Joe and his crew are phenomenal! Great communication along the way and our chimney looks great!…read moreBest contractor to work with, highly recommend!!

I had a very good recent experience with Joseph Birkenheier Tuckpointing & Masonry. They came as a…read morerecommendation through a trusted source that had not personally used them but had a client give that name. A couple things stood out immediately. They were very prompt in replying back to my web inquiry and scheduled a time for Joe to come out. Joe was really thorough in estimating what should be done and was nice to have. We ended up going with the full proposal since we realized that this was work that would last 15 years or so. (Tuckpointing our fronts and sides, and also repair of our front steps, recaulking). Diane from the office was very good at communicating from the outset , from what needed to get completed when , securing permits scheduling a final walk through,. The onsite crew was very diligent in getting the work done but also communicating to our neighbors and blowing off any residual dust). They also did a great job in cleanup , rinsing off anything after the work had cured/completed. Tuckpointing is certainly not a cheap project, but we have good foundational things on the outside now that will last through the rigors of a Chicago season. While their work is great, I thought the communication was above at the top of my experience with many contractors/vendors. I look forward to reaching back out to them in 2040 (if they're still doing this work then. :)

I can't say enough about Bartco Construction! Rocco and his entire crew were so professional and…read moredid an amazing job on my roof. To give some context, I was told by several other roofing companies that I would need to re-sheet and shingle my entire roof. I wanted to get as many quotes as possible since this job was between 15-20k. Rocco came out and crawled into my tiny attic space and assured me that I did not need to resheet the entire roof but rather the back section that had endured more moisture and had leaks. He came in with the best quote and he replaced all the rotted wood that was there. He even had to replace a rafter but he was so kind and showed me all the pictures of my roof so l felt peace of mind with knowing the job was done correctly. Rocco and his crew worked for 12 hours straight and finished my roof in one day. After dealing with different roofing companies for months and going back and forth with them, Bartco Construction came out on top in all matters. I highly recommend them for any construction jobs you might need done!

I had Bartco handle a number of needed repair work on my 2 flat roof. They worked on flashing the…read moreparapet walls with bitumen, sealing coping stones, patching protrusions around the roof, repairing broken bricks on the chimney, and applying an aluminum roof coating across the entire roof. Their estimate for all of this work was also competitive with other estimates. I worked closely with Kevin on getting everything scheduled, they are very organized and maintain close communication with their customers. I would highly recommend them for any roofing work!

Great experience. The price was fair, they were able to schedule our repair right away, and the…read morework was done well and fast. I would absolutely use them again.

We had a leak in a commercial property. Brothers Roofing promptly inspected the roof. They gave us…read moretwo options. We chose the less expensive option. They proceeded to fix the leaks and we have had no problems with the leaks since the repair. They are highly recommended.

I am completely satisfied with the service I received from Lindemann. Initially I had an older gas…read morefireplace (~10 years old or so) that would smell of natural gas while burning. Needing to get this taken care of, I converted it back to the original wood burning version. Unfortunately, after the first burn with real wood, our main floor smelled like a campsite. Needing to figure this out, I asked Lindemann if they would come out and look over my fireplace. Steve came over promptly and spent at least 1 hour with me free of charge answering all my questions, and basically talking through what might be the cause. He did not pressure me into any service Lindemann offered, rather he laid out all the options and the costs associated with each. After a productive conversation we settled on performing one more experiment burning real wood, to see if we could get that to work without smelling up the house. Unfortunately, that didn't work either! Which lead me to the only other reasonable option - purchase a retrofit direct vent gas system. Having spent the time with me talking things through I was tempted to buy the system from Lindemann outright. However, I did go ahead and get a quote from another company to compare prices. The prices were very similar, but Lindemann's (Steve's) customer service to that point had earned my trust. I purchased the direct vent system through Lindemann. The install of the system went smoothly and we now enjoy a direct vent system that produces ample heat and is super easy to use (just click the remote on). What used to be our coldest room in our home is now our warmest. I also appreciated the quality of work Steve performed. He took the time to understand my concerns and addressed them during the install. His level of care, attention to detail, and his customer-first attitude lead me to give Lindemann my full recommendation.

Stay away. All I…read morewanted was to have my chimney swept and dryer ducts cleaned. When I tried to schedule it they suggested the whole home package which included those two, an annual furnace check, and an annual A/C inspection. The woman on the phone explained that with the chimney sweep I get a full chimney inspection. With cameras and videos of my chimney. I explained I didn't want that. I just wanted it cleaned and she said this is the only way they do this. So I agreed. Bought the whole home package which was a good deal. When the chimney sweep came he pointed out all of these issues with my chimney and said he'd send me a quote. I asked if he cleaned the chimney and he said no, he didn't. He just inspected it. So I explained that I don't want a quote. I just wanted my chimney cleaned. And he finally agreed to this. I then got a quote. $15k. Their only goal is to inspect your chimney so they can get you to do all sorts of extra work. Remember. 20 years ago people were just cleaning chimneys. Or not. They weren't doing video to identify every crack. And you know what? It worked. Before this technology there weren't tons of chimney fires happening. It wasn't the risk they tell you. I'm not opposed to technology. I actually run a tech company. I'm opposed to companies using it to instill fear so that they can charge you for unnecessary work. I'd stay away from them. It's not worth it.

