
James L Graves Construction
About us
James L. Graves Construction is a full service Builder/Re-modeler where "Quality without compromise" is our philosophy. We are an A rated Better Business Bureau Company, Angie's List Super Service Award Winner Every Year Since 2006. EPA Lead Safe Paint Certified Firm, Members of the National Association of Home Builders/Re-modelers, Maryland Home Builders Association, National Kitchen and Bath Association and an Approved Veterans Specially Adapted Housing Certified Builder. Each of our divisions operates under the same principle: You deserve a partner that has the expertise to guide you through every step of your project.
Business highlights
Services we offer
Interior remodeling, kitchen, basement , additions interior and exterior painting, roofing, siding, windows, doors, concretet, gutters and siding, decks, porches, walkways,
Services we don't offer
Utility work & swimming pools.
Amenities
Eco Friendly Accreditations
Yes
Free Estimates
Yes
Warranties
Yes
Accepted Payment Methods
- Financing Available
- Check
- CreditCard
- 12
Assorted photos uploaded by James L Graves Construction
Number of Stars | Image of Distribution | Number of Ratings |
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Filter reviews by service
James L. Graves Construction handled every aspect of our remodel; Mr. Graves has experts in every area, coordinates everything, and works through any issues that arise.
"Dear [member name removed], I checked our records and spoke with Lindsay and Nichole about what happened when you called in. I see that you called in on the 27th of August and left a message about your project. Normally you would have received a reply the same day but Lindsay who is now out on Maternity leave went home early that day because she was not feeling well. I see you called us again on the 28th and left a message. Lindsay, when she returned on the 29th told me you were looking to have someone come by for a quote on 30th which we could not accommodate. You are within our service area but we were already booked with appointments on the day you needed us to come out. We would like to serve everyone who calls us but unfortunately it is just not possible. Thank you for considering us. Sincerely, Jim Graves"
The process started on July 1st and was completed around the first week of August. The scheduling of trades was excellent with minimal wait time between the trades. All of the workmen and trades were professional and enjoyable to have in our home. Clean up occurred on a daily basis and my wife commented on the fact that we had very little dust or mess to the rest of the home during construction. The superintendent (Mark Wardlaw) called every morning to advise me on what was on schedule for the day and if he was to be late, he always called. Mark was excellent. Jim Graves stopped by on a daily basis to inspect and check on the progress.
Jim (owner/general contractor) served as our advocate with the trades. He is well respected by his subcontractors and they respond immediately to any issues he may come across during his daily inspection of the job. I really saw the benefit Jim brought to the project through his supervision and oversight of the project.
The end result was everything we expected and more. The work was completed timely, with attention to detail and a high quality product upon completion.
I will use Jim in the future and will recommend him to others.
Mind you they list Anne Arundel County Maryland on the Angies page as one of the areas they "service". I live in Anne Arundel County. I picked this company because it appeared on your website on a search of companies within 25 mile radius of my home, they do this type of work and they were highly rated by customers etc. I checked a map provider and found they were just over 25 miles from my home. The young lady that returned my call said that I was over 1 hour driving time from their office. Not so on the web directions I used.
I am wondering what exactly is their "service area" and found that this was a waste of time for me. They must not need the work or need to add that they do not "service" southern Anne Arundel County Maryland. They should list their "service area" on the web page accurately. They may be very good, but they waisted my time. I have since gotten estimates from two other companies, both local and both on Angies list.
There were issues that Jim identified as flaws that I did not notice. These minor repairs/fix-ups were immediately addressed. I was also impressed with the team?s courtesy and how careful they were with covering my furniture and floors and cleaning up and hauling away trash. Finally, not only is Jim?s construction crew top rate but his billing and office staff is as well. The invoices were detailed and easy to understand. You can?t go wrong with Graves Construction. I recommend them highly!
