CJM Custom Homes & Renovations

Overall it was stressful! But Jarrett was very responsive and helpful the whole way through. He was very communicative and professional the entire time. One thing that impressed me the most was that if one of his sub-contractors didn't follow through with something he would do it himself. We blew out our original budget with expensive counter-tops and appliances that were not in the original scope and Jarrett kept reassuring me that we were going to still make our budget numbers. He kept his word, and worked with me to save money along the way and we came in less than 1% over our original budget, absolutely astonishing. He was very adaptive to the various problems and snags we ran into along the way. His cabinet guys are amazing. His framer was awesome as well. Did we finish in time? No. Historic rain and flooding, combined with subcontractor miscommunication and delayed materials, plagued the project. Projects like this don't happen quickly and don't come without headaches, disappointments and anxiety. We didn't make that easy for him either, we moved into the house before it was complete! Do I think we got our money's worth? Absolutely. In the end, we got the project done and on budget and Jarrett worked hard for us to make it happen. I would recommend him, and I would hire him again.

<p>We are very happy with the outcome in our kitchen. We love granite countertops and cabinets. CJM helped selection process or directed us to suppliers for excellent support (and out come). The transformation opened up our kitchen and created a fresh look in our main floor</p> <p><br></p>

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Service was wonderful. Each worker was a joy to work with. Mr. Spence, owner and contractor of CJM, was at our home overlooking the job every day. If I had any questions or concerns, my calls were returned immediately. I give CJM Custom Homes two HUGE thumbs up. <br />

CJM Custom Homes & Renovations was given the task of finishing the room above our garage into a fully functional apartment. Jarrett Spence (owner CJM) oversaw most of the work himself and was there from the initial meeting and design through to the clean-up before we moved ourselves in! The job included dividing the 300+sqft space into a living/den area, kitchen, bathroom, and large storage closet/laundry space. So Jarrett and his various crews were responsible for electrical service expansion, central air, framing, drywall, carpentry, custom cabinets in the kitchen, insulation, trim, tile, plumbing, finishing wood floors, staining and painting, installing gutters on the exterior, and then as a bonus we had them finish the garage below with insulation and drywall and some additional lighting. <br /> The entire job began at the very beginning of October and Jarrett did everything in his power to meet our deadline of a week before Christmas finish successfully. It came down to the wire, but he did it! There were a few days where we were upset that people weren't out there getting done more quickly, but regardless of that CJM met our due date without sacrificing any quality in their work and we couldn't be happier. The end result is a perfectly designed apartment that is VERY energy efficient and looks incredible (partly in thanks to my amazing wife's decorating!). <br /> Over the course of the job, there were very few mistakes made. One example was that the cabinets were initially installed incorrectly and did not meet the specifications of the appliances we had ordered. However, rather than attempt to gut us for the cost, Jarrett acknowledged the mistake and the carpenter tore out the cabinets and redid them with correct measurements at no cost. Both Jarrett and his crews were very honest, good, and generally easy-going people to work with. <br /> The cost of the job was higher than another contractor we had bid on the project, but substantially lower than another we had bid. I do not thing CJM is the cheapest possible option, but they do VERY good work and it is true that in contractors you get exactly what you pay for. I have since come back to CJM as my hands-down first choice for another project at our house due to how well they have performed for us. <br /> <br />

Jarrett and his team did an excellent job. We are beyond happy with the final product. They were all very professional and personable. Jarrett and his team was able to give us options on design as well as provide an excellent finished product. <br /> The only complaint we had was that it took much longer than orginially expected. We were given a timeline of 3-4 weeks in the beginning and it ended up taking about 8 weeks to complete. In part, this was due to some unforseen circumstances that Jarrett did a great job of working with, but it in the end, it take much longer than expected to complete the job. <br /> Jarrett, however, came out to our house on a Saturday when we noticed an issue, leaving his own personal commitments to help us with our needs. Not many contractors would do this, so we were incredibly pleased. He also came to the house to check and fix a minor issue even after he was paid in full. <br />

