Dave the owner was very helpful in the design process, we decided to go with his design of a half bath, family room and four storage closets. We now have a wonderful place for our kids to run around. The crew was professional and always kept us informed of the process as this is our first major home project. We try to be as earth friendly as we can and Dal was respectful of that, they use low voc, and green products and reuse materials that were salvageable from the demolition. They were also able to suggest reuse centers for us to buy doors and hardware for our basement project. To be expected there were a few extra items surface during the project, but nothing Dave and his crew couldn't handle. I was very impressed with the subcontractor and there ability to work together to get the job completed quickly. I will not hesitate to use these guys again. We are planning our laundry room makeover for next years project.

We own an apartment with an elevated entryway. The entry has a set of stairs that lead to a long platform/deck. Although the deck and stairs were installed only a few years back, the stairs were a bit wobbly and so we called Dal Builders after reading the reviews here. We also called other people to get estimates. David from Dal Builders was immediately in our favor since he was extremely knowledgeable and honest in assessing the issue. He recognized that the deck was not old and did not need to be worked on so he suggested replacing the stairs only in order to get the best "bang for our buck". I appreciated that he was not trying to gouge us to earn the maximum for himself (even in this economy). As for the work, he and is crew did a great job. He pulled the appropriate permit without any issue. They started the work on the day that they promised and finished everything in one day. The stairs are much more sturdy and we feel at ease for our tenants. We will keep monitoring the stability of the stairs through the snow season. Dal Builders provides a full year warranty so we feel comfortable if something comes up and needs to be fixed. We would definitely use them again (though we hope that we don't have to).

AWESOME!!!

I called DAL Builders, Inc. on 10/1 for an estimate on replacing our existing deck. He made an appointment for Friday, 10/2. Previously I had received several other estimates on a new deck before I talked to Dave of DAL Builders. I told him what I wanted and he showed me pictures of different style of decks he had built. We discussed prices and longevitiy of the materials that could be used and I decided I wanted a cedar deck. I immediately decided to hire him because he had answered all my questions and more. Plus he said he would not do the work without a permit and I laughed and said," well the then starting date would be in February." He said no and told me that the permit would be for removal and replacement of an existing deck and took pictures of what we had and said his expediter takes all his permits to City Hall on a weekly basis and that we should have our permit within 1 to 2 weeks. Which what exactly happened. The original starting date was for the 19th, but Dave called on the 13th and asked if he could start the work the next day due to a rearrangement in his work schedule. The work started on the 14th promptly at 7:05 am. The old deck was removed and the concrete footings poured. Dave called around 3 pm to say that the lumber was at least 1 to 2 hours away and he was going to send the crew home. Unfortunately, that night it started raining and Dave called me the next morning to say that they could not build the deck but would I permit them to store the materials in my garage. He also said one of his men was in the alley awaiting the truck to tell them where to put the material. I agreed to have the lumber stored in my garage. Unfortunately, Mother Nature did not cooperate and they could not start work until the 19th which was promptly at 7:16 am. For the next two days they started early in the morning and left late afternoon. All work was done according to code and to my expectations. I am extremely happy with my beautiful new cedar deck and three gates and cleaned garage. The men who worked on my project were efficient, excellent craftsmen and very neat. I plan on using DAL Builders again for some other work.

DAL was available early to provide the estimate and was able to complete the work the same day. I really could not have asked for a better repair.

David was asked to give an estimate on a rehab for a existing home for sale. He was very much on time and reached on site before any of the other parties arrived. He worked quickly but methodically and provided a detailed estimate for repairing and remodeling the basement, kitchen and bathrooms, along with flooring and other cosmetic details. He allowed me to ask questions as we walked through the house and was very willing to return to certain areas and explain the materials and time required for labor on a particular section of the house that needed remodeling. He made it clear to the seller's broker that he was working for me and that this information was private, which was very important in placing the bid for the property. He followed it up the next day by emailing me an itemized list of all the required repairs to the property as a simple word document. The overall experience was positive, he was very pleasant and did not mind extra questions even though he knew that he would not be guaranteed the service contract.

What a relief, we had two other contractors that really messed up the plumbing, the walls, electrical. They just couldn't get that we wanted a nice place. Dal Builders came in after we fired the second builder, they explained first what we had [mistakes and all], then asked what we wanted and then explained how he would accomplish the job. The entrance way went from being lopsided to elegant. Ejector pump fixed our rain problem. Very patient, explained what was happening every step of the way. Considerate of neighbors and tenants, kept them informed. The work is first class! When friends walk in they cant believe the change. The suggestions Dave made were all right on the money. The finish work is even better, stain work is consistent throughout. This work complimented our beautiful 1890's Greystone in a historic neighborhood. Can't say enough.

