Chermak Construction Inc
About us
Home remodeling or building can tax your imagination, stretch your resources and try your patience! So choose a contractor you can trust. We get to know people well before we work for them. After all, we'll both be living with the results for a long time. We are a full service construction company that has been doing it right for over 37 years. Chermak Construction is a full service residential & light commercial remodeling company. We specialize in home & commercial remodeling projects of all sizes. Our design service is unique; we are highly collaborative with our customers and we design to the budget. You envision it, we design it: anything from architectural home designs to green home designs. Our typical projects are kitchens, bathrooms, basements, whole house remodels and additions. We offer handyman, electrical, paint and deck services. Many of our Project Managers are Certified Aging in Place Specialists (CAPS) & we have a "Stay in Your Home Program" that assists people in making changes to their home that make it an easier, safer place to live. The company has been built on foundations of good employee relationships. Our high standards and incentives help each employee to reach their personal best. This in turn benefits our customers. We also work hard to be part of the communities we work in because we believe that when we work together, we all win the race! We welcome the opportunity to meet with you to discuss your project. Call or stop by the showroom anytime!
Business highlights
Services we offer
basements, bathroom design, bathroom remodeling, handyman services, home remodeling, kitchen design, kitchen remodeling, outdoor living design/build and all types of home renovation., whole-house additions
| Number of Stars | Image of Distribution | Number of Ratings |
|---|---|---|
| 69% | ||
| 14% | ||
| 6% | ||
| 6% | ||
| 6% |
We would use them again without hesitation!
To see before and after photos, go to Chermak's website
then Gallery - Exteriors and Outdoor Living - Outdoor Room
Jon is an excellent communicator. He not only kept us informed at every step, as part of his work he also persuaded our insurance company to more than double its initial estimate and pay fully for the part of the work caused by the backup. He ensures quality in the work performed on his projects, and he's just a very decent guy to work with -- something I also could say about the lead carpenter for our basement project, Chris Claussen. Chris was the onsite manager, and besides his skills as a carpenter turned out to be an excellent creative problem solver.
Chermak's brand seems to be, and quot;Excellent quality at a fair price.and quot; They didn't try to be the lowest bidder, but they delivered work that always met and often exceeded expectations. Chermak employs its own carpenters. In the case of our basement, subcontractors supplied flooring, shower tile, plumbing, electrical, wallboard, cabinets, counters and painting. They came when they said they would and efficiently performed first quality work. The plumber Chermak used was our regular company, South County. The floor guy, Fred, did an excellent job with the Marmoleum and the LVT, brought a tear in the new carpet to our attention and fully advised us on our options. I'd use him again in a heartbeat.
If it weren't for the torn carpet, Chermak would have finished the job two weeks early. But we chose to replace the carpet rather than have Fred repair the tear, and the replacement got stuck in East Coast snows and who knows what else. As it was, we finished one week behind the initial schedule. We were ok with that.
How did we feel about the work overall? Chermak exceeded our expectations and was a pleasure to do business with.
Update: With Jon Elkins' help, since this review we have used Chermak to replace the stairs and railing and repair joists on our wood deck, replace a sliding glass door and build two small garden sheds. As of this writing -- September 2014 -- we are using them to repair a damaged corner of our house. We continue to be very happy with Jon Elkins and Chermak, and expect to use them again in the near future.
Their designer, Cat, is amazing; she is brimming with ideas and can speak both the customer and builder's languages. Her computer renderings of the design gave us a lot of confidence in making decisions. Our lead carpenter, Brad, is a gem. He is first class all the way, a superb carpenter, devoted to quality, great communication, super neat and tidy. He suggested several changes that really improved the design and execution of the project. Our experience with the other Chermak employees was similarly outstanding; all were courteous and very competent. They adhered to code and passed inspections with no problems. The inevitable problems that arose were solved quickly and without complaint. They went to great effort to control dust and mess and cleaned up at the end of each work day. The systems work was extensive here; lots of new plumbing runs, electrical wiring, floor heat, HVAC, etc... It all worked first time. They use high quality light fixtures and switchgear. The tile work turned out beautifully and was much more elegant than we could have come up with on our own.
In the end, we would recommend Chermak. Their work is impeccable. Be very clear with your expectations, scrutinize the contract and don't sign until you are completely happy with it. Hold the project manager accountable for schedule, cost overruns, overall contract compliance.
To keep labor costs down so I could spend more on materials two of us did all the demolition work to Chermak's requirements and disposed of the old materials. We did leave the under-layment of the floor for them to remove. This took a week. I also did all the painting and splash guard installation afterward. As a result we were able to get bamboo cabinets and a floating cork floor, Cambria counters and top-of-the line cabinets (made locally).
