James C Schell LLC

The bathroom that the team at James C. Schell Remodeling, Renovations & Carpentry completed for us was perfect. The quality, communications, design, professionalism, cleanliness, and timeliness was all as promised or better. We highly recommend them and write this review without hesitation. If we could add pictures to this review we would but the functionality is not built in to this process. I anticipate that pictures will be added to their Houzz profile because it is an outstandingly beautiful bathroom.

Jim is so easy to work with. He will help with selection of products and ideas but is always mindful of your vision. He is almost always on site and his work is outstanding. Always pleasant to work with and his subcontractors are the same. His "right - hand" gal, Elisa, will also help with suggestions for searching out what you want and keep you informed on updates. It has truly been a joy to work with them both. I guess I should get to work on planning another home improvement project . I look forward to doing this with Jim again.

We engaged Jim Schell for our remodeling jobs after he had completed a kitchen renovation for our son, who was extremely happy with Jim's work. Jim did a fantastic job on remodeling both our bathroom and kitchen. His attention to detail was evident in all of his work from the design phase through planning and implementation. He addressed all issues promptly and kept us informed of the schedule all along the way. We absolutely love the end product and would recommend him to anyone looking for a quality remodeling job.

Jim was the best contractor I've ever had work on my home. From the first consultation he listened to every idea I requested, brought his own great suggestions and expertise, and made sure I was happy with every detail of my kitchen renovation before he did any work. He treated me and my home with respect. Jim attended all meetings with suppliers (countertops, cabinets, etc.), and advocated for my vision. He was at my house every day and performed most of the work himself. At the end of every day we would go over the work completed that day, the next day's to-dos, and what time he would arrive. He was always on time, and he showed up every day (a refreshing change when it comes to home contractors)! Jim is reliable and precise; my new kitchen is exactly what I wanted and turned out beautifully.

“We chose Jim because we knew he and his crew would come at the project with a ‘best practices’ approach. So if they discovered an unexpected issue, they told us what the best solution would be, then worked with us on how to make that happen within our budget. We knew he would get things right the first time and that we wouldn’t have to re-do their work. We couldn’t be happier.” Bill P.

We interviewed several Contractors and Jim was far superior in regard to professionalism, customer service and craftsmanship. We were looking for a Contractor who would be willing and able to do custom work at a reasonable price and Jim exceeded our expectations. He was patient with our questions, prompt in replying and thorough with explanations. He respected our budgetary concerns and offered several creative solutions to help us stay on track. We're beyond pleased with the results of both of our remodeling projects and won't hesitate to contact Jim for our next project!

Jim and his crew were reliable, clean and timely. Despite various supply chain disruptions Jim always kept the job moving ahead and kept me informed of their progress. I am so pleased with my new apartment layout, especially my brand new kitchen.

We hired James C. Schell for a full remodel of our kitchen. It was finished about 3 weeks ago and we love it! Jim walked along with us through the design phase, helping us to choose things that went well together, but did not shy away from telling us what he thought would not work. He helped us choose the right soapstone and quartzite for our countertops. He recommended an alternate cabinet vendor when the first one we tried did not have the colors we desired. Jim made smart recommendations about not only the design and layout, but explained how those choices effected functionality and cost. He only scheduled the job start once all of the appliances, flooring and cabinets were available to avoid any unforeseen delay. When the job started, Jim and his crew were always professional and on time. Their craftsmanship and attention to detail was impressive. Jim and his crew kept us informed of any issues where there could be alternate decisions which could effect the cost or the appearance. This the first new kitchen I have ever had and it is perfect. We are already planning to have Jim and crew back to remodel our master bath when his schedule permits. I just want to say, many thanks to Jim and his crew for helping us create the kitchen we have always wanted. My wife and I love it!

We hired Jim to renovate our master bath. We had a large tub that we didn't use and a shower that was much too small. Before he even got started, he went over a time-line, estimated costs, and suggestions for an updated bathroom. He has a staff of professional carpenters, plumbers, electricians, tile layers, painters. They were here when they said they'd be here; they cleaned up every day and put equipment away; they covered the floor and walls to protect from dust and dirt. They told us exactly what they'd be doing and about how long it would take. Jim had suggestions for an aesthetically pleasing, but practical look. We are so pleased with the finished bathroom. The transformation was amazing, and Jim was with us every step of the way. We plan to hire him again when ever we need work done.

Jim is meticulous and does not cut corners! He is a great communicator and will take time to explain every step. We did remodeling plans in virtual sessions where I could see the plans and discuss as he drew them. He has a fantastic eye for design and will offer ideas and options. He also let me take control and draw with my mouse to point to questions or explain my ideas. He knows every piece and step - the structure, electrical, plumbing and perfect installation of cabinets, flooring, tile, fixtures, etc. I especially appreciated his eye for detail and asthetics on the tile. He will pay attention to every detail of his crews' work methods and results and make sure they get it right (even if it means doing it again). My kitchen and bath are so much better for having his expertise. If details matter to you - James C Schell is the company you want.

