Get matched with top garage remodelers in Orangeville, IL

I am a local carpenter who has been in the trades for about 10 years now. I can do almost anything from framing houses to laying flooring. And it is my mission to deliver a quality service at a quality price.

"First of all I want to say that the general paint job was very good and that I was 90 % happy with affordable painting.  Any problems were, in the scheme of things, very minor.  I'm going to tell this story because it's something that I wish I would have known and may save a future consumer some headaches.

We needed the inside of our house painted to get ready to sell.  Alan came out to give us a bid and I really liked him.  He had great attention to detail, noticed imperfections in the drywall and told me that they would fix those.  He told me that they would do their best to fix sloppy painting from the past (paint that had gotten on trim for example), and that they would be willing to hang new light fixtures for us after painting. He explained how he wanted to paint after the new carpet and they would leave the house in show condition.   A friend was over and heard this as well. His was the most expensive estimate I had by $300 but I could see that he had a good eye and took pride in his company, and I thought it was worth the extra money for a truly professional job, since I was not going to be in town to fix any issues.  Problem . . . he wasn't the one who did the work.  Wish I would have known that. 

 I had moved by the time these guys did their work, but I had friends watching the house  and helping me.  Two of my friends said that the paint job looked great, but that the workers had not been informed about hanging light fixtures and were somewhat gruff about it (this required me to call Alan so he could inform his crew).  The workers cleaned up the paint, but didn't clean up the boxes from the light fixtures etc. A friend spent 2 hours after they left cleaning up.  Hardly move in condition.  Also, a neighbor saw one of the workers smoking in our garage (and another found a cigarette butt there).  Another friend, who knows more about paint, gave a more thorough report, and said that there were drips, blue spots (?) on 2 walls and unfilled nail holes, as well as a sloppy patch job in one place and an unfixed "ding".  I subsequently called Alan, who was very friendly with me, agreed that the workers should have cleaned up (offered to adjust the price because of it), and agreed to go to the house to check it out.  I sent him a list of things to look for.  When he got there he told me that those drips were from previous paint jobs (I don't doubt that, but had been under the impression they were going to fix this type of imperfection), and told me that the paint  job was fine. I deferred to that, since I was relying on friends' reports, but upon inspection later we found out the he didn't even fix the blue spots on the walls. I found that bothersome, as those were obvious mistakes on their part.  Also, a closet door that was working well before the painters came was broken (I had fixed it the day before), and Alan refused to take any responsibility for that.  Not the end of the world, but frustrating.

Overall, the paint job was very good, and those who have seen it say that it would look wonderful to the casual observer.  Most of what they said they would do was done, although it required some prompting, as it wasn't communicated to the crew on the front end of things and required attention from me, and  clarification later from Alan. 

At one point one of the painters tried to get me to authorize more money for a second coat, when the bid had been for 2 coats.  So there was another time when I had to spend my time communicating with Alan to clear up a misunderstanding.   Alan was cooperative as could be, but it took my attention to make sure things were done right, and I was hoping not to have to do that.

This will fulfill it's purpose; a new paint job to sell the home.  The attention to detail wasn't quite as advertised though.  I was happy that Alan was willing to come out and look at it (though I would think he would check the work his crew does as a matter of course), but the refusal to fix even the blatant errors (e.g. blue spots) bothered me (of course this all occurred after I had made the final payment, which may  have had something to do with the fact that he wasn't as willing to work with me).  Prior to that, Alan worked with me well and wanted to make sure I was happy; and I was about 90% happy.  If it hadn't been so expensive, I wouldn't have been so picky, but for the price, and because of promises he made when he bid the job,  I expected more. I wish I would have taken the bid from the man who was going to be doing his own work.  I think that makes a difference.  

 The other thing that bothered me was that the office called wanting final payment on Wednesday when the job was not going to be completed until Thursday at noon.  Of course I didn't authorize that, and I'm glad I didn't because as it turned out, there were issues, and an adjustment to the price.

Like I said, my satisfaction level is 90%, but the reason I paid a premium for a professional to do the job was because I wanted it to be completely professional. I wanted to be 100% satisfied. I chose the most expensive bid from the most professional-seeming man.  Alan's bid process left me feeling that they were discerning and thorough and that I could move out confident that it would be done  well and that I wouldn't have to impose on friends to deal with problems. He stressed the high quality of their work, and the fact that they fix minor imperfections and leave the place in pristine condition. I didn't find this to be the case, at least not completely.  I worried that I had misunderstood him, but a friend who was with me at the time, heard the same promises I did.

