DWD Renovation

I worked with Dave in 2018 on renovation work in a condo and am posting now because I worked with him again last week on dryer vent repair. My experience: easy/prompt communication, great follow-through every time, high professionalism, fair pricing for high quality work. Here's a story that speaks to Dave in a nutshell: when he was doing work in my unit in 2018, multiple contractors who were not affiliated with his business were in my unit (hard wood floor guy, counter top install guy). ALL of these contractors unsolicitedly said they were totally impressed with his work: the workspace was clean and organized, the craftsmanship and quality were high. That was great to hear, as these subs had no incentive to say that. Objective opinions from informed contractors themselves.

My enclosed porch roof had a single leak. I hired Dave at DWD Renovation to do a tear off and install new rubber roofing on the flat portion and new shingles on the sides. After Dave/DWD finished the job, there were other problems and several leaks: 1. Dave/DWD didn't seal the rubber roof seams. I could put my hand right under the membrane. (See pic) 2. Dave/DWD didn't use any insulation.

The rubber was installed directly onto the plywood. 3. Because of all the water damage, I now had to replace the interior porch ceiling. When I tore it out, I discovered that Dave/DWD used a thinner plywood for the decking and not the 3/4" specified in my contract. 4. Dave/DWD did not replace all the old roof decking. My contract specified 100% replacement.

The difference in thickness between the old and new roof decking formed a roof buckle. (See pic) 5. The roof flashing Dave/DWD installed incorrectly, or not at all, caused water damage to the plaster walls of two of the interior rooms. (See pic) 6. Dave/DWD didn't use braces on their ladders. Instead they leaned the ladders directly onto the gutters which crushed them and the downspouts no longer lined up to drain into the gutters. Dave's guy screwed the downspout to the gutter as a "fix." It didn't work.

The rain ran down the side of the house into the foundation. I had to install all new gutters and downspouts on the porch. Most of the problems surfaced after Dave/DWD was paid in full. I hired Dave/DWD because he lives in my neighborhood. I thought that would be an incentive for him to visit the job more frequently and be less likely to do a poor job and rip me off.

The last time I saw him in person, I asked him again about my roof. He always agrees to "fix it, " but when I ask him if "fix it" means starting over and repairing it correctly like he should have done the first time without breaching my contract, he just shook his head and walked away.

I have worked with Dave on a couple of projects over the years. Not only on smaller projects on my personal property by also a larger project for our building. In fact, I am currently working with Dave and preparing for an additional couple of projects. I always find Dave as responsive and extraordinary helpful in understanding the work needed in each project.

He has an extensive resource base for facilitating the work with quality and professionalism. In addition, Dave cares about the outcome which is comforting when approaching doing any project.

I looked for a contractor to do a basement and bathroom renovation within a tight timeframe (summer 2019) in my home which is 105 years old. I had several bids on the job, but I was particularly impressed by Dave's attention to detail and willingness to spend time with me (a neophyte in the construction arena) to understand the expenses and my options.

He submitted a bid that was competitive and fair. Most of the work itself was done by his skilled craftsman, Jersey, who is an incredible talent and has consistent great attention to detail and quality. I gave Jersey the keys to the house; I trusted the DWD team implicitly. Both Jersey and Dave take pride in their work, and it shows! The work was done two days ahead of schedule.

I have had many compliments on the work that was done. It was a great comfort to know that there is a local (Rogers Park) company that does such high quality work within a framework of integrity, patience and kindness. I plan to have them come back for other projects, and would recommend them highly.

Our condo association needed to have work done, we looked at several contractors, and Dave and DWD Renovation was clearly head and shoulders above the rest from every angle. Availability, returning phone calls promptly, providing a clear, detailed, accurate proposal so we understood exactly what was going to be done and what it all was going to cost, completing the job on time and on budget, and being professional and cleaning up at the end of the day, so as not to leave a mess.

There were no surprises. Dave and his team removed our large deck over our 3 care garage, fixed the garage roof and some parts of the garage's interior that had water damage, and built an entire new deck on top of the garage, which we now are so excited to use and invite friends over and have events. I rarely ever went up on the deck before we had it redone.

Now we've added nice furniture, flowers, and the space is absolutely incredible! It really changed the entire vibe of that space, and I look forward to the few days in the summer that I can work from home, so I can sit out there with my laptop and feet propped up and enjoy some sun while getting things done. It's like my own little oasis. It all started with a call to Dave of DWD Renovation. Dave's also working with us right now on some cosmetic work around our fireplace.

I also have referred Dave out to some friends for various projects over the years, such as kitchen and bathroom rehabs, as I have a great deal of confidence that he and his team will do an outstanding job, and I don't want my friends just going to anyone and having a terrible result. If you're in need of help with your deck, kitchen, bathroom, or whatever else you may need updated or fixed in your home, a phone call to Dave should definitely be part of your fact finding process. You'll be glad you did. He and his team are great to work with!

I worked with Dave and DWD Renovation for a condo renovation that included the following: full new kitchen, addition of a bathroom, renovation of a bathroom, new hardwood flooring throughout a 2300SF condo, creating a full laundry room, and conversion of a second floor loft to a master bedroom. Not a gut rehab, but a large project where electric, HVAC, plumbing, and walls required some moving around.

