DuPage Remodeling

Kelly Cerrone

a month ago

I wish I could give 0 stars – BEWARE. My husband and I spent months putting together a project to build our dream deck. We hired DuPage Remodeling to install 12 concrete footers for our deck’s foundation, but James (owner) and his team repeatedly let us down with their disappointing performance and lack of professionalism. Below is a recap of how DuPage Remodeling failed us. We provided our project specs to James on day 1 before the work began, clearly indicating a 15-inch gap was required from the top of the concrete footers to the target deck height marked on our house. James hired a subcontractor whose on-site manager was not present for the initial conversation. This miscommunication nearly ruined our project. Prior to any tangible work commencing, James informed us that we needed to remove a concrete slab in our backyard to achieve the 15-inch gap, costing us an additional $600. Despite this, they still failed to provide the necessary 15-inch gap. 8-inch wooden barriers were unnecessarily installed on top of the 42-inch-deep concrete footers, resulting in a height nearly 9 inches too high above the desired height for our deck framing. At no point did they inform us that these 8-inch wooden barriers would be installed, or that we would not be able to build our deck to the desired 15 inches on top of the concrete. We approached DuPage Remodeling with our concerns, noting that the height of the concrete footers were too high. Despite this, James consistently assured us that everything was fine and that we would “just have to redraw and resubmit our drawings/plans to the City of Wheaton.” For those unfamiliar with the lifecycle of building a deck, this process can take upwards of six weeks to complete. It was incredibly frustrating to hear this as his sole solution, given that we had already spent weeks preparing the specs and obtaining approval from the City of Wheaton before hiring DuPage Remodeling. Due to DuPage Remodeling’s failure to perform the work we hired them for, we faced two choices: redraw the plans at a lower height, causing us to lose 56 sq. ft of deck due to overhang issues, or install three additional concrete footers in our yard at an additional cost of $1,050. The height of the concrete footers installed by DuPage Remodeling were so erroneously high that both options still resulted in our deck sitting over 3 inches above our target line, overlapping our ground-level windows, which we were adamant about avoiding when we initially discussed our plan with DuPage Remodeling. Additionally, the hired crew skipped installing part of the infiltration barrier, leaving over 80 sq feet of bare ground uncovered. Had we not caught this and called it out, grass, plants, and weeds, would inevitably have started seeping through our deck over the years. James proved impossible to work with over the succeeding days and weeks. Despite our pleas for him to meet with us and discuss the numerous issues we found with his crew and their work, he insisted that the job was finished and there was nothing to discuss. After several unsuccessful attempts to address the issues via email, during which we outlined the problems we encountered, he became hostile and aggressive. Refusing to acknowledge the issues, he continued to demand payment for a job that remained incomplete and was done incorrectly. He resorted to repeated threats of legal action, even intimidating us by claiming he would “own our house and own us” by placing a lien on our property if we didn’t pay the remaining 30% owed, approximately $2,500.

Stuart E

10 months ago

The guys did a nice job. Everything went as expected. Would definitely use again. Highly recommended.

Tony Smaldon

10 months ago

James and his crew did an excellent job installing a new set of wooden stairs leading up to our back door. They navigated the permitting process, did quality work, and were responsive whenever I had questions.

Carol Vitello

10 months ago

Redid my ceiling drywall and painting in my kitchen after a flood. Spectacular results, very fast and neat. Cleaned up to perfection after project. Very professional