May, 2009

New James Hardie cement board siding, new roof, gutter guards, painting. This was mostly repair from hail damage.

We worked with Ben, Chris and their team. This was mostly work from a hail damage claim and they worked with my insurance company. They used high quality materials, had excellent communication throughout the project, did great work, and followed with a thorough clean up. Nice, honest, hard working. No surprises. Would definitely use again.

Maureen Febel

May, 2009

Tear off siding; install Tyvik, siding, soffit and fascia. Replaced damaged wood by deck in back of home.

Just a quick note about Craftsman's Choice, Inc. and our recent experience with the re-siding of our home. We were given addresses of numerous houses upon which they had installed James Hardie cedarmill siding and Hardie Board soffit and fascia. We saw the actual color/combinations we were considering for our home before choosing. Those working on the site were very able, pleasant and helpful. The personnel who worked with us were highly professional and completed the project with excellent craftsmanship. While working on the back of our home, some damaged wood was discovered, we were asked if we wanted it corrected, which was necessary. This work was completed efficiently and for a reasonable additional cost. We fully recommend Craftsman's Choice, Inc. for installing siding, fascia, soffit, and other necessary repairs while on site. We certain would contact them for any future needs.

Stephen Radtke

April, 2009

We replaced our roof, siding and 16 windows/doors. They also fixed our shed and tore our deck off.

The project went very well considering all the work we had done. We especially enjoyed working with co-owner, Ben Juncker. He was professional, a good listener and had great follow through. He was willing to do some additional fixes as the project progressed. We had a little more difficulty communicating with the site manager but this improved after we spoke with Ben. When we weren't satisfied with some of the painting Ben had the painter return to fix everything we requested.

At the end of the project he reviewed our plan and made sure everything was completed to our total satisfaction. One of the Pella windows, a 6 foot unit, had a smudge between the panes and an air leak. We were told to contact Pella which we did eventually. Even though it was almost 6 months since our project was completed Ben followed up with us.When he found out that they expected us to pick up the window and pay for its installment he immediately contacted us and has taken over resolving the problem. He also wrote to Pella on our behalf to question there service for a customer with such a large order. We would definitely recommend this company!

Nancy Kerestes

December, 2008

The work we had done was: Replaced old cedar siding with Hardiplank. They installed gutters, a new front door and replaced old windows with Alside and Marvin windows.

We had received bids from three companies to re-side and replace windows in our house. Although they were not the lowest bidder, we decided to go with Craftsman's Choice since they had the most experience with Hardiplank. Ben came to our home multiple times to discuss siding and window options with us, which was appreciated. The crew did an excellent job and was very professional. There were a few items that needed to be adjusted or changed and they quickly did them and were very responsive. The only glitch we had was the schedule was pushed out since our replacement windows took longer to come in than expected, but they were very quick in scheduling once they were in. Overall, we had a very good experience and would highly recommend them.

Diane North

May, 2010

We hired Craftsman's Choice to remove the old deck and steps leading up to the deck on the back of the house. The deck was on the 2nd level of the house, off the master bedroom. Built a new deck, railing and stairs leading down to the ground. Craftsmanship was first class and professional.

Very good experience. My husband was pleased and enjoyed working with the company.

John and Mary Garvey

April, 2006

I interviewed four contractors and selected Craftsman's Choice. While they were not the lowest bidder, they seemed to know the most about the installation process, and they provided the most detailed, inclusive bid. Their crews were on time, worked hard and were very polite. They cleaned up the site every day and were very professional.

At one point, a portion of the vapor barrier was blown off during a storm, and the contractor had it fixed within an hour of my call to him on a Saturday morning. The project was finished on schedule. The attention to detail was terrific as was the quality. They explained what they were doing and offered options where appropriate.

It was a great experience – one of the best contractors we've ever worked with.

Bill Slowter

We couldn't be more pleased with the work that the team from Craftsman's Choice completed on our house. Windows, siding, and deck were installed with equal skill and attention to detail. Measurement and fit of all of the materials was always of the highest standard. They truly seek quality workmanship in all that they do!

When some rotted wood was discovered, they replaced it. Any unanticipated problem was solved and they were always willing to adjust to the special requirements of my particular project. All of the crew members are true craftsmen, and would recommend them to anyone who wants a fine result.

