G & G Custom Carpentry & Remodeling

It started out with a missed appointment, and then being late for appointments. Then being unresponsive to phone calls. There were always good reasons though and I genuinely liked Dan in person and cheap and well rated here. However, the real problem was that they are not licensed to do work in Chicago. The first clue came when they said they wouldn't pull the licenses. My wife works for the city and knew how to do it anyway. The second clue came after months and months of back and forth on the details of what they would provide and the final price. After continually pushing to find out how much it was going to cost to do the licenses, they told us, "On the permit form you will need to be the general contractor. We will not be responsible for schedule any inspections. We will remove all the electric work from our proposal." Essentially, they were giving all the responsibility to us. Good riddance!

The owner, Dan Kordula, came shortly after my first contact to look at my work and provided a written proposal promptly thereafter. He also followed up with me for the second phase of my project, and provided another written proposal. Because I was doing all the coordinating of this project myself, it was great to work with someone who could provide guidance to me; Dan provided me the name of a granite countertop fabricator and painter that I ended up using, and other recommendations for my project. G & G's work was very high quality and both phases were completed promptly and professionally. Because the owner does the majority of the work himself, it took him a few weeks before he had an opening to start the project, but, once started he worked every day until finished.

The process went very well, they were available to answer questions before the job on placement of fixtures, what would/wouldn't work. They showed up on time, and kept the rest of the house pretty clean during demolition. Work was completed just about on time and on budget. Work is great, and we really enjoy the new bathroom.

Dan was creative in developing a plan that would give us the design we wanted. This is why we agreed to hire him after meeting with several contractors. He proved to be very hard to reach and finally told us he couldn't proceed with the project because his lead employee had quit. We were disappointed but appreciated Dan's honesty.

Dan and his coworker Vojtek were very friendly, courteous and easy to work with throughout the process. I have held off on writing this report for about 8 months because I wanted to make sure that the work they did held up, and its been exceptional. It was not an easy job as the shower in our new home (circa 2004) was not installed properly. Dan and Vojtek had to completely tear up the old tile floor, the decaying bench seat and and the sill to get to all the roots of our problem. They vigilantly tended to all the grading details to ensure that the water now flows properly to the drain and reconstructed the shower stall to insure that we don't see the same problems as before. They tore out and disposed of all the decrepit and moldy portions of the shower bench and rebuilt that as well. On top of all that, their bid on the job was more than fair. I was so pleased with the work I tried to give Dan some hockey tickets to go see his beloved Detroit Redwings, but we wouldn't accept!

Called and made an appointment with Dan for the following week. The day of the estimate Dan called in the a.m. to see if we could reschedule because someone else wanted him to do a project that afternoon. I told Dan that he was the last contractor we were waiting on. He said he would talk to the person and let me know if he would be able to come. Dan never showed up or called to let us know. I would never call this company again.

They were excellent. Dan delivered. He knew I was hosting a party for Christmas and made sure that I had a fireplace to hang my stockings on! He is very easy to work with, professional, and careful.

The project went great. They were there every day on time, and ready to work. They were very experienced and professional. The project took about 7 days to complete. Day 1, they came and removed the existing tub and surrounding drywall and tile, also removed the flooring, and all fixtures. Day 2-3, they rebuilt the tub enclosure per my specs, and reworked the plumbing for the new fixture. Day 4-5, they tiled the floor. Day 6 they tile the tub surround. Day 7 the grouted and painted.

We love our new bathroom and will definitely contact Dan again for our next project. He is skilled in all aspects of remodeling projects and takes pride in his quality work. The price was very reasonable. Dan was flexible and willing to add a few 'bells and whistles' that we requested after the project started, and came up with creative solutions such as a cabinet for cleaning supplies. He was responsive and a pleasure to work with. The project took longer than expected, but this is partly due to the extra work required with the plumbing, electrical and duct work.

We met with Dan and liked him. His price was lower than the other two contractors we interviewed. He gave us a pretty detailed quote. We faxed questions back and forth and asked for references. We went and looked at one of his projects, which was good work. He was very difficult to get on the phone and rarely returned our calls. Eventually, he sent us a fax stating he was busy through the end of the year. He was polite and courteous but hard to get a hold of.

