J Reilly Construction

I hired J Reilly Construction to do a major remodel in Cole Valley, San Francisco. We gutted the house, added steel reinforcements, and physically moved it on the lot in order to add a garage.
The job went as smoothly as I could have possibly imagined. My wife and I are extremely happy with the work, and I would recommend Joe and his team again to anyone in a heartbeat (we have actually already recommended him to close friends).
More details below:
Price
Joe’s estimate was about middle-​of-​the-​road compared to other people in the area. However, he delivered exactly on budget. The only major overages were things we added ourselves. And in cases where things ended up costing less, Joe was forthright and credited us.
Time
The project was estimated to take one year. We moved in after 13 months, and there were minor things going on until about 18 months. Most of those things were delays caused by parties outside Joe’s control.
Professionalism
I greatly enjoyed the experience of working with Joe. He kept his word in all matters, and was always immediately available and responsive. He has continued to be available to us as minor things crop up.
Quality
This is where Joe’s team really shines. The carpentry especially surpassed my expectations. Everyone who comes into our house comments on how amazing it looks, but people in the trades especially comment on the finish carpentry. I’m extremely nitpicky and detailed-​oriented, but everything either met my expectations initially, or else Joe’s team fixed it so that it did.

IT TOOK HIM ALMOST 2 MONTHS AFTER BEING PAID TO TAKE LIEN OFF THE BUILDING.
PLEASE SEE PHOTOS. 10÷27÷14 an NOV from SFDBI was put on this 10 month old deck, repair of which I had to pay for. I had a structural engineer and construction defects expert witness of 41 years inspect and provide reports that show this deck was not constructed according to the engineering plans; there are a multitude of serious failures to adhere to the engineering plans & building codes. CSLB found enough in those reports to send the case to the SF office for further investigation. The deck is full of shims, cracking beams, loose railings, loose bolts, rusting hardware, pressure treated wood on the planking and stairs (bleeding dye onto the concrete) which I explicitly told him not to use and every contractor, engineer, construction defects expert and even the lumber company said that pt wood is not for usage in those areas due to splitting, which is exactly what is happening. And those are the minor issues. I have massive evidence. This deck is quickly deteriorating. He will cut corners, use inferior materials, breach his own contract. Photos don’t lie. He had made my life a LIVING HELL FOR 16 MONTHS & STILL IS. IT TOOK HIM 6 MONTHS TO BUILD THAT DECK on a 4 week contract; I HAD TO PAY $ 2500 in DBI PENALTY FEES. That the SF Judicial system is unfair is no surprise to anyone but I did get about a 40% reduction in the judgement from the appeal; he failed to mention that. He has never filed anything to disprove all my evidence and still with all these professional reports & shocking photos I didn’t completely prevail. My continuing pursuit is over the safety of the deck. Do the math on a contractor that pursues over 16 months for $ 4800 with the job he did.
Unilocal HQ REMOVED THE PHOTOS I POSTED OF THE WORK J REILLY DID AT MY PROPERTY. I JUST REPOSTED A FEW. ALL THE WORK SHOWN IS INTERIOR, NOT A DECK THAT Unilocal DOES NOT WANT YOU TO SEE.
HERES THE EMAIL — Hi there, We’re writing to let you know that we have removed your photo of J Reilly Construction. Business photos and captions should be broadly representative of the business, however you’re welcome to share your personal experiences in your written review.
Harris
Unilocal User Support
San Francisco, California
You’ll regret using this contractor. It took him 6 months to build my deck which is ugly, not what he promised and has problems that keep arising. He refused to go over the engineering plans with me, refused to communicate with me on any issues but money he wanted, told me it was $ 37k then I walked in to sign and with no notice to me the price was raised to $ 39k. If This hadn’t been part of an NOV I needed quickly resolved & chosen by my now replaced property manager PACIFIC UNION, I would have walked out. He bid on the plans using Trek & pocketed the $ 1500 difference between Trek & the PT wood he used. He took long breaks in construction, refused to keep his word on verbal and written agreements and took 6 months to build the deck running the NOV INTO CODE ENFORCEMENT and even tho my attorney and I were constantly asking what the status of the NOV deadline date was and HE KNEW IT WAS IN CODE ENFORCEMENT, HE REFUSED TO INFORM MYSELF OR MY ATTORNEY OF THIS URGENT MATTER. I had to hire a construction consultant to come in and light a fire under him to get the job done; Reilly jerked him around endlessly not cooperating then used him to produce yet another contract saying he would not commence work unless I signed it UNDER DURESS. He had already breached the first contract. He left me with damages on the deck that FAR EXCEED the amount we are disputing. HE WAS DISHONEST ABOUT BILLING & PUTTING A LIEN ON THE BLDG FOR 2K OF UNRENDERED SERVICES. He refused to explain any of the construction when I would go to the site, totally ignored me. He left large gaping ditches with rebar and unstable stairs and decking accessible, not caution taped off the numerous times I stopped by the site to find he was again, not working. He never contacted me unless it was about money. The job started in June, he was paid $ 32k by August, a month behind schedule and only finished at all because I brought in the construction consultant. The day after I paid him the $ 28K in August he filed a preliminary lien against me for the balance; BAD FAITH. in litigation, according to him his wife is an attorney who shows up in small claims with a stack of folders that could choke a horse, and neither of them seemed to be aware that an attorney can’t represent you in small claims. He promised to take care of issues repeatedly and never did, now I have railings coming loose, cracked support beams that need to be replaced, crumbling piers with above grade concrete from the subsurface footings and sloping concrete that should be and was previously level. THE DECK IS AT LEAST 3 DIFFERENT COLORS. Before starting I asked for references or portfolio or just photos; he refused to provide any of t