David at Dal Builders was very responsive and answered all our questions. We got three bids, and theirs was the most reasonable. The crew was very friendly and professional. Work was completed on schedule and we love the results. David gave us good advice on a future project and I would be happy to work with him again. Highly recommended.

They removed the existing deck and replaced with Cedar and built us a gorgeous new one. The Pergola is so beautiful! I absolutely love it!!! These guys care about what they do and they do a fantastic job. They could not have been more timely, professional and fun...Oh and clean. It was an absolute pleasure working with them and I am looking forward to working with them again...real soon.

David was quick to return my call and meet me to discuss the proposed job. The estimate came right away. I met with two other contractors and DAL was the middle bid yet reasonable. I was not comfortable with the company that submitted the cheapest bid. I saw pictures of DAL's work and a porch/deck which was exactly what I had in mind for our house. We had David come back to discuss some questions/concerns about logistics. He came out right away to meet us again and answered our questions as well as had some good suggestions. We decided to use him and they set a date for two weeks out. He showed up early that Monday with his crew and the next few days as they completed the project. I liked all the guys on site and thought they all did good work and were pleasant. David was accessible when I had questions and was checking in on site multiple times a day. DAL built custom square columns which were bigger on the bottom and more narrow on top. The quality is great. I will absolutely use DAL again and have already asked for another estimate on a new project.

We see the dal builder trucks all the time and decided to call them for a estimate on our basement.We have always intended to update this area of our house but were always hesitate. Dave came out and presented us with several different options as far as a floorplan and provided a detailed estimate within a few days. We signed a contract a week later. Dave kept us well informed of what was going on daily and everything went without a hitch. We had to upgrade our electric panel because there was not enough room for all the new hookups. Our basement now has a new guest room, a new bathroom with a custom stand up shower and radiant floor heat, a new laundryroom and a large common area we are using as a fitness area. Dave was able to duplicate all of the finishes to match the rest of the house including hardwood floors.

I called Dal Builders a couple weeks ago for an estimate to rebuild a larger front porch. Dave Larkin came out that day and provided me a fair estimate on the spot, advised what could/could not be done, explained the process and sent a formal quote the following day. We chose to move forward a week ago and did not have to wait long for a finished product. Dave obtained the permit and materials within a week and was able to finish our project sooner than we thought possible. His company was punctual, communicative and kept our yard clean. The new space accomplishes exactly what we wanted and it looks great - cleaner and sturdier than the old porch. Thanks for the great work!

Everything went very smoothly, taking two days to complete. I particularly appreciated the builder's good communication and great clean-up at the end of the job. The two workers were courteous and helpful and took the time to make a small repair to a sewer cap in our parking lot that was bouncing open whenever a car drove over it.

The deck was built to replace a deck that did not meet chicago code. The new deck is slightly larger, much more heavily built and construction quality appears to be high grade. The owner pitched in and helped completion in order to met schedule when one of his team was unable to work for a day. Only negatives are minor aesthetics that I am working on fixing myself (trim to cover a few old decking areas / holes on house/garage siding, squaring legs of deck onto concrete pads rather as they are off center, etc) The deck was finished on schedule, on price and to specification. I paid slightly more for DAL builders than other quotes, but felt the cost was merited for professionalism, schedule and end result.

We returned home to find our basement had flooded due to a bad pump. we called a few contractors and dal builders was able to come out quickly to help with the problem. The workers were able to replace the pump within a few hours. Once the water was removed there was quite a bit of damage. We decided to rip out everything and start over. Dave was very helpful in designing a useful space for our growing family. He worked with us to reach our vision on our limited budget. The new layout is far better than our old design. We know have a usuable bathroom with a stand up shower, a media/play area , a guest room and laundryroom. We were even able to do a few things ourselves to save some money. I am very happy with the finished product.

David showed up as scheduled and gave a thorough assessment of our existing deck. He is very knowledgeable about City of Chicago building code and deck construction in general. Workers arrived on time and were courteous and professional. David was on-site frequently and completed some of the work personally. Communication throughout the project was clear and ongoing. The finished product is beautiful and sturdy and greatly enhances the appearance, value, and safety of our home. We were very pleased with DAL Builders and would hire them again.

We had used dal builders before for our basement and decided to do a few updates in the rest of the house. we had our small living room and dining room windows replaced with large picture windows that were bumped out to create window seats. The siding repaired and trim wrapped with aluminum. Also on our second floor all the doors were ugly hollow flat doors which we had replaced with pine six panel doors. The second floor bathroom was also updated with new marble on the floor and shower walls as well as new sink, vanity, mirror, light and toilet. In addition we had pvc railing on our deck which were falling apart we had them replaced with cedar rails which we painted. The project went smoothly as always with no problems. Theses guys are great.

