John Himchak Construction Company Inc.

It went wonderful. I have hired him many times and recommended him to friends and family.

It all came out very well.

When we bought our house, we inherited a detached garage in bad shape -- two of its three brick walls were cracked and caving in due to decades of poor drainage and water damage. Mr. Himchak worked with us to design and implement a project to excavate the garage (which was partially buried in our back yard), demolish the two damaged walls and rebuild them, repair the garage roof, put in improved drainage and build a new set of concrete stairs from our backyard down to the alley. He was responsive and kept us in the loop at every stage of the process. The work is of exceptionally high quality. He helped us deal with a couple of follow-up issues with no complaints and no problems. It was a major project and an expensive one, but it was necessary work and we know it was done right for the long haul.

All is well. Staff are always personable and professional. On a previous review, I listed all by name. Of course, I will use again.

John was great to work with! He came out and gave us estimate and helped us find an architect to help us get through the permitting process. He helped us through the long and complicated process with a grandfathered building. He then helped up figure out a reasonable price for the plan. Altogether, John and his staff were here for about a work. They did amazing work quickly.



I live in an old row house in DC and have hired contractors in the past who had never worked on DC properties or didn't really want to come to the city after I called. I John has been working in DC for 20 years and understands the city.

The owner showed up on time. Provided a quick quote for a 33 ft x 24 ft concrete pad. His team was able to start the job within 2 weeks and the work was completed all within one day. 
Great company and very skilled team!

We called JHI and John Himchak himself came by and gave an accurate assessment of our situation and a very reasonable estimate.  We then also requested that some weep holes be drilled to relieve the hydrostatic pressure.  It took a few phone calls to settle the time as JHI had a couple of larger projects to complete, but once a date and time was settled, the workers came, did a fast and excellent job, and were in and out in the matter of an hour.  The work looks great, they cleaned up afterwards and we are very happy.  We highly recommend JHI!

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There were four layers of basement flooring and remains of original floor supports/concrete that were removed through rear exit to alley.  Many truckloads of debris removed.  Gravel shoveled in by hand to create a subfloor, then vapor layer and concrete.  The old floor was not level, so had to raise rear door a few inches to clear the new level floor elevation.  As issues arose the onsite man and John would discuss options with me and therefore no surprises.
Digging out and underpinning the room below the kitchen was a big job.  When water was discovered John provided a fair additional cost to waterproof and install a sump.  Work was able to pause to install rough-ins for a potential bath when a suitable waste pipe was unearthed, which was an pleasant surprise.  The project was bigger than hoped due to the groundwater, but that was known to be a possibility when the project started.
A very expensive project (for me), but I know it was worthwhile and found John and JHI a good partner.

The company gave a fair price, they were timely and professional. They cleared the existing crumbled parking pad and prepared and replaced it with a 20 X 40 parking pad.

arrived right on time, no issues, cleaned up well, easy to work with, final product looks great

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The job went well. John Himchek, (phonetic spelling), owner of JHI was good with communication.  He proceeded to the job as agreed and completed it in a workman like way.  I appreciated that foreman, Jose, spoke excellent English.  Dealing with Spanish-speaking contractors in the past on Capitol Hill has always ended badly for me.  Speaking a little English is not enough.

One area where John could make a change to benefit himself and his customers is in the contract for signature by both parties.  After  reviewing all aspects of the job we had multiple pages of handwritten provisions with multiple cross-outs that needed to be redrafted to a contract which could be easily understood by both parties.  I prepared such a contract and thereby avoided misunderstandings that result from provisions that are not clear.

John did a good job and I depended on him to do the job as agreed and use innovation where appropriate.   I live 140 miles away from Capitol hill and could not monitor the job on a daily basis.   It was a fairly large job which he managed well with his foreman, Jose.

John and his team did an excellent job on our backyard renovation project. We initially hired him just for a garage renovation that required a crumbling brick wall to be demolished and replaced, roof replacement, new  windows/doors, electricity installed and new concrete slab. He reconstructed our brick wall with cinderblock to make it stronger, then put a brick facade on the outside so it matched the rest of the garage. 
Although he initially came in higher in price, he competed against two other bids we had received and reduced the price while maintaining his promise to provide higher quality service. Overall, he was the best value. He was very responsive and kept us informed of the status of the project, letting us know when they were applying for permits, when they would begin construction and how long until they would be finished. In addition, he completed the work in a timely manner with the whole thing being done in about 2 weeks. We were very pleased with the finished product and are excited to have a nicely finished garage. 
We were so pleased with his work on the garage that we hired him again two weeks later to build two retaining walls that we quickly realized may be too complicated for a DIY project. He also removed an old concrete patio for us. He immediately knocked off $1500 the price of the wall for being a repeat customer, which was nice. He again did a great job on the walls and the project only took about 2 days. We would definitely recommend John in the future.

