BJ's Creative Carpentry

The book case went well, but he did not complete the job. He left his some of tools behind and never completed the work we has agreed to do. I called and wrote to him, but he never contract me. I wanted to return his sander and level. This is very puzzling because he does very good work. He had done work for me and my son before and completed the job in a very good manner. <br />

I called him and told him , that iI was on tight schedule. He came to my home and took measurements and told me the materials I needed. He came on time as promised and gave me a clear idea and step by step of the work to be done. He really did a great job in the bathroom and took his time to finish with exceptional attention to details. In my bedroom he removed the carpet and prepared the floor to lay the tile. II am very impressed and happy with his craftsmanship . I have another project coming up to remove a wall and work on my kitchen , living room and a hall way. I will defenately use his services once more.

Excellent. Did thework very well

The entire experience was pleasant and efficient.

Great!  He was fast and the work was quality.  It was the final touch in my beautiful bedroom.  I feel comfortable leaning back on the headboard without damaging the filigree.

Not completed 3/1/2012

Bruce responded to our original call for an estimate promptly. He originally gave us an informal quote of $800, though his final bid came in at $1100. <br /> <br /> The good:  Quality work; the finished window looks very professional and is beautiful. Bruce took an irregular opening and managed to not only build a nice window but also conceal the flaws in the original construction. He is careful, precise, and is also a really nice guy. He takes pride in his work, and it shows. At one point, when he was dissatisfied with how one part came out, he redid it without being asked, going over it again and again until he was satisfied. <br /> <br /> The bad:  On two of the three days he came to work on the project, he arrived hours late - once at 12:45pm and once at 4:30pm. He did not return phone calls when we tried to contact him for an estimated time of arrival. He also did not put any protective covering down in our bathtub where he was working, and it was damaged with a small gouge when he dropped one of the heavy glass blocks into it. He repaired it before the job was done, but used epoxy for a porcelain tub instead of plastic. He also did not wipe his feet on our doormat or use contractor's paper where he walked, and our carpet is really dirty. Not a big deal, really, but annoying.

They arrived to start work only after being prompted by my phone call to inquire it they had forgotten about the job.  It was 3 weeks past the anticipated start date.  They poured the concrete slab and said it needed to cure for about 3 days.  This was a Thursday, so they said they'd be back the next week to build the porch roof.  The next week was raining so I wasn't surprised when they didn't come.  They didn't come the next week either, but it was Thanksgiving week.  They haven't been back since despite the many good weather opportunities, and haven't returned my calls.  Its been over two months, and there has been no communication and no progress on the job.  The value of the work that I have received is far below the deposit I paid on the completed job.  I think I've been taken. <br /> <br /> He texted me that he would be here Friday, February 10.  I asked about the building permit and he replied that it would take a few more days.  It's been 3 weeks since and he still hasn't started or contacted me. <br /> <br /> Update 6/3/12 - He finally returned in March to start framing.  He he asked for more money and worked intermittently until March 23.  At that point he had completed the frame for the porch and roof and had decked the roof.  I commented that I thought he should tarpaper the roof before leaving for the weekend.  He said, "No.  That board was designed for roofing and it would be OK if it got wet.  The quality of the work he did was sub-standard.  He did not get a building permit, even though he told me he would.  When I complained about how he was doing the job on the first day of framing, he lied to me again in saying he had discussed the plan with the city engineer who had approved the plan.  I have since found out that our city does not have an engineer and no permit was ever issued.  He did not return to the job the next week.  I texted him but got no response.  He has never returned to the job except to pick up his property while I was not at home.  I can only assume it was he who took his tools as I did not see him.  I texted him again the following week with no response.  I proceeded to get quotes from 3 other carpenters to correct the bad framing and finish the job. <br /> This job is going to end up costing much more than I had anticipated, because now I have to pay someone else to fix his bad workmanship and finish the project.  The F grade stands.  I would not recommend this carperter to anyone. <br /> <br /> Update 6/18/12 - My specific complaints with BJ's work are:  He did not build a proper header to support the roof; the board he used as a header was pieced between the posts; the rafters for the porch ceiling were not attached to the supporting wall of the house; the posts were not strong enough to support the roof and were not placed where the footers were poured; the roof was supported on a3ft long 2 x 4 laid across the ceiling rafters and was bowing; there is a dip in the concrete that holds water when it rains; and the work was sloppy overall; trash was left at the site.  The new carpenter that I hired has torn down the supporting structure that BJ's Creative Carpentry built since it was not sufficient to support the roof and was already leaning away from the house.  He was able to save the roof frame but had to fix the decking.  He built new headers, replaced the ceiling rafters attaching them to the header for the back wall of the house, and replaced the flimsey porch posts with sturdy ones appropriately placed.  He supported the roof over the back wall of the house.  The roofer was here on Saturday and shingled the new roof, tying the shingles in with the house existing shingles.  He was able to use the shingles BJ had purchased for the project but had to buy 2 more bundles.  He also extended a vent pipe through the new roof.  Next week the carpenter will be back to do the finish work for the ceiling, header, and eaves.  I'm very happy with the new work so far.  This project will end up costing more that twice what BJ's had originally quoted, including the amount already paid to BJ's.