 I think overall these guys are good, but be aware that the man who gives the bid (Alan) is not the one who does the painting, communication doesn't always go through, the crew is not as good-natured or as detail-oriented as Alan, and he does not, as a rule, check the work of his crew, which means you have to do that.  The overall work is high quality, but there may be problems with details.  My advice would be to get very concrete details for the bid as far as what will and won't be done, and if he says it, have him write it down.  Also, don't pay them before the job is complete and inspected, because there may be some issues.   I was very surprised they asked for this.  I didn't haggle on the price because I wanted them to do their best work; I wish I would have.  These things left a bad taste in my mouth, but in the scheme of things are minor.  I would recommend them  (to a non-perfectionist friend) with the reservations I've mentioned.
"

"I would totally recommend this company! Ariel went above and beyond for me when replacing my roof and gutters! Ariel would call me and let me know he was on the way or if he was running even 5 minutes behind. My house looks great and I will be using them again come spring to start replacing some of my windows. Thank you Ariel! Your crew was great, too."

"Jeremy helped turn my new house into my dream home. But that was no surprise for he did the same for my last house. A good guy that will walk with you through the shopping process, helping you pick the right product for you, then professionally installing it. Highly recommend."

"Having worked with Josh for the first time on a painting project in our new home, about a month ago... I decided to give him a shot at quoting and ultimately winning the bid for our fence. He had already proved his trustworthy ethics and willingness to keep customers satisfied. He was willing to start by digging the holes on a Saturday (never heard of a contractor working on the weekend), so that he could get out ahead of the impeding rain for the week. He made sure the holes were dig right with a two man auger and spared no expense on the concrete to set the posts (since we will be in the home for years to come).
Although the job did take a couple days longer than expected, this was in no way shape or form Josh's fault, as we had torrential downpours for two days and he had the decency to ask if it was ok not to work in the rain since not only was it dangerous, all of the trampling would ruin my grass.
He promised me that the job would be completed by Friday, and even pulled an extra person off of another job of his to make sure the man power was there to get the job done and done right.
The fence turned out absolutely great, and I couldn't be happier! The only problem is.. I cant seem to find enough work around the house to keep having him help! As stated in a review last month, Josh represents the new generation of contractors, one with honestly, loyalty, great prices and quality craftsmanship... a true asset."

"Fixed electrical issues in my hog barns."

"Kirt did a great job. He figured out how to straighten out the kitchen floor. Can't tell there was ever a hump there. Kirt and his partner showed up every day on time. Started the job when he said he would and kept the cost to the estimate. I was kept informed of what they were doing and how they were going to do it the entire way. They ran a couple days over the estimated time but they stayed here til it was finished. I love the job they did. My kitchen and bath look great
"

"We discussed designs for our family room. She was easy to work with and everything was done through email. We sent Jill details about the room and photos. She understood things well, sent us back ideas and a few room plans. We didn’t use her ideas but they were valuable for us for other perspectives. The deal was exactly what we expected."

"Jeremy (owner) spent a considerable amount of his time with us reviewing options related to our home repairs.We had a severe hail storm causing extensive damage to our house. Jeremy worked with our insurance adjuster to secure approval for repairs.I believe that without his knowledge we would not have received the required repairs and quality of replacement materials used on our house.He is very active in the industry attending regular seminars keeping informed with current products and procedures.In addition to in person meetings Jeremy was always available via cell phone. Top A1 also has two field representatives Hector and Jose who both stoped by to check progress. Anyone needing home repairs/remodeling should give Top A1 contracting call Jon Winnebago IL"

"Amanda was really very good!  At first I was very skeptical, thinking why did I pay money to just speak with someone on the phone about my kitchen remodel project... but after just a few minutes of her addressing some of the issues/questions I emailed to her earlier, I knew it was worth it.  It was very clear that she knew her business and she gave me several ideas that I had not even thought about.  I told her that I would definitely recommend her to friends and I will very likely use her again myself for my next home project!

"