First and foremost is John's communication, which is excellent.  During the initial estimate he called and setup an appointment very quickly.  He was on time and provided a full written estimate the next day and even followed up several weeks later.  While not the cheapest estimate I received, I chose John because in talking to him I felt confident that he could handle the job.  Once construction began John was constantly in communication with me with at least a daily update if not more so.  I really appreciated that he was always in communication with me.  I tried to be on site as much as possible but when I had to be elsewhere I knew that if there were any questions that I would receive a call and be able to make a decision vs just having it done without notice. 
I was also impressed with Johns crews.  The excavation crew managed to finish the excavation ahead of schedule which was surprising considering the small working space and the fact that they could only fit a bobcat/mini excavator down the alley.  The masonry/concrete crew did something that I was pleasantly surprised by.  As any good owner should do I would check the work being performed as frequently as I could.  The architectural plans for the footers called for 1' deep by 2' wide footers placed 1' below grade.  When I checked their work every dimension was exactly right or a little over.  For example the footers were actually 1'3" deep by 2'4" wide and exactly 1' below grade.  The little overages let me relax knowing that the work that I couldn't check would probably be over-built instead of under-built.  The rebar was installed correctly and the walls were filled with concrete.  The pouring of the pad was also a class act.  This was a pretty massive pad and they did the entire pour without issue.
Another validation of the quality of construction was 4 weeks after the job was completed I had a roll-up door installed.  They needed to cut though a portion of the footers that had been installed so they could pour their own footers for the door.   The concrete poured was so hard and well reinforced that breaking though took 3 x longer than usual (This is what the door contractor told me).
As with any construction job where you don't have a professional GM to oversee the operation you have to be on top of it and there we're several points where I made corrections that the building plans didn't make clear.  That being said the quality of the work was very good and I'm very satisfied.

John and his team did a great job.  I had gotten 4 different estimates and decided to go with him because of his excellent reviews and his clear professionalism and pride of work when inspecting and discussing the proposed tasks.  He explained clearly what would be involved, including options, and warned me about potential downsides and the steps he would take to minimize the problems.  At no point was there any pressure to do more than was necessary.  He was accommodating about scheduling the work and forthcoming regarding the time the project would take, saying he was building in extra days in his estimate in case his workers needed to be used for other ongoing projects.  The project took a week, well within his estimate.
We discussed the next steps as the project proceeded, and differences in expectations that arose from a lack of specificity in the written contract and previous conversations were satisfactorily addressed by him.
The quality of the work was excellent.
My one caveat is that, although in person he is very friendly and professional, on the phone he can be quite abrupt, sounding almost irritated for no apparent reason related to the conversation itself, which I eventually put down to a quirk.
That being said, I am very happy with his performance and would definitely recommend him to others.

All I can say is WOW.  John and his team exceeded my expectations.  They did a fantastic job.  They were prompt, courteous and professional.  When I came home and saw their completed work, I was ecstatic.  HIGHLY RECOMMEND!

I am very, very pleased with the final outcome of this job.  When I met with the owner, John Himchak, back in April and explained to him the work I wanted done, he  had expressed to me that he wanted to make me a happy, satisfied customer and when it was all said and done, he did just that. The job started in May with JHI pouring a concrete foundation for the garden wall, and as needed  for the porch and sidewalk before laying any bricks.  A gray colored mortar was incorrectly used and the job stopped briefly in order that the correct color mortar could be obtained.  I was responsible for selecting this correct mortar and what I chose did not match or complement the mortar used on my brickfront home.  Besides being unhappy with my color selection, I didn't like the way the mortar had been applied, it seemed sloppy and rushed.  I expressed this dissatisfaction with John and he came to the site and made sure the mortar application issue was corrected to my satisfaction.  After the mortar settled, JHI came back and acid washed the brick.  Soon after that, the mortar started to display fine hairline cracks. At this point I am unhappy with the look of my steps and walkway because it didn't look new and polished and greater than that, I had selected the wrong mortar color.  John may have sensed my discontent when he came out to look over the job because he told me that he would re-do the mortar using the correct color (by this time I knew which color I should have selected). In August, JHI returned and they removed the existing mortar and applied the correct color mortar (buff).  The mortar work was done perfectly and now the porch, steps, walkway, and wall are beautiful. 
John Himchak of JHI Contracting kept to his word and worked hard to make sure I was satisfied.  Not only that, he takes pride in his work and he made sure that the job was finished in a way that he could be proud of. Although the cost was a little expensive,   JHI Contracting performed quality work and backed it with a longterm warranty (25 years).

See above.  We are very pleased with the work and recommend this company for concrete parking spaces or driveways.

The owner, John Himchak arrived as scheduled and gave us estimates on the work we wanted done.  He also provided suggestions on work we could do ourselves.  He kept us informed about his schedule to do the concrete work and when we decided to have the floor removed and a sump pump system installed his company could do the work in a timely manner.JHI arrived early as scheduled and completed the work in one day.  They showed us how the pump should operate and what was needed to keep water from collecting around the edges of the room.The work was very professionally done..

