JAMES ALLEN CONTRACTING

It went extremely well. Jim was thorough and accurate with his estimate - no surprises. He was great about answering our questions as we learned about our options. Jim was spot on with time frame and kept us informed throughout the process. Note: We used James Allen Contracting for a bathroom update in 2014 and were very pleased.

He did a wonderful job and was very prompt, coming when he said he would and staying on the job until it was complete. He had good ideas for us to consider and was very easy to work with. He did much of the work himself and supervised others when they were on the job. The work was inspected by Fairfax County.

Jim and his wife Maureen and daughter Jennifer arrived the first day on time and proceeded with the demolition of my 20-year-old tile backsplash. They protected floors and surfaces with tarps. For the following 5 days, Jim and Jennifer returned for partial days to replace drywall, profile the studs and caulk the drywall joints. They sealed the drywall against the granite splash blocks with caulk. Jim adjusted the wall phone rough-in to clear the tile. Finally, they installed and grouted my selected tile. They replaced switches, plugs, and GFCI with new wall plates. They cleaned up nicely and guaranteed their workmanship for 3 years. I am very pleased with this project completed by James Allen Contracting.

Jim is very professional and detail-oriented.  The results of the kitchen and bathroom remodel were outstanding.  We felt that we were an important customer to him, and he did what had to be done to meet our expectations. 

This renovation involved a complete gutting and renovation of two bathrooms originally built in the 1970's.  The contract/estimate was detailed, and we were able to get exactly what we expected for the price Jim quoted us.  He and the crew who worked with him were professional and tried to make the necessarily disruptive process as quick and painless as possible.  We could not have asked for a better experience.

They did everything. Their price was very good. I will use their service again in the future.

They did a lot of work. It was very good. He does a very meticulous job. Our relationship with him has gone back 8 years. He always does good work. He cleans up after himself. You know he will do a good job. He is punctual and gets the work done when expected!

We were referred to Jim Allen by our kitchen cabinet company, when considering a remodel of our kitchen.  It was our first experience with home renovation.  When Jim came to our home and explained the process, including the many decisions that we would be making, we were very overwhelmed.  He was very understanding of the homeowner experience, and there was no "hard sell".  Instead, he encouraged us to think about everything carefully, and take our time. 
When we checked his references, we heard repeatedly that Jim is a hard worker, knows what he is doing, is a perfectionist, and is honest.  After almost 3 months of renovation, we agree that this was our experience, too, in working with James Allen Contracting.
Through Jim's quality workmanship, excellent organizational and communication skills, attention to detail, and close supervision of reliable, skilled sub-contrators, we got the kitchen we wanted with the minimum of problems.  And best of all, the cost of the project came in at only 1.27% over the original budget, and that was only because we had added some work.
After 25 years living in this house, going through the renovation was a crazy time for us, but it was well worth it!  We are happy to recommend Jim Allen to others.

I have been delighted with
Jim's work and I have recommended him to friends, who have, in turn, recommended
Jim to their friends. What really stands out is the quality of Jim's work, his
attention to detail and his willingness to go above and beyond. He clearly
takes pride in his work and nothing is complete until the customer is
satisfied. He "fixed" a long-standing problem with ants in my house ?
clearly not within his scope of work but he did it anyway. Jim went to
considerable effort to locate a wall-mounted, swing-arm platform for my kitchen
television. He went with me to pick out tile, cabinets and countertops to
provide guidance on price, style and color. Jim has always completed the job
within the predicted timeframe and budget. If materials are less expensive than
he initially predicted, Jim passes on the savings to the customer. When I have
another job to do, I'll call Jim first.