Despite constant supervision from building management, engineers, and the difficult logistics of working in a high-rise building with all of its rules, G & G performed wonderfully. We had placed Dan under very tight time constraints, and we were elated when he came in within a few days of our deadline. The crew was always polite, neat, cooperative, and always went beyond to satisfy us. We would highly recommend G & G for any size project. We love our new home!

This is the second time that I worked with Dan on a big project. (He previously gutted two bathrooms, added hardwood floors, etc. to my condo.) Dan did the work when promised. His crew is clean and courteous, and they pay attention to detail. Dan also kept me informed of progress throughout the project and stayed within the budget. My new kitchen is beautiful. I will continue to work with Dan on future projects. I would highly recommend him to others.

I called for an estimate and we scheduled it for an evening (for which I had to leave work early). Not only did he not show up, he never called.

Dan removed our old powder room fixtures and replaced them with new. The vanity cabinet I purchased was of an odd size, shape, and came complete with granite countertop and undermount sink already attached. It also came with a set of fixtures. We discovered that these items (in particular the construction of the vanity base and drawer unit and the fixtures) were not exactly standard in dimension and operation. Dan had to finesse things a bit to get the vanity to work. Our floors are so out of level that he also had to do some major shimming of both the toilet and vanity cabinet to get them level. He then finished and painted the shims to match the cabinet and toilet so they do not show. Dan completes jobs in a very timely manner and finishes things off very nicely. Please see my other reviews of his work on larger scale jobs.

G&G'S WORK IS HIGH-QUALITY. THE BOOKSHELVES LOOK GREAT. MY BUILDING IS OLDER, SO DAN HAD TO DO SOME MODIFICATIONS BECAUSE THE WALL AND FLOOR WERE NOT COMPLETELY PERPENDICULAR. THEY CLEANED EVERYTHING UP AFTERWARD. THE PRICE WAS GOOD AS WELL, AND I ALSO AM HAVING DAN BUILD A CLOSET AND STORAGE SPACE. DAN IS ALSO VERY PROFESSIONAL AND POLITE. THE ONLY THING WAS SCHEDULING WAS A BIT DIFFICULT, AND DAN SOMETIMES TAKES A WHILE TO GET BACK TO YOU.

MY OVERALL EXPERIENCE WITH DAN AND G&G WAS VERY PLEASANT. I CANNOT SAY THE SAME FOR MY PAST EXPERIENCE WITH CONTRACTORS. DAN PROVIDED ME WITH TIMELY QUOTES TO WHICH HE ADHERED. DAN AND HIS VERY FRIENDLY CREW STARTED THE WORK WHEN PROMISED AND COMPLETED THE WORK BEFORE MY MOVE-IN DATE. DAN KEPT ME APPRISED OF THE PROGRESS ON A REGULAR BASIS. THE FINISHED PRODUCT IS OUTSTANDING, EVEN THOUGH DAN AND HIS CREW HAD TO DEAL WITH THE COMPLEXITIES OF REHABBING A UNIT IN A 100-YEAR-OLD BUILDING, WHERE NOTHING IS EVEN. I NOW HAVE BATHROOMS WHICH ARE SHOWCASE QUALITY, MY FLOORS ARE BEAUTIFUL AND MY DOORS DO NOT LOOK LIKE REPLACEMENT DOORS. I HAVE HAD DAN COMPLETE A NUMBER OF SMALLER PROJECTS FOR MY UNIT AND MY CONDO ASSOCIATION SINCE THE INITIAL RENOVATION AND I HOPE THAT HE WILL BE GUTTING AND REPLACING MY KITCHEN NEXT SPRING.