Once the project started, Tom the carpenter was designated as the lead and my main contact. Tom kept me informed of who was coming and going and what was to happen next. He is a quiet guy but does his job very well. The whole team of Tom, the plumbers, electricians, painter, tile and drywall guys worked well together which is good because there were a few times most of them were here at once working in a cramped space. Sometimes they stayed into the early evening to finish up their jobs. Everyone was pleasant and treated us and our home with respect. This is a huge consideration in selecting a contractor because it does not always happen. Of special note is the incredible drywall work done by Mauricio and Julio. We had major cracks in our walls due to unusual circumstances and they worked wonders in getting the walls back in shape. They also did beautiful tile work in the bathroom - absolutely meticulous in setting the tile. The plumbers were the nicest plumbers I ever met. The bulk of the work was completed in three weeks. A few change orders were necessary due to the quirky nature of this old house. A note to other Angie's List members - with so many people coming and going during a remodel, if you have questions, you should not hesitate to ask. A good contractor will be happy to explain and work with you as did the JLG Construction crew. The bottom line is I love my new bathroom. Recommending this company to others is easy. If you have to wait a few months to get the work scheduled, it is worth the wait for a major project such as a bathroom or kitchen remodel.
Mr. Graves was punctual (I had contacted another contractor who gave me the run around for a week). Jim is very professional, knowledgeable about his business and explained in depth what we could expect with the process. I had an estimate within a few days.
When the renovation started the men were timely, professional and very cautious about protecting our stairs and floors. At the end of each day the entire area was cleaned up. I was kept informed every step of the way what would be happening with each step.
Mr. Graves and all of his staff, on sight and office, were wonderful to work with and very helpful throughout every step. Everyone from the demo crew to electricians, plumbers, tilers, carpenters were absolutely great to work with and almost like old friends by the time they were finished.
There was a mix up with the soaking tub I ordered, which wasn't returnable, Mr. Graves ordered a new tub without charge to us. That's the kind of first rate service this company provides.
The bathroom was quite a job and it turned out so much better than we could have ever expected. I have other projects on my list (husband permitting) and I will only be having Graves Construction do the work.
I would, and have, highly recommend Graves Construction!
Jim does not provide a "ball park" estimate, though he will give you a range that specific types of jobs can run. His estimate is based on a detailed breakdown of everything the project will entail and he spells out each operation/item clearly. He even shows you his company overhead and margin. This means that you need to be serious about what you want and be ready to choose your finishes and finalize your design. It also means that you will have an excellent idea of what the project will cost with very few surprises (and those only being the kind that you can't know about until you take out a floor and find hidden damage etc.). Jim provides a list of vendors both on the internet and many with brick and mortar stores so that you can choose your items. We looked first online and then went to the stores to actually see/touch our faucet and other choices. Everywhere we went we were treated well and shown every courtesy. It made the selection process much easier. You are not limited to these sources either as he was willing to install mirrors we saw and liked elsewhere. We did run into a few unexpected items once the demolition was underway and we found Jim and his crew's solutions to be spot on and the resulting change orders reasonable in cost and expertly executed.
We are THRILLED with the results. Jim stopped by our home on a regular basis to ensure that everything was up to his exacting standards. His crew were professional, experienced (in many cases expert) in their field, respectful and friendly. They kept us well informed of progress and spoke to us quickly if any decisions were required on our part. The bathroom is a pure delight in every sense...it looks beautiful and has great functionality. Our kitchen backsplash makes the room and was expertly installed. The ceiling repairs are pure perfection...they look brand new.
So, great work, a detailed breakdown within the contract that ensured understanding between the parties, time line very close to estimate and good follow up equal very happy homeowners.
We were so happy with the process and the results that we hired Jim to do a tricky deck repair for us. We are compiling a list of future projects as well. If you are serious about your project and serious about quality workmanship and want someone who is serious about his field and passionate about delivering top quality, then Jim Graves should be your contractor!
"Hi (deleted member name), We appreciate the opportunity to have bid on your work, and thank you for the good grades. I am guessing from you comments that the other contractor you selected had unforeseen cost overruns that you had to pay for. Last September when I first met with your wife and reviewed the project together I remember taking extra steps myself and sending out my plumber and electrician to survey the site in order to prepare a comprehensive proposal for you. I believe based on our initial due diligence we had a good understanding of all that would be required to complete your project, which we included in the proposal. I believe our comprehensive scope of work was likely the difference in the proposals you were considering. Our track record for keeping change orders and extra cost to a minimum on every job has been excellent to date. Many of our clients have commented on this in the past and I believe our success in this area is primarily because our experience and the time we take to look over the project in detail prior to putting the proposal together. With my 42 years of experience and the hundreds of bathrooms we have done over the years we have developed very reliable proposals. Again we do appreciate the grades and opportunity to bid on your project. We look forward to having the chance to work with you in the future. Jim Graves"
Mauricio started the job by laying down tarp on my steps. He was able to save and reuse the tile that came loose and added a new bead of silicone around the shower stall and throughly cleaned up. Everything's as good as new!
