Dept. of Willpower. It is just plain tough to find good help in this city, unless you are willing to spend big bucks - and then you still need to be lucky. Word of mouth is everything.
Juan Corona is one of the few recommendations that we have entered into the Guide. He did work for a friend on 22nd street who is renovating a whole building bit by bit. Here's the rec:
Juan saved the day. When I had to fire the first contractor, Juan came in and did everything really well. His prices are fair and he is totally trustworthy.
Spoke to Juan yesterday to schedule an appointment for him to give me an estimate on some work in my apartment. I asked him whether it would be ok to meet at 6:00. He said no. The latest he could meet was 5:30. So I left work early, went home and waited. By 6:00, I got pissed and called him on his cell phone. He didn't pick up so I left a message. Juan didn't call me until 8:00 pm, wanting to come over then. Screw him! I thought his behavior was rude and inconsiderate. Didn't bode well for him as a contractor.
I had a very different experience. I call and made an appointment for the same day at 6pm. Juan showed on time, and was very pleasant, except for the alcohol on his breath and slurred speech.
I did a gut rehab of my apartment on Grand Street and had a wonderful contractor. Nestor Kalagoris, whom I might have recommended on AT a few months ago, is honest, reliable and does beautiful work...on time and on budget. His specialty is cabinetry, and he built the ones in my kitchen and also built desks for me and my daughter. I'd be happy to put people in touch with him and show the work he did for me.
Nadine
Nadine,
If you think he will work in Brooklyn, would you please pass on his contact info? Much appreciated.
-Chris
Nadine - I'm also interested in Nestor Kalagoris' contact information. Thanks (brazeal@gmail.com)
hi nadine -
i'd love to have nestor's info too. i'm in the closing process of a grand street apt. thank you.
you can email me @zacmitch@aol.com
nestor is fabulous. i accepted his bid after interviewing him (thanks to nadine's post)...so far so good. i am only mid-way through my renovations, but must say that nestor is extremely responsive, always accessible, very reasonable/affordable, a perfectionist, and cares a great deal about his work and the final product. updates to follow.
Hi Nadine,
I too would be greatful if you could tell me how to get in touch with Nestor Kalagoris.
thanks!!
Melissa (mmargaretyang@earthlink.net
have to agree about the alcohol on the breath. bad sign. and Juan never called back with an estimate. does not seem reliable.
shouldn't there be listings of contractors that people do NOT recommend? Another high on my list would be JAMES GILL. Don't hire him, no matter how nice he seems. he lies about his licenses, about permits, and then walks off with your money never to be heard from again.
can someone please post Nestor Kalagoris's info openly? I can't seem to find it anywhere online. Thanks.
Hi all, Juan just finished a renovation in my bathroom and I couldn't be more pleased with the results.
http://www.apartmenttherapy.com/ny/house-tours/inside-out-andrea-is-not-afraid-to-ship-025091
Juan is incredibly thorough and went through every possible scenario and its alternative for the renovation I had in my bathroom. If I wanted to have something added to the list, he would tell me with a speedy turnaround if it would keep me in my budget or bring it to the stratosphere; when appropriate he would make a suggestion for achieving a similar result with minor alterations to my initial request.
His team of workers are wonderful, they arrive on time have good vibes and they even clean up the excess demo bits when done! His prices are low to mid-range from my experience in getting other work in the apt. done and in comparing with other companies' quotes. One other thing that Juan does that is an odd rarity in general contracting - he writes down the entire scope of work as part of your contract. This is the number for his office: Andrew Batiuk (he is in main office and is the inital point of contact), 917-597-0133, JCM Construction, 646-479-9707
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DON'T USE DON PERRONE based in Brooklyn. His company did a bathroom renovation mid-January which he said would take 6-8 days to finish. He even listed on his website that it's done, which it clearly is not. 2 months later and I'm still waiting for his plumber Doug to come replace the shower body that he broke. I call and text and email and they either don't return my calls or they don't show up when they say they're coming or they keep saying tomorrow, tomorrow. Not to mention, Doug put in my new tub not knowing how to install the trip lever (which stops the drainage), and I wound up with a really cheap push drainer because the trip lever will not function unless he removes the tub. STAY AWAY from these guys.
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