TRYING TO FIND A CONTRACTOR LIKE DAN IS WHY I JOINED ANGIE'S LIST. DAN IS THE KIND OF SMALL BUSINESS MAN WHO TAKES PRIDE IN HIS WORK, DOES HIGH QUALITY WORK, AND SATISFIES HIS CUSTOMERS. HIS PRICES ARE REASONABLE AND HIS FINAL BILL WAS IN ACCORDANCE WITH HIS QUOTATION. DAN AND HIS CREW WERE DEPENDABLE, RESPONSIBLE, AND REASONABLE TO WORK WITH IN ADDITION TO PROVIDING EXCELLENT CUSTOM RE-MODELING AND CARPENTRY TO UNIQUE PROBLEMS CREATED BY OUR TOWNHOME. OTHER CONTRACTORS WERE EITHER UNINTERESTED IN DOING THIS KIND OF ONE-OF-A-KIND REMODELING OR CHARGED 2 TO 4 TIMES AS MUCH AS G AND G. THROUGHOUT THE PROJECT, DAN WAS ABLE TO ACCOMMODATE OUR CHANGING PLANS WITHOUT INCURRING EXCESSIVE ADDITIONAL COSTS. ONCE HE BEGAN, HE AND HIS CREW WORKED 5 DAYS A WEEK UNTIL THEY COMPLETED THE PROJECTS, CLEANING UP THE AREA EACH DAY. I WAS COMPLETELY SATISFIED WITH THE FINISHED PROJECT AND PEOPLE WHO HAVE SEEN HIS WORK WERE IMPRESSED BOTH THE QUALITY OF WHAT WAS DONE AND THE REASONABLE COST.

BEING AN ARCHITECT, I AM A STICKLER WHEN IT COMES TO QUALITY IN DETAIL. I WAS IMPRESSED WITH THE LEVEL OF FINISH AND CRAFTSMANSHIP. THE EXPERIENCE WAS DEFINITELY BETTER THAN MANY OF THE LARGER CONTRACTORS I HAVE WORKED WITH. DAN AND HIS CREW WERE VERY POLITE, AND EXPLAINED EXACTLY WHAT THEY WERE GOING TO DO, AND HOW LONG IT WOULD TAKE. BECAUSE IT WAS IN AN EXISTING BUILDING, THE JOB WAS VERY COMPLICATED, AND REQUIRED KNOWLEDGE OF MANY DIFFERENT TRADES. G&G HAD BOTH THE MAN-POWER AND KNOW-HOW TO GET THE JOB DONE, NEATLY, PROFESSIONALLY, AND ON SCHEDULE. THE PRICE WAS VERY REASONABLE. I DID MY HOMEWORK, AND COULD NOT FIND A MORE FAIR PRICE. BEST OF ALL, THERE WERE NO EXTRAS AS THE JOB WENT ON. I WAS VERY HAPPY WITH THE WORK, AND PLAN ON HIRING G&G TO REMODEL MY BATHROOM IN THE NEAR FUTURE.

WE BEGAN WORKING WITH G&G AT BEGINNING OF APRIL, BUT THEY DIDN'T START THE WORK UNTIL THE END OF MAY. THEY CUT THE WOOD OUTSIDE. I HAD TO KEEP ASKING THEM TO SHUT MY DOOR SO THAT BUGS WOULDN'T GET IN. THEY WORKED HARD AND THEIR CLEANUP WAS SO, SO. I MOVED A LOT OF THINGS OUT OF THE WAY SO THAT THEY CAN WORK AND THE PAINTER CAN COME IN WHEN THEY'RE DONE. THEY FINISHED MAY 27. ON JUNE 8 HE CAME TO LOOK AT THE WOOD. HE SAID HE'D ORDER THE WOOD AND HAVE IT PUT IN 3 DAYS. HE NEVER CAME, SO I HAD TO CANCEL THE PAINTER. I CALLED HIM AGAIN, HE SAID HE WOULD HAVE SOMEONE OUT JUNE 11, BUT DIDN'T, SO I HAD TO CANCEL MY PAINTER AGAIN. HE FINALLY CAME OUT ON JUNE 25 TO REPLACE THE WOOD INSISTING IT DIDN'T NEED TO BE REPLACED. WHEN THE PAINTER WAS STAINING THE MANTLE SHE DISCOVERED THE TOP OF THE MANTLE WAS FIBERBOARD, NOT OAK. SHE ALSO FOUND A CRACK IN OAK MOLDING. I CALLED G&G 7/8 TO TELL HIM HE NEEDS TO PUT OAK IN PLACE OF THE FIBERBOARD AND FIX CRACKED MOLDING. HE HAS NOT RETURNED MY CALL.