Having Jim renovate my bathroom was one of the best decisions i ever made!
This company has some very strict rules and does not sound flexible at all - not a trace of willingness to accommodate customers. I thanked the lady I spoke with and told her to forget the whole thing. I would not recommend this company to anybody. They may be doing a good job but their attitude and inflexibility is below what I expected.
"Dear [member name removed], I believe you called after our office was already closed on Monday and as you said, Nichole called you back first thing on Tuesday morning to follow up with you and left a message. We do follow up again if we don't hear back after a couple of days, but in your case you called back. We are a small company with 14 employees and we are trying to grow responsibly to meet the demand for our services. Growing to meet the demand is especially challenging because I do not send out sales people to meet you. I meet with everyone personally, listen to their needs, survey the project and put a plan together for design then establish a detailed budget for you. We do have a heavy call volume because of our reputation and uncompromising standards, so it is important that we do not take on more appointments than we can handle responsibly in a timely manner. We have found that if we take on too many appointments, it becomes increasingly difficult to provide and maintain our high standard of service that so many have come to enjoy and appreciate. It seems rather unfair that you would give us a failing grade for being responsible, following up with you in a timely manner and trying to do the right thing by you and all of our clients. We hope that someday we will be in a position to meet the demands of all of the service request we receive but we know its a never ending process, so we resolve ourselves to doing our very best for those we have the opportunity to serve."
"Hi Jean, Thank you for your "very nice" comments on our performance and the quality of our workmanship. You were a pleasure to work for and we could not be happier for you. Hope you have many, many years of enjoyment from your beautiful new bathroom. I will pass on all of your complements to my men. Thanks Again! Jim Graves"
"Dear (Member name removed), We checked our email and voice mail records but we could not find any record of your call. Each morning we log in all of the "request for work" messages and promptly call back, usually the same day, so it is not clear what may have happened with your message. We do however, apologize for any inconvenience this may have caused you."
From the start of the job, to the finish, we felt involved and taken seriously. Each person who worked on the job was as I would expect an experienced and talented tradesman to act. It was obvious each of the workers took pride in their work and they knew what Jim Graves expected of them.
The final product is beautiful and perfectly functional due to some suggestions Jim made; that's where experience come in. It's been a year now since the work was done and the bathroom is still as attractive as the day it was finished. The entire operation was without fault. If and when I have other remodeling needs, I would contact Jim Graves Construction again; and, even if I had to wait awhile for an estimate, it would be no trouble since I would already know I would again have a great experience!
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We were really pleased with the work and the people. I love the bathroom. I think it's beautiful. Jim sent us to certain local suppliers that were very helpful in helping to design the bathroom. We are very pleased and wouldn't hesitate to use them again or to refer them to friends. Great job!
"Hi Member, Thank you for your nice report. I appreciate the thumbs up for our supporting vendors and designers. It is not often enough that they get acknowledged or the credit that they deserve, but they are a most valuable part of the team. We could not operate so consistently on such a high level without their support and assistance."
the middle of August to late September. We have already recommended this
company to several friends. Jim Graves managed our project himself and
is a bit of a perfectionist, which is terrific for customers. He uses
high caliber experts for plumbing, electrical work, flooring etc... One
of his employees, Joe Scalley is particularly creative and skilled at
carpentry, cabinet work etc... This was important for our kitchen
because it was a pretty complex effort involving closing up windows,
knocking down walls and handling some surprises like finding mold
underneath the old sink. We replaced our old tile floor with hard wood
and had some issues with the flooring company matching the stains to the
floor throughout the rest of the home, but Jim interceded and worked
with the company to ensure we were happy with the final result. We
highly recommend James L. Graves Construction and hope to use them again
for other projects.
We had previously remodeled a bathroom and our master bath/dressing room, and that experience was a true disaster. A six-week job took almost a year, with extensive delays throughout. The experience we have just had was the exact opposite. Things were done in a professional manner, with great communication, and attention to detail. There is no question as to whether we would recommend this company - don't hesitate! We are planning some further painting and carpet in our home, and we will go directly to James L. Graves Construction!
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