Del-Val Rehab Specialist Inc
About us
DelVal The Windowsmith offers complete window repair, window replacement and glass repair services to commercial and residential clients in the Philadelphia, PA area. Over the past 22 years, we have developed a reputation for quality workmanship, using quality products all for a fair price.
Services we offer
Windows - repair, custom shower & tub enclosures, decorative hardware, door glass., installation, storefront glass
| Number of Stars | Image of Distribution | Number of Ratings |
|---|---|---|
| 83% | ||
| 6% | ||
| 6% | ||
| 6% | ||
| 0% |
I spoke to the owner, Mark, and he indicated that this is a labor intensive job that will require four of his employees to come out and will spend roughly three hours doing the work. He stressed that four individuals need to come out because they need to remove the large window panes in order to remove/install springs. The work here was comprised of virtually all labor cost and very little from parts - the parts cost less than $100 for the springs.
My wife went to the apartment to meet the workers the day of the service and she was met with only two workers who did the job in an one hour. The man hours turned out to be a third of what Mark had indicated it would take. So I was stuck paying roughly $515 for labor for the job of 2-3 man hours or $170/hr per contractor. I reached out to Mark express my concern, I barely got a hold of him on the phone and he said that he would work something out with me. Since then, he has not returned my phone calls and emails.
I agreed to this project under the false pretense as the owner flat out lied to me about the project's scope and has since not had the decency to work this out with me.
The first repair was done on June 20, 2014 by mid July the screen became detached. I had spoken to him several times. He told me he was extremely busy. It was not until April 28, 2015 until he returned to do the repair. He charged me full price once again for replacing another whole screen.
Several contractors had come out and all advised I would have to have the windows replaced. What a joke.
Additionally, I had purchased some special solar screening to both diminish heat, as well as to better ensure child/dog safety (very, very thick).
I was called the morning of the appointment to verify that we were ready to go. Javier and Jose arrived on time and went immediately to work.
Simply put - the screens are in place, all windows are repaired. They themselves cleaned up any debris and handled disposal. Talk about impressive.
Would I use them again. Really? Absolutely!
By the way - the lowest quote I had ever received from "window" contractors was $7,000.00 for the "low" end.
We had a great experience with Del Val R.S.
They responded quickly to our request, told us what the cost would be, and then finished the job faster than we expected.
I highly recommend them. If you have a sliding screen door that is causing problems, I say, "call them."
The one exceptional contractor was a helpful replacement windows estimator, who said that if it were his home, he would get the old Andersen windows repaired, and recommended I contact Del Val. I did, spoke with Mark (very calm, casual, low-key, and friendly) who promised to send someone out to see what could be done with the Andersen windows. While he was there, I showed him the Pella; he said they also did doors. I contacted Mark for a doors estimate as well, and again, a different fellow came by to look them over, and I asked about another inside door I was having trouble with. After several days without estimates, I called, and soon received an estimate by e-mail attachment with about $700 for the windows, and roughly $1000 for all the doors ("due at completion"!), which I accepted verbally over the phone (he indicated that the window repair would require sending away for parts from Andersen). But then, I heard nothing from them for several weeks. At first, the firm seemed so casual, and difficult to contact (phone calls were answered only about half the time), I thought to myself, "Another unreliable contractor." As it turned out, boy was I wrong.
Last Friday, getting antsy, I called Mark and asked what the story was, and had the necessary parts been ordered. Not only had they already been ordered, he told me: he had received notice that they had been shipped, and proposed doing it sometime this week. Then, yesterday (Monday) he called to say the parts had arrived, and the crew would be by today at 9:30am. A crew of two (father and son) arrived promptly as promised and said they would get working on the doors, beginning at the back, and his two cousins would be by in a few minutes to do the windows. They immediately set to work, and were completely polite, professional, and business-like, all four working hard all day until 4pm, without break (despite several offers, all they would accept from me was water).
As I watched them work, it became clear they really know their business. As they finished a particular door or window, they showed me what had been done and asked me to try it. As I would notice little things, they would explain why it was that way. At several points, they explained it could be done several ways, and asked which I preferred. When I would notice something slightly bothersome (not necessarily part of what they had been contracted to do), they immediately set out fixing it, often coming up with creative solutions on the spot. When their repair, or the insulation, required work on the trim or surround, they custom cut the necessary wood to order on the spot, kept working it until it fit perfectly, and even painted it!
As anyone who has tried can tell you, getting an old out-of-whack door, in an old frame, in an old house, to hang and function perfectly is no mean task, and the head door man was truly a master craftsman at work. Late in the afternoon, as I sat and watched him, I was impressed to see him try something, spot a problem, and set about solving it, again and again. What also impressed me was his attention to detail. My inner door in need of repair (a French door) had an original glass handle and an unusual plate, but unfortunately the latch no longer worked. When he did his inspection, he noted that it might be impossible to replace unless the equivalent could be found in an antique shop. When he showed up, he had evidently hunted for--and located--an almost identical replacement handle, lock, and plate. Without my asking, they moved whatever needed to be moved to do the job, and put it back when done, periodically cleaning up after themselves as they worked their way through the house.
Just before they left an hour ago, I wrote them a check (my first payment to them) for the total cost: despite all the fine tuning they did, it was the exact estimate. I'm still sitting here, amazed at the job they did. My old double-paned Andersen windows are working like new. The Pella window now has a new screen. My four doors all work much better than they ever have. My space is exactly as it was, and totally clean. All the doors are now properly insulated, perfectly fitting, and smoothly operating, with new handles and locks. Going by the replacement estimates (7-10K), these guys saved me $5-8,000! And I have the doors and windows I want.
This has been one of the most surprising and gratifying experiences I have had with a contractor. (Before they were recommended to me, I didn't realize that such a "repair" firm existed!) For years, I put off repairs because of really bad experiences with contractors. Now, thanks to Angies List (and a friend in real estate), I am catching up and am gradually compiling a very select list of contractors who can be counted on to do quality work at a reasonable price, who are reliable, do what they say, show up when they say they will, and who leave me with a satisfied feeling that I got more than my money's worth. (So far, it consists of a plumber, a roofer, an AC contractor, and a stucco man, with several other possibles pending.) Today it got an addition. Any problems with windows or doors in the future, I'm calling Del Val.
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