J&K Construction Inc.

I find this review a bit frustrating to write, because I know in advance that, no matter how clearly I describe the work that Dimitrios and Yanni did for me, I won’t fully capture how good they are, and how good they are in so many dimensions of the construction business – thoughtfulness, thoroughness, a great eye for design, timeliness, reliability, the ability to manage subs, and more. Plus, they were a pleasure to hang out with. Maybe the best thing I can say is that, before you hire someone else, give me a call? My phone is 617 733 7040. When I put my job out to bid I had a contractor friend also bidding. Obviously he had the inside track, but the bid I got from J & K was so solid, and came with such a sense of quiet confidence, (and was also very reasonable without being the kind of low ball that might cause problems down the road), that I went with them. The job was a difficult one. A 500k+ renovation, and one complicated by the need for a 40’ weight bearing iron beam, as the internal supporting structures that would support a roof line raised to 14’ were being removed. Moreover, excavation on a very steep hillside was required. These challenges were handled easily and seamlessly, and if I didn’t have some sense of what the job took I would never have known how hard it was, because the guys made it look that easy. I was told the job would take 6 months. It took 6 months. As the job progressed, I came to appreciate the design eye that Dimitrios and his son Yanni brought to their work. My architect, Rich Levy, was excellent, but Dimnitrios and Yanni were constantly adding details and touches that enhanced the design. Not unfair to say real artistry was involved. Dimnitrios and Yanni’s good relationships with his subs, the respect they have for him, also make the work progress smoothly. However, when necessary, Dimitrios is not afraid to kick up a fuss when called for. He described this fuss as “going Greek” By “going Greek” he made it clear when necessary that he wasn;’t going to put up with any nonsense, either in terms of timeliness or quality of work. The subs got their work done on time, and in the right order. Only rarely was the job held up by the subs (who were, by and large, excellent). And when there was a hold up the lag time in the schedule was quickly made up. As is always the case issues that were un expected arose. Sometimes, as with the unexpected need for half of a new roof the cost of this was not added to the bill. At other times, as when there was a wrong drawing for the presence of a water line, Dimitrios realized that the excavation could cause a break, and saved me a whole bunch of money by anticipating the problem. At other times, as when there was unexpected dry rot, the added costs were thoroughly reasonable. I suspect often there was no additional profit. In all, the financial integrity that these guys brought to their work was unsurpassed. They were sincerely more interested in doing their best work, and doing an honorable job, than in making an extra buck. This level of care and detail applied to small jobs, like building a spice rack (unsolicited), and to large jobs (installing a 14 foot tall marble fireplace surround, for example). At the end of the job, there no question about the “punch list” being thoroughly done. It was. To give you a sense of the thoroughness and care involved, after I had moved back in, and while the guys were finishing up, I scratched the new floor, having not noticed that my chair pads had worn out. It was seen as a matter of course that this, too, would be handled, even though it was really not their job at that point. I doubt many people are unhappy to see their contractors go. I loved having my house, and have not a single complaint about the work that made it. But I did miss having Dimitrios and Yanni around. And that is no small thing, as when it comes to bigger jobs you are kind of living with these guys for a while, and things like how well they clean up at the end of the day, how respectful they are of the lives they are disrupting with their work, how much you simply like and respect them – these are really important things, and things not always considered at the outset of a project. Construction projects are always harder than the newbies who contract them out expect them to be. I could tell this project was much harder than I knew. But J & K never, ever made it look hard. And they made it incredibly easy on me. Like I say, please call me (or email me) before you hire anyone else. Mark O’Connell 161 Waban Hill Road North Chestnut Hill, Ma 02467 617 733 7040 [email protected]

great attention to detail, great attitude, great team work, on time completion, neat, great follow through

The work was really well done and on time. The contractor was flexible with changes we requested throughout the project. We were very happy with the results. The contractor's team including plumber, electrician, tiler, carpentry all worked well together to make it a smooth project from start to finish.

He showed up every day on time and left every day with everything broom swept and perfect. He was on schedule and finished when he said he would finish. He had innovative ideas and is a perfectionist so everything is just perfect. He built the addition almost 20 years ago and it is still perfect and we have never had to do one thing to it. I would highly recommend J&K Construction

Although not a large job by construction standards, J&K construction treated me, my home and the project like it was worth millions. The job was done professionally and in a timely manner, my steps are beautiful, up to code, and most importantly my aging Bassett hound can now make it up and down them safely and confidently. Thank you for a great job, at a fair price, done extremely well.

This contractor is a real gem.  He has an engineer's mind and an attention to detail, second to none.  I am very particular about how work is done and he is a true craftsman.  He helped value engineer the project by suggesting ways to do several things which were in keeping with the architects design but helped save some money.  He never cut corners and the details that he added to the finish were the types of things that craftsmen did years ago.  They didn't cost me any more money, it is just his style, he does it right.  The job finished on time and well within budget.  I was so pleased, I had him do some additional work on a sun room.

Over the past ten years, J&K did four renovation projects at our house as listed above. We have always been satisfied by the quality of their work and their reasonable pricing. Most importantly, they performed the work very professionally and on time. They were very responsive to our concerns.

The work went exceptionally well - completed on time and within budget. Additional work in the basement was added at very little extra cost. The work blended seamlessly between the new and old portions of the house.

Dimitrios is very professional. The job went very smooth with no issues at all. He is a man of his word. He made sure to deliver the job on time. He explained to us that he is taking full responsibility of the work performed by his sub contractors (they were as professional as him and we had no problem with them). Dimitrios was always available to answer all of our questions and took his time explaining different options and what he recommended and why. We can't thank him enough for the excellent work that he did.