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The Repair Specialist

About us

Owner operated. No subs. Cost determined by the job. No travel charges. Extra charges may apply for after-hours service. Additional DBA names: Dun-Rite Drywall & Plaster, Guaranty Drywall. Additional email address:[email protected].

Business highlights

Emergency services offered
25 years of experience

Services we offer

Drywall/plaster repairs, chimney repair, cracks, demolition, foundation caulking & carpentry., gutter & downspout repair, gutter cleaning, roof repair, siding & trim repair, snow & ice removal, surface damage from wallpaper removal, ventilation repair, wall textures, water damage

Amenities

Emergency Services

Yes

Free Estimates

Yes

Reviews
4.427 Reviews
Number of StarsImage of DistributionNumber of Ratings
5
74%
4
11%
3
4%
2
4%
1
7%
Showing 1-25 of 27 reviews
Ann L.
Dec 2015
5.0
Yes, I recommend this pro
$30
unknown

Brian L.
Sep 2014
5.0
Yes, I recommend this pro
unknown

Martha M.
Oct 2012
5.0
Yes, I recommend this pro
$500
The man guaranteed that he would fix the deal no matter how many times it would take to fix. He came to my house 4 times to fix the leak. Unfortunately he was not able to fix the it completely, but I do not think that he did a poor job. It turned out that the roof needed be replaced, but I do not fault the worker for the job. As for the chimney repair, he did a very good job matching the brick color and repairing it for me. My neighbors complimented me on the fine job that he did. The concrete repair that he did to my porch was satisfactory as well.

JOHN K.
Oct 2011
1.0
$1,500
He did fix the leak around my chimney, however, the leak in my living room has not been fixed. He has been here three times to do work and I still have the leak. There is an area in my living room that is about to cave in because of this leak. I have last contacted him October 20, 2011 and he has not responded to fix the leak.

Sue C.
Sep 2011
5.0
Yes, I recommend this pro
$700
I called Jim and made an appointment for him to do the work. He was running late, but did call to tell me that. He came, did the work and the price was as he quoted originally. He said the repairs should last around 2 years, but there were problem spots on the roof and maybe I should think about replacing it next year. He does not do roofing, but only specializes in repairs. He took about 2 hours to do the work, and fixed all leaks and potential leaks as well. He cleaned up after himself as well. Hopefully I will not have to use him again, but if I need a roof repair, I would not hesitate to call him and would recommend him to anyone who asks.

Mary J.
Aug 2011
5.0
Yes, I recommend this pro
$700
Very satisfied with the completed work. As stated above I would hire Jim again. He did a great job and cleaned up after himself very well. He was very careful and treated my home with respect.

Matthew A.
Sep 2010
5.0
Yes, I recommend this pro
$800
Jim showed up on very short notice, and very quickly put our walls and ceilings back together after some electrical work we had done in the living room and kitchen. He did everything but texture on a Wednesday, and then came back to texture on Friday, because he had something already scheduled for Thursday (he was nice enough to squeeze us in). The texture matches perfectly and he kept the mess to a minimum. His price was higher than I would have expected, but it certainly wasn't something I could have done myself and for the quality of the work and the short notice, it was well worth it.

ED S.
Jul 2010
5.0
Yes, I recommend this pro
$1,700
The Repair Special - Jim, worked 3 days on this project. He was on time, pleasant, cleaned up after himself each day. He has an extensive collectiion of tools which he used with artistry and skill. A master craftsman at this type of work, he exceeded our expectations. I have strongly recommended him to several relatives and friends.

Mark B.
Jan 2010
1.0
$2,600
Received quite a few bids on tear out and drywall a large hall, upstairs and down. Jim came in about middle. Jim came on time first day for tear out with one other guy. I had everything prepped and plastic ed off to try and keep the right of our house clean. I left the bath accessible but taped off. I left for a minute and came back to find Jim blowing dust right through our bathroom without asking. At the end of the day Jim asked for an extra hundred dollars because he bid too low. The next week when Jim was supposed to come back to drywall he brought two Mexicans with him. He showed the Mexicans the job and left. Later after talking to the two Mexicans I found out that Jim hired them as sub contractors. Although the Mexicans did a nice job drywalling the mudding was below standard. Jim sandpainted which came out nice. Overall it was an extremely disappointing experience.

