We are extremely satisfied with the patio Eduardo's Stamped Concrete created for us. They…read moredismantled and removed our old deck. The care the entire crew put into building our new patio really paid off. Eduardo and his son Eduardo Jr. are true craftsmen and they have put together an excellent crew. They kept us informed throughout the process. When the patio was completed they cleaned up and left our yard cleaner than when they began. The cost was more than fair for the quality of the service received. Our patio looks amazing and we highly recommend this business.

Well to start with one of pipes broke turns out it was under my brick patio and it got ruined I…read moreasked around cause my family wanted a new patio of concrete and I found these people after asking some of my friends. When I called they they were extremely nice and understanding when I told them I wanted a estimate. When they finished they ended up doing a sidewalk and a patio in my back yard just like I wanted it turned out wonderful and they finished faster than I expected. I will recommend them to anyone who needs anything concrete.

Just had a spring clean up and couldn't be happier with the work!…read moreI've had this done every year and this is the best attention to detail I've seen. Their work is outstanding and they had no problem going the extra mile!! Looking forward to their Lawn mowing season!

DISAPPOINTED AND WOULD NOT RECOMMEND…read more RICARDO MURILLO reached out to us as we were trying ot back-fill our ravine behind our property. He said he had tons and tons of conrete fill, and asked that we rent him a Bobcat. First we rented him a Bobcat for a 1-day rental. They came back the next day but FORGOT THE KEYS to their truck. We had to pay extra money to get the rental company to come pick-up the bobcat. They left their dump truck on our property for a week. Second, when they finally came back RICARDO asked for us to rent him a DINGO so that they can finish the job pushing the concrete fill. BUT, he used the dingo at other jobs for 3 DAYS BEFORE COMING TO OUR PROPERTY. He tore up half our yard in the process. It's been 3 MONTHS in trying to get him to come back --- our yard looks like crap, and the concrete still sits there and is so unsightly. I've asked him to reimbuse for the 3 days he did NOT use the equipment at our place ($850+) and he keeps giving me the run around. He also went on and on about giving us free material if this and that, but as someone said in another review, I don't think he remembers scope or what he told us previously very well. He hardly returned calls or texts. Or he would give some fluff about "he'll come tomorrow" but no-showed. We trusted him and were patient, but now it's just ridiculous and very disappointing. This has been such a headache for us and now have to spend more money to try and fix the problems they created.

We recently had a porch and concrete work completed by A & J Concrete, and I can't say enough good…read morethings about the experience from start to finish. From the initial estimate through final walk through, their team was professional, responsive, and easy to work with. They took the time to understand exactly what we wanted and made helpful suggestions that improved the final result without pushing unnecessary extras. The quality of the work is outstanding. The porch came out exactly as we envisioned--clean lines, solid construction, and a finish that looks fantastic. You can tell they take pride in what they do. Even the details most people wouldn't notice were done right. They showed up when they said they would, kept the work area organized, and stayed on schedule. Communication throughout the project was excellent, which made the whole process stress-free. What really stood out was their honesty and professionalism. No surprises, no shortcuts--just high-quality work done the right way. If you're looking for a reliable concrete contractor who delivers great results and stands behind their work, I would highly recommend A & J Concrete. We would absolutely use them again.

A and J is the best company to do a residential concrete project. I picked out this company…read morebecause of several good reasons. They have an excellent photo gallery that shows many of their projects, which when I saw those photos helped me determine that A and J was the best. The owner and his family are top notch in explaining details. I definitely am giving them a 5 star rating. They and their crew made the whole process easy. They produced excellent results. I am very happy with the results.

I had my front walk, stoop, and landing done by Blue Construction. The process was great from the…read moreoffice, sales representative, and crew. Ingrid and Yomaira did a great job scheduling my appointment and getting everything started. Keymi was great at letting us know our permit process and doing the run around for us. Nancy was great at scheduling our job and letting us know of cancelation due to weather. The guys worked hard and completed my work. Thank you team for such a great experience.

Damaged foundation, terrible finish. After 9 months, the finish started to wear off. I called and…read morethey said they'd call back in March to take a look. No one called, when I did get a hold of them in April they said they'd be happy to send someone out to give me a bid. Now I have a new patio that already looks terrible. Later in the year, I noticed a crack in the foundation where the slab was poured. I hired a structural engineer to diagnose this problem. They came to the conclusion it was likely caused by equipment hitting the house. The owner said it wasn't their fault and wouldn't cover the cost of the engineer. There were other issues too like them using the wet-look sealer when I asked for matte with the anti-slip additive. All in all, a bad experience.