I used Jim for this job because I know from my own personal experience with him, that he is honest, dependable, professional, an expert in his field and has an eye for the finer details.  In addition I know that he will work with me to make sure I am happy about every single aspect of the job.
As a testament to Jim's worok ethic, I think it is important to tell you how we met.  I was living in a rental in Springfield, VA and the bathroom ceramic tile was leaking into the wall and running down two stories into the basement.  Jim was hired by my landlord to fix the problem.  When it came to finishings on the job, the landlord was unwilling to pay for ceramic tile trim around the baseboard but instead wanted Jim to install that crappy looking black rubber/vinyl baseboard.  Jim would not let his work look like that and at his own cost, finished the job with the ceramic tile that matched the shower walls.  At that time I thought, "WOW!! When I have my own home, this is the guy!!" We have been in our own home since 2001 and I have used Jim multiple times with excellent results eacn and every time. 
I had in mind what I wanted to do with the kitchen and Jim came out to the house for us to discuss it.  We went over it in detail and he made suggestions for things that he thought would improve my layout and workspace.  The contract was ready within the week.  We planned to start the job in January, after the holidays.  During the month of December, I picked out and purchased my appliances with Jim's input.  He was always available for discussion and to give advice when asked.  I really value his opinion - he is honest and has no hidden agenda when recommending something. 
Jim covered the floor of my dining room with masonite so that we would have a place to put the appliances when they were delivered as I needed to store them for a period of time.  I had taken advantage of a sale and the appliance store would only hold delivery for so long.  In addition, Jim helped us set up an interim kitchen in my front room including covering the carpet with masonite under the fridge and plastic over the walking areas. 
At the time that we started, I only planned on doing the kitchen.  As the work progressed, I realized I was not going to be happy with my mudroom and laundry as they were going to look shabby compared to my kitchen, so at a later date we did a secondary contract to include the mudroom and laundry work.
Each day Jim and his crew arrived on time.  The rest of the house was sealed off to contain dust during the demolition and at any other time that dust would have been a problem.  Jim kept our path to the laundry open so that we could use the laundry room until the very last minute.  Each day, the work area was cleaned, swept and tidied.  I trust Jim completely so I always give him a key to my home when he does a job for me.  He keeps it in his possession at all times. 
Jim worked with me during each phase of the remodel. I chose and purchased my own light fixtures, door handles, etc.  I asked him to purchase the sink, exhaust fan, garbaged disposal and faucets after telling him what i needed/wanted regards the style and function.  He found me the best exhaust fan I have ever had in my 50 plus years of cooking! Jim was there to help when we picked out cupboards, the undercabinet lighting, the tile for the backsplash - every step of the way.  Jim is a master tile setter and he does absolutely beautiful work.  We found a beautiful tile and when I wanted to change the pattern of the layout to suit me, he handled it with no problem.  He lined us up with some wonderful folks for the granite and we were even given a tour of the facility. 
Jim suggested that the plates for light switches and plugs that were placed in the tile and on the back of my peninsula be painted to match the surfaces.  He hired the professional who came to the house to do the work and the result is awesome.  No tacky plastic plates over my gorgeous tile backsplash and the plugs on the back of the peninsula match the wood to perfection.
Jim easily accomodated me when I changed my mind about the counter top in the mudroom.  I had intended to use a less expensive material but realized since I could see it through the doorway it really should match the counter in the kitchen.  In addition, he negotiated a reduced price by working closely with the granite people.  Jim came up with the idea to use leftover tile from my kitchen backspash to make a matching mini backsplash in the mudroom.  It looks great with the undercabinet lighting that he added at my request even though neither item was in the original contract.
Jim finished the job ON TIME AND ON BUDGET AS HE ALWAYS DOES!
My kitchen is absolutely gorgeous and I have enjoyed working with Jim on every project we have done.  He even gave me advice about my landscaping projects, which I used with my landscaper to my benefit.  Be sure to check out my kitchen on Jim's website.  Our home now has more rooms in it that Jim has remodeled than rooms that he hasn't !!  Lucky us!! 

They took everything down very carefully and they clean up very well, so you never have a mess. They bring in large powerful vacuums that take up all the dust from sanding. They work quickly. I was referred to him by a friend. Something I've never had done before, but he brings you a loaf of bread that he makes himself once the job is complete! He grinds the oats himself. The bread is good though!