RJ Ward Construction

After the job was 'done', there were parts of the job that were left unfinished, and over time we found out that some of the work that was completed, such as the tile behind the microwave area, was shoddy. debris was left under the house and not taken away, and pipes were completed without the proper fastening, which led to further repairs and remediation. After much haggling, some of the work was completed much later, and RJ Ward still will not take responsibility for the plumbing fiasco. We would NEVER hire RJ Ward again. We ended up paying other contractors to fix the work that needed to be repaired, and RJ Ward has decided to not re-imburse us for this work.

The cement was uneven and needed to be replaced. We also asked to have our wood railing replaced and a handrail built next to some stairs. It looks beautiful.

Superb, quality workmanship

Bob and I worked together in 2012/13 when I bought a foreclosure and needed a large remodel.  Bob and team were outstanding, and I mentioned at the time that I would be calling him again. So when I needed my deck replaced, I called Bob again; however, it wasn't just a deck replacement. I also needed a new roof built over part of the new deck.

The house had a design flaw in which part of the deck had no roof covering it, and there was no way to install a gutter system to shield the deck from the elements.  In addition, one of the set of doors opened to this uncovered part, and water poured under the frame, which caused it to rot out. It had to be reinforced during the 2013 remodel.  So part of my new request was to finish off the roof and install a gutter system to fix the flaw. I also wanted to expand the deck between two large existing trees and relocate the steps. Bob came up with a great plan, and he and his team executed it perfectly.

Just like when I worked with Bob 3 years ago, he not only met my expectations but exceeded them.  Bob made great suggestions, such as a white ceiling, stain color, lattice style and other details that made a boring deck into a classy one. The new deck looks better than I had even pictured in my head when we were designing it.  The pictures below show the transformation in detail.

Bob is a busy guy, but he is worth the wait.  I highly recommend RJ Ward Construction and will absolutely call Bob again the next time I decide to remodel something!

RJ Ward Construction was one of the best experiences we have had with a contractor. Over the years we have done many home remodels, but have never seen the creativity and craftsmanship exhibited by Bob's crew.   This was a big job.  Bob's guys removed a wrap-around porch on both the first and second floors, resupported the second floor with new columns and steel beams allowing the exterior walls to be removed then rebuilt. This added 600 sq ft to a now "open concept" living area and with the new windows, gave us a view to die for.  After finishing the interior, we added a 15x20 covered deck that is the envy of the neighborhood. 

It it was a process that grew in scope as we saw our dream home evolve. If a rating greater than "A" existed...RJ Ward Construction would have earned it. Our thanks to Bob, Steven and Julio for giving us more than we could have hoped for. 

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My apologies to Bob for the delay in posting this review.  My job requires 24/7 hours May-Oct and then the holidays take over.  However this has allowed me to experience all seasons on the porch so I can pass that along.

This project went just like my 3 other projects with RJ Ward, extremely well.  Bob and his team (specifically Eric, Stephen and Julio) are very professional and a pleasure to work with.  They're a cohesive unit that have been on all 4 of my remodeling projects, and all are excellent craftsman.  They care about their work and work hard to meet your needs and expectations for the finished product.  Bob's team goes above and beyond in that area, which is something I really appreciate having dealt with others where this isn't always the case.

The screened porch was placed over an existing patio so the project started with Bob and his team cutting through the concrete to dig footings, which proved to be a challenge as it required going down 4 feet or more.  I appreciated that they went to extra effort to ensure that the posts would go into firm ground.  Each step in the process required a county inspection, and they passed each time.  All of this was done in spite of bad weather that included lots of rain and some snow.

Once footings were settled Bob and his crew assembled the porch and roof.  As always, Bob's attention to detail is one of the keys to his success and ensures delivery of a top-notch finished product.  From choice of paint colors, the roof shingles, the solar vents, Trexx decking and Eze Breeze windows, Bob handled it all and made sure that I was comfortable with the choices.  The roof ties in so well you can't tell where the old roof ends and the new begins.  Bob delivered multiple samples of the Trexx decking and showed me examples from pictures on his phone.  The Trexx website has an interactive program that shows a house with a deck and allows you to apply various options.  He sent me links for the Eze Breeze windows so that I could research them on my own (they are awesome!).  Bob spent an entire evening researching solar vents that would keep the attic temperature stable in spite of the many demands on his time.  The vent fans are quiet and work well.

