James Allen Contracting has been renovating kitchens, bathrooms and other areas of clients' homes since 1977. Virginia DPOR licensed and insured as a General Contractor, Jim is located in Potomac Falls, Virginia. Jim attributes 36 years of business success to client referrals Complete residential remodeling, including » Full Bathroom & Kitchen Remodeling. » Patios and Decks. » Additions and build-outs. » Interior alterations of any scope
Business highlights
47 years of trusted experience
Services we offer
General Contracting, including kitchens, bathrooms, and all aspects of residential remodeling.
It went extremely well. Jim was thorough and accurate with his estimate - no surprises. He was great about answering our questions as we learned about our options. Jim was spot on with time frame and kept us informed throughout the process. Note: We used James Allen Contracting for a bathroom update in 2014 and were very pleased.
Description of Work: We replaced an entry door in the basement and patio door.
He did a wonderful job and was very prompt, coming when he said he would and staying on the job until it was complete. He had good ideas for us to consider and was very easy to work with. He did much of the work himself and supervised others when they were on the job. The work was inspected by Fairfax County.
Description of Work: Jim Allen did a partial renovation of our master bath, including a new shower and granite vanity tops. It was a large job because the shower had to be stripped down to the original construction.
Rating Category
Rating out of 5
quality
5.0
value
5.0
professionalism
5.0
responsiveness
5.0
punctuality
5.0
Yes, I recommend this pro
$15
Anne F.
11/2014
5.0
home remodeling
 + -1 more
Jim and his wife Maureen and daughter Jennifer arrived the first day on time and proceeded with the demolition of my 20-year-old tile backsplash. They protected floors and surfaces with tarps. For the following 5 days, Jim and Jennifer returned for partial days to replace drywall, profile the studs and caulk the drywall joints. They sealed the drywall against the granite splash blocks with caulk. Jim adjusted the wall phone rough-in to clear the tile. Finally, they installed and grouted my selected tile. They replaced switches, plugs, and GFCI with new wall plates. They cleaned up nicely and guaranteed their workmanship for 3 years. I am very pleased with this project completed by James Allen Contracting.
Description of Work: Installed backsplash in my kitchen.
Rating Category
Rating out of 5
quality
5.0
value
5.0
professionalism
5.0
responsiveness
5.0
punctuality
5.0
Yes, I recommend this pro
$1,725
karren M.
06/2014
4.0
home remodeling
 + -1 more
I would recommend them.
Description of Work: Backsplash kitchen remodeling
Rating Category
Rating out of 5
quality
5.0
value
4.0
professionalism
5.0
responsiveness
5.0
punctuality
5.0
Yes, I recommend this pro
Mary S.
05/2014
5.0
home remodeling
 + -1 more
Jim is very professional and detail-oriented. The results of the kitchen and bathroom remodel were outstanding. We felt that we were an important customer to him, and he did what had to be done to meet our expectations.
Description of Work: Redid our kitchen and bathroom.
Rating Category
Rating out of 5
quality
5.0
value
5.0
professionalism
5.0
responsiveness
5.0
punctuality
5.0
Yes, I recommend this pro
Lawrence H.
03/2014
5.0
home remodeling
 + -1 more
This renovation involved a complete gutting and renovation of two bathrooms originally built in the 1970's. The contract/estimate was detailed, and we were able to get exactly what we expected for the price Jim quoted us. He and the crew who worked with him were professional and tried to make the necessarily disruptive process as quick and painless as possible. We could not have asked for a better experience.
Description of Work: Complete renovation of two bathrooms
Rating Category
Rating out of 5
quality
5.0
value
4.0
professionalism
5.0
responsiveness
5.0
punctuality
5.0
Yes, I recommend this pro
$36,000
David O.
03/2014
5.0
home remodeling
 + -1 more
They did everything. Their price was very good. I will use their service again in the future.
Description of Work: I used James Allen Contracting. They redid our kitchen. They did general contracting, they put in cabinets that we had purchased, hung the cabinets, they coordinated with the granite people, and coordinated with the floor people for the floor.
Rating Category
Rating out of 5
quality
5.0
value
5.0
professionalism
5.0
responsiveness
5.0
punctuality
5.0
Yes, I recommend this pro
$30,000
Nancy S.
01/2014
5.0
remodeling, home remodeling
 + 0 more
They did a lot of work. It was very good. He does a very meticulous job. Our relationship with him has gone back 8 years. He always does good work. He cleans up after himself. You know he will do a good job. He is punctual and gets the work done when expected!
Description of Work: I used James Allen contracting. He remodeled our kitchen and three bathrooms.