Paul & Nancy Swanson

Just a note to tell you thank you for putting these windows in my home. The windows look great and I know they will last me a lifetime. I was so tired of living with windows that cold air continued to pass through them. I know these windows are airtight and will not allow the cold winter wind from coming through. I really appreciate you as well as your crew for making sure that I was completely satisfied with the windows. Once again, thank you.

Anne Kertes

I can't say enough about the way the windows have worked out. As you know, I was a millwork wholesaler and pretty familiar with windows and what differentiates the various manufacturers. The windows you use are an excellent value. I can honestly say these windows have lowered my heating bill by 25%. Now that we've had a few hot days, I can also say they're lowering my cooling costs as well.

The siding has also been excellent. No surprise here (it was James Hardie). This is another product in which I was a distributor and fully aware of the quality and benefits of fiber cement over any other siding available. There was never a doubt on what I'd put on my own home.

Most importantly however, was the installation. It doesn't matter how good any product is if the installer cuts corners or doesn't pay attention to detail. You and your crew did a great job. I don't foresee any problems with installation. You also maintained a clean and organized jobsite.

Thank you for the good work. It was money well spent. I've been mentioning your name to anyone I come across who is looking for siding or windows. My brother Dave had you install windows in his four-plex. Not only is he happy with the work, but his tenants absolutely loved the way they operate and how they've made the units more comfortable.

Take Care,
Mark Gabel

This letter is long overdue and we apologize for that, especially since we were so impressed and happy with the work that was done roofing and siding our house on Lake Julia. We personally want to thank you for the excellent work that was done and tell you that we couldn't have been any happier with the quality of work. We were also impressed with the fact that whenever we had a question, a concern or wanted to make minor change, you were always available for us to contact and were so accommodating when we wanted to make a change. You were here a lot to make sure things were being done with pride and excellence.

The roofer, Chris, did such a fantastic job. He had protection on the ground for everything that was torn from the roof, consequently, we could not find one nail or anything that shouldn't have been on the lawn nor did we have any damage to any plants or bushes next to the house when he was through. Very friendly and easy to work with, thank you for having Chris on your team. We have referred him to a few of our friends and neighbors.

The siding people were great as well. Even though we had a few minor things that had to be questioned, the job was finished with all we were hoping for. We love how our new house looks and have many, many compliments as to how wonderful it looks, it actually looks like a different house. We love the shakes at the peaks, thank you for being so accommodating with our change on that part. Please feel free to use us as a referral, we would be happy to tell others what a respectable company you have and we wish you many years of continued success.

Yours very truly,
Susan & Terry Golding

In the spring of 2003 my wife and I started the biggest home project we have ever faced. Instead of giving the job to a general contractor, I decided to be involved in the entire process of remodeling our home. The remodeling included window replacement, roofing, all the exterior siding, and stucco. In addition to interior work which included carpet replacement, basement finishing, wall paper, and paint for the entire house.

The remodeling project was much more difficult than we anticipated, especially in selecting the right contractor and the right price for each job. Our most difficult experience we faced was the installation of the exterior siding of the house. After we decided about the James Hardie concrete siding we hired a contractor who claimed to be specialized for this kind of siding. After a few days of work in the back of the house and installing trim boards around windows in the front of the house, we realized that the quality of work of that contractor and his crew was far below average. It was clear to us that the work done was far from being acceptable by anyone who cares enough about getting a nice job done for his/her home. It was a very disappointing experience we had with that contractor and we fired him.

With caution we started all over again looking for another contractor. We spent a few weeks of interviewing and getting bids from different contractors. We then met with Ben from Craftsman's Choice. Right away he was able to realize and to pin point all the installation faults and problems of the work done by the previous installer. He recommended for us to remove all the siding and trim boards installed by the previous contractor, which was about 25% of the house siding.

Because of Ben's nice personality and attitude in addition to his open mind, I felt very comfortable giving him the job. Craftsman's Choice completed all the exterior work, except the stucco areas, in our home including the James Hardie concrete siding, soffit and fascia, installing new windows and front door, in addition to installing gutters around the entire house. Ben and his crew were always considerate for all our concerns, their schedule and work plan were always on time. They paid a lot of attention to many details which really showed with all the compliments from all of our friends and neighbors.

My wife and I were very satisfied with Craftsman's Choice work, was absolutely our best remodeling experience we had with a contractor. We strongly recommend Craftsman's Choice to those homeowners looking for both quality of work and peace of mind of getting the job done right from the first time.

Sincerely,
Mosen M. Agamawi, Ph.D.