I evaluated at least 10 contractors before choosing CJM Custom Homes. Four of them were from Angie?s List.  I narrowed it down to two, which made for a hard decision. Both contractors had good ideas. One was less expensive, and the other seemed to be more personable. I chose CJM, and I now know I made the right decision.  The owner, Jarrett Spence, is the most personable contractor I have every met.  He comes up with great ideas and has a lot of knowledge in all areas of the the business.  Not only is he able to get his subcontractors to do excellent work, but he is very thorough in checking their quality and insists that everything is done perfectly. On the occasions that subcontractor?s work was not up to his standards, he made them correct mistakes that even I could not detect. He pays a lot of attention to details.  In addition to being very professional at what he does, Jarrett is also very easy to deal with. He listened to all my ideas, considered them thoroughly, then gave me honest feedback on what would work best. I am extremely happy about how great my house looks because of his unique remodeling style.  My house did not cost a million dollars, but it sure looks like it now, after the fantastic job done by CJM Custom Homes.  Jarrett and his crews transformed my house to a beautiful home.  The project started out as a conversion of two attic spaces into extra bedrooms.  I was so pleased with the work that I continued to remodel most of my house.  Jarrett was very good about allowing me to add on to my original remodeling project without charging me extra fees for changing my contract.  I ended up remodeling a bathroom, remodeling several more rooms and bathrooms, added an additional bathroom, remodeled my kitchen, replaced carpet, installed recessed lighting in all upstairs rooms and updating my utility room.  Jarrett went above and beyond the call of duty and installed new utilities.  He is very trustworthy.  His subcontractors are also very professional and friendly. They always cleaned up after finishing their work, every time they came to my house.  I should note that I am a very particular customer, with high demands.  I can tell you that Jarrett accommodated all my demands. He was a little bit more expense then the other contractor that I was looking at, but in the long run he was worth the extra money.  I am very pleased with the remodeling job that CJM Custom Homes has done.  I highly recommend CJM Custom homes to anyone who is thinking of remodeling their home.  Thank you, Angie?s List, for helping me find a great contractor! <br />

I need to start my review by saying that I'm an overly-critical, and difficult person to deal with when it comes to work being done on my personal property (home, car, etc). Jarrett wasn't in for an easy ride dealing with me, and I'm thankful that he doesn't have to provide reviews on his customers. <br /> With that being said, our kitchen is fantastic. After a faulty dishwasher install by another company ruined a large section of our kitchen, I was not looking forward to having to pay for an unexpected kitchen renovation. I called several contractors, but no one was able to come close to Jarrett's pricing or availability. He was actually willing to perform services that no one else wanted to tackle. <br /> Since we weren't planning on our renovations, we didn't have the funds to replace all of our undamaged cabentry (which was your average, builders-grade, white generic cabinets). Jarrett was able to salvage our existing cabinets, add new ones where necessary, and make it all look seamless. No other contractor was willing to paint our existing cabinets since they weren't real wood. Jarrett's painter was fantastic, and you'd never know that our kitchen is a mix of old and new. We upgraded our countertops to granite, which looks great, and really brought the whole kitchen together. <br /> In terms of pricing for the project, Jarrett was the best from day one. Even when our insurance payment came in at less than we expected for the repairs, he was able to work within our budget to make sure we were happy. There were certain parts of the renovation that my husband and I did ourselves (tile, and some trim work), and Jarrett did not try to "push" these items on us, or discourage us from keeping them as DIY. <br /> There were some bumps along the way in terms of scheduling, and project completion-time, but that is to be expected with renovations. All in all, we are absolutely thrilled with how our kitchen turned out. I wish we had been able to have Jarrett gut the whole kitchen and rebuild it from scratch, but he far exceeded expectations given the limitations of the situation. I would absolutely hire him again. <br />

|they covered the brick over my fireplace, to update it and better to decorate.  I love it.

We came home from a trip and a few minutes after walking in, my husband noticed a water stain on our kitchen ceiling.  He checked and discovered that the spare bathroom had a leak under the sink.  As we rarely used this bathroom, it had gone unnoticed for some time.  We called Jarrett as CJM had done remodeling work for us in the past (covered patio, outdoor kitchen, room expansion).  First, Jarrett reminded us that the damage was probably covered by homeowner's insurance.  Then he said he would come right over.  He quickly appeared up with a heater/blower fan.  He set the bathroom up to dry so that we had no further damage and then gave us a quick estimate of the repair cost so that we would know if the insurance adjuster was being fair (he was within $25 of the adjuster's estimate). <br /> When the firm the insurance company sent out to take care of drying the bathroom came out, they said that everything had been done right in order to prevent further damage and get everything dry.  Jarrett's quick action had not only prevented further problems, but lessened the amount we needed to pay out to repair the bathroom.   After receiving the insurance money, we hired CJM to repair/remodel the bathroom.  Even though it was a really small job, Jarrett kept on top of everything and was there everyday that work was done to check it and make sure it was done correctly.  After the major installations were complete, Jarrett himself took care making sure everything was perfect.   The bathroom looks awesome! My only regret is that it wasn't the master bathroom that had the leak. <br /> I would never hesitate to call this firm again.  In fact, I would never call anyone else. <br />

