JW CONTRACTING, Inc.

JW Contracting did an excellent job of acid washing our in-ground swimming pool. We recommend them most highly.

So let me start off with how incredibly awesome JW Contracting (JW) and their team has been. I had just gone through a nightmare with a company that stopped work mid-way through on our pool project (Crystal Blue Aquatics). At this point I had little faith in any pool company. That all changed when I was recommended to talk to Kyle from JW. He came by and looked over what was remaining on my project and I’m a pretty handy guy so we discussed what things I could get done and what things I couldn’t. I decided to take on some of the work myself, but Kyle was happy to let me bounce ideas off of him as I took on some of those items. The thing I appreciated most with Kyle was the conversations weren’t 5 minutes they were 20-40 conversations so you could tell he was really looking out for my best interest and did not want me to make any mistakes. JW pressure tested my pipes to make sure there were no leaks or cracks that may have occurred over the winter. They fit me in on their schedule to do the work on my pool. If you know anything about trying to get on a pool companies schedule last minute you know your prospects aren’t good but I believe JW truly felt bad for what I had gone through and decided to add me to the schedule. I think mainly to prove to me there are still good pool companies out there. It was a stark difference from my previous company. They kept me updated on when they were coming and what needed done on my end. Whenever I called JW, it didn’t matter who I spoke to they were all familiar with my project. Well organized, communicative and efficient is an understatement… I quick story about my plaster installation from JW. First, I’ve had previous pools re-plastered, so I understand what a good plaster job looks like. I also know that most plaster folks try to do 2 plaster jobs a day. I can tell you JW does not work that way. They solely focused on my pool from 8 that morning till 4PM that afternoon. The time and detail they put into the job was incredible. Making sure the pool step edges were crisp and the body of the pool was smooth with no rough spots could be found and I’m a picky guy so that’s saying a lot. The level of detail they put into my pool was impressive. In the picture you can see one of their guys grasping onto the wall and finessing the edge of the plaster where it meets the tile. I know that had to be uncomfortable, but he never rushed to finish because of that. The same effort went into the first 6 inches as it did the last. Also, I had put out some plywood on the driveway just to protect the driveway. They were throw away pieces of plywood but to my amazement in the cleanup process they cleaned every piece of plywood so I could re-use it (I had to take a picture). There was also a pool deck box next to the driveway that was dirty as could be. Since they were cleaning up, they went ahead and cleaned that up as well…Truly impressive. The team really cared about every aspect of the job, and you can’t teach that, heck you can’t buy that. In today’s environment I gotta believe it’s hard to find and keep good people but the fact that the team that finished my pool had been with JW for years spoke volumes to me in terms of what type of company JW is. So, to say I fully recommend JW is an understatement they helped me through a terrible time and care about you as an individual and not just a project. They are “Simply the best”!

What an amazing company with great customer service and skilled workers! We were referred by the company that opens/closes our pool each year and we very pleased. Jim and his entire team were very responsive and I couldn’t believe how quickly and efficiently they did the job. I would highly recommend!!

It looks great! They were easy to work with, reasonably priced, professional. The end product was as advertised. Make sure you follow the start up instructions.

DONT HIRE JW CONTRACTING!!! Jim was very easy to work with. He appeared honest and straight forward, that was until problems with our plaster occurred. . His Crew came out on time and they appeared to be very efficient. The entire staff was pleasant. We had our pool redone in fall of 2018. It was closed soon thereafter. When we opened our pool last spring we noticed some discoloration that continued to progress. We had several conversations with Jim regarding what had occurred. He came out twice to inspect the pool. Each time was several weeks after the call, His explanation was , "there could be any reason this occurred, one could have been something you added to the pool". We consulted several other companies who stated there is nothing you could add to the pool to cause this. The plaster was most likely not mixed right or it was hard troweled. We then came across other issues that they pointed out in regards to plaster application. Jim refused to stand by his work or even entertain the possibility that this is what had occurred. We are now left with a pool that is grey and dirty looking. . Of course first world problems right, but in the end if your looking for a pool contractor to stand by his work, JW contracting is not that company.

Excellent work! Jim is great to work with as is his office staff. The crew that worked on my pool was great, hard working and very professional. You can also tell that Jim takes good care of his work crew. With the exception of gas and electric, Jim does everything else in-house. This makes for a better job and everything he does is first rate. My only disappointment was not knowing about Jim when I had the pool built as I would have certainly used him. He's my goto guy now.

On schedule. Fantastic job!

