JLG Builds - Gambrills, Maryland

Erin G.

We hired JLG to remodel our primary bathroom. We give JLG 5 stars for quality of work, but removed a star due to communication and timeline issues.

For all of Jim’s skill in procuring a good team of people for our full bathroom renovation, he could really benefit from hiring a project coordinator to run his jobs. If he had someone like Kyle (estimator) coordinating project schedules, subcontractors, and progress updates, then we think he’d really have something special here. His team of subcontractors are excellent and almost exclusively local and family-owned businesses. We received a high quality of workmanship and respect for our home. All workers made sure to leave the front door closed and respected any requests of ours, though they probably should have vacuumed at the end of each day.

Our favorite workers included Woody (tile), Mike (project lead and generalist), Joe and Bob (drywall), Gary Jr and Charlie (plumbing), and more. Woody especially is a craftsman, not just a tile-layer, with a great personality. We could tell that he really wanted us to have a great bathroom and cared about providing a quality product to the homeowner. Even working with their tile designer Jessica at Absolute Design Studio was an absolute pleasure. JLG has a team of great people.

Overall, the scheduling and project coordination of this project were disappointing and we don’t think we’d use JLG again for that reason. During project proposal development, JLG was very responsive, but as soon as we sent the deposit check, they went radio silent for over three months. Our contract stated a project start time of June/July and we had to call them once June began to see when they would start the project. We understand there were some personal difficulties that challenged their schedule, but some communication would have been appreciated. Jim did call us himself to explain this and called again once the project was scheduled to start in 2 weeks. However, just a few days later on a Friday his project lead called us to say they would start on Monday - 1.5 weeks early. We were glad for the early start, but it was difficult for our schedules to accommodate, since we wanted to make sure they were clear on the scope of work. Mike is good at what he does, it’s just unfortunate that they try to use him as a project manager as well. There is generally a lack of communication with project schedule and status because of this. It also seems to be the luck of the draw in terms of who you get to lead your project and work on your project.

JLG projected the project to take 2-3 weeks and Jim told me they work on one job at a time and put all their people on it, but it took much longer (they started July 29th and finished October 4th - about 9 weeks) and they had multiple jobs going at one time. We understand they had some internal staffing difficulties, losing a project lead during the time our project happened, so we were understanding about things proceeding piece-by-piece, but it was a struggle to have the project go for so much longer than expected. In the end, the final product is what matters and we received an absolutely stunning bathroom renovation. We also appreciated the detailed proposal we received up front, their work with us to customize the proposal to our budget and desires, and that the contract meant we knew what to expect in terms of the cost.

K L.

I contacted James Graves construction in 2023 for a major exterior home renovation project that included a new front door, new front porch posts and railings, concrete parging and painting as well as repair and wrapping of all rake boards and corner posts for a single-family home. I met with several companies for quotes but ultimately chose James Graves for their transparency and their proposed solutions for my home. I met with Bryan for the initial consult was very impressed with the professionalism and the out of the box solutions he proposed. When my door did not fit the specs Provia offered, Bryan worked with his team to make it work for the door that I wanted. What really impressed me was the quality of the work and attention to detail of the end products. Throughout the project (which took several months due to multiple supplies from different manufacturers), Bryan kept me updated on status. I also felt that there was transparency about what is feasible which made me feel comfortable.  Even for minute things like missing a few nails, they came back out to fix it and made sure I was 100% satisfied. That’s how you build a good reputation and long-term customers. I would give this company 5 stars not just for quality but for the excellent professionalism and respect for the customer and their home. I look forward to future projects with James Graves Construction.

Mark S.

I contracted with the James L. Graves Construction Company to replace the roof and gutters on my single-family home. Their estimate was competitive and they were able to schedule the job in a timely matter. Their crew worked hard for two days. They worked from dawn to dusk on the first day and completed the job on the second day. The crew appeared to be experienced in roof repair and replacement. The final product looks great. The crew left the surrounding grounds spotless. The yard actually looked better than it did prior to the start of the job. The only extra cost was for one sheet of plywood to repair an area of rot. I have no complaints and I am happy with the final product.