Communication was acceptional; timeframe was on target; entire crew was very pleasant and easy to work with.  Was involved in the purchase of the products used.  They were always open to additions or changes that I suggested. <br />

Excellent, this project started in August of last year and the work was finished in early October.  It has been one year since the completion of our remodel.  Over the course of the one year warranty period only three things needed to be repaired and Jarrett Spence, the owner of CJM, was on top of them each time.  We couldn't be happier with the quality of the work one year after the construction was done. <br /> Throughout the construction process, Jarrett was hands on in helping us undertake this major remodeling job.  The home built in 1996 is our retirement home and we had very definite ideas on how we wanted it to be finished.  However, Jarrett didn't just do want we wanted done, he was very hands on in suggesting creative and practical  ideas and making design suggestions from the structural work to the finishing work,  All of these suggestions and ideas were done with our budget and cost, in mind. Highly unusual for a builder.   It often felt like he was more concerned with what we spent than we were.   <br /> CJM's motto is "Your Dream, Our Passion".  I can honestly say Jarrett believes, by his actions, in  that motto.  He listened to what we thought we wanted, made sure that it could be done cost effectively, and then ensured the work was done right.  Often throughout  the construction, if he wasn't satisfied with the quality, the work was redone without my prodding.  If there is a negative here, the project took a little longer than we had planned.  Some of that was due to the changes we made, some was due to the fact that Jarrett insisted it be done right.  I will trade quality over completion time every time.   <br /> I highly recommend Jarrett Spence and CJM homes for anyone who wants a quality builder who is honest, sets high standards for himself and his crews and is passionate about what he does. <br />

They did a great job and everything was installed fine. The only negative is that they were very busy and it took a little longer than expected. However, it wasnt a huge issue however.

We removed the laminate floor ourselves and left the rest for Jarrett and his crew. <br /> Concrete and sand was brought in to correct the grade of the floor, then a product called "Red Barrier" was applied to waterproof the floor before laying the tile.  There were no cracks in the foundation to be fixed before laying the sand and concrete. <br /> Jarrett sent pictures of a few different ways to stagger the wood tile planks, and he let me choose the version that I liked the best before laying the tile.  He also sent a picture of a grout color used on a previous similar job to see if I liked it (and I did). <br /> He estimated for the job to start on Monday and finish on Friday, which was accomplished with the exception of sealing the tile. <br /> I'm am very pleased with the workmanship and Jarrett kept me informed with the progress of the job. <br /> If you want a contractor that pays attention to detail and has a crew of quality performers, then hire CJM Custom Homes! <br /> Now .... for painting.  I'm having Jarrett prepare a quote for this next phase of our home renovation.

The owner of CJM Custom Homes & Renovations,Jarrett Spence, is perhaps the most concientious  and knowledgeable contractor you will ever come across.  In our case, he certainly fits that description.  He is great communicator and makes sure nothing CJM Customs Homes & Renovations puts its name to is not top notch.  No detail is overlooked, and Jarrett sees the work through to completion to make sure it is done right.  Of course, we hit a snag or two along the way, but that was expected.  The work progressed nicely and we are very very pleased with the final result.   <br /> If you hire CJM Custom Homes & Renovations, be prepared to have your socks knocked off!  You will be supremely impressed with the knowledge, diligence, professionalism and integrity that the company will devote towards your project.  For these reasons, I highly recommend CJM Custom Homes & Renovations to anyone wanting a first class improvement project done on his home. <br />