I was referred to dave through a friend who had some previous work done by him. He came by and gave me a price on the spot. Within a few days we had worked out the details and signed a contract. The work began within two weeks. Dal Builders removed all the old paneling walls and electric and replaces it with a large bedroom with new electric, framing, insulation, drywall,can lighting, baseboard heat, and drop ceiling. A new bathroom was also added with stand up shower, toilet, sink and tile floors. Dave also relocated our washer and dryer and built a folding area with some shelving for storage. I was amazed at how quickly the work was completed. The whole building process only took three weeks. When the basement floor was cut up to hook up the drains it was discovered thet we had a broken sewer line and it had been washing out the gravel under out floor for a while, this could of been a huge problem if it went undiscovered , it was quickly fixed and was done at a fair price. I have refered this company to several friends and they all have had similar experiences.

Called Dave to come out for an estimate to remove and replace my old front porch. He showed up as scheduled and after only a few minutes provided me with a verbal estimate including a few different variations/options. He e-mailed me a hard copy estimate later that evening. His price was good so I chose him to build the porch out of cedar and in the style of another I had found on his website. The price included the permit, removal of the old porch and debris, and the new porch. He got the permit in about two weeks and started soon after. His guys finished the entire job in a day and a half. Dave also showed up for the inspection. The inspector briefly looked at it and said, "It is nice to see good work", and signed off on it.

did not use

We hired dal builders for there reputation of quality work. They were very knowledgeable of the whole process and walked us through every step. We have done several other projects ourself but this one was just too large. They dug out the basement around 16 inches and poured new footings and floor. They also added steel beams to open up the floor plan. The windows were replaced with escape windows. And my favorite room in the house the bathroom with steam shower. We also added one bedroom new laundry area and a great room. Dave was very easy to work with and always had a lot of good ideas. The crew was always professional has a great attitude, we made a lot of changes along the way and they were always accepted with a smile. This project is the largest we have done so far but would not hesitate to do again. What I was impressed by was the owner of the company came by daily and would always answer the phone when I called. There was never any issues that were not addressed immediately.

We had this three sided sitting area on the second level of our three level condo that we never used. The room had no real purpose. We got the idea from our neighbor who had converted the space into a kids room. A coworker had recommended we call Dal builders. We got a few estimates and decided to hire Dal builders. The crew was professional and explained what they were doing entire time. They built a wall with a French door to close off the room and added a 6 foot closet, Four new can lights and changed the carpet out with pergo flooring. In addition to the room they replaced our rotting 3x18 rooftop deck with a new cedar deck.

Dave Larkin is a stand-up guy and that actually sealed the deal for us. He?s pretty laid back and didn?t try to up-sell or pressure us. He didn?t come in with the cheapest estimate, but he was honest and upfront about his vision and clear in describing the building process. Other contractors wanted to dictate all details of the build. Dave was flexible: you explain what you want and he builds it. He took care of the entire permit process. He frequently checked in to get my OK before starting major detail work. Dave was frequently on site and accessible by phone if not. When there were things we weren?t sure about, Dave didn?t hesitate to step in and make several good suggestions. He seems to build things the way he likes to see them?not the cheapest, fastest way. His crew was polite, friendly and all spoke English. They cleaned up everything and walked me through what was done at the end of each workday. Dave even brought a full crew back on July 3 to seal the deck (for free) & finish some lingering details so we would have the full use of our deck on the fourth of July.

DAL builders were knowledgeable, highly responsive, and efficient. Despite unavoidable scheduling delays due to weather, they were able to fit us into their busy schedule and do an outstanding job. We're very happy.

The overall experience was excellent. We knew what we wanted and had some pictures for examples but we needed a builder who could provide everything we were looking for, not just someone with deck experience. We received estimates from several companies and this estimate was the most favorable and seemed to be very fair in terms of material versus labor costs. David is the owner, and he came to our house for the initial meeting and he was involved in the entire building process along with a few of his other contractors. He used high quality cedar for our pergola and trellis, and he was very flexible with our design choices. We showed him the detail we wanted on the structural beams of the roof, and he was able to cut the wood to our exact specifications. We were concerned with the structural integrity of the pergola since we didn't want any vertical posts on our deck, and he was able to accommodate us with a load bearing beam that he wrapped in cedar to fit our needs for both strength and aesthetics. We also wanted the built-in furniture to be made from Epay hardwood which is very difficult to work with because of it's weight. Dave was able to build a beautiful couch with storage benches, along with huge planter boxes and built-in end tables. He also wired the structure for sound with mounted speakers and also worked with his electrician to install LED rope lighting and spotlights for the tree boxes. All of this was completed within a week of receiving the materials, and the finished product is more than amazing. In addition to his talent, he is extremely prompt with returning calls, and all of his workers were just as courteous. I can't say enough about how pleased we are with this builder and this project, and we will continue to use him in the years to come.