On October 7th I gave Bruce a check for approximatetly half of the job with the agreement that he would start the job the following Monday or Tuesday and he wrote for me a discription ofthe work to be done with prices.   On Dec. 9th after numerous messages and emails mostly ignored Bruce sent a subcontractor out to do the work.  At this point I felt very fortunate the agreed upon work was going to be completed.  Bruce's subcontractor completed the work in two partial days and Bruce joined him the 2nd day but did not participate in the work.  I was satisfied by the workmanship ad professionalism of the subcontractor.  The after job clean up was only fair as number of nails on the ground were missed.   Bruce is very personable and interesting to visit with and appears to be knowledable but to me he appears to be in a period of his life where he is not interested in working.  I cannot reccomend him as he does not followup and do what he says he will do.

Bruce Johnson had a very high rating on Angie's List.  We agreed on a price of $600 and I paid him $300 up-front for supplies.  He estimated it would take one or two days.  He started the job, removed shelves, painted some particle board, and covered some of the exposed walls.  He never came back.  The place is a big mess now, and obviously no longer a surprise for my husband, who will probably have to finish the job himself.  Bruce left some personal items and tools.  I tried calling him several times, never got through to him, and he never returned my calls.  He was a nice guy and I hope nothing serious happened to him, but of course I would never recommend him, and probably would not  use Angie's List as a guide in the future.

Bruce came the day I called him to give me a quote. He was the 4th handyman I had called for a quote on cutting brick to install a new oven. His quote was very reasonable and he said he could do it. One quote I got was 4 times his quote and 2 men said they could do it but it would be "difficult" and wouldn't give me a set price. One man said he would do it for cheaper and after repeated calls to get him to come - he would not return my calls. <br /> <br /> Pros: Bruce is friendly and does good work. He cleans up after himself. He is reasonable. He has a broad knowledge. He returns his phone calls and shows up on the day he says he will come. He did everything I asked of him. <br /> <br /> Cons: He comes later than the stated time. This is OK by me since I'm home but might be a problem if you work and have to take time off to meet him. I feel certain if you state this - he will give you a more accurate time. He brought his girlfriend and she is a delight and very pleasant and I enjoyed visiting with her; but many people might not feel this is professional. <br /> <br /> I would highly recommend Bruce. <br /> <br />

The workmen showed up and began the roof promptly.  However, the work was never finished, and there's still a leak in the roof.   Repeated calls yield nothing..promises to come an finish, but no show so far.

We needed to have some repairs made quickly with the timing of the repairs impacting other processes.  Bruce came out almost immediately after I called to discuss the three problems, and identify potential fixes, as well as to provide an estimated cost. <br /> <br /> I was expecting him within the next few days, but he was unavailable a little longer than estimated.  However, once he arrived, he and his team quickly assessed the situation, and started to work.  All three items were completed to satisfaction in one visit. <br /> <br /> None of the issues were major, but required a bit of creativity to resolve.  His estimate was spot on, and the work done well.

I would highly recommend Bruce Johnson to anyone needing to custom cabinet work. He is also an excellent conversationalist if you care to talk to him. The price he charged was moderate and gave me an itemized bill at the end of his service. Trust this man to deliver and do a job. I was anticipating having to be without a stove for at least two weeks while I lined up a carpenter, but we completed it on the same day that the stove was delivered.