I had my basement finished by Octavio (Tavi) Rodriguez, who runs A&T General Construction and had a…read moregreat experience. The project started in late-September and finished mid-December. 1 - You get what you pay for. I don't mean that in a disparaging way, but I paid less than 50% with A&T than I would have paid those well-known, price gouging companies, like Matrix. You need to keep those things in mind when shopping around and considering contractors. Tavi completed two basement jobs for people in my neighborhood and trust is one of the most important things you need with a smaller contractor. 2 - Pricing - Out of the gate, Tavi gave me a great quote. It was clear that the price included 10 canned lights and with my larger basement, I knew I would go way over. I expected it. It wasn't clear as to how much each additional light was going to be upfront, but that was on me for not asking so I could put it into my budget calculator. No big deal. What was not clear was that the original quote did not include the wiring for smoke detectors in each room. It also included X-number of electric outlets and any more would incur a charge. This was the only thing that disappointed me about the transaction. If a space or room must have certain features (like outlets per wall or smoke detectors), then that should have been included in the original quote. The extra check I had to write for this was painful. With how flexible Tavi was on not charging me for certain changes and giving me a killer deal on moving my washer and dryer up to my main floor's mud room (installing water, outlets, and running gas), I accepted my fate. 3 - Flexibility - My wife and I made changes along the way and Tavi graciously made them. Some changes did not include an extra charge (like moving where they put some canned lights) and some did (like installing a custom window-box above a glass-paned double-door to the workout room. I also did a custom home-theater setup. I wired all the audio and networking cables myself and Tavi worked around it and installed the boxes that I left for him to attach to the studs and drywall around. He did a custom box-around over my sump pump and installed access-panels near my water-line-outs (to hose spigots) so I could shut off the pipes from the inside, during the winter. 4 - Timing. Tavi said 6-8 weeks, but I think it ran more like 10-12. Towards the end of the project, Tavi and his crew were there in fewer numbers (less larger things to do as a team and more detail-oriented). When they were framing and drywalling, it was 2-4 guys a day. When they got to doing baseboards, it was at least 1. It could have gone faster, but I have a feeling he was ramping up on another project. With his small crew, I understood his operation and it didn't bother me. 5 - Overall quality was wonderful. Ultimately, if you look closely for certain details, you can absolutely find flaws that other companies (like Matrix) may have avoided. I am in my basement every day (I put an office down there) and I don't notice the flaws. People that see my basement for the first time don't notice the flaws. Small things like the double-doors to the HVAC room not lined up 100% at the top. Nobody is bothered by it. If you are bothered by it, avoid my house. I have kids and a lot of other things will bother you about it. A month or two later I had Tavi come back to finish another small job in the basement. Good price and he came out to do the work himself. I'll post some pictures.

Stay Away... They will make your life a mess…read more.. A&T general construction is a one-man army lead by Octavio Rodriguez. His team is full of inexperienced trainees. I hired A&T for a short 10-day home improvement project and which was chaotically left after 30 days. Poor time management and work ethics was the only consistent behavior within this team throughout the project. I'll NOT recommend this company for any home improvement projects. I wish I could have done more research before starting my project . My overall kitchen look-and-feel was ripped off due to several blunders (both big and small). During your first meeting, Octavio and Co. will pretend to appear very organized with lots of bells and whistles. But please note, he will not act the same after you pay them 50% advance before starting the project They don't care about agreed schedule and always ready to give to you a dumb response "that's how construction projects are". In addition, they will continue to commit a new completion date after surpassing the previous one. It was my worst mistake to hire these people for home renovation project. Not only a 10-day project was extended for over a month, but even the project was a total mess. e.g., - usage of cheap material - poor planning on arranging resources - Doing a mistake and then later defending if by saying that "that's how it's done" - Act dumb when you ask question or point at an issue I'm taking time to write this feedback just so that no one else fall into the trap. It was really a nightmare dealing with Octavio and company.

Aguilar brothers were the most professional and easy to work with contractors I've ever…read moreexperienced. Their quote was fair and easy to understand. They did absolutely beautiful work in my home including custom crown and picture frame molding, painting, and floor repairs. The work was immaculate and there was an amazing attention to detail. Thank you!!!

We have used Aguilar Brothers for multiple projects- installing and repairing hardwood floors,…read morepainting projects, and removal and installation of custom built ins and cabinetry. The entire team is fantastic to work with and they do quality, thoughtful work! They are also reasonably priced. Highly recommend!

