would not hesitate to use them for more projects.

I find this with lots of contractors. If they do not want the work they just don't respond and I think this is very rude.

The company was very responsive to my requests for service, even though this project was a bit unusual and perhaps smaller than their "normal" project. They actively solicited my thoughts on a solution, showed me different options, worked with me to select materials, then sent me a design concept drawing for my approval. Once I approved, they completed the work and delivered the finished item. I was very pleased with the final product.

JRL did an excellent job. I really needed to upgrade all the doors into my house and they made the job very easy. The team suggested that it would be a good time to install a new set of steps into the house and they brought in their mason (Cawley) to do the job. The mason did a real nice job and it makes the front of the house look so much better than before. The new doors look beautiful and are energy efficient. The project manager Marty is a pleasure to work with. He kept in contact with me through the project. In fact all the guys are very professional, and are very talented. My neighbors have been giving me compliments already about the doors! I will be using them again in the near future for my next project.

As repeat customers of JRL we were excited to get an estimate from them on a brand new kitchen. While they weren't the cheapest or the most expensive estimate, we knew we trusted them and wanted to work with them again. We had a partial vision of the kitchen we wanted, and left a lot of details in JRLs hands, and have not one regret! While we did the demolition ourselves (down to the studs!), we left everything else to Jim, Marty and their team, including the demo of a loadbearing wall, the plumbing, heated flooring, tile backsplash and tile floors, as well as granite countertops and new cabinets. They always confirmed the next step with us, as well as the products we chose. I was also SO appreciative of the fact that they also installed child locks on all lower cabinets for us, this was a huge help considering we have 2 little ones running around. There were a few issues as noted below... We were not impressed with their drywall sub as he was extremely messy, but Marty and team made sure to clean up all excess dust each time their sub had worked here. We also had a pantry door upgraded without notification of extra cost. There was a major miscommunication about the type of granite we ordered, but it was rectified rather quickly. The only other major delay was in getting permits but that was not the fault of JRL, but of our township. Each time something new was installed we were asked to 'inspect' it and give our opinion; there were a couple of times we asked things to be changed or fixed and they complied willingly and timely! We were impressed with most of their subs and enjoyed working with everyone. I couldn't ask for a better kitchen and we're already working on a new project to contact them about!

I got this company's name from Angie's List when I was calling contractors to talk about a number of jobs in my home: replacing a bathroom that's been gutted, replacing 35 windows, sheetrocking, replacing 18 interior doors, etc. I left a message on their answering machine and no one called me back for weeks. Meanwhile, I was interviewing other contractors. Then, out of the blue they began calling me back. I scheduled a time for them to come out to look at the jobs, but had to cancel. They were fine about it and rescheduled. Unfortunately, I was so busy with window retailers at that point I literally forgot the appointment and was unable to meet with their estimator when he showed up for the appointment we'd made. I apologized and rescheduled the appointment. Then they got in touch and told me they were going to take a pass on my work. Although I certainly was remiss in forgetting the appointment, they were remiss in not responding to my inquiry promptly and then dismissing my job out of hand. I suspect that the modest appearance of the fixer-upper my husband and I just bought put them off, since they are noted as on the expensive side. When we're done here, the house won't appear so modest, but I won't be using them to help change what we've got.