The best part about the porch are the Eze Breeze windows as they have allowed year-round use of the porch that initially I didn't expect.  There are multiple panels that can be raised or lowered and have vinyl rather than glass (although for all intents and purposes they look like glass).  While they don't provide the same insulation as glass they do maintain a temperature warmer or cooler than the outside.  I have an electric fireplace that keeps the room warm in winter months.  The Eze Breeze door is extremely sturdy and has a solid lock.

A testament to Bob's commitment in this part of the process involved a leak that developed during a thunderstorm in the early phase of installing the roof.  I called Bob and he immediately rushed over and climbed onto the roof in spite of the storm to fix the problem. 

The patio addition also had its challenges.  When I had trouble finding the right stone Bob & Julio went out of their way to go to the stone yard with me, and Bob actually hauled some of it in his truck to keep the project moving.  This took a full day of his time which I am sure he didn't have but again resulted in a beautiful end product that I am extremely happy with.

The new porch is beautiful and along with the relocated window brings in light and the outdoors to my house. 

Although I am done with remodeling projects I would definitely recommend Bob and his team.

Bob is outstanding!  Even though he was fully booked, after I explained what I needed he was willing to take an hour away from his current job to help me.
He patiently explained what would be involved in removing a supporting wall and replacing it with a structural beam.  He also took time to check out the whole house and point out possible issues that could cause me problems down the road. Thanks to the information that Bob provided I decided not to purchase that house.  In the future I would hire him for any remodeling job, as I feel like he has a true commitment to quality.

We already had an architectural drawing for the porch so we needed a contractor to build it.  Bob was very responsive and professional.  He had great ideas to improve on the design.  We had an existing brick porch that was much smaller so they had to demo the existing porch and put in footings and foundations for the new porch.  He took us to the stone yard to help us pick out the stone we wanted to use but he had already been there and helped narrow it down for us to match it as closely as possible to the stone existing around our front door.  All of his subs were great to work with!  They did a fabulous job putting the stone "puzzle" pieces together to have the right spacing.  Near the end of the project we decided to move the existing brick mailbox and build a stone one to match the porch.  Bob stayed on budget and the length of the project seemed appropriate.
We would definitely use him again; in fact, we contacted him about a kitchen remodel this year but he is so busy that he couldn't get to it until 2016.

He did a very nice job.

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This is the second time we used RJ Ward Construction. The first time was for an unplanned bathroom remodel due to an unexpected leak.  Bob Ward made this stressful situation a calming one and not only repaired a major leak but delivered a beautiful space which adds to the value of our home. 

The second time we used Bob was well planned for a new screened porch, stone gas fireplace and extended Trex outdoor deck.  Once again, he delivered exactly what we wanted and more.  The porch included pine tongue in groove flooring, bead board ceiling with skylights, stone fireplace with gas insert, outdoor Trex decking and a refurbish of an existing side screened porch with new screens, new balusters, new rails, etc. 

Stephen, Julio and crew are all fine craftsmen who take pride in their work.  They are all polite and professional and deliver great results.  Bob Ward is an honest and experienced professional.  He follows up on details and ensures that everything is right before sending a final invoice.  We would highly recommend Bob and his crew as they are a pleasure to do business with.

We had a great experience with Bob Ward and his crew. He was by far the most reasonably priced of all the builders we interviewed, and we feel that the quality of his work is as good as anyone out there. More importantly, though, Bob is very easy to work with and takes the stress out of what can be a very stressful project. He is very responsive whether by phone or email and is quick to resolve any issues that arise during the construction process. His crew was very respectful of our property and kept the disruptions, noise, and mess to a minimum. We also felt that we could fully trust all the various trades that he brought in to work on the project. We were very pleased with Bob's work and look forward to working with him on future projects.