I would like to offer a strong positive shout-out to Ace Balcony Doors…read more Technician Alfredo repaired four large-format screen doors for us in our ~ 20 year old condo. The doors run in aluminum tracks, on wheels that had apparently corroded or accumulated dirt over time. The ball-bearing wheels were repaired, and the tracks ground and lubricated. They all work great now! Technician was on time, professional, neat, gave us good information. Price seemed reasonable for the excellent quality of the work done. If you have stuck, broken, or otherwise unhappy screen doors, we can highly recommend this service. the phone number listed in Yelp is correct. they are also at balconydoors07@gmail.com. Thank you!

EJ plumbing arrived promptly to my home. The workers were courteous, on time, extremely careful…read more The lead plumber (Martin) had 14 years of experience and knew exactly where to troubleshoot. They fixed all my plumbing issues and installed new fixtures with perfection. They Even fixed plumbing problems I didn't know I had. I can recommend EJ with complete confidence, and I will be using them for all future plumbing needs in Chicago. This was a residential project but they also do commercial work.

I hired these guys through Thumbtack and was disappointed in the end result... but when I reached…read moreout to them because of dissatisfaction with edging, paint on the ceiling, paint on my light fixtures, and paint on my backsplash and tile, I received a defensive response from the company - and that was followed by middle of the night text messages from the painter defending himself, telling me I cost him his job, begging for me to change the review, etc. Their second response to me providing photographs of what I was dissatisfied with was and l offer to come back and fix things, but, I was soured by their first response claiming that despite working on multimillion dollar houses and a claim by the painter that he did a good job. If the customer isn't satisfied, fix it, and you won't have to defend yourself... but defend yourself first, and you lose a customer. Months later, these people have had the gall to call my completely fair review of the poor job they did at my house as "slanderous", called my wife a liar, and would rather fight with customers than own up to their shortcomings. That's what you get when you work with them, apparently, but I have the pictures and the quote they have BEFORE doing the work to challenge all their BS. Not worth your time, or money. Period.

This is the best experience I've had with a handyman service in Chicago. Marc showed up on time and…read moreprepared and fully redid my crummy apartment bathroom for a good price. What I most appreciated was how he helped me make decisions on fixtures and design, he was a great communicator and very professional.

I would be very careful with Maid in Chicago. They attempted an unauthorized transaction with my…read moredebit card. When I asked the president Valarie, if she would reverse the charge because it was not authorized she told me that she could not. What vendor do you know at any establishment that can not reverse a charge especially if it was not authorized. After going to my bank to dispute the charge, they let me know that this is considered fraud and I should enlist the help of the police. Not a company I will ever do business with again!

After my initial review I disputed this charge with my credit card company. During that whole…read moreprocess Maid in Chicago described my Yelp review and subsequent charge dispute as "condescending" and "insulting". They also went on about how I "let them" tear up my towels, how they actually did a good job, and how I wouldn't let them come back and clean the rest of my place. This is all b.s. They also said that they recommend 6 hours to clean my size condo....what?!? Why wasn't I ever informed of this? When I called to request my condo be cleaned why did you tell me you could do it in 4 hours? I find YOUR actions insulting. And for anyone out there reading this, I found another cleaning lady that cleaned my ENTIRE condo, all bedrooms, bathrooms, kitchen and everything for only $80. She did twice as much as the girl from Maid in Chicago and cleaned it twice as good. Not to mention it only took her 3 hours and 20 minutes. Oh and she somehow managed to do all that without destroying any personal property.

Vincent is literally the BEST. He and his team are veteran colorists, finish specialists, stain…read moreexperts - I can't speak highly enough! The quality of their work is top notch, and I would work with no other painter professionally. He and his crew work quickly and harmoniously, with calming presence and positive attitude. Thank you all for what you do!

Called Vince to help out with some patch work and to paint one small room. Not the most glamorous…read moreor lucrative job yet quick response, kept me posted on availability and did a GREAT job. On time, efficient, cleaned up afterward beautifully . His "guys" did a meticulous job and I will definitely use again

We have worked with MOD Construction on several projects, both at our home and our business, and we…read morecouldn't be happier! They are honest, highly skilled, and they complete the job on time. They do high quality work and have great attention to detail as well. MOD truly delivers excellence every single time! We can't say enough great things about this company. Highly recommend! - The Rozdolsky Family

I just finished working with them.They reconfigured my master bedroom closet and tiled my family…read moreroom fireplace. It took a little bit more time than expected but that was my fault because I had to wait for tile. Overall, a good job. Marianna is a great point of contact and always gets things done in a timely fashion. Their prices are quite reasonable and I plan to hire them in the future. We did have to go over the drywall patching more extensively with my painters, but I am sure if they were painting, they would have done better.