<p>I got two quotes for remodeling our master bath.  What I like about Jarrett was that he responded quickly to the request to meet, showed up on time, and when the quote was delivered, it was evident that he listened carefully to what I wanted to have done (scope), as there were very few corrections to the quote that he provided.  I also appreciated his personality and felt very comfortable with him.  The other contractor quote was very off-base with what I requested and what was outlined in the quote.<br /> The scope of work was to: <br /> TUB:  demo the tile/concrete roman style tub, includintg the step in front of the tub, and tile surround, and install a bubble tub, new tub faucet coming out of the wall, and install stacked stone around the tub to the ceiling.  Removing the concrete roman tub proved to be a challange (it was like a bunker!) even with the professional jack hammer.  What was planned for one day with the demo ... took three.<br /> SHOWER:  Remove tile from walk-in shower, re-tile with same travertine that would be used on the floor of the bathroom, put in a bench, niche, new shower panel, and glass door.  With the demo it was discovered that the old shower pan had dissenegrated and there was rotten wood around the base.  This was all fixed and Jarrett's suggestion to raise the ceiling in the shower, widen the door, and remove the "step-over" into shower were all excellent suggestions and I'm very happy with the result.  I threw him a curve-ball and asked for a complimenting band of stone to match the tub surround to be put in the shower, and he took care of it.<br /> VANITY:  Already had granite and new sinks on the vanity.  Wanted the bottom cabinets refaced, the soffit above the sink refaced to match, and a counter top cabinet built in on top of the vaniity, in the middle of the vanity, going from the counter-top to the the soffit.  Also wanted a plug installed inside the countertop vanity.  We picked our door style and decided to use painter's grade wood and have the cabinets painted.</p> <br /> HEATER:  Had a bathroom heater installed in the ceiling.  We provided the heater. <br /> TOILET:  Had a new toilet installed and the "saloon doors" removed going into the toilet area.  We provided the toilet. <br /> FLOORING:  Install travertine on the floors.  <br /> PAINT:  Had crown moulding installed and the entire bathroom and doors painted. <br /> It has been a real pleasure working with Jarrett, and am getting another quote from him to do some work in our living room.  His carpenters were awesome and I never worried about his team(s) working in my house while I was away at work.  Jarrett was quick to respond to all text messages, but my only suggestion for improvement would be to communicate more with "status" in case work needs to be haulted on th job for whatever reason. <br /> <br />

The job was done on schedule and the final cost was under the quote. Jarrrett kept a close eye on the work. He was meticulous in taking care of details and gave us a lot of advice before and during the project. Everything was cleaned up every night. There were very few punch list items and he took care of them right away. <br /> We enjoyed the crew that did the work. They were even nice to our dog. <br />

Jerrett was always sincere, apologetic, and professional.  The bathroom looks nice now that it is complete.  I think the cost was high, since my original estimate was about 10,000.  Jarrett had a beautiful maple cabinet built for my bathroom and they installed a beautiful marble counter top.  The painting was not as professional as I would have liked, paint spatters on the door knobs, hinges, etc.  The hardware on the doors was not removed for painting. The work area was cleaned up after the job, but not the door hardware. I am still waiting to have the window replaced buy one of Jarret's companies. <br />

The work only took a few days to complete. Jarrett oversaw the process to make sure the correct shape was built out before the stone went on. Once the stone was being added, we were able to have them move individual stone to customize color placement, although they took care of most of that without any trouble on our part. Overall, everyone was professional and did a great job. I would definitely  use them in the future. <br />

Jarrett Spence of CJM Custom Homes and Renovations did an outstanding job of discussing the process and did an excellent job of presenting alternatives with regard to the remodeling project and what to expect over the course of the remodeling effort.  <br /> Due to our self-imposed time and access constraints, remodeling of both bathrooms continued over a period of approximately two months.  Jarrett was very proactive in making sure the remodeling effort stayed on-track throughout the course of the project and was always willing to meet with us to discuss any issues that arose over the course of the project. <br /> Jarrett was always available to discuss options and has continued to be available to answer any questions and address any questions we might have. <br /> An excellent project that has definitely added value to our home. <br />

Our first meeting with Jarrett went well. My husband and I felt like he had a feel for what we wanted and could work within our budget. We had picked our fixtures and granite; we needed to finalize tile, paint and light fixtures. When we went to pick out our tile we realized it would clash with our granite selection. Jarrett said "if I install that granite, you will be unhappy with me". Looking back, I suppose it was his tactful way of saying it was ugly. We took his recommendation and chose a granite he recommended that went with our tile selection well. I used a decorator to pick lights and paint. Not because Jarrett does not have the ability to do this, I needed someone to help visualize the project and tie it together. Jarrett worked well with my decorator (some general contractors do not like working with decorators). The three of us came up with ideas that ended up great. We had bumps in the road as is to be expected in a project like this. Jarrett demanded nothing less than perfection where quality and aesthetics were concerned. HE DROVE THROUGH TORNADIC WEATHER TO PICK UP OUR CABINETS!!!!; If I was unhappy with something, he made sure to make it so that I was. My kids still ask me when Mr. Jarrett is coming back. He develops personal relationships and takes each job personally. He helped me work on a few things around the house unrelated to the project and would not accept a tip. This was our first renovation project and we almost tried to skip the GC and do it ourselves. Thank God we didn't! The project went over budget and over time. I accept partial responsibility for both. The only issues I have were the amount we exceeded our budget and the time frame. I will use Jarrett again and will recommend him highly. His slogan "Your Dream. Our Passion" is true. He is very passionate about his clients being excited (not just content) about the end-result. <br />We have experienced 2 warranty issues with the faucets and he has been quick to respond on both.

