JDR Home Improvements

Absolutley the BEST!!

After working with Goran on our full kitchen remodel and our deck, we of course chose to work with Goran for our bathroom remodel. By this point we are pretty used to working with Goran and as always, he was reliable, responsive and knowledgeable. One of the best things about him, though, is that he has experience with older houses. He totally prepared us that once he started to open walls, we might find unexpected challenges. But the great thing is that he knows how to fix all of them! Turned out the toilet was leaking, but he was able to replumb it quickly. As always, was great to work with Goran at JDR - you won't find better people to work with.

Outdoor living space makes a huge difference! When we bought a 1920’s home, our first priority was the kitchen, and that is where we originally found Goran. He did such a wonderful job with our kitchen that we also chose to work with him when we were ready to build a back deck. The things that were great about Goran before were still great this time around. He’s reliable and responsive, while also being flexible and great at problem solving which is a necessity when working with older homes. We were dealing with a few weird issues – trying to tie together two back doors, and a side porch while also leaving the basement cellar door accessible. We had some wires that were kind of low that he had to figure out what to do with (he ended up running them underground) and some gutter and pipe problems that he had to manage. Goran accommodated our priorities, but also helped us decide what reasonable priorities were by giving us the facts. We wanted a gas line for the grill, and he built that in – it is the most amazing thing not to have to worry about running out of or changing the propane. He built a huge space for eating because we entertain frequently and when we couldn’t find a suitable table, he built us a custom one from scratch. To this day people ask for his contact information because the table is so beautiful and I tell them it only comes if you get a deck! Goran also handmade a privacy screen because he couldn’t find a lattice he liked, and that’s an example of why it is great to work with him. He doesn’t cheap out on the details and finishing touches, and knows how to fix any problem. The finished product makes our house about 100% more luxurious. It is not just a deck – it is a true outdoor living space.

Terrific..see above work description.

Goran and everyone he brought in were fantastic -- detail oriented, meticulous, imaginative, and great problem-solvers. Our house is 100 years old, so nothing in it is level or standard or matching, and it takes great commitment and determination to deal with all of that. All of the guys were good-humored and hard-working; it was easy to have them around the house for several weeks. We are not at all house-handy, and I am amazed that I was able to show Goran some pictures, say "Like this," and get a beautiful result.

JDR did an outstanding job on our project and we highly recommend this company. They were very thoughtful and detail-oriented throughout the project. Two particular points stand out as exemplary. First, our city is really aggressive with permit issues and an architectural review board process. JDR did a great job working through the intricacies of this process and was very attentive to make sure we were comfortable that all work was approved by the city in advance. Second, we have a young child and JDR was careful to choose a heating solution for the room that was as safe as possible for young children. The quality of the work is excellent and was completed in an efficient manner. We were very impressed with this company and plan to utilize their services in the future.

Every once in a while, things just go right. We bought a lovely, but outdated 1920’s home in November of 2015. We were tackling a number of projects at the same time, but our experience with Goran was a bright spot in a dreary wasteland of fighting with plumbers, painters, and electricians. Goran came out for the initial consultation in the evening, at our convenience. We met with a lot of companies with really impressive websites, and project binders, and enormous price tags. Goran’s price was VERY competitive, but, honestly, we choose him because we just liked talking with him the most. He was fantastic to work with. There were a couple of times along the way when we made bad calls, or held the process up, or changed our minds, or added an extra project. Every time, he helped up clean up a mess we had made, adjusted his schedule, modified the plans, and accommodated our crazy schemes, without any sign of irritation. For example, we tried to save some money by having an old family friend do the initial demo work. Family friend, maybe. Expert demo guy? Turns out, not so much. This guy missed a lot of stuff, but completely removed our precious laundry chute! Goran very politely came in, rebuilt our laundry chute, and cleaned things up. After that, we often looked to Goran for advice. While he would have suggestions (usually good ones we should have listened to!) he always made it clear that the final decision was ours. Goran was incredibly responsive – available to us whenever we had questions. Often, we would text at night, or he would pop over to check something on Saturday. He was always here when he said he would be, and kept us apprised of the schedule we were on. But as pleasant as it was to work with Goran, what was most amazing about him is the quality of his work. Every step of the way, he went above and beyond what we expected. He worked hard to keep construction dust out of the rest of the house, and debris under control. He painted the back stairs, just because you could see them from the kitchen. He handcrafted wood molding to match the new cabinets, which he extended throughout the whole space. He rebuilt a doorway, handcrafting trim that matched the 100 year old trim in the rest of the house. He is an absolutely amazing craftsman, and I am totally in awe of his carpentry skills. Goran may not have a fancy website, but trust me – he’s a once in a lifetime kind of contractor, and you would be incredible lucky to work with him.