I spoke to Joe on the phone to get some quotes and he’s really terrific. He’s very detailed, great communicating over the phone or e-​mail, and even with a rough proposal he was very detailed and I felt comfortable that there was a lot of transparency in what he was quoting. I need to make some decisions going forward but if you’re taking on a project you should definitely talk to Joe.

Joe and his team remodeled my kitchen and I couldn’t be happier. Construction was performed while I was still living in the house, and I’m a pretty picky person, but the project went more smoothly than I could have imagined. Joe was very proactive in keeping me updated on progress (a ‘no surprises’ approach which was greatly appreciated), worked very collaboratively with my architect and interior designer, and maintained a clean work environment. Project was completed a bit earlier than expected which was an added bonus. Highly recommended.

J Reilly Construction performed a major remodel for us on our San Francisco home. They demolished and then built an entirely new kitchen and bathroom for us and dug into the hill behind our house to create a yard (with reinforced retaining wall clad with really nice looking plaster). The construction was on time and on budget. The senior guys were on site managing each and every day. The workers were conscientious and skilled (our neighbors are still speaking with us!).
Joe Reilly also stood up for us with two different suppliers that we had picked. He forced them to make good on some defective items they delivered and supplied the labor to replace them.
We got detailed bills and good communication plus almost no change orders. Permits and inspections went over without a hitch.
We recommend J Reilly construction to everybody.

I am marveled that Joe Reilly and his team finished not only on time but a WEEK AND A HALF EARLY, and stayed on budget! My husband is completely type A and anal attentive — Joe was able to respond right away every time proactively. He managed to keep the areas near our neighbors clean and kept good rapport with them as well through our 3 month renovation. There were extra touches (like having the shower glass door that can fold out fully to the wall) that we didn’t ask for, but I am SO grateful for. Or the fact that they knew we were expecting twins and mentioned a hot, filtered water faucet at the sink to easily warm up bottles?! (Which I’ve already fallen in love with for my oatmeals and teas)
All the subcontractors he used were professional and I felt comfortable with them whenever I dropped by. If the subcontractors did something wrong, Joe would fix it in a nanosecond.
Our house is absolutely stunning, spacious, homey and I couldn’t be happier. Thanks Joe and team!
* Bonus, my husband and I agreed that the young Irish foreman was quite the looker.

