Reviews for JEFF LUTES

Review from Kay V.

Review from Peter B.

He's very dependable, hard-working, and works non-stop. Services Rendered: He comes a few times a year for a variety of tasks which have included garage door and window repair, exterior carpentry/siding, and replacing countertop lighting. He is by far the best exterior house painter we've ever used.

Review from Walter D.

My experience with Jeff was mixed. He was punctual, worked very hard, and tried to do an exceptional job. I found that he tends to under estimates the time required and to over estimates his ability to complete certain tasks. So long as ajob gets done, underestimating the time required is not a big deal. Taking on a job for which he doesn't have the right tools or requisite skill is a real issue that cannot possibly have a good outcome. The first job Jeff did for me was to replace three post lights along my driveway. Jeff used the existing holes for the post lights. I don't know if the original holes weren't aligned or if the first two posts were not centered in the existing holes. Jeff located the final post about 12and quot; off a straight line drawn from the first two posts. It was late, and he was really pushing to get the last post in and set in concrete. I wound up digging out the last hole so that all three posts lined up. He came back and finished up the next day. Despite having to dig out the last hole myself, I'd give him an A on this job. Jeff significantly underestimated the time required to install the low voltage wiring. He tried to drill holes down the center of 4x4 deck posts. His drill bit wasn't long enough to go completely through the post. The bit was also flexible, so it was hard to drill a straight hole. The drill bit came out the side of several posts, and he was not able to drill up from the bottom of any of the posts to create a hole from top to bottom. He started to patch the holes, but did not finish the repair job. I would have been happy with wires going down the back of the posts, but he was confident that he could drill through the center of the posts. He spent a lot of time trying to make these holes, but in the end he gave up. He wanted to do a great job but did not have the tools or skills to succeed. The lights do work and look good with the exception of the unfinished patches on the 4x4 posts. I'd give him a B on this job because he did not finish repairing the posts where the drill bit broke through. The third job involved replacing 4 pieces of cedar siding and batan boards and two feet of rotten barn floor. Jeff did a great job. The workmanship was good, and he finished on time. This job clearly rates an A. The final job was to replace a 16' wide garage door on a barn. Jeff assured me that he had installed garage doors before. Jeff proposed using a door from Home Depot. I found an alternative Amarr door that used a slightly heavier gauge steel, was available with flat as opposed to raised panels, and was available in brown. I went over the order with Jeff before I placed it. When the door arrived, Jeff came back to install it. He put the door together without looking at what had shipped. After he had finished, he discovered that he had not used the simple set torsion spring winders. He took the door apart and installed the spring winders, but he could not get them to work. He took the door apart again and removed the spring winders. At that point he said he had spent enough time on the door and declared that he was done. He had not installed the lock and one of the pieces of trim. The door was not centered in the opening. As a result of not being centered the seal on one side is not weather tight and the white bands on the door that indicate the the part of the door that should be covered by the seal are visible. Jeff got mad and left when I told him that he had not finished the job he had agreed to do. He did not even bother to turn off the barn lights or close the loft door so that the contents of the barn would not get wet. I had paid him the previous day because he said he would be finished before I returned home. He was quick to cash the check, but he has made no effort to come back to finish the trim or install the lock. I give Jeff an F on this job. I had discussed another 2 weeks of work with Jeff before the garage door install. The work was his if he wanted it until he walked off of the garage door install. I still would have used him on other jobs if he didn't install the garage door. I will never use anyone again who walks off a job. Services Rendered: Jeff did four jobs for me. He replaced three post lights along my driveway in the summer of 2010. This year he installed low voltage lighting and two electric outlets on my deck, repaired damaged cedar siding and replaced the ends of some rotting floor boards on my barn, and installed a double wide garage door on my barn. The cost given was for all four jobs plus materials. I provided the garage door.

Review from Jack C.

Jeff did a very good job. He was very responsive to my initial phone call, came out to provide an estimate the following Saturday, and then returned my call within one day to schedule the above projects the following week. He charged me the price he quoted and finished the work in less than a full day. I got the sense that none of the projects were particularly demanding for him and I could not be more satisfied with the result. I will hire him again for small jobs and for more significant work as needed. Services Rendered: Jeff removed and replaced an over-the-range microwave, removed and replaced a garage door opener, and installed a fan in the master bathroom.