J BITTEL ENTERPRISES

During August of 2011 we discovered carpenter ants in our lower level family room; we live in a raised ranch sytle home.  The carpenter ants were not a big problem but the condition that attracted them, moisture, was.  The mud sill that attaches the house wall to the cement block foundation was rotted and falling apart.  The repair was going to require the house being supported by jacks while the old mud sill was replaced and the new mud sill was installed.  Drywall and studding had to be removed and replaced once the mud sill was replaced.  I was informed by a friend that this company was good, but my hardest task would be to get in touch with them because they were so busy.  Persistence paid off and the work was scheduled.  We did not know what to expect.  All went well in the end.  The owner of the company actually does the work.  I found him to be honest, trustworthy, and fair.  He was familar with building codes and he is an excellent carpenter.  He was in and out in less than two weeks.  I was expecting problems along the way and had none.  Short of the challenge the problem created; it was an enjoyable experience to work with Jeff Bittel.  I would, and have used him again.

Another pleasant experience working with Jeff and his employee Tony.  When they arrived at my home to start work it felt as if old friends had arrived.  Jeff took all the necessary measures to seal off the affected area so our heat loss and dust would be minimal while the old door was removed and the window installed.  My wife and I are fussy people and Jeff continued to live up to our expectations as to how a home remodeling project should proceed.  Being somewhat familiar with New York State Residential Building codes I was pleased to see Jeff once again follow every one of them.  As an example:  Building code required a minimum of 15# felt paper, but Jeff used 30# felt paper; twice the recommended weight.  In the process of installing the window he corrected building defects he found when the home was originally built. When the new window was finally caulked Jeff used the appropriate cold weather caulk.

Jeff went so far as to lay thick padded mats on our floor to protect it in case tools were dropped.