Nanr was the lead and she provided us with clear timelines, choices and suppliers for materials, phone numbers and names of the involved parties and a great deal of moral support which was extremely important. The weekly meetings kept us all informed and when there were problems they were dealt with quickly and professionally.
I was concerned about dust and noise but they did a good job of containment and because there was rarely more than 1 person working at a time the noise was both both predictable and manageable.
The forecast time of completion (5 weeks) and costs were as presented, even with a few mistakes made by suppliers. To make this happen I also had to stick to certain decision timelines which I was able to do. A couple small mistakes made in ordering that resulted in slightly higher costs were paid by Chermak.
They use almost no subcontractors and my only dissatisfaction was with the small business that did the wall and ceiling plastering work but Chermak worked hard to correct the problems in-house.
This was the first time I have ever worked with a contractor and the first time for a major house renovation and I had heard more than my share of horror stories. While the process was nothing Disney could make an animated film about - no dancing deer, banner-carrying birds or gluey music, it was also not the horror film I feared.
Bathroom remodels will be next - with Chermak and Nanr.
"Thank you (deleted member name), we appreciate your confidence and enjoyed working on your project!"
"Thank you [member name removed], we appreciate your confidence in choosing us over and over again and will always do what we can to live up to your trust!"
Sometimes the mark of a good contractor is how they handle the mistakes which are bound to happen. When some sub-contracting plumbers backed their truck into our gutters, damaging it, I promptly received a call from Chermak assuring us that the cost of replacing it would be covered. When the check didn't arrive from the plumbing co. Chermak handled the necessary calls to make sure it got here. When the same plumbers forgot to turn the gas hot water heater back on, I called Chermak on a Saturday evening and, literally, one half hour later the plumbers were at our house to turn it back on. That's service!
Chermak provided weekly status meetings, very good input and feedback. Owner input and corrections were accommodated where feasible; good alternatives were proposed otherwise.
They worked within a small (40' wide) lot, and met numerous challenges. They worked to maintain good relationships with the neighbors.
End result was high quality, especially millwork trim and wall treatments. Hardwood floors and stairs are excellent, match original finish. We salvaged the original top-nailed hardwood, and the flooring subcontractor agreed to use it in the two main-floor bedrooms, with new tongue and groove elsewhere.
We have lived in it for 4 years now, and are still happy with the result.
The Chermak electrician was great! Easy to work with, gave excellent input on placement of outlets and lights. Also wired for telephone, cable and computer access, including two in-the-floor boxes and covers.
Chermak stands behind their work; have returned to fix problems, some minor, some significant, discovered after occupancy.
Some negatives:
They ran behind the original estimated schedule by over 50%. There were weeks when no apparent work took place, sometimes due to subcontractor scheduling.
They provided very good project management at first. Then with the economic downturn, the original person was laid off, and some agreed-upon features were lost in the turnover. Example: Blocking in the bathroom walls for future grab-rails didn't happen, now requires removal of shower enclosures if/when we want to add it.
Subcontractors for plumbing and heating required owner oversight, rework.
Examples:
Original hot water recirculation loop did not reach all priority spigots, had to be reworked to a compromise.
Three shower/tub valves were installed for thicker shower enclosures than specified, so they now protrude almost 1and quot; too far. One shower spigot is installed about 1 foot too high.
Hot air heating vent dampers for wall vent plates from the 1930's house did not work, had to be reworked.
HVAC Subcontractor insisted on large central cold air return at ceiling level instead of individual room returns at floor level as in the original (and for which the original ductwork had been retained, but later removed).
Concrete subcontractor did a very poor finish on places in the basement floor which cover reworked drain plumbing and a small extension of the basement. It is rough, doesn't match the original smooth surface.
Our contract provided for written change orders, priced and approved by both owner and contractor before work. That did not happen. Change orders were lumped together after the fact, and negotiation was on who absorbed the cost, rather than whether it should be done. (Most change orders resulted from non-specific or vague original architect designs, or errors in those drawings, so they were appropriate to be done.).
Summary: Work done by Chermak employees is high quality. But keep close watch over the subcontractors as their work is being done. Some, like roofers, painters, framers were great. Others needed more owner oversight.
11/8/12 I upgraded the overall grade from B to A after living in the house another year, appreciating the quality, and observing that the problems we encountered were not that uncommon in the construction industry. There is room for a lot of improvement in that industry, and Chermak is no exception, but they are significantly above the average.
Licensing
State Contractor License Requirements
All statements concerning insurance, licenses, and bonds are informational only, and are self-reported. Since insurance, licenses and bonds can expire and can be cancelled, homeowners should always check such information for themselves. To find more licensing information for your state, visit our Find Licensing Requirements page.
*Contact business to see additional licenses.