We were referred to Jim Allen by our kitchen cabinet company, when considering a remodel of our kitchen. It was our first experience with home renovation. When Jim came to our home and explained the process, including the many decisions that we would be making, we were very overwhelmed. He was very understanding of the homeowner experience, and there was no "hard sell". Instead, he encouraged us to think about everything carefully, and take our time. When we checked his references, we heard repeatedly that Jim is a hard worker, knows what he is doing, is a perfectionist, and is honest. After almost 3 months of renovation, we agree that this was our experience, too, in working with James Allen Contracting. Through Jim's quality workmanship, excellent organizational and communication skills, attention to detail, and close supervision of reliable, skilled sub-contrators, we got the kitchen we wanted with the minimum of problems. And best of all, the cost of the project came in at only 1.27% over the original budget, and that was only because we had added some work. After 25 years living in this house, going through the renovation was a crazy time for us, but it was well worth it! We are happy to recommend Jim Allen to others.
Description of Work: Complete gutting and updating of kitchen, including: -- removal of wall to dining room, and installation of breakfast bar; -- elimination of soffits; moving of pipes up into ceiling. Note: Homeowner paid separately for appliances, flooring, granite, cabinets, tile.
Rating Category
Rating out of 5
quality
5.0
value
5.0
professionalism
5.0
responsiveness
5.0
punctuality
5.0
Yes, I recommend this pro
$20,000
Nancy S.
03/2013
5.0
remodeling, home remodeling
 + 0 more
I have been delighted with Jim's work and I have recommended him to friends, who have, in turn, recommended Jim to their friends. What really stands out is the quality of Jim's work, his attention to detail and his willingness to go above and beyond. He clearly takes pride in his work and nothing is complete until the customer is satisfied. He "fixed" a long-standing problem with ants in my house ? clearly not within his scope of work but he did it anyway. Jim went to considerable effort to locate a wall-mounted, swing-arm platform for my kitchen television. He went with me to pick out tile, cabinets and countertops to provide guidance on price, style and color. Jim has always completed the job within the predicted timeframe and budget. If materials are less expensive than he initially predicted, Jim passes on the savings to the customer. When I have another job to do, I'll call Jim first.
Description of Work: Jim has done multiple projects for me including remodeling my kitchen and three bathrooms.
Rating Category
Rating out of 5
quality
5.0
value
5.0
professionalism
5.0
responsiveness
5.0
punctuality
5.0
Yes, I recommend this pro
$60,000
Jackie B.
03/2013
5.0
electrician, home remodeling
 + 0 more
I used Jim for this job because I know from my own personal experience with him, that he is honest, dependable, professional, an expert in his field and has an eye for the finer details. In addition I know that he will work with me to make sure I am happy about every single aspect of the job. As a testament to Jim's worok ethic, I think it is important to tell you how we met. I was living in a rental in Springfield, VA and the bathroom ceramic tile was leaking into the wall and running down two stories into the basement. Jim was hired by my landlord to fix the problem. When it came to finishings on the job, the landlord was unwilling to pay for ceramic tile trim around the baseboard but instead wanted Jim to install that crappy looking black rubber/vinyl baseboard. Jim would not let his work look like that and at his own cost, finished the job with the ceramic tile that matched the shower walls. At that time I thought, "WOW!! When I have my own home, this is the guy!!" We have been in our own home since 2001 and I have used Jim multiple times with excellent results eacn and every time. I had in mind what I wanted to do with the kitchen and Jim came out to the house for us to discuss it. We went over it in detail and he made suggestions for things that he thought would improve my layout and workspace. The contract was ready within the week. We planned to start the job in January, after the holidays. During the month of December, I picked out and purchased my appliances with Jim's input. He was always available for discussion and to give advice when asked. I really value his opinion - he is honest and has no hidden agenda when recommending something. Jim covered the floor of my dining room with masonite so that we would have a place to put the appliances when they were delivered as I needed to store them for a period of time. I had taken advantage of a sale and the appliance store would only hold delivery for so long. In addition, Jim helped us set up an interim kitchen in my front room including covering the carpet with masonite under the fridge and plastic over the walking areas. At the time that we started, I only planned on doing the kitchen. As the work progressed, I realized I was not going to be happy with my mudroom and laundry as they were going to look shabby compared to my kitchen, so at a later date we did a secondary contract to include the mudroom and laundry work. Each day Jim and his crew arrived on time. The rest of the house was sealed off to contain dust during the demolition and at any other time that dust would have been a problem. Jim kept our path to the laundry