Went great. Called for an estimate and Jim came by to complete when I was at work. Received via email a few days later. Much less than the original company that also sent an estimate. Accepted and scheduled the work a few weeks later. A crew of 4-5 guys came, removed all the old caulk, and recaulked the entire surface. Even in a few perimeter places that I didn't expect by much appreciated. Looks great, better than original job. Crew cleaned up great too.

Jim sent out his entire crew that had done the original work - they completely removed the old caulking and installed new. Incredible customer service. I was not expecting such a great response. Highly recommend JW.

JW Contracting is a class act, from Jim’s no BS evaluation of what the job will involve, to a work crew that are very talented, extremely hard working, and exceptionally neat. The crew showed up on June 7, 2016 to perform what I would describe as a “major rehabilitation” of my 40+ year old pool. The job involved removing all the coping and tile, demo and reconstruction of the entire bond beam (111 linear feet), complete removal (down to the concrete) of at least 75% of the plaster. Re-installation of re-bar, forming and pouring the new bond beam, installing new coping and tile, applying the new Quartz plaster, and finally having the water delivered. I was swimming in my pool the afternoon of June 16! When Jim stated that once his crew shows up to start on my pool they will show up every day until the job is finished he wasn’t fooling.  The only day they did not work was Sunday, as any reasonable person should expect. Other than a beautiful new pool there is virtually no evidence that any kind of work was done in my yard.

Jim’s estimate was higher than the others I received but that is because he gave me a truly legitimate estimate of what needed to be done. He spent much more time in my yard the day he came to evaluate the job so his estimate included a lot of work (that was absolutely necessary) the others did not. If I removed the additional work his estimate included it would have been right there with all the others, and like all the others it would have resulted in some very ugly surprises.

Another thing that really impressed me was how quickly Jim got back to us with answers to our questions. This was an expensive undertaking which involved work we were not familiar with so I had a lot of questions, many of which I’m sure were quite elementary to someone who has been in this business for a long time. No matter what the question, Jim’s response always came in short order and in terms one could easily understand.

Bottom line, if you want quality work, performed by true craftsmen, a realistic estimate, and an extremely responsive company owner, give JW Contracting a call.

 

on time and in budget great crew quality work quality material hope I don't have but would use them again

Fantastic experience from start to finish.  From the beginning we liked Jim's presence and knowledge.  His price was slightly higher than the other quotes, but all quotes were within $2,000.  However, well worth the higher price.  The workers were no bull, hard working and working well which produced a job well done.  There were ZERO signs that they were even there other than a wonderful looking pool.  Plus great communication via email.  Other than only getting sometimes an evenings notice that they were coming the next morning, we can only say wonderful things about our experience with JW Contracting, INC and highly recommend their services.

Did not go well at all.  An "F" grade  and we didn't even get any work done!

I had contacted JW Contracting, Inc. located in Manassas, VA for an estimate on a variety of pool repair work.  Obviously, being a smart consumer, I was seeking multiple estimates from a variety of companies because I have a variety of items pertaining to the pool that need repaired or replaced.   Owner James Walsh came by but turned back without ringing the bell or talking to me.  Basically, Mr. Walsh was annoyed because he noticed another pool company there (they had provided me an estimate and were leaving). Then, I get this extremely rude and unprofessional email from Mr. Walsh that is more than self-explanatory (see below).  

This is exactly NOT how to run a business and this is NOT a company you want to work with, especially when you  are dealing with pools.  I simply would NOT trust someone who is so unprofessional.  Angie's List is a great place but please do your research before having anyone come into your house to work on major project like pools.

From: Jim Walsh 
Date: May 12, 2016 at 1:07:00 PM EDT
To: 
Subject:  pool appt

Just wanted to let you know, I did come to look at the pool yesterday. I arrived at 1pm just like I said I would. To my surprise, Millennium Pools was there.

I certainly welcome the competition, however I think it's rude to schedule 2 people to come at the same time to look at your job.

So, I'm not interested in working with you. Good Luck....

James Walsh

JW Contracting, Inc.

Very professional from the first phone call on.  Jim sent out a gang of pro's that worked fast and cut through the deck, dug out the lines of the pool, replaced bad lines and skimmer.  Thorough cleanup.  Very nice people to work with!  I wouldn't hesitate calling them again.

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unknown

We had a bunch of tile that heaved over the winter (water must have accumulated under it).  The JW crew came out and fixed it right up with no mess at all.  They removed the existing tile and replaced it with an exact match and everything looks good as new again.

Excellent work, showed up as promised daily until work completed.