We’ve used J Reilly Construction on two different projects and have been completely satisfied both times.
We first asked Joe to gut and remodel the kitchen and two bathrooms in a flat in a 1909 Edwardian in San Francisco. He and his workers and subcontractors had to move walls, re-​run plumbing and electrical, install tile, paint, etc. Everything turned out fabulous. I was particularly happy with some work his guys did that required replicating some old and very fancy wood molding in one room where we combined two separate doors into a single opening.
We have since moved to Mill Valley and asked Joe to do a 2-​story addition and some internal remodeling in our 1929 cottage style house. Again the work was high quality, the subcontractors were really good, and the end result was just what we wanted.
Joe is easy to work with; he takes direct responsibility for getting things done and resolving any issues that might come up; and his price is really competitive. We’ve used J Reilly Construction for two significant projects, and we would use Joe and his people again.

Joe Reilly and his team built a deck off the back of our house in the Outer Sunset. It was a bit tricky since it was coming off a second floor kitchen and we had to have a new door put in. He and his team did a fantastic job. We’ve been very happy with the deck and the accompanying cement patio area on the ground level. He and his team worked with the city inspectors and kept everything very professional.
Joe also assisted in helping us legalize a «bonus room» built by the previous owners. Going through that process with the City of SF was painful – but Joe and his recommended contractors helped us tremendously through this process. The city forced us to open up walls to see the plumbing and electrical – which were all OK anyway. His team got the placed patched back up and you would never guess there were gaping holes in the ceiling and walls.
I’d highly recommend J Reilly Construction to anyone. Their professionalism, courtesy and personable nature are exactly what you need for major home jobs like these!

Project Location: 105 Palm Avenue, San Francisco.
It’s been about 5 months since J Reilly Construction completed our Kitchen Renovation and we still absolutely love it.
I’m a Project Manager by trade and I was extremely impressed by the professionalism, timeliness, communications, and quality of their work.
Professionalism: Joe (J Reilly) has a professional contract which in my opinion dealing with contractors was very fair to both parties. All the work was included in the contract and there’s was no «nickel and diming». All permits and coordination with vendors were also included with the contract.
Price: Joe’s prices were extremely competitive with 3 other bids we received. I can honestly say that the price he quoted was the price we payed, not a penny more at the end of the job.
Scope: Kitchen Remodel and added Washer/​Dryer. Other contractors told us that the washer/​dryer addition was not possible. Joe found a way to do it according to code. The old kitchen was completely ripped out and the new kitchen was installed from scratch. Even when we hit some bumps in the road as you would expect in construction, Joe gave us several «smart» options to choose from which made it easy to work with him and move the project along.
Subcontractors: All of Joe’s subcontractors were also professional, courteous, and timely. We didn’t have any issues with schedule as each trade came in and out. Subcontractors we worked with included Electrician, Plumber, and Hardwood Flooring Installers. Joe also coordinated with my personal cabinet maker very well and they made sure everything was built and installed properly.
Craftsmanship: The attention to detail which Joe and his team put into our kitchen and washer/​dryer project was nothing short of perfection. All the seams are flush, the floors are straight (even though my building was built in 1900), and our friends are «wowed» when they walk into the kitchen.
Communication: Probably the most important thing during construction is communication and Joe really impressed us in this area. He was available through Email, Cell Phone, and Text Message. Talk about a contractor that gets it! In addition, my wife and I were in Spain when the demolition of the kitchen was going on. Joe helped us relax on our vacation and not stress about the kitchen remodel back home. He cc’d us on 1 email during the trip when he contacted the cabinet maker to let him know there was a pleasant surprise during the demolition and let the cabinet maker know so they can take the new dimensions into consideration. Best part was, Joe and the cabinetmaker worked so well together that I didn’t need to step in at all.
Time: The project started and finished according to schedule. What more can you ask for?
Overall: I would certainly work with J Reilly Construction again.