Review Your Contractor: James Mccoy Carpentry

James came recommended, but our experience was disappointing. While he understood the project's goals, his management, communication, and professionalism fell drastically short. He consistently blamed others, failed to take responsibility for major issues, and caused a month-long delay from the promised completion date due to neglect in taking out proper permits. His disorganization led to incorrect work and unaddressed complications; all due to poor communication and documentation. He has left open permits on our home, despite work having long been completed. Financially, James was unreliable. He kept and sent us inaccurate records, neglected to send change orders, and delayed payments to the subcontractors; requiring the involvement of lawyers to resolve, lasting almost six months. My advice: if considering James, limit the project scope rigorously. He is skilled in carpentry. But maintain meticulous records, and ensure subcontractors (if he’s hiring them) sign a lien waiver. Alternatively, seek a more competent and accountable professional.

James McCoy Carpentry is a small firm based in Northwest Philadelphia. I have hesitated to compose/post the following review for a number of reasons. However, as things have gone I feel it is justified and so am doing it reluctantly. In mid January 2022 he began what he described as a 6 week project to renovate a mud room on the back of our 100+ year old house. As of today, January 23, 2023, we do not consider the project completed. THE GOOD, THE BAD AND THE UGLY THE GOOD - James is a very hard working individual who does craftsman-like work. People who have seen the work that he did remarked about the precision of his miter joints, the way that his moldings are fitted and the manner of his installations of windows and doors. The sub-contractors that he used for plumbing/electrical work and masonry were prompt, considerate and professional. All subs performed as expected. THE UGLY - James did not make any effort to address some poor finishing issues. Electrical boxes that were installed by James were either defective or had large gaps between the box and the drywall that could not be covered by a switch plate. Spackle that was needed to mate the drywall to an existing stone wall was never finished nor was it painted. The cover plate to have the basement stairs correctly meet the floor was never installed. THE BAD - The project was to include the installation of a drop down butcher block countertop. We purchased the butcher block at a cost of > $450.00 and gave it to him to complete the project. As of today nothing at all has been done to finish this part of the project. The initial project was to include the providing of and installation of track lighting including 3 heads. While the tracks were installed, the track heads were never picked up by James. We had to purchase them from the Supply Store at our own expense. The sub-floor was never correctly leveled. As a result, the floor has a notable buckle in it. James never returned one exterior door key that he requested to be able to come and go as needed while working on the project. The exterior door had to be rekeyed for our security. James has not returned multiple telephone calls placed to him. He has also not replied to any text messages since April 13, 2022. When confronted directly and pressed to take action on the outstanding issues during an impromptu meeting over 3 months ago, he acknowledged that there were outstanding issues and said he would contact us within the following week. Again, nothing. Admittedly, we were wrong in agreeing to a final payment upon completion of the "punch list" of only 3%. Apparently, that sum was too small to convince James to finish the project. As a result of the above, we would strongly recommend against using James McCoy Carpentry for any project. If he was working under the direction of an individual who was responsible to the customer and able to take responsibility for James' actions, he would be a good worker and would do quality work. Other than that, we recommend that you keep looking if you are considering his company to work with you.

Very disappointed. We felt that James had poor management skills, we saw his temper, and at no point did James take responsibility for poor work and delays. 6 months gone, and so dissatisfied with mistakes and rudeness. A huge regret.