I am not leaving this review based on the quality of the work, but rather on the communication and…read morehow the billing was handled. If this review were based solely on the work itself, I would have given 5 stars. I recently purchased a home and hired D'Franco Painting to remove wallpaper from three rooms, one of which had painted-over wallpaper. Their team successfully removed the wallpaper and completed the work well. My concern is with the billing process. The estimate I received listed 25 hours and was quoted at approximately $2,600. A two-person crew worked on the project for about three days, generally from 8:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. (give or take an hour), which led me to believe the total labor would be around 25-30 hours. When I received the final invoice, however, I was billed for 52 hours, bringing the total to approximately $3,890. At no point in the estimate was it stated that the hours were per person, calculated as man-hours, or otherwise dependent on crew size. Nothing in the estimate suggested that the final labor hours could more than double based on how many employees were assigned to the project. It took multiple conversations with both Daphne, the office manager, and David before I understood why there was such a significant difference between the estimate and the final invoice. We paid the bill in full. However, I would have appreciated greater transparency from the beginning. Had I understood how the labor was being calculated, I likely would have completed the project in phases rather than all at once. Because of this experience, we will not be using D'Franco Painting for future projects. If you choose to work with them, I would strongly encourage you to ask detailed questions about how labor hours are estimated and billed so there are no surprises at the end of the project

This review is for work done in Nov. I urge you to look past the 5-star reviews--owner David told…read moreme himself they had bad ratings and "did some marketing" and now have a bunch of 5 star reviews. Based on my experience, DeFranco Painting is unprofessional, disorganized, and potentially dangerous. David subcontracted the work, and one of his subcontractors threatened me because I wouldn't tell him how much I was paying DeFranco, trespassed into our home after being fired, and had to be removed by David himself when being fired--who then told me to hide in the garage for safety. We even had to call the police due to a confrontation outside our home between David and the subcontractor. David quoted us 3 coats of paint, then denied it mid-job and tried to charge more, despite written proof. He also charged an additional $500 for mud work done in a tiny section of the home. We were also told by his own subs that he doesn't pay them on time, which could result in liens against your property. He failed to provide the proper legal documents required by IL law when requesting final payment. We had to involve an attorney, and instead of resolving the issue, David threatened to put a lien on our house even though he didn't have the correct paperwork. Work took 5+ weeks instead of ~2, and the quality was poor: damaged floors, blinds, window crank, and paint everywhere. Avoid DeFranco Painting. Try A&A or Compos Painting instead--much more professional. Stay tuned for an update to this review pending any response from DeFranco.

I strongly advise against hiring Gaytan's Painting and Remodeling (Jose Gaytan) based on my recent…read moreexperience. I hired them for both interior painting and hardwood floor installation, with a total labor cost of $13,000 (I supplied all materials). Out of total $13,000, $6,250 was for hardwood installation, 1019 sq ft of prefinished oak wood. Over the course of the project, I paid them $5,500 in good faith, fully expecting the work to be completed as agreed. They promised to complete everything in two weeks, but for more than three weeks while they were here, they couldn't complete even half of the painting portion of the project, there was still no sense of urgency from them. One of the most troubling aspects of my experience was that the contractor never informed me in advance that they would not proceed with the hardwood floor installation. They removed my carpet and continued to request and receive payments, giving me every reason to believe that the hardwood installation would go smoothly as planned. It was only after they had received substantial and excess payment that they finally revealed they would not be doing the hardwood installation, leaving my home with exposed subflooring and in a state of disarray. This lack of transparency and delayed disclosure felt deceptive and left me in a very difficult position. As for the painting, the only areas completed were three bedrooms upstairs, plus the master, bath and closets. Even in these areas, the work was subpar. Doors and trim were spray painted without any proper surface preparation, causing the paint to peel off. Many doors and window hardware were left uninstalled, and a significant amount of the paint I purchased was wasted or left open and unusable. The overall quality of workmanship was far below professional standards, and my home was left unfinished and in need of costly remediation. Despite my repeated requests, Jose Gaytan refused to provide any proof of a valid painting license, bond, or insurance--basic requirements for any reputable contractor. When I discovered the extent of the damage and poor workmanship, I asked them to leave the property temporarily and return only after providing valid license and insurance information. At no point did I provide any formal written notice terminating the contract. However, instead of addressing my concerns or providing the requested documentation, they claimed they had been "fired" and refused to return to complete or fix the work. In summary, Gaytan's Painting and Remodeling collected $5,500 for labor only, for work that was either not performed or done poorly, and only managed to paint four bedrooms upstairs and the master bath and closet. They abandoned the job, refused to provide any documentation of their qualifications or insurance, and never received any formal contract termination notice, but still used that as an excuse to walk away from the project. I am now left with additional expenses to repair the damage and complete the work. I would not recommend this company to anyone seeking reliable, professional, or trustworthy service.