It went very well. I'm very happy with the results.

Goran and his team were fantastic. This project exceeded our expectations in many ways. The quality of craftsmanship/carpentry work was outstanding. As part of the project, they built a new mantel over our fireplace and it is gorgeous - far better than I anticipated. They also created a smart bench to cover up an unsightly sump pump. Goran and his team are extremely professional, punctual and have great ideas. They understand old houses (mine was built in 1925) and are respectful of creating new spaces that honor the character of the home. I also appreciated how Goran would check in during the project to let us know how things were going. I highly recommend JDR to homeowners in the Heights area. They are terrific!

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Goran was a pleasure to work with. Very detailed in all aspects of the planning and execution. Communication could not have been better! I highly recommend working with Goran and this company.

We are very pleased with JDR's work! The results were better than we expected.
We had the following work done:
* Had the mudroom insulated and finished. 
* Removed a wall so that we could have our breakfast room combined with the original kitchen to make a nice open and spacious kitchen.
* Had an island built where we installed the stove, a hood with vent above it in the ceiling, and granite two level breakfast bar. 
* New Granite counters throughout.
* Replaced all the appliances and cabinets. 
* Had the main window over the sink replaced.
* Had the hardwood floors repaired and extended where needed and completely refinished.
* Converted a closet with some dead space into a space for our refrigerator and custom built pantry shelving. 
* All new electric circuits with added outlets and recessed, under counter, and pendulum lighting throughout. 
* Installed tiled back splash on the wall behind the sink and covering the area under the breakfast bar and behind the stove. 
* Finished with crown molding and many other quality details. 
Goran and his team were professional, reliable, honest and communicated with us every detail along the way. They are also very friendly and have a sense of humor!
They were able to give us advise on what to do and where to get some of the materials we needed. For example: originally we were on the fence about whether to install tile flooring or keep the hardwood. He advised that not only would tile floors remove any future possibility of reusing the original hardwood, but that, when installed correctly with concrete sub-flooring would raise the floor too far and cause a lot of subsequent headaches regarding the back door framing and other issues. It was the right choice and saved us some money too!
The only possibly negative thing I can say about this job is that it took longer than we expected, but these delays were partly due to his attention to getting things right. For example, he spent quite a long time leveling areas which had suffered from the settling of our 100 year old home -- in the end this kind of effort produced really great results. We did request a few small changes that took some extra time but were all handled very professionally. And we had a few delays outside of our control, when the granite cutters had to re-cut one piece and the dishwasher had to be repaired.
This project has been one of the best experiences we've ever had with any contractor. JDR's work is worth every penny. 

Working with Goran went very well.  He was very communicative by email and by phone.  He spent a good amount of time with us planning the project and updated the preliminary quote along the way to reflect our changing requests.  We appreciated that he came up with a unique solution to get HVAC into our second-floor sunroom, which will now be comfortable in all seasons!  It was a pleasure to hire a contractor who is so professional and who does creative, high-quality work.  We are very happy with Goran/JDR and will definitely hire again for future projects!

We hired Goran to "open up" a basement bedroom. He carefully talked us through several options and we decided to remove part of a wall and install French doors. Goran ordered the doors, cut through the wall, and installed the doors. Without exception he was timely and professional. The new doors look great and have succeeded in making the room feel larger and more accessible.

Amazing.  I am not sure where to start, but Goran is wonderful.  Reliable and trustworthy.  We felt comfortable letting him come and go during the entire job; he was really part of the family.  His work was first rate.  (He only used a subcontractor to finish the drywall, and was there with him the entire time.) We are most impressed by the custom built-ins that he created for our space. He is an artist!  We showed him some pictures from a magazine and he said "no problem;" four weeks later he had given us much more than we had asked for!  Beautiful.  During the job, he suggested a few changes and was very clear about the impact on the cost.  We could not be more pleased with the experience.
One additional note that speaks to how great Goran is.  During the project we lost power in part of our house.  Knowing that Goran had been doing some rewiring, I called him (in the evening) before contacting the electrician.  He offered to come over that night and trouble shoot it for us!  He spent most of the next day figuring out what the problem was, and if turned out to be on the exterior of our house and completely unrelated to the work he was doing.  He never complained about the time he spent working on this problem, and considered if part of providing good customer service.
Bottom line, I strongly recommend this company!

Fantastic! Goran was extremely responsive, efficient and professional. He completed the work a very reasonable time frame. We added one or two projects on top of the estimate and it was done a reasonable cost.
He was friendly and trustworthy. We never once blinked an eye at giving him access to the house while we were at work.
The job was done well and with high quality. His price is the best balance of quality and price savings of anyone we found. We had about 6 estimates done before choosing JDR. 
We would and are likely to choose Goran and his company again for home projects.
If there was one negative it would be the clean up at the end was a bit rushed. There were some materials left and some paint dripped on surfaces that wasn't completely cleaned. This was not significant and VERY minor but to keep these reviews real I like to put some constructive feedback in.
We very much enjoyed our experience!