Maurann H.

Bryan and his team were awesome. They showed up on time, cleaned up at the end of each day and did excellent work. I would highly recommend them and will use them again the future. They tore down my current front porch, a planter wall, and removed the tree and lamp post. They built a new front porch with stairs, a covered portico and new walkway. I had asked for lights built into the stairs and a hand rail. They didn’t disappoint and exceeded our expectations.

Russ K.

Mr. Bryan Gutin came to my house to quote me on a new front door. Not only was the price fair, Mr Gutin was also very friendly and courteous throughout the whole process. Answered all of my questions and let me know what to expect during installation. When the installation of my new door took place, everything that Mr Gutin told me to expect was accurate.

Thanks again to Mr. Gutin and James L Graves construction for a job well done. I definitely recommend their services for anyone looking to get a home improvement project done and done well.

Susan H.

James L Graves Company was highly recommended to us by our neighbor. The project was to replace all doors, windows, siding, board & batten and to build a portico with cement walkway entrance. Graves offered us a detailed, six-page contract (not the lowest estimate), listing the quality of the materials, along with an intended timeline.
Bryan's attention to detail; and management of the entire project; kept what could have been a stressful experience; to an acceptable inconvenience.
The subcontractors were all HIGH quality, RESPECTFUL people.
TRUST is the basis of any contractual engagement.
We put our TRUST in Bryan & James L Graves Company.
Now we have a BEAUTIFUL "new" home.
Susan K. Hayes
Annapolis, Maryland

Faye J.

Graves replaced my roof. It needed three new skylights and all new plywood panels because my old roof was just a few months short of 30 years. The estimate, which was good, described the full price accurately. The work was done on the planned schedule and it was excellent. Bryan who arranged all the work is easy to work with and very dependable. I highly recommend Graves Construction.

Steven ?. P. D.

Project 1 - New larger gutter installations on house went very well. Cost was reasonable too.
Project 2 - Complete refurbishment of kitchen including all appliances through recommended supplier.

I have waited 14 months to do this review as I wanted time to get used to the new kitchen and assess the durability of the work done.

We did have to wait a very long time for the work to be started, but once started it moved to conclusion very well indeed, thanks to Mitch.

This was a highly successful project carried out under the oversight of a really talented site manager Mitch. He was brilliant and a delight to work with.

Every trade was 5 star quality, although we were not entirely happy with the electricians.. They did well with lighting the kitchen and had far, far, more work to install the new range to code than I ever envisaged.
One man in particular was quite intimidating and the contractors all refused to put in new switches and outlets in the powder room as expected. Yes, we had asked for new switches and GCFI in the newly decorated powder room, but they were not specifically in the contract/order. I was pleased with their work and indicated I was prepared to pay them to do this, and could even supply the new materials from stock already on site, but they steadfastly refused. Only since the project have we been tripping the circuit breaker if we use the air frier, toaster and desktop microwave at the same time. Redistributing appliances has now eased that problem.

The floor was dealt with very fast and very well but we were left with a 1/2" drop of the floor under the door mouldins/frames, which I do admit I undertook to deal with myself.

As stated I am delighted with Mitch's management of our $60k project, but
I was still surprised that Jim Graves did not pay us a visit afterwards in person to see the results himself.

I would recommend that he does that and that despite vendor assurances the buyer does still need to analyze the contract with a fine tooth comb to spot any work scope assumptions by the buyer, and/or accidental omissions by the vendor.

Billing and communication was very good. The office, and poor Stewart the Designer, had to be exceptionally patient with us and they were.

I still rate 5 star and highly recommend this company, if you are prepared to wait for the best quality, have a great site manager and continue to monitor the work and contract closely.