American Heritage installed a new gas fireplace in our home, which included a gas line. John came…read morethrough with a realistic set of logs and they look great. The workers were professional, efficient and tidy. There was no trace of mess left behind. We also had them relign our woodburning fireplace. No complaints there either! Thank you to John & the American Heritage crew.

100% hire this company for any fireplace work. We recently ordered and installed an electric…read morefireplace for our living room. My amazing wife designed a custom size. Richard our rep was great. The builder, Ken, comes out and TOTALLY nails it. This guy was amazing not only in his craftsmanship but also his thoughtfulness in customer service. This has got to be one of the best customer service experiences I've ever received. He went above and beyond expectation....So my wife and I recently had a mold issue due to a water leak in our bathroom so she's been extra vigilant in looking out for mold. Some of the 2x4's on the frame had these gray streaks on it and she was concerned - turns out it's nothing to worry about as it's just a natural effect of the wood (blue beetle pine). But Ken! He rebuilds the frame with unmarked wood anyway just so my wife would have not a single doubt. Incredible. He also cut out some of the baseboard he removed to give us a design idea we hadn't thought of which was to put it around the base of the fireplace. We initially were neutral to the idea but he cut them anyway and placed it so we could see what it looks like and we love it! We never would've done it this way if he hadn't suggested it. I'm including some pics - we still have to finish painting it and stuff but you can get an idea. This company is professional, experienced, and thoughtful

From start to finish the fireplace plus crew did a phenomenal job. Going through the showroom…read morepicking out what we needed and what would work for us was very simple. Brandon did a great job of helping us through that process. Installation was even easier, and after he was completed and cleaned up, did not look like he was even there. Could not recommend them more.

They installed the fireplace into a chase on an outside wall without reinstalling missing…read moreinsulation as required by IL Energy Code (which requires the entire fireplace chase to be finished equivalent to the rest of the outside wall--i.e. insulation and drywall). In addition, a more-than-sufficiently-large hole was cut into the back of the chase for the vent, which to my recollection did not receive any insulation either. I didn't think much of it until winter hit--bringing serious cold air drafts, along with frosty ice build up on the front of the fireplace frame within the house. I have since learned the repeated ice build up and melting will lead to wood rot, mold and rusting of the fireplace. I sent a few emails to Neal (the owner) about the issue. He not only refused to discuss it, but is also trying to push the responsibility off on a handyman. That is, prior the fireplace install, Ithe overhang edge of the chase roof had to be removed so the outside gas vent would have more clearance. Due to Neal's high "day rate" for a few hours of work, I hired my own guy to remove the overhang. Neal also wanted the fireplace box removed to measure clearance inside the chase and he subsequently rec'd photos and measurements. Despite clear lack of insulation and drywall across the ceiling of the chase, he and his team never mentioned it, nor did they come prepared to satisfy that aspect per IL energy code. With exposed plywood and nails from the shake roof above, and torn drywall corners visible, they simply installed the fireplace box, leaving the entire ceiling of the chase without insulation or drywall. I'm not the fireplace expert; I relied on him and his team--just as they directed that the overhang on the outside should be removed. Just as they directed to clear out the old fireplace box so they could measure. Yet...no mention of energy codes or insulating the chase. It would certainly be incumbent on a company claiming to be professional fireplace installers to address this one way or another, vs simply ignoring it. No wonder this company requires deposits upfront followed by immediate payment in full. I have also since learned they have held onto my credit card info (more than a year and half later) and charged a service fee without my authorization ($257.50 to change a few double A batteries instead of mentioning "there are batteries, did you check them?" when I called to say the fireplace wasn't turning on). Certainly leaves the customer feeling taken advantage of. Very bad experiences all around with Fireplaces Plus. UPDATE: He threatening me with a lawsuit unless I remove my review. My review is honest and accurate. I wonder how often other unhappy customers have felt intimidated enough by his lawsuit threat to remove their negative reviews...?

This was a huge job. After my neighbor drove into the corner of my 111 year old garage (build for…read morehousing horses), collapsing the corner, the garage door, and the area above the garage door I had to find a masonry company, a carpenter, and a garage door company. IHM was able to organize all of this at the fairest price I could find (after speaking to 6+ companies). I appreciate all the communication and hard work. Nice people to work with.

We are so pleased with the results. It looks great! It has been a year since this project was…read morecompleted - I wanted to see how everything held up. Four other contractors assessed and quoted the project. Three quoted much lower (didn't actually address the problem), one higher (included rebuilding the our chimney?). First contact with Illinois Home Improvement/Best Brickmasters was Peter Zieba. His thorough knowledge of brick building structures and Chicago bungalows in particular filled us with confidence. Peter kept in contact daily (or every other day). He was easy to to find him via email or phone - no problems. His crew worked through some of the hottest weather in Aug-Sep 2013. In addition to their collective craftsmanship, they carefully removed and replaced our 6-foot, flower-filled window boxes (heavy and awkward). Our little bungalow is the house of our dreams. We wanted the best care and restoration we could afford. Illinois Home Improvement/Best Brickmasters provided that. Hire them for your project!

The fireplace was installed today and we couldn't be happier! Chad and his team were awesome -…read moreprompt, friendly, patient, explained everything, and was done in about an hour. Highly recommend!

Really great experience and a fair price. They helped me out with a gas fireplace that I couldn't…read moreget to fire. They were in and out in no time and my fireplace is humming perfectly.