PJB Contracting LLC

It took a while to publish this review, but after finding an old email with their quote and having been involved in several rehab projects during last year... I felt I had to leave this one. The good, they were punctual and they sent the email on time with the quote proposal. However, the shock arrived when opening the email, $61,600 to remodel a master bathroom in a basic 3/2 East Austin house. Bathroom may be only 100sqft. The quote is outrageously high and while I have a few suspicions on why we got that high quote, I'll keep these for me. We got many other quotes and ALL OF THEM were half price of less and also from recommended providers in Angie's List. For reference, just getting the construction drawings for a bathroom and pulling permits was quote d at the outrageous amount of $6,400. Nowadays, you can get a full house blueprint drawing set ready for construction for about $1,000. Make yourself a favor and be sure to get many more bids, but hey, you may be lucky and get a reasonable quote from them and they just tried to fund their next 10 years holidays from us. Best of luck!

Work went well, but time of completion far exceeded the estimate due to slow delivery of the plumbing fixtures from the wholesaler, Moore Supply. PBJ was very responsive our requests. Price was high, but quality of work was excellent.

We actually almost had business with them. They were really good. I think more than anything the prices was just so high, and we're having to negotiate, but overall they were really good, they came out, they did everything they said they are going to do, it was just, I think the pricing and everything was just way too high. We were negotiating once or twice for the quote and I was like, okay, I'm not going to do this the third time, with another person that knew that we were going to use, you know, right off the back (of our minds), we only need to do through the quote once, and they were right where we want them to be, otherwise the quality, the communication and everything was really good, it's just I was trying to for the quote. They have great communication.

Excellent. The company owner worked with us to develop the specifications for the contract. He was on the job constantly overseeing the progress and completion of the work. All that was promised was delivered and we were very pleased with the outcome. We would definitely use this company again and would recommend them to anyone.

They were professional and courteous.

This company is very responsive, follows-up when they do not hear from you, and you could not ask for more professional or courteous communication. I am sure the work would be impeccable, but the estimate was more than double the next closest estimate for the same work.

They provided a detailed estimate and made several followup calls and were responsive when I requuested estimate revisions. They were more expensive than the other companies so we decided not to go with them.

I've written up our experiences before- just search through the comments made by people who have hired PJB in the past. But to be brief- Pat and his crew are excellent craftsmen who will do the job right. They keep the worksite clean and and friendly and professional. Not only do we highly recommend them, we continue to use them for our ongoing remodel of our house.

Because it was an emergency Pat had a crew out the next day. I emailed Pat pictures of the damage so he and the crew would know exactly what happened. The crew arrived on time, with the materials on hand, they knew what they were doing, and had us fixed up in 4 hours. Yes, I'd ask them to bid a home remodel job for me; and I'd hire them again as well. The only reason I gave PJB a B for Price is because I think everything is too expensive. I'm cheap that way and B is as high as I go.

They were very timely in contacting us and Pat was very easy to work with. After taking measurements and discussing a plan with me, I had an estimate within a couple of days. Price was competitive. Overall was a good experience.

Pat Barnett is the consummate professional. He came prepared to inspect the proposed job (ladder, tape measure), pointed out potential problem spots, and offered advice on what should be done. He provided a detailed bid within 24 hours, and followed up with phone calls and emails. The workers arrived on schedule, were diligent, careful, and respectful of the property (cleaned up daily, etc.). He communicated clearly, and while the job took a little longer than expected, part of that was due to the weather. But Pat kept in touch, and we never felt under-informed. Oh, yes. The quality of the work is excellent. I give PJB Contracting my highest recommendation.

Their estimate was about 2 and frac12; to 3 times more than others. The estimate went well overall. They were courteous and professional. They had the bid back very quickly too.

The job went very well. The only delays were weather related. The cost exceeded the estimate due to need for addtional materials discovered after the work began. The increase was reaonable, considreing the magnitude of the work. They needed to find some difficult to match drainage tubing and di not give upuntil they were able to locate it. They crew was very courteous. Pat, the supervisor came to the site often to check on the work. Clean up aftter the project was donewas so good, that the neighbors commented on it.

I called hoping to set up an appointment with this contractor, explaining that I was only available to meet on Saturdays or Sundays. Unfortunately, they don't offer any appointments on weekends, making it almost impossible for a traveling professional to meet with them. I even mentioned having someone available during the week to accompany my home for the actual work, but they were not interested in working with me. Not the excellent customer service I expected to receive based on the feedback here. I won't bother calling them again for any work.

