James McCoy Carpentry LLC

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. Photos of some of James' work are shown below. 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.

We hired James to give our kitchen a facelift. All cabinets, countertops and floors were kept the same. All was repainted. Initially happy with the work aside from being left to find new canisters for the recessed lighting which was impossible because of how old they were. However, within the first year of work being done, the paint on the cabinets began to soften and smear. As I later came to find out, he used an acrylic paint that has no longevity as it doesn’t dry hard. Wish he had known or let me know. The cabinets looked awful within the first year of renovation. I discovered why once we did another renovation this year. James should have used an oil-based paint.

We LOVED working with James! He is professional, thoughtful, and upfront. His work is extremely careful and he has a great eye for detail. James' crew is equally great. They were always careful about clean-up and working around our family's(young kids and pets!) needs. We are so pleased with the final results and would highly recommend James to anyone interested in an artfully crafted renovation!

James and his team do great work, having used them before on smaller projects. We hired him to plan the design and eventual build of a new larger project and what a complete fail. His proposal was more than $200,000 over our initial budget, mostly due to double dipping across his project management fees and percentage overhead for sub-contractors. He is also not well organized and couldn't maintain a basic understanding of the initial scope we were looking to complete and kept pushing his custom build finishes. In addition, we have a historic home and during the entire planning process he did not consult the historic commission once to verify what we can or can't do based on their guidelines. Basically, his entire design was a wash because of those limitations and we wouldn't have known that until we went to zoning, etc. This is now known after going through the process with a real architect (not his draftsman) and taking almost 8 months to finalize the plans. We eventually had to part ways and lost our $7,500 deposit for drawings, that were not completed, nor would he even provide us with a copy.

Working with James and his team was a great experience from beginning to end. As we began the process of thinking about remodeling our kitchen, James was super patient and collaborative. James listened to the things we wanted in a kitchen remodel and brought some great ideas that we weren't thinking about. His knowledge of kitchen remodels was apparent during this process, providing us with a strong point of view based on past experience. As the project began, James and his team were sensitive to the fact that our family was in the house during the remodel. They were considerate and and kept the worksite clean and organized. His team was respectful, trustworthy and punctual. Throughout the remodel, James was always accessible. As questions or concerns arose, he always answered quickly and kept us up to speed with the progress of the project. James and his team are master carpenters and their work is beautiful. Our cabinets were built by his team and the craftsmanship is excellent. Our new kitchen is amazing and we couldn't be happier with the finished product. We were so happy with James' work that we recently had him come back to install built in book cases in our family room. We've received many compliments on the remodel and have recommended James to anyone we know who is considering a kitchen remodel.

I had an excellent experience with James McCoy. He built a new wing on my 74 year old mother's house and she got sick in the middle of the job. He was so patient and tolerant of our situation and bent over backwards to help us out. He still stops by to help her make small adjustments or explain how to work things. The kitchen is beautiful as well. He cares about his work and he cares about the people he works for.

If I could give this amateur less than one star I would. McCoy was totally useless. He was incapable of managing a project. He over-ran on my project by 100% in cost and time, the work was shoddy and ultimately he walked off, leaving my newly born son and my wife with a kitchen and basement that was 1/3 built. His own men were telling him that he had screwed up but he wouldnt listen. I had to bring in other professionals at my cost. I really wished I had sued him but he suddenly moved his company into an LLC structure to avoid this. McCoy is a third rate fly by night operator and I would AVOID at all costs.

James McCoy and his crew did an absolutely outstanding job for us in renovating and updating an older home for us. We have renovated several homes and without doubt, his work, craftsmanship and attention to detail were the best by far!! James is a master carpenter and was able to use reclaimed wood from the house and incorporate it into the final product, including a dining table and desk top. Absolutely beautiful work!!! On top ot that, James and his crew are polite, prompt, always cleaned up, and responded immediately to all questions, concerns etc. James exceeded our expectations and, frankly, is the only person we will use for any project henceforth. Hands down, the best ever!!!!!

James and his team just completed an almost total renovation of my 100-year-old Philadelphia row house. They took out exterior walls, expanded my footprint, extended my second floor, poured a new foundation and turned my three-bedroom, one bath into a two bedroom, 1.5 bath with a second-floor laundry room, completely renovated kitchen, dining room, bedroom and bathroom. James created many custom built-ins and milled details such as wainscoting in my dining room to match the wainscoting in my living room. From start to finish, James and his crew were a pleasure to work with. The project came in on time and on budget. It's clear that James and all his employees and subs take great pride in their work. James has a terrific eye for detail and made certain everything was perfect. He even threw in some freebies that I hadn't asked for because he knew how great a small (or not so small) fix would be to the finished product (who knew my mantel dimensions weren't so hot?). I kept waiting to experience a horror story that seems to accompany home renovations. There was none. James provided me with a detailed schedule of the four-month project and each step was completed as specified and on time. Regular meetings helped keep me in the loop. Sure, there were some bumps, but James dealt with them promptly and professionally. When I wasn't pleased with the radiator we had chosen, he replaced it (which necessitated pulling up the refinished floor and re-routing the plumbing). When I smelled gas after moving in, he quickly traced it to a pipe in the ceiling that had been nicked by a nail. He tore out the ceiling and patched it and one would never know there had been a problem. During the demolition phase the house and surrounding property were tidied up at the end of each day (my neighbors were most pleased). Throughout the process the crew was beyond respectful to both me and my home. James and his team are not only the most professional crew around, they are really nice guys.

Giving a 100 year old house a new door, can be challenging. We wanted a solid, air tight, high quality, craftsman door with a feeling of integrity and time. While our home's original door was charming and unique, it was also drafty and splintering. Additionally, the entrance frame was not level or symmetrical and required a total repair. James and his crew listened to our concerns and vision and created a visual spec of a solid mahogany door for us to consider and work with. We were able to customize it to our exact wishes and with his input, created the door we had envisioned. The finished product was even better than we had hoped and has transformed our home's entrance dramatically. The door is solid, quiet, level and beautiful. We chose a bright red for the exterior and a stain for the interior to show off the beautiful grain of the wood. The project was done on time, as promised, by James and his fantastic carpenters and crew. The fact that they are friendly and easy to work with is of course, the icing on the cake!

We have worked with James and his team on several projects and we have always been extremely happy with outcome. He is great to collaborate with and helps to understand and execute our visions perfectly and expertly. Quality and craftmanship are excellent and he's both professional and fun to work with.