Joe's Home Improvement

Excellent job!  Quick to come and repair things in a professional way.  Definitely use his service again.

We've used Joe for nearly every major (and minor) fix in our Capitol Hill rowhome over the past 5 years.  Since it is a 103 year old home there have been numerous fixes.  I cannot offer a better recommendation of his services and his character.
Joe originally completely remodeled our basement apartment, replacing structural elements, drywall, full kitchen remodel, bathroom remodel, electrical work, flooring etc.  There wasn't a job he could not do for us.  4 years and 3 sets of tenants later, the apartment is still in immaculate shape due to Joe's professionalism and quality of work.  The tile floor he laid for us has been abused by renters but still looks phenomenal.
Recently, Joe has returned to fix multiple projects for us to include the work referenced above (hot water heater, leaks, electrical, drywall, plumbing etc.).  As always, he was professional, punctual, thorough, and his work was second to none.  I have recommended Joe to multiple sets of friends and each one of them has come away pleased and have brought Joe back for more projects.  I literally have Joe on speed dial!
Over many years of home remodels and fixes I have found Joe to be the most reliable individual I can find in this market. Renovations and fixes never go as planned and some customers often harbor unrealistic expectations of contractors.  Joe has always gone above and beyond for our family and remains our absolutely top choice for any home repair needs.

We have been waiting for years to change our kitchen floor, because we prefer to wait to be able to get exactly what I want (pricey and heated large porcelain tiles). When we were ready, 2 friends recommended Joe, saying he was really good and reliable. So we hired him to remove the old cork floor, lay the heating mash, place the porcelain tiles over it, and install insulation under the kitchen. The space is an addition and the crawling space, if not insulated, would make the tiles very cold in the winter. We also hired him to install just tiles (no insulation or heating mash) in a small bathroom and the room that gives entrance to our basement (6? x 6? maybe).
All started well. His cutting is impeccable and he is reliable. However, we were not satisfied with the final result. The tiles were not leveled, one tile is always higher/lower than the next, with hardly two consecutive tiles with a smooth transition. Normal cleaning tools don't reach the corners caused by the different levels. Not what you expect when you buy shiny and smooth large tiles! At first, I did not complain because we knew that fixing that would require breaking the entire floor and redoing everything, wasting all the expensive material we bought, and Joe would not agree. This was May 2014. With time, more problems started to appear. Right at the entrance of the kitchen there were moving boards, badly placed probably 30 years ago, when the kitchen was added to the house. During construction, Joe himself pointed that out, and fixed it before placing the tile, always making sure to emphasize how his job was going to last forever. Well, the boards started to move a couple of months later, and the grout started to crumble away. With summer, the ants came, through gaps between the floor and the baseboard (tile baseboards also installed by Joe). The house is old, we know that things happen over time, but we never had ants in the house before, it was sealed well from the outside when
we had the old floors. Then winter came. The heating mash under the tiles works well. Insulation probably helped too. However, somewhere below the counters there is probably a gap, not isolated from the outside, where the cold air is able to pass through the insulation and into the kitchen.
Now it is March, it?s been 9 full months since his job was completed. More grout is crumbling away. After experiencing that floor in every season we asked another professional tile installer to provide an unbiased opinion on the project.  He stated: ?The way the tile was placed is unacceptable.? So decided to contact Joe. We wanted to be compensated for at least what we paid him to install the tiles, as fixing is not possible without redoing it, even though our loss goes well beyond that because of the pricy materials. Or we wanted him to provide an effective and professional solution. We asked him to come over, to show him in person how the tile has seemed to get worse in less than a year. He said as he arrived that his warranty was only for six months, information we never received before, as we have no contract or receipt, but he always claimed his job was going to ?last forever, unlike what the previous contractor?s job? (from 30 years before!). He said that it is an old house, that the structure was bad, and that the tile could not be flat and even because of the heating mash underneath. He could not justify why the tiles are also not leveled in the small bathroom and the room leading to the basement, since there is no heating mash there. He kept blaming the old house. We know it is old, but that is why it needed construction, to be improved. At the time of construction, he pointed out the problems and told us how he was fixing them. Now, he blames them for the imperfections in his work. He just walked away after that. He made no attempt at trying to find a solution.
So far we hope to have been fair and objective in this review, relating only facts about Joe?s work and our experience with him. If we were to add our opinion about Joe, we?d say he is a nice and reliable person, he works hard, his construction was in time (rare among contractors). We don?t dislike him. We are just not happy with the fact that we will have to replace the kitchen floor again in the future, spending all that money and going through construction again, bearing all the loss of money and time. This was a step towards improving our home that should have been finished last year. We would most likely have used Joe for other future jobs, however this will not be the case because of this unprofessional side of him we have experienced.
 

Started off well.  During survey phase found source of our major problem.  The connecting tube to the ice maker had developed several pin holes and water was shooting out in three places.  Sorry to say that the plumber that visited a few weeks earlier did not discover the leak. 
Joe gave an initial price estimate that increased as it appeared that more work was needed.  I paid based on the total estimate and was promised that a final invoice would be provided.  Although I followed up it (the invoice) has never been sent.  As a result I do not know what I actually paid for (labor and materials) and have no assurance that I was not overcharged.  Therefore the "D" rating.