It went fine. He did a good job. The air conditioner works great. I'm going to use him again in the future. I liked his professionalism. He was very polite and he seemed to know what he was doing.

PJB did an excellent job. Pat's workers and subs were great. We came up with some ideas (i.e., barn type door for a bathroom with space constraints), and Pat took off with them in a great way. I suggest talking any ideas you have with Pat and even meet his subs when they come to look at the job. They were able to come up with great options and offered to save us $ by using a few things they had left over from other projects.

Pat is very nice to work with and the wrkers are very polite. They will accomodate your requests.

Very well. I purchased the fixtures myself, Pat contracted and/or performed the services. His subcontractors are excellent, all work was performed timely and we are extremely satisfied with the results.

I had a very good interaction with this service provider. He seemed to be very honest and trustworthy. I was pleased with him.

They did provide me a quote. He gave a very detailed and itemized quote. I had a few others that were not itemized and I did not like that. It was a good experience. Pat, the owner, was responsive to all my questioning and suggestions. He was welcoming to changes I gave him. The workers showed up on time every day. They cleaned up after themselves every day. They kept the construction site clean. The worked through all kinds of inclement weather.

Pat was creative in resizing the screened openings to accommodate the standard-size windows we bought and in installing ceiling paneling in a way which kept the spacious peaked ceiling. His subcontractor painted, stained, and sealed surfaces inside and out and kept the rustic look we liked. We were very pleased with the results and the added use we are getting from our porch.

They are pretty good. I wouldn't say their work really holds up over the long run but they help get things done. I really liked the guy a lot and we've hired him a couple of times. They brought in sub contractors for painting and popcorn ceiling. I would recommend him.

Went well. Job was fairly complex, but I thought Pat stayed on top of the work. The mason did not use a high enough quality dirt to refill the bed-- we removed the dirt ourselves. Overall, I recommend PJB for various remodeling jobs.

We called him, he came out and said he would get us an estimate on remodeling work with an addition. He said he will email us back but never did.

THE PORCH: The original owners had built on to the house a large (45’ x 17’) screened-in, wooden decked porch. It was ugly, had a low, sloping ceiling, and the wooden deck which was built directly on the ground was rotting out. What we wanted was to completely remove the existing deck, replace the rotting wood deck with a concrete slab with proper drainage, and raise the sloped roof by several feet. THE BATHROOM: The original master bathroom had been partially remodeled by the former owners to include a huge (and largely useless) oval Jacuzzi tub which was surrounded on all three sides with dark wooden paneling; a very low single sink and tile countertop; an equally low toilet, and a fairly useless closet at the back of the bathroom. What we wanted was to completely gut the thing down to the studs, get rid of the closet to increase the total size of the bathroom, put in all new fixtures and custom cherry cabinets with granite countertops. We did not want a Jacuzzi tub but we did want an extra long tub. We also wanted the entire bathroom to be tiled. THE WORK BEGINS : ( Or, as we like to call it, “YOU FOUND WHAT IN THE WALLS?”) In short- massive termite and old water damage. Pat and his crew had to replace substantial portions of the walls in the bathroom, living room and bedroom including new wall studs, ceiling joists and footers. Those are the unexpected costs in a remodel. PLAN FOR IT! The demolition and construction of both the porch and bathroom went beautifully. There were some delays due to the endless rain and cold weather, but the work progressed at a steady pace. We have to admit to being guilty of constantly changing things, but Pat was very understanding and professional and made sure we got what we invisioned. LAST NOTES: Remodeling is a nasty, dirty, painfully expensive process. Do not scoff at the old adage of it taking twice as long and costing twice as much as you thought it would. It will. Make sure your relationship with your significant other is in good shape before taking on a major renovation! Aside from the mess and inconvenience, you will be faced with making about a thousand decisions you didn’t even know you were going to have to make. And you will encounter issues you never dreamed of. Having a good contractor like Pat will help get you though most of these difficulties. Cost-wise, Pat isn’t cheap. But understand this: you absolutely get what you pay for in the building trades. And Pat’s work is excellent. He wants it done right, and he demands that of his subs and his crew members. I can’t find a way to attach photos, so if you want to see some before and after photos, please use the link below. You’ll have to trust me that the finished product looks a hundred times better in person. http://www.pearsonarts.com/pjb/PJB%20Contracting%20website/index.html Ultimately, the question comes down to this: “Would you hire this contractor again?” To that, we have to give a resounding “YES”.