This is the 2nd time we have used Bob and his crew(Julio, Steven, Eric, Daniel, Juan). Just like the first time we are extremely pleased with the outcome. Bob is always very accommodating throughout the process. We had several requests and no matter the challenge of them they were able to find a solution. We definitely recommend using RJ Ward for your next project.

On a scale of 1-10, I would give Bob and his crew a 100.  For a job of this size and the length of time that we worked together (more than 5 months), this is quite an achievement.  I would not hesitate to recommend his services (RJ Ward) to anyone and will likely use him again in the future.  His price was competitive and the quality was excellent.  Bob Ward's crew has been with him for many years and are very loyal to him because of his work ethic, his effective ability to run his business, and his fairness.  What is nice is that Bob takes the time to run his business correctly:  he takes care of the coordination and customer care issues of a construction project and his crew takes care of the construction issues, but he is involved and checking quality at all steps.  His crew were extremely polite, kept this large construction site well maintained at all times (my neighbors were also very happy with them), and they were there working every day all day long.  They were always responsive to my concerns and suggestions.  Any subcontractors that were used (electrical, plumbing, roofing, painting) were all professional and did excellent work as well.  His budget was on target and so was his time estimate.  It was also nice that Bob worked with me on the budget to suit my needs (he allowed me to do some of the finish work myself to save costs) and was willing to change things on the fly without issue.  If there were changes that required a significant cost, he simply added it to the bill without any issues but if there were small changes that did not cause big problems, he simply had his crew take care of it without question.  His preliminary budget and his monthly invoices were all extremely transparent and easy to follow.  Most importantly, Bob billed me on the back end meaning he did not require large deposits up front to do the work (a technique that some crooked contractors use - like the Bainbridge Crew). We simply got a bill at the end of each month with the work completed and the cost of that work.  I can't tell you how refreshing it was to work with him compared to previous renovation experiences I have had with other providers.  I have nothing negative to say about RJ Ward Construction.

Excellent - Contractor and workers were always here when promised.  Work completed under estimated time.  Job site cleaned up daily.  Mr. Ward always took the time to answer all my questions.  Employees working for Mr. Ward were courteous and diligent in their tasks and were always most respectful. Would like to remodel kitchen and will definitely call Ward construction when I am ready to do so.

We hired Bob Ward to add a full bathroom to one of our guest bedrooms. After receiving inflated quotes from several contractors, Bob ward was a clear choice. Bob executed the whole project on time, under budget and exceeding our expectations! Many times when we were stuck with design choices, he came up with suggestions that were much better than our own. Throughout the project, he was on site several days and personally oversaw all work. His crew was very professional too. Seeing the work that they were doing, we decided to upgrade our master bath too.

While doing the project they also helped with several small & big things around the house (replace toilet for another bathroom, fix new railing in closet etc) without any additional cost to us.

It was our very first renovation project and they made it a breeze due to their professionalism and transparency. Certainly recommend Bob for any remodeling project.

Bob and his crew have done multiple projects at my home and I will continue to use his company for all my construction needs

Eric and his crew did a great job on this project. They were very clear in communicating the timeframe, our options, decisions that needed to be made, and price impacts. The shower looks great, and you can't even tell it wasn't part of the original design of the bathroom. The cleaned up thoroughly each day and at the end of the project. Would definitely use RJ Ward again.