Joe is terrific.  He renovated our main full bathroom and it looks and functions fantastic!  Joe also finished half of our partially finished basement.  We are hiring Joe again to do more interior and exterior work on our house.  Joe is very respectful and honest.

sfgafg

Joe came out the day I called him to give me an estimate.  His price was fantastic and it was clear that he has a lot of experience renovating and building homes, so I trusted him to do the repairs that were required as a result of a home inspection related to the sale of our home.  Joe came back when he said he would and did an excellent job.  His work is precise and he was professional.  He's a nice guy and I would definitely have him do more work for us in the future.

Both times we had the door installs he had to drill the hole for the locking meckanisms in the door jam twice because the first time he drilled it he was off by a small bit the first time he drilled it, the front door never closes without pulling/pushing and checking to make sure its latched.  A couple of times we left the house in a hurry only to realize when we came back to the house that the door wasnt latched shut, we know to check now but its irritating.  When he did the porch door he put the dead bolt on upside down and left before we noticed.  When he installed the windows, which were done very well, we had him change one from a large picture window to a bay window and it looks amazing.
He always shows up on time with 2 or 3 employees and completes the work in a timely manner.
He is quick to provide an estimate, schedule, and complete the project and for these reasons we have used him as our go to contractor for 'ala carte' projects that are too big for us to do on our own but not so big that we would need to shut down operations in the home.

I can't express in words how much I trust and appreciate Joe. He is honest and very experienced. Hard to find this combination in contractors.

See above.

The technician was able to fix a squeak that others had been out to look at and could not figure out.  It required taking up some of the subflooring and also to cut in into the wall board to actually find the root cause.  I have had serveral other companies come out that could not figure it out and also quoted extremely high prices.  This company did an outstanding job all the way around.

I noticed water on the floor of my small bathroom which is located downstairs.  It came from the toilet.  I called Joe, plumbing services, based on ratings I saw on Angie's list, as well as the fact he was  located 1.9 miles from me.  He and his partner came over and discovered that this job was more than was anticipated.  We started with a 25ft plumbing snake and later,he  changed to a 50ft electric plumbing snake.  The pipe was stopped up by paper and after several attempts, he was able to loosen the paper, making the water flow again.  Joe and his partner worked as a team, and they were determined to solve the problem.  They are professional, very good at their job, and never gave up on determining the right solution.  I will use them again and again.  I'm very happy and relieved that they fixed my problem.
Carol

He was friendly and took time to explain to me how to keep these different items in shape, and maintained. He  took the lock off the sliding glass door, found the problem and fixed it.  He cleaned all the debris off the bottom and top of the screen and showed me how to tighten the screws just enough, so that it will slide correctly.

Working with Joe was great. He was very responsive in scheduling the estimate. His price was extremely competitive, as well. I chose him due to the combination of his price estimate and his rating on Angie's List.
Joe showed up on time on the day he was going to do the work. He got everything done quickly and the quality of his work was exceptional.
Joe was very easy to work with and he was very friendly.
I would recommend him to anyone else who has projects that need to be done. If/when I have other work that needs to be done in my condo, Joe will be the first person I call!

Wonderful

Excellent experience and best contractor I have used.  Joe is very professional, honest and takes pride in his work and craftsmanship.  He was very prompt, cleaned up very well every day, and finished the project as promised.  His work was done with care and high quality.  I will not hesitate to hire Joe again for future projects.

Joe did a good job on cleaning the deck.  He only missed one spot that he later cleaned.  The stain was not applied evenly so that overlaps and different density of staining occurred.  It would have been better to let the first coat dry and then do a second coat.  The dry wall and interior painting were very well done.  Joe had also bid some other work inside and later provided yet another bid for some exterior carpentry work.  He failed to show up to do the exterior carpentry work when he said that he would and never completed the other interior work that he bid.  I subsequently got another bid for the exterior and interior work that was substantially below the bid that Joe provided.  He also did not honor the Angie's coupon saying that it was already included in his bid when we presented the coupon to him.

Joe did everything well and promptly.

He was great, prompt, efficient and fair.

Fantastically.  Great price and first rate craftsmanship.

Fabulous! The attention to detail was impressive and gratifying.

Joe arrived promptly and went about doing the job.  He had to cut holes in both ceilings and got into the attic to do the wiring.  He did an excellent job, cleaned up after himself.  Very pleased and will recommend him to others.

Joe is hand's down the best contractor I have ever dealt with.  He is professional, trustworthy and only cares that the job is done correctly and to your liking. During this project he has been exceedingly patient and even completes work that we had not agreed upon because he wants to ensure his job is done properly.  He even was willing to remove a room-full of tile that he had laid because my wife and I did not like the accent tiles.  He did this even though my wife and I were the ones who picked out the tile and none of it was his fault. A true professional.

This is the second project I have used him for, and I will continue to use him for all future projects in my home.  I have sent his contact information to all of my friends, which is the best way of showing thanks to him for the great work he has performed.

Joe responded immediately to our request and did a terrific job matching paint, doing the dry wall repair perfectly and soldering the leaking pipe as well as repairing and re-painting the woodwork covering the initial leak.  We'll definately use him again for similar work. 

He was very friendly and easy to communicate with.  He answered all the questions we had and did great work.  I would definitely recommend him to others.