open so that we could use the laundry room until the very last minute. Each day, the work area was cleaned, swept and tidied. I trust Jim completely so I always give him a key to my home when he does a job for me. He keeps it in his possession at all times. Jim worked with me during each phase of the remodel. I chose and purchased my own light fixtures, door handles, etc. I asked him to purchase the sink, exhaust fan, garbaged disposal and faucets after telling him what i needed/wanted regards the style and function. He found me the best exhaust fan I have ever had in my 50 plus years of cooking! Jim was there to help when we picked out cupboards, the undercabinet lighting, the tile for the backsplash - every step of the way. Jim is a master tile setter and he does absolutely beautiful work. We found a beautiful tile and when I wanted to change the pattern of the layout to suit me, he handled it with no problem. He lined us up with some wonderful folks for the granite and we were even given a tour of the facility. Jim suggested that the plates for light switches and plugs that were placed in the tile and on the back of my peninsula be painted to match the surfaces. He hired the professional who came to the house to do the work and the result is awesome. No tacky plastic plates over my gorgeous tile backsplash and the plugs on the back of the peninsula match the wood to perfection. Jim easily accomodated me when I changed my mind about the counter top in the mudroom. I had intended to use a less expensive material but realized since I could see it through the doorway it really should match the counter in the kitchen. In addition, he negotiated a reduced price by working closely with the granite people. Jim came up with the idea to use leftover tile from my kitchen backspash to make a matching mini backsplash in the mudroom. It looks great with the undercabinet lighting that he added at my request even though neither item was in the original contract. Jim finished the job ON TIME AND ON BUDGET AS HE ALWAYS DOES! My kitchen is absolutely gorgeous and I have enjoyed working with Jim on every project we have done. He even gave me advice about my landscaping projects, which I used with my landscaper to my benefit. Be sure to check out my kitchen on Jim's website. Our home now has more rooms in it that Jim has remodeled than rooms that he hasn't !! Lucky us!!
Description of Work: Jim Allen (who has completely renovated 2 bathrooms as well as retiled a third in my home previous to this job) remodeled 3 additional rooms of my home: the kitchen, mudroom and laundry room. The kitchen was a complete gut down to the studs. The floorplan of the kitchen was changed by moving the door to the mudroom thus increasing the size of the work triangle. All new everything - including (at my request) a specially designed fan in the soffit above the wall oven to insure the cabinets surrounding it did not overheat. New electrical was installed to insure that each appliance was on a dedicated circuit. A special LED undercabinet lighting system was installed along with all the other new lighting fixtures, all new appliances, and custom painted plates for the wall switches and electrical outlets (that was Jim's idea and they look fantastic!) Mudroom closet was removed and rebuilt to accomodate the movement of the door between mudroom and kitchen. A wall of cupboards with granite counter to match the kitchen was installed and that wall includes a large pantry. New flooring and all new wood trim were installed. The laundry room had new cabinets - new flooring, the connections for the washer and dryer recessed into the wall to make more floor space as well as new lighting, new laundry room tub. Both laundry room and mudroom were then painted to match the kitchen.
They took everything down very carefully and they clean up very well, so you never have a mess. They bring in large powerful vacuums that take up all the dust from sanding. They work quickly. I was referred to him by a friend. Something I've never had done before, but he brings you a loaf of bread that he makes himself once the job is complete! He grinds the oats himself. The bread is good though!
Description of Work: They painted 5 rooms. Anything that needed fixed on the walls, they did first. They painted the ceilings as well. They also repaired some plumbing and electrical things. He contracts out for the plumbing and electrical unless it's a tiny project he can do. He also installed an overhead fan because mine broke. He recaulked both our tub and shower. He also fixed a couple of drains that weren't working right.
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Service Categories
Kitchen and Bath Remodeling,
General Remodeling,
Electrical,
Marble and Granite,
Ceiling Fans,
Plumbing,
Countertops and Backsplashes,
Ceramic Tile,
Interior Painting,
Finished Carpentry and Woodworking,
Flooring Sales and Installation,
Basement Remodeling
FAQ
JAMES ALLEN CONTRACTING is currently rated 4.9 overall out of 5.
JAMES ALLEN CONTRACTING accepts the following forms of payment: Check,Financing Available
Yes, JAMES ALLEN CONTRACTING offers free project estimates.
No, JAMES ALLEN CONTRACTING does not offer eco-friendly accreditations.
No, JAMES ALLEN CONTRACTING does not offer a senior discount.
No, JAMES ALLEN CONTRACTING does not offer emergency services.
Yes, JAMES ALLEN CONTRACTING offers warranties.
JAMES ALLEN CONTRACTING offers the following services: General Contracting, including kitchens, bathrooms, and all aspects of residential remodeling.