We got three estimates for our kitchen remodel.  We knew Bob Ward was the right contractor when we met him.  He is calm, knowledgeable, experienced, and he listens to what you want. Throughout the project we felt that he was honest, trustworthy and always looking out for our best interest.  We felt very comfortable with everyone on his crew and didn't hesitate to leave a lockbox on the door for them to work when we weren't home.  Bob never got upset about changes as the project went on and was very responsive to our calls and emails. He made some suggestions for our plan and he was spot-on with the right ideas.
We worked with one of his cabinet vendors, Mike, at ProSource and that was also a positive experience. Mike had some very good suggestions and it really made a difference in the overall look of the kitchen. We paid for the cabinets and a new stove separately so that's not included in the price I quoted above. We kept the same floorplan and kept the existing flooring.
Here is the low-down on the work:  They completely gutted the kitchen down to the studs. They hauled away the old cabinets and countertops, re-wired for new lighting and outlets, repaired and replaced drywall, installed new cabinets, sink, disposal, faucets, granite countertops, installed a new vented range hood, refinished the popcorn ceiling to a smooth ceiling, installed new pot lights, undercabinet lights and chandelier.  They prepped primed and painted the kitchen and all the trim. They took out an old window and installed a new one, as well as a new storm door at the side entrance.
They replaced the baseboards, pantry door and laundry room doors. Bob's tile man, Julio, did a wonderful job installing a vertical subway tile backsplash and special order tiles behind the range.
There were a couple of small issues with two of the cabinet doors and Bob immediately ordered replacements and his guys came back to replace them.
I would definitely recommend RJ Ward Construction to anyone doing any sort of remodeling.  We absolutely love the kitchen, a wonderful transformation from dark and dated to light and modern. We will tackle a bathroom remodel next, and will call Bob to do the work.

Re: the company
As always with RJ Ward Construction, it was a fantastic experience start to finish.  This is  my 3rd project with Bob and his team, as they've redone my kitchen, a bathroom and converted a carport to a garage in the last few years.  Bob's ability to provide a consistent high level of customer service and quality product is what keeps me coming back.  I know that I can trust him, that he won't try to sell me something I don't need and that he'll find a solution to any obstacle.  He goes above and beyond with every detail and accommodates additions or changes to the work calmly and professionally.  Finally, Bob's cohesive team is little changed.  Eric, Julio  and Stephen have been on each project and have done the same outstanding work each time (Julio is a master at brickwork).  They are friendly, professional and great to work with.  Bob has strong relationships with his plumbers and electricians so the flow of work is always smooth.  All work was checked before inspections which ensured the project would continue uninterrupted.  Every inspection passed with flying colors.
Re: the work
The remodel started on time with crew members showing up when they said they would.  There was a steady flow of communication from Bob (phone calls and emails) re: who would be coming each day and when they would arrive.  Clean-up occurred at the end of each day.  In order to create the bathroom, they had to cut through concrete and dig through red clay to create a place to install the plumbing.  Not an easy task but executed flawlessly.  The plumbing had to be run across a stair way and into the basement to connect with the main pipes for the house.  When the plumbers noted that the waste pipe from the new bathroom was lower than the main pipe he recommended installing a pump to carry the new pipe contents to the old.
Once everything was hooked up testing of the pump began.  Bob was standing in the basement while the plumbers filled the tank of the pump so that it would start to carry the water to the main pipe, when one of my old, rusted pipes burst, spraying a considerable amount of the contents into the basement.  That pipe was replaced but problems continued.  Bob brought in a drain cleaning expert (Ben) who immediately identified the issue.  My old rusted drain pipes had so much build up from 60 years of use and apparently no cleaning that only a nickel sized hole remained for things to get through.  Ben cleaned and re-cleaned the drains, and then he and Bob tested the pump until they were sure all issues were resolved.  Although these were my old drain pipes and my problem, Bob took on the task of fixing them as if it was just a normal part of the project.  He helped Ben and stayed until the problem was solved.  In spite of the fact that Bob is usually juggling multiple projects (some of them large) he always makes you feel like you're his only customer as he takes full ownership of even the smallest details.
The room (our new workout room) and the bathroom turned out beautifully.  Eric's tile work is perfect, and the window that was moved to an exterior wall by Julio gave the room the light it needed.  Of course, with Julio's excellent brick work and Stephen's carpentry, it looks like it was there when the house was built in 1952.
I highly recommend Bob and his team and plan to use them in the future.

