Our Story: History of J-Bird Remodeling and Maintenance
Before starting J-Bird Remodeling and Maintenance, we had been burned so many times by shady contractors (and we know we’re not alone in this). In fact, we had so many negative experiences working with different contractors that it prompted us to start our own contracting business! The core values we have at J-Bird Remodeling are to get the job right and provide an all-around positive experience throughout the whole remodeling process.
Let’s back up a little. My name is Jordan Jackson and I am the founder and owner of J-Bird Remodeling and Maintenance. I originally went to school to get certified working with HVAC (heating, ventilation, air conditioning) systems. These kinds of jobs taught me a lot and allowed me to get on the ground of both residential and commercial buildings that were being constructed from the ground up.
Needing a change of pace, I became an electrician. My days started early and ended late going from project to project working on the electrical for homes, offices, and other commercial buildings. I thoroughly enjoyed this work but, again, needed a change of pace since the work was a bit repetitive.
My last job before starting J-Bird Remodeling was working as a project manager for a property management company. Through this job, I gained so much knowledge on remodeling older homes (60+ years old). In this position, I had a good mix of doing office and field work for a while, but eventually finding good contractors to fix the various issues that came with the older rental properties became a full time job in and of itself!
Speaking from experience, this is a list of a couple signs to look out for of bad contractors:
Poor communication - If the contractor isn’t reaching out to you when they told you they would, then run in the other direction. If they say you will have a bid by a certain day but then they don’t get back to you within that time frame, this is a sign that their communication will be poor throughout the whole project.
Requiring huge deposits - Some contractors require upwards of a 50% deposit before any work has been completed! This huge amount of money up front can be a red flag because it doesn’t give them much of an incentive to do a good job and go above and beyond or get the project done in a timely manner since they’ve already gotten a decent paycheck.
Poor customer service experience - If the contractor has a bad attitude, displays a huge level of unprofessionalism, or overall makes you uncomfortable, this isn’t someone you want to have working in your home/office. Trust your intuition here and don’t settle!
As I mentioned, I was burned so many times by bad contractors that trying to find a contractor who would do good work became one of my sole tasks as a project manager. Eventually, I said enough is enough. I had plenty of experience working on construction sites, helping out on remodels, learning the skills of a do-it-all contractor, and understanding the various codes that come with residential and commercial buildings, that I felt confident that I could do these jobs myself.
J-Bird Remodeling and Maintenance was born in June of 2018. The property management company that I had worked for hired J-Bird Remodeling to handle the numerous projects that needed to be done on the rental homes instead of looking endlessly for a good contractor who just wasn’t out there. As I sharpened my skills and learned more about all sorts of renovation projects, I began to expand to more up-scale home and office remodels. I have since mentored my two brothers in all things remodeling who have joined the J-Bird Remodeling team. From HVAC to electrical and now to offering full remodeling services, this work has become greatly rewarding. Where my previous work could be repetitive, each day at J-Bird Remodeling is a new adventure and it’s greatly rewarding.
You might be thinking ‘cool story, but how do I know that you’re actually one of the rare trustworthy contractors?’
I know that many people, myself included, have been burned by bad contractors and are leery of trying new remodeling companies. So what makes us different?
We believe that there shouldn’t be any surprises. We give our clients a timeline up front and stick to it. Clients can expect a bid by the time we say they’ll get it and the project will be finished by the expected date. If there are any circumstances that would prolong the remodel, we will always communicate that so everyone is on the same page each step of the way.
Clients don’t have to worry about paying 50% of the project up front when we haven’t actually done any work yet. While we require a small fee for keeping our schedule open during the duration of your project, clients won’t be breaking the bank just to secure us as their contractors.
Clients can count on us to be very open about costs. We provide all receipts for the materials used and lay out up front what we will be compensated from the total cost.
Unlike many contractors who require full payment after completion of work, we won’t accept the full payment until after we’ve done a walk-through of the work and the client is 100% happy and doesn’t have any concerns.
Clients don’t have to just take our word for our quality of work and ease of communication. We offer unlimited references to potential clients. If someone is looking for references specifically about, for example, kitchen remodels we’ve done or would like to chat with our most recent clients, those clients are available to talk about their experiences working with us.
Last but not least, we show up to our projects every day with a positive attitude. Customer service seems to fall to the wayside with many contractors, but we always aim to provide a great experience all around.
J-Bird Remodeling and Maintenance is a full-service remodeling company which means that just about any project that comes our way, we are experienced and equipped to handle.
Our services:
Plumbing
Drywall
Appliance installation
Basement remodels
Electrical
Stairs
Doors and framing
Windows
If you aren't seeing what you're looking for, please contact us! This isn’t an exhaustive list and we are always excited about new types of projects. Plus, chances are, we already have the skills (and tools) to do it! We offer free estimates on ALL projects and are happy to come up with a plan that fits your needs for a fair price. J-Bird Remodeling and Maintenance is based out of Caledonia, Wisconsin, but we also service Milwaukee, Racine, and the surrounding Southeast Wisconsin communities.
Do you have any questions that we haven’t addressed in this blog post? Feel free to send us a message or give us a call at 414-507-8427.
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