I will echo that sentiment that I see consistent throughout all the reviews... Bob is a lifesaver…read more His laid-back attitude is a rare quality to find with someone whose craftsmanship is so exacting, his knowledge base is equally impressive. He thoroughly screens the workers he brings in on your project and they are equally as precise and easy-going

Had Bob Shrago over to give us some advice on building a porch and a few other miscellaneous items…read more He was wonderful with communication and advice, came when he said he would, didn't charge anything. We did use one of his guys for some electrical work and he was excellent; quick, fixed the issue, not expensive. I am thrilled we found Bob. He a wonderful source for recommending reliable people, and I would definitely use him if I have a large project. Highly recommend.

See the photo for his work . No words to articulate this contractor . Hire at your own risk !read more

I should have guessed when I tried to schedule with him, and he asked me to remind him the…read moreafternoon before. I sent him pictures of the jobs we wanted him to do, which he acknowledged, saying that it looked like a full day's worth of work. I reminded him the afternoon before, as requested, and he then told me he had another job in the morning. He then texted me the morning of and asked if he could bring a helper, doubling the hourly rate but getting more done more quickly. I approved (stupidly). He then showed up and asked me if they were going to be working inside or outside (all of the jobs I had texted him about and sent pictures for were obviously inside). I walked him through it, and he told me he could do all of the work. Fast forward to when the work was completed (poorly). My wife called him to complain about the way his guys left things, and he started trying to pit my wife and I against each other. He changed his story several times--despite the fact that most of our communication was via text, so I had records of it--and tried to paint me as the bad guy to my wife. To his credit, he wound up coming out to try to fix some of the problems himself. However, he wasn't able to fix much of it the day he came, and he offered to get us a discounted quote on fixing the rest of it. We declined. He explained on this last day (after the fact) that it is difficult to exactly match paint colors (for covering patches he did on the walls) and that he wasn't able to tack down the area of carpet we had asked him to on the first day because he isn't a carpet-layer. Had he explained these two things upfront--and had he not engaged in all of the emotionally manipulative b.s.--this review may have been different. As it is, I wouldn't recommend hiring him for any more-involved work. If you need a cabinet fixed or bathroom hardware mounted, he's probably a fine candidate. For anything more complicated, my experience leads me to recommend going in a different direction. Photos are of "completed" work.

We just took ownership of our new home in Lombard, and I must say that this was a wonderful…read moreexperience. Bob is a great builder. He really makes doing what I thought was going to be a stressful project super easy. The craftsmanship of his work is impeccable. He's very attentive to your needs as a customer. He's super patient and he walks you through this entire process. He always answers my calls and responds very quickly anytime we had concerns and he was flexible to pivot when we made changes to the plans. The end product is truly fantastic. We still have some things left but overall this was a great experience. If you're looking to build a new home or remodel your existing one definitely give Bob a call.

We built our custom home with United Home Builders 1.5 years ago and we are very happy with the…read morebuilding experience and the quality craftsmanship. Bob, listens to you, and builds the house you want at the price you agreed to. United Home Builders not only build great houses, they are great people with integrity that stand behind their product. If you are going to build in or around Lombard you need to talk to United Home Builders.

Jamie was nothing short of exemplary on two different jobs I needed. He offers great attention to…read moredetail, efficiency, transparency, and is a pleasure to work with. I hired Jamie to help rehab a rental property in Elgin, in which he expertly completed all the trim and casing work in a 1200 sf Condo. He was fast and still meticulous to detail. For my own home, he installed a 220v wire to my garage to complete a needed EV charger. He was able to complete the job efficiently and at a lower price than other installers. Looking forward to hiring him for future projects!

Maybe you started a project and realized you just can't do it? Live alone and need work done around…read morethe house? Or maybe you're married and neither of you is handy? Jamie is the man for you! Not only is he meticulous with his work, but he's also incredibly CLEAN--he always leaves the workspace better than he found it. I've had other handymen before who left such a mess, but Jamie? He cleans up like a pro! Plus, he has a great eye for design and offers awesome ideas for making the most of your space. I even shopped around for Tesla charger installation quotes with three others, and Jamie gave me the best price hands down. Great price, great work, and spotless cleanup--can't go wrong with Jamie!

The best experience I've ever had was Steve working on my awning. I feel so lucky to have found…read moresomeone who does such great work and actually really cares.

extremely rude. wouldn't let me get a word in upon introduction call.. Not sure if it was a bad day…read moreor what.

I took a chance by trusting Joe with my property and I truly wish I didn't. I had a great time…read moreinteracting with him at the beginning and was pleased with the quote. The second time I saw him, however, I noticed he was starting to act dodgy and I should have picked up on this behavior...but I paid him in advance anyway and he never did the work. I'm fatigued by my disappointment.