The quality of their work is very good. I was specific about how I wanted a few things to be installed and they were very careful and met my expectations. They were very neat - in the work area and going in and out of the house. Communication was easy with them. We talked at the end of the day and they answered or returned my call promptly when I called.

This is an old house and we ran into a couple of unexpected things, like a corroded drain pipe. They were very helpful in explaining  any problems and resolving them.

I had a budget that I wanted to meet and they were very sensitive to that with their suggestions of repair work and selecting fixtures. I asked for some additional things to be done and their price for that was fair.

JDR was very professional. I wouldn't hesitate to use them again.

Goran and his team did a great job!  We are very pleased at the craftsmanship, professionalism and expertise of the team.  They completed the work in under a week which was super impressive.

Placed call to JDR. Received prompt response. Used email to communicate mostly, but even phone calls were returned promptly.
Arrived on time. Finished job when they said they would. 
Work was very well done. After job was finished I called and asked if Goran would come back and redo some of the painting in the bathroom. He came the very next day, re did the area in question. Called me later that day to make sure I was totally satisfied. 
I have since moved and will be calling JDR again in my new home for the remodeling I intend to do.

To say the experience was incredible is to down play it.  We have never had someone else do work in our home because we have done it all ourselves and we are very picky. This bathroom installation however,  was too much for us to take on. We asked friends for recommendations and Goran's name kept coming up.  From the first moment he showed up right on time to look at the job, Goran's knowledge and professionalism was obvious.  He asked questions we hadn't thought of and had solutions for all of the challenges we weren't sure how to solve.  We were so excited when he said he could fit our project in.  He was responsive when we had questions leading up to and during the process, clearly communicated  every step of the way and was competitively and fairly priced. He worked with us to select fixtures and finishes that fit our budget and looked great.  While completing the project, both he and his assistant Paul were professional and respectful or our space.  He was always on time and stayed on the project until the job was done. When there, tarps were always down to protect the floor, tools were tidied each night, trash gathered and he was also extremely careful with the gate so our dog never got out.  In terms of execution, he never missed an opportunity to exceed expectations. He didn't cut a single corner from the plumbing buried under ground to the beveled edge on a piece of wood trim. He approached the project as a craftsman and it shows.  We are beyond thrilled with our new bathroom.  If we ever have another project we would call him in a heartbeat. Until then, I'm just hoping to spread the word so everyone else can have a great home remodel experience too.

Works was done on time and on budget.  Goran and Paul were meticlious in their workmanship and in the clean-up.  Are having JDR do our kitchen next.

The walls and ceiling were removed and new windows, insulation, sound-proofing, electrical circuits, recessed lighting, and a fan were installed. An old closet entrance was walled over and new bi-fold closet doors installed. The demolition was done quickly and neatly; dust was kept down using a mechanical air filter. The floors were still in good shape so they were protected throughout the job with several layers of cardboard. In all, a sad room desperately in need of a make-over is now bright, quiet, and warmer. Mr. Zekic was a pleasure to work with- efficient, professional, with as little disruption to our house as possible. I recommend JDR without reservation.

JDR fixed my house! An obvious leak from an upstairs bathroom into the dining room ceiling precipitated the remodeling of the bathroom. In the process layers of old, bad work, and structural issues were uncovered. The bathroom was torn down to the studs and rebuilt, and the dining room ceiling was completely rebuilt, including structural reinforcement. This job was the porverbial can of worms. Layer upon layer of old, and shoddy renovation had to be addressed and remediated. While no one relishes uncovering a can of worms, JDR handled each new discovery professionally, with care, and with concern for added cost.
The workers were conscientious and careful and with great attention to detail. Goran was attentive, responsive and a pleasure to work with - which says a lot considering how stressful home renovation can be especially a project that involves with unexpected work.
At the end of the day, I have a beautiful new bathroom, a solid dining room ceiling and the knowledge that it's not all going to fall down on someone's head during Thanksgiving dinner! I have complete confidence that work that was done was the exact opposite of the shoddy work they uncovered, and no future owner of this house will have the same can of worms!
I would recommend JDR to anyone.

Extemely professional, installed plastic lining on the stairs each day to protect carpet.  On time every day, great attention to detail(no short cuts in matching 1920 style), neat, cleaned,no mess.  Great Job!  Second bedroom he had redone for us.  An agent from Sherwin Williams saw the first when measuring for shades-was so impressed by the work and how it matched the rest of the house, she asked for his name for her other clients.