AJN Construction The Garage Expert

What happened to me with AJN Construction Garage Experts for the past 8 months has got me totally confused. I’m truly and really baffled and maybe someone could explain what’s going on. Here is the story. I do most of the repairs for my parent’s home since they are elderly and do not speak or understand English very well. This time, their garage door springs needed to be replaced with new ones. Usually, I look for contractors that have a lot of good ratings but AJN was located in my parent’s town. They didn’t have many reviews but they had a single review that was stellar. I scheduled them as the 3rd and last contractor that was going to come by, take a look and give me a formal quote. They missed the first appointment but I didn’t mind. I know that things happen so missing an appointment isn’t the end of the world. I rescheduled the appointment for a few days later. I told them that I probably couldn’t be there personally and told them to leave the bid with my father. AJN sent one of their employees. When their employee arrived, I guess he thought that my dad who’s in his 70’s and who couldn’t speak English well was an easy mark. Instead of installing a new pair of springs, the employee actually went back into his van/truck and brought out a single used spring. He replaced a single spring and then charged my father for an amount that was more than the quotes I recieved for replacing 2 new springs! (I’m assuming he pocketed the cost of two new springs, giving the rest to his employer.) My father was watching the employee working the entire time and didn’t say a word because he thought it was totally normal. He didn’t know that two new springs had to be replaced What my father also didn’t know was that what the employee did was very dangerous. Those springs are under enormous amount of pressure and you have to replace both of them when one of them goes bad due to safety reasons. If one spring goes bad, the other side usually will follow. If the other side spring snaps and someone happens to be nearby, apparently there is so much pressure on the spring, that the spring could kill a person if it hits him in the head. I came by the next day and as I walked in the garage, I assumed that nothing was done yet and asked my dad for the quote from the 3rd contractor. My dad was proud and said that the third guy already fixed the garage door and I didn’t have to do anything! I immediately called AJN Garage and told the lady (who always answers the phone) what had happened. What was unusual, I thought, was that she didn’t deny it or seemed surprised. She apologized and said the employee is new. She agreed what the employee did was really shady and it’s not the type of behavior that they are noted for. She said she would talk to the employee for me. I was thinking to myself, “What? Just talk to him?” I would immediately fire a new employee for something like this! She then said she would have the owner personally stop by during the week and replace both springs himself. Guess what? The owner didn’t show up that week. He didn’t show up the next week either. And for the next 8 months or more, we went back and forth via phone and text on when the owner would show up. The usual answer was that he would show up the following week. The thing is that this isn’t even a difficult or long job. Probably takes an hour or so to do. And throughout this ordeal, I’m proud to say that I was always civil, never yelling or insulting her. I must have called/texted her probably 20 times or more. Each call/text spaced apart by at least a few days or weeks. I am writing this review today because the owner never showed up once during those 8 months. And, I don’t want this to happen to you. **This entire ordeal really perplexes me though. The job only takes a few hours and the materials, the springs, cost $20 for a cheap set or $60 for a good set. Can anyone explain what's going on?

I found Anthony Norelli AJN Construction by googling. He calls himself  "The Garage Expert" on his website, and that is certainly the case. After having spoken with many many contractors through the years who had no interest in repairing, only wanted to knock down, I felt I'd finally found the right person for the job.
He did not disappoint me. From our first meeting to size up the project, to the very last piece of fresh new molding, Anthony was reliable, communicative and thorough. He proceeded with caution and wisdom. It's quite possible to "lose" a building in the process of straightening it, but he never rushed it, used his instincts, his experience and his powers of observation about structures to step-by-step fully restore this building.
He allowed me to visit him on another job site before I gave him a deposit. He clearly stated in person and then in the contract what would be needed. There were only a very few small extras that could not have been foreseen, but in balance, he DID additional items for me with no charge. He told me what the schedule would be, and it unfolded just as he said, with incremental work to slowly straighten the building over several visits, and then more concentrated work toward the end. He called me at every juncture to let me know what was happening.
Additionally he has an enthusiasm for this work that is infectious. It was a thrill for me to see this building stand straight and tall again, and he took obvious pride it getting it there.
Scope of work: secure garage with comealongs; remove garage doors; remove siding and sheathing from bottom of garage (rotted); jack garage up and cut off rotted studs 10" from ground; lay double 4x6 treated wood on existing foundation (which was in good shape) as lower sill plate; sister 2x4 treated studs to old studs; make back and side of garage level/plumb with 1/2 sheathing; jack up roof and ridge and install 3 collar ties; rework front of garage (he recommended one wide door opening instead of two doors); replace bottom siding; install new siding on front of garage (this was exceptionally nice); install new door and garage door opener. He also repaired the skewed and broken windows, made them functional.
Soon as I can get it painted, he will put the finishing touches on, the weatherstripping etc. At all times I felt comfortable with him, could ask questions and make suggestions, and trusted that he was listening to me and that in the end we were both satisfied in a job well done.

Our two car, 1930s detached garage was an eyesore.  It was severely leaning on two axes; forward and to the right.  We met with over 10 contractors over a span of 3 years before we were identified a contractor with confidence and experience we could trust to repair our leaning garage. 

We were informed by multiple contractors that our garage was impossible to repair and needed to be completely knocked down and rebuilt.  We had gone as far as to obtain the zoning variances required to do this, and then we found AJN.  After meeting Anthony (the owner of AJN), and reviewing is work portfolio and references, we decided to move forward AJN to execute a repair vs rebuild.

We are certainly glad we did.  Anthony was confident he could repair the garage the day he came to assess the site.  Throughout the project Anthony set clear expectations, demonstrated pride in his work and made good on his promises to:

• Communicate well - Anthony provided status updates almost daily
• Obtain permits - Anthony navigated the Morristown permit process, generated drawings and received all required approvals
• Maintain his quoted price - Despite a few surprises, Anthony maintained his quoted price
• Clean up daily -The site was cleaned & tidied every day, which was important to us and our neighbors
• Focus on customer satisfaction - Anthony's goal was to ensure we were consistently satisfied

The result is a good-as-new garage that looks like it belongs on the property, and because of the modifications, it is functional.  We can park our cars in it!  Thanks Anthony and team AJN!

Of the three tasks requested, only replacing the rotting wood was completed. The roof was repaired but sags and the garage is straighter but is not squared. In selling me their services, I was guaranteed by the owner that I would be completely satisfied with their work and that they would have no problem completing the job. I paid in full and on time per our agreement but the job has not been completed. I filed a complaint with the BBB and this company never responded. They currently have an UNSATISFACTORY rating with the BBB for Customer Service.