I can't say enough good things about Universal! Joe is SO easy to work with and he gets the job…read moredone RIGHT. The builders of my condo building cut a lot of corners and Joe has made it a mission to correct the work. He is our go-to guy for all the repairs we've needed in each unit, as well as in common spaces and the exterior. His team completely replaced our roof last fall and we're planning to hire him again for a significant tuckpointing and masonry repair project in the near future. A few of our units are using Universal for bathroom repairs/remodels right now. This is the only contractor you'll find that will be honest and have actual concern for the people living in your home. They do things the right way and in Chicago that's rare. And they are SO quiet and clean! During our roof project, I never saw any debris or dust - they cleaned thoroughly every day and did not disrupt our tenants at all.

Jim Gracia and his whole team were such a pleasure to work with. Jim is so professional and thinks…read moreof everything. He has remodeled a ton of kitchens, so he foresees most issues before they arise. He had a great relationship with our kitchen designer (Kitchen Design Partners - Nancy Jacobson), so the entire process was painless and often didn't require much effort on my part. Jim is also creative - he came up with the perfect solution to fix a weird nook that resulted from some demolition work. Jim was very quick to respond to any questions, and always made me aware of the work schedule. Jim's estimate broke everything down nicely allowing us to see how much some extra work would cost so that my wife and I could decide to move forward with some projects and forego others that were outside our budget. But most importantly everything looks amazing. The picture says more than I ever could. I will definitely work with Jim again in the future for any remodeling needs.

Update 7/18/23: B quality, D service and A+ (premium) pricing. We were given several promises and…read more"no, problem, we can do that" sort of talk, and later on as the project went on and invoices were paid (we always paid on time), some of those promises were magically no longer possible. We paid on time, always, but timelines by Jim were not kept. I do not mean timelines related to supply chain issues or them being busy....we totally understood that. What I mean is that he would say he would call/text at a certain day or time and we would never hear back. Sometimes it would take a MONTH to hear (no joke), it would take a MONTH to get an invoice. It took from June to November to address our punch list which just took 1.5 days of actual work on site. Most of the work was great and good quality, and they clean up after themselves well every day. However, some of the subcontractors would lean materials against newly painted walls and they did leave pizza boxes lying around and fast food containers at times when they left for the day. As the project came to a close, the response time was longer and longer. There's no excuse for it, but I think I would use them again as the work is good, as long as you are very patient when you don't hear back as promised. Also, we had our cabinets repainted and the subcontractor had to touch them up after we noticed several unpainted areas. Since the project we have also noticed that they did not move the refrigerator to paint the walls next to the refrigerator and you can see if you stand in front of the refrigerator the old paint color next to the new paint color on the wall. I will have to have someone to come in and fix that. Additionally, the tiles in the bathroom were installed with bubbles in the caulk. They did fix that. Jim also told me they could not remove the rust from the door hinges on the doors of the bathrooms without taking the doors off the hinges, and that it would be a huge undertaking. Since then, we've had the building superintendent take a look, and he was able to remove the rest from the door hinges in a couple of hours without removing the doors. Cost me $150. Easy. ***UPDATE: I would not use this company again. Jim told me point blank at the initial meeting they could move a thermostat from the middle of a wall (eye sore) to the corner so I could have a cleaner look. This was something I expressed wanted and was told it was no problem. After the contracts are signed, and after invoice after invoice was paid on time, I would bring up the thermostat being moved, and it was always pushed to the side in the conversation. Eventually, I was told by Jim that it would be too expensive to do and far too difficult. In the end, the thermostat stayed in the same location and they replaced it with a new thermostat of their choosing. The thermostat they chose and installed has poor reviews online. The thermostat has not been giving accurate readings since April and we reached out to some HVAC companies about coming by to check it out. Three companies came and all said our HVAC system was fine, but the new thermostat Jim installed was faulty and was the problem. There was no way for us to get an accurate reading. I texted Jim the situation and told him that the HVAC company we trusted and we have used before was on site and was willing to install a new thermostat including labor for $300. He texted me back saying that he was at a sporting event in WI and would call me as soon as he could. In my text, I asked him how he would like me to proceed, and if I should have the new thermostat installed since the HVAC guy was already here and if they would reimburse me or if they wanted to come by and replace it later. I never heard back from Jim, ever. Not a peep. So unprofessional. I have passed along his information to 3 designers as I'm in the industry. This is not how you treat customers. The HVAC company came back days later and installed a new thermostat - now everything is fine. I paid for this out of pocket. Still, nothing from Jim.

Due to water damage the bathroom had to be torn down to the studs and everything replaced. I wanted…read moreto keep an antique feel and the crew brought that to life. The built-in shelf in the shower wall was their idea and it was such a good one. Everyone who's come over to the house since the remodel has remarked on how beautiful it came out.

I hired Steve B's Handyman Service to paint accent walls to my condo. Steve and his partner were a…read morepleasure to work with. They did a great paint job and dealt patiently with my perfectionism, accommodating my requests. My place looks sleek and vibrant now and has a lot more personality. The paint job came out well, and I am absolutely pleased with the result.