After carefully researching the options to replace the Masonite siding that was rotting on our 11-year-old home, we determined that James Hardie's fiber-cement siding appeared to be the most durable product for the money. Our next task was to find the best contractors available to install the siding once our settlement check arrived from the class action suit. While we were in the process of interviewing various siding contractors, a hailstorm damaged our shingles sufficiently to warrant replacement. We also decided to replace a couple of windows that had been damaged by water problems related to the failing Masonite siding on the house. It wasn't difficult to eliminate 90 percent of the contractors who had flocked to our door to sell us vinyl, aluminum and cedar siding, because they had no experience installing Hardiplank. Most of the bids that came in for Hardiplank were outrageously high, and we quickly discovered that one of the lowest bids came from Craftsman's Choice, who would probably have been brought in by the other contractors to install it at their higher prices!

Our first meeting with Ben, one of the co-owners of Craftsman's Choice, ended with our wondering if he could possibly be on the level. His confident, but low-key approach left us wondering if he and his company was too good to be true! Also, he didn't look old enough to have had the years of roofing and siding installation experience he told us he had. Nonetheless, he was able to answer nearly all of our questions about Hardiplank, and about our window and roofing needs, on the spot. What little he didn't know, he looked into and got us answers -- whether they were the answers we wanted to hear or not. His no-nonsense, no B.S. approach was refreshing and reassuring. After calling some of Craftsman's Choice's previous customers, and hearing their enthusiastic assessments of Hardiplank siding and of Ben and his crews, we happily signed up.

We can say without hesitation that Ben Juncker and his partners and crew did an excellent job on our house. They did the roof, installed the new windows and replaced the siding. They also repaired some rotted sheathing that was discovered when the old siding was removed -- at no extra cost to us! True to his word, Ben was on the job with his men nearly every day -- he missed a couple of days when his wife delivered their first baby. On the rare days that Ben was not on site, the Craftsman's Choice crew worked in a professional manner and always cleaned up debris and put their tools and equipment away at the end of the day.

The final result of their work is nothing short of excellent! Ben and his crew take pride in their work and it shows in the details. With the new Hardiplank siding and Certainteed shingles on the roof, our house looks brand new! Actually, it looks better than brand new since we upgraded to darker architectural shingles that nicely accent the trademark blue paint. We would recommend Ben and Craftsman's Choice to any homeowner with high standards and an appreciation for value. These guys are good.

Daniel DeWeese & Julie Thorndycraft

2007

This past year my wife and I decided to make some changes to the exterior of our 23-year old home and replace the roofing and siding. Based on new home prices and not wanting to move, we felt we would get the best bang for our buck by fixing things up the way we wanted them to be done. These transformations, however, involved more than just changing colors; we wanted to renovate the exterior of our home by integrating materials and colors that characterized a more laidback life style.

Choosing the right contractor for us meant choosing someone who knew the whole product story and had home remodeling know-how; someone who could work with us and help us make suitable choices using durable products that would go well with accent colors and still keep an eye on budgeted dollars.

We chose Craftsman's Choice Exteriors because of remodeling work they performed on a neighbor's home. This first hand testimonial assured us of what to expect and that gave us all the confidence we needed!

Throughout the estimating process we experienced professional guidance, which helped us stay on track and budget.Options were explained and a sample of each item bid was provided. The samples helped us envision the final look. No detail was too small or deemed inconsequential by Craftsman's Choice Exteriors. Their attention to detail proved to be very helpful indeed!

We decided to use Certainteed Architectural Roofing materials because of their style, available colors and attractive 30-year warranty.

For siding, Craftsman's Choice Exteriors highly recommended James Hardie concrete siding products because of their durableness, which was backed by a 50-year warranty. We chose their factory primed siding in a Cedar finish, factory primed fascia and soffit panels; 5" smooth corner trim boards and 3" smooth window trim gave our home a very distinctive and pleasing appearance. The most exciting part of our exterior makeover, however, was the James Hardie Staggered Shake used on the front of our home. The staggered shake gave us a totally new look and came with lots of compliments from our neighbors too!

The pros at Craftsman's Choice Exteriors scheduled the roofing and siding tear-off in a logical manner and handled the disposal and clean up in a most satisfying way. Clean up after each day's completion of work made the remodeling experience very low-stress. Changes were thorough and costs resourcefully managed.

Working with Matt, Joel and Ben was a most gratifying experience to say the least. The "guys" were considerate and conscientious when they worked on our property. They handled our questions with openness and made sure they addressed all of our concerns.