THE INITIAL REQUEST FOR A QUOTE WAS EASY; THEY CALLED BACK, CAME TO MY HOUSE, AND HELPED WITH DESIGN AND IDEAS. THE QUOTE CAME IN THE MAIL, WAS EXTREMELY WELL PRICED. WE TALKED, I SAID I WAS INTERESTED IN THEM, I TOLD OTHER VENDORS NO, AND THEN COULDN'T GET G&G TO CALL ME BACK TO SCHEDULE THE WORK. VERY FRUSTRATING! THE WORK IS STILL NOT DONE, AND I WOULD NOT RECOMMEND G&G TO ANYONE FOR ANYTHING. WHILE WELL PRICED, VERY UNRELIABLE.

ALTHOUGH WE PLAYED QUITE A BIT OF PHONE TAG, I WAS EXTREMELY IMPRESSED WITH EVERYTHING ABOUT G AND G CUSTOM CARPENTRY. DAN WAS EXTREMELY PROFESSIONAL AND POLITE. WE RECEIVED OUR ESTIMATE IN A TIMELY MANNER, AND WERE HAPPY TO SEE THAT IT WAS A GOOD DEAL LESS THAN ANOTHER QUOTE WE HAD RECEIVED. THE WORK PERFORMED WAS EXCELLENT, AND THE BUILT-IN PIECE MATCHES OUR KITCHEN CABINETS PERFECTLY. DAN AND THE MAN THAT WORKED WITH HIM WERE POLITE, HELPFUL AND ACCOMMODATING IN EVERY WAY. WE ARE VERY HAPPY WITH OUR SELECTION OF G AND G, AND WOULD USE THEM AGAIN FOR ANY WOOD-WORKING JOB WE NEEDED.

OUTSTANDING ALL THE WAY AROUND, FROM RESPONSIVENESS TO HIGH QUALITY OF WORK. DAN PERSONALLY SUPERVISED OR PERFORMED ALMOST ALL OF THE WORK (HE HAS A CREW). HE IS DETAIL ORIENTED AND EFFICIENT. WHEN HE SAID WORK WILL START AT 9AM, HIS CREW IS AT OUR DOOR AT 8:59AM (NO KIDDING!). STUCK TO HIS ESTIMATE EVEN THOUGH WORK TOOK LONGER THAN PLANNED DUE TO A PROBLEM WITH THE DOOR. OFFICE FURNITURE WAS CAREFULLY COVERED IN PLASTIC AND GENERALLY CLEANUP WAS EXCELLENT. PRICE FOR WORK DONE WAS REASONABLE, MAYBE EVEN A LITTLE ON THE LOW SIDE. I HAVE HIRED NUMEROUS CARPENTERS OVER THE YEARS, AND ALWAYS BEFORE HAD BAD EXPERIENCES OF ONE KIND OR ANOTHER. AFTER USING G&G, I WOULD NEVER GO BACK TO ANY OF THE OTHER CARPENTERS I HAVE PREVIOUSLY USED. DAN HAS GOTTEN PRETTY BUSY SINCE BEING LISTED ON ANGIE'S LIST - BUT IT IS WORTH THE WAIT TO GET IT DONE RIGHT.

DAN AND HIS CREW ARE VERY POLITE AND THOROUGH. HE SHOWED UP ON TIME AND WORKED UNTIL THE 2-DAY JOB WAS FINISHED. WE STILL NEED TO HAVE DAN COME BACK TO FINISH UP A FEW THINGS AND SCHEDULING THAT HAS BEEN SOMEWHAT OF A CHALLENGE BECAUSE HE'S A NEW CONTRACTOR AND HIS BUSINESS HAS REALLY TAKEN OFF. I'M VERY HAPPY WITH THE WINDOW AND DOOR MOLDING, AND BASEBOARDS, LESS HAPPY WITH THE STAIRWELL MOLDING.