I can not recommend them more. We were referred to them by our neighbors ehose kitchen they also…read moreremodeled and are so glad we were. Everything they did was flawless and we are in love with how it turned out! They are also very good about covering up surfaces so nothing is harmed while they are working. We will definitely be using them again in the future! Our other neighbors will now be using them to.

Schafer Review This is a lengthy review, but I felt I owed…read moreit to Schafer Bros. because of the great experience we had. We needed our entire main level remodeled including the kitchen. We repeatedly heard that Schafer was expensive. At the Crystal Lake Home Show, we spoke with several contractors, including Dave at the Schafer booth. We immediately felt comfortable with his personality and approach, so we set up a meeting. Dave came to our home, listened to what we wanted, understood our budget, and helped us with the design while keeping our vision in mind. After a few visits, we were able to come to an agreement on the work they would do and a price we were comfortable with. Dave was honest about what could be done within our budget and never pressured us. He listened to our opinions, never minimized what we wanted, and was always available when we had questions. He told us that when they were finished, it would feel like we had a new house--and he was right. Dave introduced us to Eric, who would oversee and do most of the work on the remodel. We were extremely fortunate to have him manage our project. Eric is a master carpenter who is meticulous, does not cut corners, and takes the time to make sure things are done right. His attention to every little detail really showed in the finished project. I can't say enough about him and the quality of his work. Eric also had help from Matt, who did most of the painting and wall work. Again, excellent work. He and Eric worked very well together, kept us involved throughout the process, and made sure we were happy with what they were doing. They also cleaned up at the end of every day, which we really appreciated. Our final thoughts are that we are extremely happy with the results and would use Schafer again for any improvements or repairs we need in the future. They helped us with the design, listened to our ideas, worked collaboratively with us, and then executed our vision. We never felt like they were simply trying to get in and out and move on to the next job. You know the saying, "you get what you pay for." We feel we absolutely got what we paid for--a beautifully remodeled main floor with quality workmanship and attention to detail. There is definitely a "wow factor." We are about a week out from completion, and when we walk in, we still smile and talk about how happy we are with the results. If you are considering remodeling, I would definitely recommend talking with Schafer Bros.--and especially Dave. And if you can, ask for Eric to manage your project! Thank you, Schafer Bros., and everyone who worked on our remodel!

We had an amazing experience with Schafer for our kitchen remodel. It was very expensive, but you…read moreget what you pay for and they made the entire process not only painless, but actually pleasant! We didn't have to worry about a thing; if an issue came up (as is normal with this scope of work), it was handled right away. Communication was top notch and we couldn't love the final result more! Because of that, we didn't think twice about contracting them when we wanted our garage painted, the floor epoxied, and a cabinet installed in our dining room. If this had been our first experience, it would have been our last. Frankly, we wouldn't even had made it past the quoting process. Communication was terrible and it took far too long (especially compared to the first project that was MUCH more involved). Erik was our carpenter for the kitchen remodel and is not only top notch at his craft, but is such a genuinely nice person that we requested him for this project. Thank goodness because he saved the day numerous times! He also communicated our issues to Jeff, who jumped right on to fixing whatever he could and trying to make everything right. Everything turned out beautifully (thank you, Erik), but if it hadn't been for the two of them and our previous positive encounter, this would be a two star review.

I'm more Than pleased with Brian's analysis of our needs and integrity. I highly recommend this…read morefirm. Jay

I'm visiting Illinois from California, my mothers handyman thought she needed a new roof and…read morerecommended his buddy's. She asked me to help her get some other estimates because the one she received was extremely high. She had an advertisement card from DGB roofing construction Inc. which was local to Crystal Lake and to me a perk. So I called and made an appointment and they were very communicative. Because my mother's home is very difficult to locate they called me a couple times to find us and they were even able to come a day earlier which was great for me having come from out of state and other obligations I needed to manage. Now though, we were expecting to get an estimate my mother was so relieved and felt blessed by the adjuster named Nabil. He was so very honest, thoughtful and helpful and with all the other worries I have about an elderly parent; this gave me peace at heart. He was up on the roof with his equipment & I was also looking at the roof thinking it was looking pretty good. But while Nabil was doing his inspection from the roof and I was on the ground he explained how well the valleys were built, there were top notch vents and the flanges around the chimney stack were also very good quality. He told me it was a 30 year shingle and had probably had been put in about 15 years ago. I am so very grateful that there are still contractors out there with some ethics. Because it would be very, very easy to take advantage of an 80-year-old woman in this day and age. As the other company would have done and the second contractor I had contacted who wasn't going to come and look at the roof he was going to do it via satellite. No thanks! These are the reasons I am giving this company such a high rating even though we did not schedule a roofing project. If you think you need a new roof, I would recommend contacting DGB roofing and construction Inc. and especially to ask for Nabil. The inspection was free as well for my mother. Thank you again so much to Nabil! Keep him on DGB!