The gentleman who I think is the owner called me was confident of his ability to do the job.  The team showed up on time and did an overall excellent job.  They were professional and I am very satisfied with their work.  I have a couple of issues.  I recommended the company to my boss because I was satisfied with the work.  He went over to her house to give her an estimate for the job-  he peeled a lot of paint off the area where she needed him to look at and left the mess for her to clean up.  Then he gave her an estimate that was 2 x higher than the other estimates she had obtained from other companies.  My boss was disenchanted to say the least.  I also asked him to come and clean up the dust that settled on my brick from the driveway.  I had talked to him and told him I had seen work where people had not had that dust left behind and work where it was left behind on the brick and it was important to me that it not be left behind on my brick.  His response was don't worry about it the weather will take care of it.  But it requires an acid to clean it up.  That bugged me.  I consider that kind of clean up part of the job.  But in general I am satisfied that the carport pad he built is sturdy but the finesse is missing.

I did not know John Himchak, the owner of JHI Construction, prior to the work he did on my back patio, but in the process he has become a friend.  I chose him after interviewing several contractors, based on his price, presentation, and professionalism.  I am very pleased with every aspect of his work, from his initial inspection, when he pointed out several ways to address problems that actually saved me money, to his promptness, the minimal disruption, and the clean-up, to name only a few aspects that may seem small but which demonstrate the very high standards he maintains across the board.  And most important of all is the excellent quality of the work itself.  I am not an easy person to please when I'm paying someone for their services, so I am surprised that my conclusion is so uniformly positive.  In short, he is superb, and I would highly recommend him without reserve.

We had just purchased a renovated home in NE DC and while the interior of the home had been redone, the backyard was a mess of deep gravel.  It was difficult to walk on, much less park a car or do anything else. 
I found JHI Contracing on Angie's List and based on the quality of their reviews, had them come in to take a look at what could be done.  John's communication throughout the bidding process was fantastic and the paver/concrete options that he laid out for us fit our needs and budget.  Not only that, his demonstrated great flexibility with his financing terms, which allowed us to stretch a little further and get exactly what we wanted.  John is a true DC local as well, and we were happy to give him our business.  In the end we decided to go with concrete pavers installed in a basket weave pattern and a concrete pad for a future shed.
When it came to the work, John and his team did a fantastic job on our backyard.  I provided a rudimentary design sketch of what my fiancee and I envisioned.  The JHI team actually improved on the initial design with their final work!  The job was completed within the quoted time frame.  Plus, John's foreman and team were all really friendly guys and they did a great job.  
Literally the only complaint I have--and it's an extremely minor one--was that they didn't fill one small section of the pavers with polymeric sand.  This section had to be completed on a different day, so maybe they forgot?  This has caused ants and other bugs to come up through that section of pavers, plus it doesn't quite match the rest of the yard which does have the sand.  It's a minor complaint, like I said, but it would've been nice.
A few days after the backyard was completed, my fiancee and I ate dinner outside.  We were taken aback by how happy we were.  JHI transformed our backyard from a total mess into something wonderfully usable.
I HIGHLY recommend John and JHI contracting.  They easily live up to their Angie's List scores.

Although a little eager in drumming up my business, JHI was prompt and completely professional in carrying out a difficult job which involved extensive permitting in a historical district, erecting scaffolding (without damaging the garden), and making two days of repair. I am completely satisfied.

Lower of two bids; done on time; excellent result; saved plants in narrow bed bordering driveway

First, I picked JHI because it got glowing reviews on Angie's List and no negatives.  His office is on Capitol Hill and I took that into consideration as well.  I called John Himchak the owner and he swung by because he was doing a job literally around the corner from us.  John looks like a concrete guy, big guy with massive arms and shoulders and he really knows concrete.  My brother who lives in Montana does lots of work with concrete and had given me a list of things to look for.  John filled out the work order and every single item my brother mentioned was on the work order.  And he also has a 25 year guarantee on his work. 
Then we come to today.  John mentioned his crew led by Jose would be around between 8:00 and 9:00 AM.  They showed up at 7:45 AM and the four guys in the crew worked nonstop.  First they cleaned out all of the debris, the old slab that was only part of the area they were going to pour and lots of weeds and a massive tree stump.  They even took out an enormous piece of concrete that was protruding into our yard.  Jose even suggested a step down to our sidewalk as part of the pour.  After they cleaned up the mess they brought in four inches of gravel, then put in wire mesh and rebar.  When the cement guy came at 11:00 AM they were ready for him.  By 3:30 they had cut the wet concrete and applied the broom finish.  And to top it all they left the work area very, very clean and put up a yellow caution tape so people won't run over the concrete as it dries.  If you want to have concrete work done don't look any further than JHI Contracting.  John, Jose and their crew are great!!!!!