My wife and I would recommend Craftsman's Choice Exteriors to those homeowners looking for true craftsmanship from "pros" who know how to pay attention to detail!

Sincerely,
Darryl Rangel

I was very happy with the siding job that was done on my house by Craftsman's Choice. My house is a split-entry style of house. I wanted straight edge shakes on the upper level and six inch lap siding on the lower level, with a 8" band separating the two levels. I also wanted the cormers trimmed and the windows framed. I thought that this would give the house an older traditional look.

When Ben came out and gave me an estimate for the job ( I had three all about the same price) I decided to choose Craftsman's Choice because Ben was the only guy who pointed out places on my house where the siding was improperly installed when the house was built. Ben showed me an area over my front porch that I always had trouble with paint bubbling and peeling. This was due to improperly installed flashing, and water was getting behind the siding.

This problem and several others were all pointed out by Ben or his crew. I decided to go with Craftsman's Choice because Ben was the only estimater who pointed out the problems with the old siding and what needed to be done to fix them.

When the crew came to start working on the house, Jeff, Elmore, and Joe, I was concerned about removing the old redwood lap siding off of the Styrofoam sheathing. I knew this would be very difficult to do. The crew did an awesome job.

They removed my old Tyvek and installed new. They also showed me the old Tyvek was improperly installed behind the windows, instead of over the top, so water can't get behind them.

The crew did a great job of installing the siding and trim. Every window and door has a flashing installed over it. The house looks great. I am very glad that I decided to go with Craftsman's Choice. Ben was very informative and honest, but the crew is what really made the difference for me. These guys are good!!! They care about what the job looks like when they are done.

Thanks guys,
Steve Duffala

December, 2008

We have a 3200 sq foot two-story house with a walkout basement and attached 3-car garage, so there are a lot of exterior walls. Tearing off and re-siding took about two weeks. The crew was mainly 2 guys, but periodically a few others would come to help out. We appreciated the small group of familiar faces. The crew was unfailingly courteous, and the head guy would always stop working in order to answer our questions or discuss logistics. They cleaned up the grounds each day after finishing work. We hadn't been part of such a large home remodel before, and we hadn't used this company for previous work. The salesman who drew up the details of our contract remained in touch throughout the project, which went far in inspiring our trust.

The project manager was not so good at keeping us informed when things were about to happen (such as supply delivery or the date on which work would start), but he responded the same day to every phone call, supplied answers to every question, and walked around the site with us several times during the project. Before the project started, our handyman replaced several garage windows with glass block ones and removed another window, and the Craftsman's Choice crew seamlessly incorporated his work, framing in the new windows and siding over the place where the window was removed.

They also replaced an exterior door for us and installed a couple of storm doors. They modified two exterior decks as well, replacing stairs, adding handrails, and resizing one of the decks. The company went beyond the norm for us, as we had a couple of oddities come up in our project. One was a metal steer sculpture affixed to our old siding that we wanted to retain as part of the history of the house. The guys obligingly constructed a panel of fiber cement on which to mount the sculpture, and they incorporated this into the new siding. Another oddity was that, after the fascia were replaced, we noticed our front storm door was blocked from opening fully.

It ran into the fascia when halfway open. We didn't want to be discriminating against large-sized friends or those bearing packages, so the team came up with a solution for cutting away a piece of the fascia in a not-too-obvious way, which allowed the door to open fully. After the main siding and work was completed, we received a visit from the project manager and another from the salesman, walking through with us to make sure every detail of the exterior was finished according to plan and that we were satisfied. This attention to detail and excellent service ethic have ensured that we'll be calling this company when we need additional work.

George Hadden

June, 2009

James Hardie Siding, Rock siding, Custom Windows, Gutters Entire exterior of house was redone except roof. (was done in May 09)

After searching the home shows for several years, meeting several different vendors for estimates and getting ideas we finally chose Craftsman's Choice. We chose them for several reasons: the owners were honest and genuine, great presentation, flexible, great Angie's List reports, and they made a strong commitment to our project.

We were not disappointed! From the start they did EXACTLY what they said they would do WHEN they said they would do it! That means alot to us. There were no hidden charges, costs, or surprises. The workmanship was absolutely fantastic. Every employee worked on the house like it was their own and did a great job with everything. We are extremely pleased with every aspect of the experience with them.