This was our first remodel and the first real work we have done on a house that we didn't do ourselves - so we were nervous.  We called several contractors.  Most didn't bother to respond and some that did never showed for the appointment.  Jarrett Spence of CJM Custom Homes responded quickly, set an appointment and showed up on time.  Even thought the initial project idea was small, he treated us as though it was every bit as important as building a house from the ground up.  He spent quite a bit of time listening to what we wanted, measuring and inspecting.  He made some suggestions that really improved on our basic idea.  Before he left, he gave us a ballpark figure for the work we had decided on that was very close to the actual cost (the final amount exceeded that because we added significantly to the work (covered patio, summer kitchen, landscaping, flooring)) as we were going to do it eventually and it made sense to do it at the same time.  I know that some of the reviews said CJM's bid was higher than others and I understand why.  Jarrett will not use inferior materials or subcontractors who are not true craftsmen.  When he went over the project with us, he pointed out where his materials were more expensive than we might see on other bids, but explained that he was using those materials because lesser products would negatively affect either the aesthetics or function (and he explained how).  He also built in allowances, explaining that until he could see what was behind walls and under flooring and decking that he couldn't tell what specific issues and/or problems we might encounter and he didn't want any significant increase in the cost.  We didn't want a bid that was artificially low (only to become inexplicably expensive) or work that was substandard so we went with CJM and are glad we did.  The final product is amazing!Jarrett met with us and the architect to make sure we were all in agreement about what was wanted and what was possible considering our budget.  Once the plans were approved by us, he promptly dealt with the permitting process (keeping us informed on the progress of the permit through the various stages) and started the work.  He was very careful about protecting the "living" areas of our home from the remodeling process.  He was on site 90% of the time work was going on - if he had to leave he made sure it was ok with us, told us when he would be back and always made sure he was there to inspect and make sure everything was clean and safe at the end of the day.  We have a young son and he was especially concerned with ensuring his safety.  He repeatedly told the workers that there was a child in the home and that they had to make sure that there was nothing that could cause a child any injury (he clearly understands kids and the trouble they can get themselves into) - and he checked to make sure everything was safe - and child safe - before he left for the day.  He was wonderful when interacting with our son - who thinks Jarrett is great (he was disappointed that Jarrett was not there to share his birthday cake and ice cream) and, when I called him in a panic because an emergency made it likely that I would be late to get my son from the bus, he went above and beyond the call of duty and rearranged his schedule to make sure he was at our house when my son got home from school.The subcontractors he used were prompt, polite and skilled.  On the rare occasion that something wasn't done to either our satisfaction or his, Jarrett simply called the sub and told them to come back and redo the work.  There was never any attempt to "sell" us on the work or convince us that we should accept it. If we wanted to change or add something, Jarrett would tell us if it was possible and let us know the cost. He never "pushed" an expensive change or tried to talk us out of anything simply because it would mean work for him.  He clearly takes pride in everything he does and really watched what was going on.  If he thought something could be improved, he would have the workers change or redo it - he is very meticulous and detail-oriented. He did an amazing job of coordinating the different aspects of the project and made sure that it was done in proper order (no subs stepping on each others feet or doing work which could damage or compromise completed work (i.e. making sure the roof went on after any work requiring people to walk on the roof area was completed). When the project was done, he was as excited as we were at the finished (and awesome) product.  The end result was so much more amazing than we imagined.  We would never use another contractor and we have already talked to Jarrett about some other projects, including a kitchen and bath remodel.

The workmanship is impeccable, and we could not be more pleased.  They made every effort to ensure we were satisfied with each item, and their demolition/removal of existing materials was performed in a neat manner.  Perhaps most importantly, they didn't take shortcuts when confronting some very challenging issues that were unique even in a 30-year-old home.  If you want a beautiful end-product done in a professional manner the first time, call CJM Custom Homes and Renovations.

They did a great job. They kept me informed at all times. If they said they were going to be here at a certain hour, they were here at that hour. They were very punctual. I paid in the mid 5 figures. The price was average.