Our experience with JW Contracting was excellent.  Mr. Walsh is professional and extremely knowledgeable.  He is honest about the cost and the work that needs to be done.  He gives you a base price and you can add extras from there.  His price was competitive with the other bids.  He did exactly what he said he would.  Pleasure to work with him.  His crew is amazing; the stonework they did is gorgeous!  We absolutely love the pool and deck. His team is curious, kind, and truly professional. Wonderful job, done on budget and on time.
 
Three caveats.  He does not take credit cards.  Helps to have a Spanish speaker available to talk to the crew.  He leaves only a small amount of ?extra? material upon request.  With other contractors if I buy a pallet of stone or a box of tile, they leave me the unused material.  He refused and would not explain why not.  We had a disconnect on that, but otherwise no problems.

unknown

He's been very responsive and patient. He's cautious which is fine. He worked with me on the contract. He's done the diagnostics on the pool, and I've been working with him for about 2 years. He listens to me. He's made himself available as needed and has offered me different options. His administrative person is also very good.

Contract was estimated in fall of 2013.  Contract for coping, tile and acid wash signed Mar 30, 2014 at the price estimated in the fall with work to start on agreed upon date in June.  Although new plaster was recommended by the contractor due to the age of the pool (17 years) and likelihood of chemical etching and roughness, we thought the pool surface was in good enough condition not to require new plaster.
No preparation on our part was required; the crew did everything.  The coping and tile were demolished, and underlying concrete beam checked for cracks and/or soft spots before proceeding with installation.  Installation went without difficulty and when complete looked exactly like the original. 
There was one problem.  After emptying the water and debris to prepare for the acid wash, the crew attempted to open plugs in the pool drains in the bottom of the pool.  One of the plugs had apparently been cemented in place during construction by the original installer and did not come out easily.  The crew effort to open it caused the plastic body of the drain to crack -- I was watching at the time -- which required jackhammering out and replacing the drains, and patching the concrete shell.  The contractor absorbed that expense without hesitation.  
.While the pool was empty, I was able to closely inspect the entire plaster surface and found extensive copper sulfate stains, etching and roughness.  Because the patch in the bottom of the pool would show and because I now agreed with the contractor's original recommendation, we decided to add new plaster to the job.  The contract was modified to include plastering at the price estimated the previous fall.  The crew then added the steps to prepare for plastering which allowed the pool to remain empty.  That gave us complete flexibility in scheduling its completion.  The contractor agreed to delay the date until one convenient for us.
In sum, the crews were hard working, knowledgeable and careful.  They were careful of our property and meticulous in cleanup.  After the pool was refilled and they left, there was hardly any evidence they had been here at all -- except the beautiful new pool!

From the time I contacted Jim Walsh to the completion of the job, there were NO deviations to his commitments.  I never once had to call to question anything.  The work was flawless, his employee's were professional and extremely courteous.  The pool system now runs like it should without question.  Any chance I get to recommend JW Contracting, I will!  These are the guys to get your pool and deck fixed or installed.  The price I show includes two 5000gal truck deliveries of water at $275/load.

We bought our home in January 2013 which had an old swimming pool. Neither of us had much knowledge of pools and since it was in the middle of winter many problems went undetected until the following spring. After opening the pool we found that our pool was in pretty bad shape and by the end of the summer we decided it would have to be completely overhauled. We had been referred to Jim Walsh by the guy who opened our pool that year and found him to be highly rated on Angie's List too. We put together a list of approximately 10 contractors from Angie's List to provide quotes for us. We found Jim to be the most professional, he provided the most detailed quote, and his was one of the most reasonable quotes we received. In the end we decided to go with JW Contracting for our pool renovation. Jim's crew was truly amazing to watch and ran like a well oiled machine. The first day I left at 8am and there were 2 guys were getting prepped to start working. I returned at 11:30am and there were close to 10 guys working and they had removed all of the coping, tile, plaster, and were in the processing of chipping away any lose material. By the end of the first day they had laid the majority of the coping and started prepping for tile. By the end of the second day all of the coping was done and the majority of the tile was as well. I was very impressed at the way the guys operated and the craftsmanship of their work. The pool turned out beautifully and my wife and I are extremely happy with the job that was performed. I would highly recommend JW Contracting if you have pool work that needs to be done.

Excellent experience again! We had Jim and his crew resurface our pool three years ago.  This time they replaced our coping and tile.  Jim is very prompt with his estimates and lets you know exactly what needs to be done.   He is also very responsive to any questions or concerns.  The crews are professional and clean up each day when they leave.  The end result is absolutely beautiful!  When it comes to working on a pool, you want a professional who does top quality work.  JW Contracting is definitely that company.