I have family in the contracting and construction business so disclaimer: I went into this process a fairly informed consumer who knows how difficult these projects can be. I give Dave 5 stars because of the following important considerations that I think set good contractors apart: 1) responsiveness (Dave answered calls and emails within the hour), 2) integrity (I am a "fairly informed" consumer in that I understand the contracting process, but I am NOT a contractor and do not know construction - it's difficult during these projects not knowing if something is being done correctly, so trust in a contractor is critical - Dave really stood by his word and cared about the quality of his work, I trusted the work his crew did, and was happily surprised a few times when I had sub-contractors come through (who were not a part of his crew) and commented on how good a job whoever I was working with was doing and asked who it was), 3) follow-through (my cousin is an architect who gave me LOTS of suggestions on things to include in my official agreement with Dave on my condo's work - Dave took lots of extra time with me to review the agreement and make every little edit I wanted was included), 4) respectful (I am a young-ish female living solo in the condo that was renovated, I know nothing about construction, and I asked a LOT of questions - Dave and his crew were both patient and appreciative of the questions, and never condescending or belittling.

Most importantly, the place turned out beautifully - really great craftsmanship and everything thus far has been in perfect working order. Simply said, I would recommend Dave to a friend if they were embarking on a similar project. Thanks for the great job Dave.

DWD and Dave Hirsch truly earn a five star review. I contracted with Dave to renovate my vintage kitchen which needed quite a bit of work. My neighbor had Dave renovate her vintage kitchen and highly recommended him. He came out twice, first to discuss with me my ideas and budget, and then a second time to discuss what he thought would work. He brought a possible design with him.

It was a wonderful back and forth with Dave very respectful of my budget and really working with me to stay within it and yet have a beautifully designed kitchen. The price he gave was very fair, and I signed a contract with him. Then life intervened, first my mother dying very unexpectedly which left me with many expenses, and then my daughter decided to pursue a graduate degree and needed my help.

All to say, there was no longer any money for the kitchen project. I let Dave know, expressing my profound regret for having to break the contract. I expected him to be upset. Not at all. Not only was he wonderfully kind regarding the loss of my mother, he returned my deposit in full! I will certainly hire him when the coffers are refilled. Not only is his work excellent (again, my neighbor's kitchen is gorgeous), but Dave is one of the most decent human beings I have met in my life.

DWD did a gut renovation of our bathroom and a partial reno of our kitchen. While we are delighted with the final result and the place really looks beautiful, there were quite a few issues with the construction managing that made our review go way down. First, there were 3 separate equipment/fixtures that were wrongly installed and we needed to bring this up to their attention so they would re-install, from the kitchen sink in which the drawers didn't close because the piping wasn't installed correctly to thw microwave that wasn't allowing proper ventilation - all of those are items that were shown in the instructions which I believe weren't read. Secondly, the amount of tile that I was asked to order was 1/2 of the amount that we actually needed!

And they told me that I needed to get more the day we ran out, so this caused 1 week delay, around 400$ in shipping fees and we had to extend our lease since wr couldn't move in to the place without the bathroom finished, so one more month worth of rent. Of course none of these expenses, nor part thereof, were deducted from the final fee. Finally, and most importantly, there was an issue with the shower not draining properly.

I brought this up to Dave's attention immediately and his reaction was to deny there was a problem for days, saying that the problem was the tile that I chose (as a designer I've used this tile before with no issues so it was just poor craftsmanship) then proceed to tell me that he "didn't get what the big deal is, just squeegee the shower like most people do (?)".

Eventually and after lots of pushing and some unpleasant phone calls he agreed to fix the issue, but he had already moved on to other clients and took 2.5 weeks to schedule the work. All in all we are happy with the way the place looks, and Dave was always responsive, but I know as an architect what things are acceptable or not and the shower incident and the way it was handled was definitely not.

That being said, he is very fair priced, so if you have a tight budget like we did and are willing to be very much on top of the construction then DWD would be the right place for you!

Dave and his team did a great job remodeling our kitchen! This was a tricky project in a vintage building that is full of surprises. The project included demolition, electric, plumbing, construction and installation of new cabinets.we could not be happier.nice job guys!

Appreciated the approachability and thoroughness of the workers, and also Dave's willingness to work with my budget and my construction needs. DWD has done both my bathrooms-replacing the tub with a large shower in one bathroom, and redesigning my second bathroom to accommodate a tub and a skylight.

Hiring DWD RENOVATION was one of the best decisions I've ever made. They had some really creative ideas for our kitchen remodel and gave our requirements careful consideration, but took the design much further than we ever thought possible, without going over our budget.

If you're looking for a great general contractor on the north side, Dave is your man. He is extremely professional and very passionate about the integrity and quality of work that he completes.

If you're looking for a great general contractor on the north side, Dave is your man. He is extremely professional and very passionate about the quality of work that he completes.

My wife and I recently had our bathroom completely remodeled by DWD RENOVATION and we couldn't be happier. The work was completed quickly and professionally. Dave, the owner, was very involved with the whole process.

You were thorough in your inspection of our porch system along with the review of neighboring porches to establish a base line. You took photos that you sent to an architect familiar with Chicago building code.