J&L Contractors

Let me start off by saying that trying to find a contractor to finish our basement was one of the worst experiences I have ever gone through and I spoke with many friends and co-workers who have shared my experience. I have read advice that states you should get bids from 3 to 5 contractors and select from that. In my case I needed to call ten before finding someone I was satisfied with. I recommend (10) because 1/3 will never show or will show up but not provide a bid, 1/3 will give you a price that is ridiculously overpriced and 1/3 will give you a realistic price. I selected contractors from Angie's list and BBB and found better success with Angie's list, but ultimately I went with someone that was recommended to me and I am glad I did. J&L contractors had the lowest price by far and at first I was skeptical. I asked why the price was so low and the owner stated that he did not up-charge for work that was subcontracted out (drywall, electrical, paint) which most contractors do. During the job the owner was on-sight each day performing most of the work himself and making sure the subcontractors were doing things correctly. The subcontractors were excellent and it turned out that the electrician he used was also the Oldham County electrical inspector so inspections were fast with no issues. The job was completed on schedule and I was pleased that they did not nickel and dime me for ever little change made. We did need to make a few significant changes that required a change fee and I was happy with the price quoted and did not believe they were inflating the price. Overall the work completed was excellent and I would not hesitate to recommend and use J&L contractors on future projects. My background - I am an Engineer and have done several remodeling projects myself along with a significant addition to another home that was contracted out. For the basement remodel I put together a complete bid package along with drawings to define all of the work to be completed. Some of the contractors were turned off by this because they now knew I was looking for the best bid and they would not be able to get the job. I had one contractor actually give me a price that was 2.5 times what I paid.