Valerie G.
Dec 2009
5.0
Yes, I recommend this pro
$4,000
It went extremely well. Jim and his apprentice were meticulous about dust containment and clean-up The plaster work is beautiful. He provided good tips on the final floor finish. The "B" for responsivemess is related to my initial contact, and should probably really be an "A-". I had to call him a second time (which I'm glad I did) but once we connected it was fine. I plan to hire his service for additional work after the holidays.

WILLIAM B.
Dec 2009
5.0
Yes, I recommend this pro
$2,350
I called three providers from Angie’s List who were considered good; two of them didn’t call back while the third one made an appointment but didn’t show up. I decided to go with The Repair Specialist. Jim Raymond is the person who runs it. He installed two by eights and covered that with aluminum to repair the roof. There were holes in the foundation, and so he repaired them with tuckpointing. He repaired the damage that raccoons had done to our rubber roof. He did the job over a period of two days. The prices for the work on the fascia board, the roof repair and the tuckpointing were $750, $500 and $1100 respectively. They were very good. I would rate them highly and would use them in the future, if necessary.

MICHELLE L.
Jun 2009
3.0
$275
Jim was prompt for responding and give me the estimate. When he came to do the work, he removed the ceiling fan when I asked if he was going to replace the fan he said he's not very good at that. As it turned out, he said the patch needed to dry therefore he wouldn't replace the fan, it is on my living room floor right now, I will have to arrange for someone to come and replace the fan. He removed an exhaust fan in the kitchen and patched the hole. After he was gone and I turned on the electricity, my light above my kitchen sink no longer works. I will now need to get an electrician to figure out what is going on behind the new drywall patch. He said he needed to add some texture so it wouldn't look funny on the patch. The texture is so rough that it looks funny anyway. I will need to sand it down substantially before I can repaint the area. Jim left my door wide open. When I came through and asked if he noticed if my cats went out the door, he didn't have a response. He didn't even ask if there were any animals he would have to worry about getting out. He put cloths down on the floor under his work space, however, he didn't put a rug inside the door to the house, there was lots of dirt dragged in and all over the outside of my house. He cleaned off his tarps in my front yard. I spent 4 hours cleaning my kitchen, he had drywall patch on my newly finished cupboard doors and on my new flooring. I was very shocked at the mess that he left. Jim came from a recommendation from my brother, unfortunatly if my brother asks, I will have to tell him about this experience. The final straw was when Jim used my bathroom, he left my toilet seat up. Ok, at home is one thing, at a friends is another, but really, as a paid contractor in a house of a single woman, come on!

Benson M.
May 2009
5.0
Yes, I recommend this pro
$650
Have used before and Jim is outstanding. Professional and cleans up well. Very responsive. Excellent work: I cannot tell there were ever holes in those walls. Really quality work.

KATHLEEN S.
May 2009
5.0
Yes, I recommend this pro
$250
I could not have asked for better results. Jim is a perfectionist. He used several different materials/methods to get the job done...you can't even tell there used to be a door there. It is difficult to impossible to match the texture of a wall that has been standing over 80 years with several coats of paint but the finished texture on the area that was reparied is almost an exact match to the original and blends beautifully. He even put a coat of primer on when finished. Also, he arrived on time and earlier than he is used to just to meet our scheduling needs. He completed the work in approximately 4 hours. We had originally requested a quote to repair ALL of the cracks and issues in our living room and dining room. Jim's quote was more than double of the other two plasterers I found on Angie's List. I decided to see how he did just with the door area before hiring him for the rest of the rooms. After he finished the door, I told him we would like him to perform the other work and told him the prices of the other companies to see if he was willing to negotiate. He was not interested in coming down on price at all.

Christopher E.
Aug 2008
5.0
Yes, I recommend this pro
$500
He was very quick to call me back. He was very efficient in the service and work he provided. He cleaned up well after himself. He was also very friendly.