Bonus: They were not the cheapest bid but very far from the most expensive too. We feel we received every dollar's worth of our money. We were especially impressed with their willingness to take on "boxing out" our new windows. We wanted to give our small rooms the feel of more space and add some depth to the room and they delivered with beautiful new windows that were boxed out about 9 inches from the side of the house. Many other contractors said they could not do this type of work. Craftsman's made it look easy. Would definitely recommend.

Mike Stiefel

August, 2009

We had major hail damage to our roof and aluminum siding. I got estimates from 3 major providers. I think I made up my mind to use Craftsman's choice almost immediately. While the other two firms subjected me to hour long slide shows that really were unnecessary. By contrast Ben Juncke, the estimator from Craftsman's was a model of efficiency. Instead of powerpoint slide shows Ben spent most of our time together looking at my house with me. He pointed out problems with our original construction such as poor drainage areas where we could get structural damage, It was an education just listening to him evaluate our homes issues.

I have some construction experience and it was obvious that Ben had done this type of work before himself. You can always tell first hand experience and i know Ben had it. After the inspection we put together an estimate. Unlike the other estimates Ben's work had a break out of materials that let me pick my options in more detail. (this is a suggestion I would make to anyone contracting this work ask to see a materials and labor breakout !!!) Ben's estimate was the most detailed of any of the three estimates and he didn't waste my time with non-essential information. Second the work his crews did was excellent.

The roofers were experienced, fast and efficient and left me with a much better roof and drainage than my original builders did. They even raked the lawn and house around the work area and make a really serious effort to get every possible nail. While you never get them all this crew tried!! Finally the siding crew was a really good group. We have a very steep house with hard to reach spots and they got to them all. I had some small errors i pointed out with drip gap edges over flashing (fine details recommended by HardiPlank) that occurred well into repairs and the siding person immediately admitted the issue, explained how different owners like appearance (e.g. narrow gaps) or some liked wider gaps with water able to dry out faster. I told him I preferred the gap and he took out the problem boards - a major amount of extra work! - and fixed them as I wanted. He did this with professionalism that you rarely see! The siding team did an excellent job, and if there was a question I was contacted immediately. One more item, during the course of the siding work it became obvious, I needed some carpentry work done.

Ben suggested I use a part-time, project carpenter they have used before - Wayne Foss - to finish a new eve and door I added. Wayne was fast, affordable and I was so impressed I would use him for any other carpentry work I needed done. On the whole I am extremely impressed with the caliber and experience of the crew's from Craftsman's Choice. There wasn't single crew that wasn't professional. Ben explained how they work with their crews and it was obvious they find good workers, treat them well, pay them fairly and on time. The real proof of this was what i heard when I talked to the crews about how they are treated. Every single crew said they preferred to work with Craftsman Choice because of the way they were treated and the type of work they got to do. I would recommend them w/o hesitation. You get what you pay for and this company asks for a fair price and delivers top of the line service!!

On time, on budget, and professionally done! I checked out several references as well and all were good or very good. Ben Juncker also met with my insurance people several times and patiently got them to adjust the damage estimate in my favor. He did this by patience, attention to detail and hard work. This is just one example of the kind of "extra" benefits you get with real professionals

Mark Hilliard

July, 2009

The existing cedar siding was stripped off the sides of our home, the soffits and all other wood was removed. This was replaced by Hardiplank siding and a special weatherproof trim. The house was then painted in a 3 color combination.

The job was superb from start to finish, it was completed almost on time. The site was cleaned everyday and the team were very polite

David Lynn

June, 2009

Re-side house with James Hardie Siding :: Replace/Update some windows :: Convert an alcove to a three season porch :: Replace a patio door with a window.

Not only did they have the best price, but Ben, one of the owners told me honestly that I simply did not need to replace all the windows in the house. This is in stark contrast to the other bids, both of whom wanted to replace windows that were really in fine shape. But, we did replace the dated-looking array of windows in the front with two enormous picture window combinations filling the whole vaulted ceiling space. Plus, did over the front of the house in stone. The result is a "wow." We have had any number of neighbors and passers-by comment on how great it looks. And this was at a total price that came in less than we would have spent for a "ho-hum" re-side job. The crew had great attention to detail, and the joints are crisp and straight. And when I made my lists of glitches (there inevitably are in a job this size) they did not argue or act like I was being a pest, they sent someone out to fix them. Result: we got every little thing right. Great to work with, and we love our "new" (looks that way) house. I have already recommended them to friends.

Rein Teder