This is my second project with Bob (a kitchen remodel a year ago).  Bob and his team do outstanding work and are a pleasure to work with.  Bob stays on top of every detail, is extremely responsive and comes up with a solution for any challenge.  Bob's team truly cares about the quality of their work, as they take time to ask you questions when needed and walk through the work to be done, as well as following up when finished.
Bob and his team remodeled my son's bathroom, removed all old fixtures and replaced with new.  Bob has great resources so he can provide guidance and direct you to websites, retailers or supply houses for fixtures and flooring. 
As most owners of older homes know, there is usually a surprise or two in any remodel.  Bob always responds calmly and takes care of the problem.  In this case, after gutting the bathroom he found that the sub-flooring beneath the old tub was completely rotten (in fact it was a miracle it hadn't fallen into the crawlspace).  Bob immediately fixed it and went on with the work.  The bathroom tile work is beautiful and expertly done.
The second part of the project involved converting my carport to a garage.  It was no easy task, as the concrete slab was uneven and
old brickwork was poorly done.  Somehow Bob's team pulled it off, adding walls, strengthening the foundation, adding a door and a garage door.  It is my favorite part of the project, as the protection from the elements and the added home security made it well worth it.
I highly recommend Bob and his team and plan to use them in the future.

My husband and I could not be happier with how the renovation went overall.  We had never undertaken even a small renovation so this was all new to us.  Bob was amazing to work with and his coordination with all the subs and our lender were great.  His three main employees (Stephen, Julio and Eric) were also extremely professional and a pleasure to have in our home.  They took great pride in their work and were amenable to all my little (and some big) changes throughout the 5 month process.  Importantly, my neighbors said that they were very courteous and respectful of them and we heard no complaints about noise/mess, etc.
Pricing - We had already fired one contractor by the time we started this process and we ultimately got bids from 3 contractors for the project.  Comparing the three bids was like comparing apples and oranges but we felt like Bob's estimate was the most comprehensive and complete.  It gave us a clear sense of what the renovation would cost and how the money would be spent on a room by room and item bu item basis.  After it was all said and done, the only overages were ones that I had approved and requested once we were sure there were no unfortunate surprises.  Bob also fixed a number of small things along the way that were not necessairly covered by the contact but were necessary.  It was very important to me not to have any financial shocks or surprises at the end and there were none.  Thanks Bob!  Additionally, some of the initial people we talked to clearly did not want our business as they discussed charging hunderds of thousands of dollars for just the kitchen or masterbedroom. 
Product Selection - I was not the easiest person to work with because I had very specific ideas about certain products and companies I wanted to use given the focus on eco-friendly products.  Bob was very accomodating of my choices from using Mythic Paint (an eco-friendly/healthy home friendly product) which is only available one place in town, to using bamboo and cork flooring ordered from a company in California to resuing existing items.  Bob was far more accommadating of me purchasing items directly for the installation than some of the other contractors were. 
Quality - Bob's crew does their own masonry, tile and floor installation.  The quality is excellent and they even helped me figure out colors for grout and stain along the way.  The tile work is beautiful. The cabinet company was amazing and I got custom build cabinets for a price equal to semi-custom from other places.  I insisted on quartersawn white oak which also made the order a little more challenging.  The subs who came on property were also excellent from the electrician to the painter to the plumber.
Communication - I felt like the communication was good throughout the project and Bob was always responsive via text or phone.  He was always accomodating to my schedule when we had to meet in person to go over items.  Additionally, I felt like anything I told Bob or one of his employees was relayed appropriately.  I think it is also important to note that communication is a two way street and Bob was understanding when I wasn't as responsive as he needed due to work and life. 
We will definitely use Bob when we get around to adding our front porch and redoing the last bathroom.  I would recommend him without reservation

All went well from first meeing Bob Ward until the project was finished. Bob took care of the permits, etc. that were necessary. Bob was terrific to work with. Always answered any of our questions immediately. Bob's crew members were all punctual, friendly, professional and trustworthy and performed their portion of their job in hand with excellent results. Alll the work was done with little disruption and all work was done in a very orderly manner. The completion of our project was done in the time frame that was promised. We definitely would recommend RJ Ward Construction to anyone that is contemplating any rennovations.