CHERIE C.
Oct 2007
2.0
$3,000
It started out as a really positive experience that ended in an unpleasant experience. He was prompt in starting the job. Jim returned my calls and was flexible even when I needed a schedule change. Took on an additional room as requested. Used only one employee. The quality of workmanship overall was good. Here is where it went down hill. On the last day of the project, they were behind completing the work. We lived three days, without heat to attempt to keep the dust controlled and without asking us first they turned on the heat causing the dust to get sucked through the cold air returns and distributed throughout the entire house. We agreed to help remove the plastic and masking in exchange for some extra work performed. As we removed the tape, we noticed a large gouge in a re-finished Oak floor. Jim insists they could not have done the damage. We know it was not there prior to the work. We are at an impass with $400 damage and $500 for duct cleaning. He left all garbage on site.

Brian W.
Oct 2007
4.0
Yes, I recommend this pro
$325
Grade B overall.

KOLITA M.
Sep 2007
5.0
Yes, I recommend this pro
$7,500
Got several quotes for the job. Jim's wasn't the lowest nor the highest but he seemed to best understand the job, which required working around some existing framed walls to carve out a laundry room and bathroom. Also, very personable, and easy to discuss. His drywall work is top notch. Had a helper come in during the framing, and he had another subcontractor do the finish woodwork. Did a few changes and additions on the way which were relatively pricey, which is usually the case, so decide exactly what you need to do before work starts. Could have cleaned up the drywall dust on the floor at the end, but otherwise did a good job.

Benson M.
Jun 2007
5.0
Yes, I recommend this pro
$250
Prompt response to initial call. Very reasonable estimate. Arrived on time at scheduled date and called ahead to be sure we were ready. Efficient and beautiful job at repairing holes in a double thick plaster ceiling and matching the texture carefully to the original. Would definitely use again.

JUDY S.
Apr 2007
5.0
Yes, I recommend this pro
$1,500
Excellent work ethic and very trustworthy. I couldn't have been happier with Jim. It is so hard to find trustworthy contractors, but we feel that Jim is one of the "good guys" out there. I plan to use him for future general repairs!!

SHELLEY C.
Oct 2006
5.0
Yes, I recommend this pro
$2,400
The work was done on a timely basis and was good quality work.

JASON M.
Oct 2006
5.0
Yes, I recommend this pro
$850
AMAZING! I have been around a lot of contractors in the past and Jim was unbelievable. I cannot recommend him high enough! They were great.

Homeowner
Apr 2006
4.0
Yes, I recommend this pro
$950
I had them come in after having the floor done, and they left some scratches despite laying tarps for protection.

MELISSA T.
Oct 2005
5.0
Yes, I recommend this pro
WE SET UP AN APPOINTMENT FOR THE ESTIMATE AND HE DID CALL TO LET US KNOW THAT HE WOULD BE LATE. HE SHOWED UP ABOUT 45 MINUTES LATE. I DID SHOW UP FOR ACTUAL APPOINTMENT ALMOST 5 MINUTES LATE AND HE CALLED ME WONDERING WHERE WE WERE! HE WAS A LITTLE SNIPPY WITH ME AND I COULD NOT BELIEVE IT! HOWEVER, THE WORK DOES LOOK FABULOUS AND DID THE WORK IN THE TIME ESTIMATED.

JEFFREY F.
Oct 2005
5.0
Yes, I recommend this pro
$2,500
HIGH QUALITY AND GREAT VALUE. JIM IS A TRUE PROFESSIONAL. I WOULD HIGHLY RECOMMEND THIS COMPANY IF YOU NEED TO REPAIR OR REPLACE DRYWALL. THE JOB WAS COMPLETED ON TIME, THERE WAS VERY LITTLE MESS LEFT AFTERWARDS AND THE QUALITY WAS OUTSTANDING.
Showing 1-25 of 27

Licensing

State Contractor License Requirements

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FAQ

The Repair Specialist is currently rated 4.4 overall out of 5.

Yes, The Repair Specialist offers free project estimates.

No, The Repair Specialist does not offer eco-friendly accreditations.

No, The Repair Specialist does not offer a senior discount.

Yes, The Repair Specialist offers emergency services.

No, The Repair Specialist does not offer warranties.