Jim Schell and his team of seasoned professionals did an excellent job on remodeling my bathroom. They're punctual, concise, and fairly priced. I felt very comfortable with them in my home. I am so excited with how the final project turned out. I will use Jim again for future home projects. Highly recommended!

Could not be happier and will hire Jim and his team again. The work was outstanding and of the highest craftsmanship. Everyone was professional and followed strict COVID-19 protocols such that I never worried. I give my highest recommendation. We had the kitchen and other essential spaces/functions renovated so timing was critical such that we weren’t out of commission past the deadline. Jim was terrific and everything went like clockwork. While other contractors might tell you "about two weeks" then you wait a month, Jim laid out a realistic timeline and stuck to it. We had additional work done by specialists (new carpets installed and the whole interior painted) and Jim served as General Contractor. He kept the subs in line and made sure the work was high quality. Jim laid out an itemized proposal and helped us work through the details and where we might save and opportunities to do more. In the end, we stayed on budget with no surprises. While Jim was not the lowest bid, he delivered all that was agreed upon with zero issues or headaches. Other contractors we've used come in low then ratchet you up with nickel and dime here and there. In the end, you get what you pay for and Jim's work was superb, he pays his guys what they should get paid and he is fully bonded and insured. We are 150% satisfied with the result. His work and that of his guys is beautiful. We'd absolutely use him again and will do so when we have the next project “cued up”.

I was very happy with Jim. I wanted to update my bathroom but had a limited budget. He made thoughtful suggestions on what would make sense for me to make me happy and fit with my budget. It was a personalized experience. Once I decided to move forward he made the experience very easy to know what to expect. He had a contract, clear costs, invoices and receipts. His team did the work in the time they said and I was happy with he end result. I will continue to use James C Schell LLC for my home update needs!

We hired Jim Schell to overhaul our ‘70s kitchen. We had some ideas about the look we wanted, but knew that our existing space had some hurdles to overcome in order to achieve our goals. From the first meeting with Jim, we liked the way he approached the process with creative ideas, a team approach, and an eye for the practical. Jim is organized, thoughtful, and detail-oriented. He is a meticulous planner and it paid off in a flawless execution. We are thrilled with our new kitchen and we can’t say enough about Jim Schell and his team!

We hired JIm to do a renovation of our son's kitchen in his 100+ year old house. In a small kitchen, Jim came up with a very efficient design, providing us with many good options to make use of the limited amount of space. Due to the age of the house, we ran into some complications and Jim was the utmost professional in laying out options while being cognizant of cost implcations. Jim kept us abreast of the project from the planning stage through completion with daily updates and always made himself available at any time to meet on the project. JIm & his crew delivered a high quality product and delivered on schedule. We would highly recommend Jim to anyone who wants a quality project done with the highest level of customer service.

From the beginning we were very impressed with how thorough Jim was in the planning process. We felt he understood exactly what we wanted and was always willing to discuss ways to manage the budget of the project. His constant open communication made us feel good about knowing where we were during the duration of the job. Not only were we impressed with Jim’s work, but his staff did an excellent job which made us feel that our home was in good hands. We plan to continue using Jim for any future home renovation projects.

I hired James C Schell based on the high quality renovation they provided for my son's bathroom. After they did my power room I couldn't be happier. It was the best decision I had made. They were very professional, high quality work, up front with the budget and timing. The experience was outstanding. All of James staff went out of their way to make sure I was deeply satisfied. The power room has gone beyond my expectations. I can't wait for the next the renovation and will use them as my go to.

Jim and his supporting contractors recently completed a complete renovation of our first floor full bath. It was a complicated project, but Jim brought expertise, logical problem-solving and innovative solutions. He and his crew were timely, immaculate and highly professional in every way. I would highly recommend James C Schell, LLC!

Jim and his team did an incredible job transforming our kitchen into a beautiful space to work and entertain. I had a vision and Jim was a great partner through the design process. He accommodated many detail-oriented requests through the construction process and overall was flexible with changes. We now have a brand new kitchen that opens into our dining room making both spaces bright, inviting and much more usable.

I love my new bathroom! Jim did an amazing job and was extremely flexible. I couldn't be happier with the results!!

Jim is an excellent contractor. I highly recommend him for any large or small renovation projects. I had my entire first floor renovated and Jim was fabulous. He is professional and does excellent work. He was also great at letting me know what was coming next and keeping me informed during the entire process. I have already recommended him to all my friends and neighbors and look forward to working with him on future projects.

We undertook an extensive kitchen transformation project with zero design/renovation experience so we were extremely intimidated at the outset of the project. We’d also heard the horror stories of contractors disappearing for weeks at a time, unexplained delays, cost overruns, and a finished product that falls short of expectations. We are extremely happy to say that with Jim Schell we experienced NONE of those problems! We are absolutely thrilled with the finished project and would enthusiastically recommend him to anyone looking for a highly capable, patient and ethical contractor! We put Jim through the ringer in the design phase as we needed a lot of education and hand holding. Jim was patient with suggestions, knowledge sharing, numerous rewrites of the blueprints and ultimately, a set of very accurate visual renderings that depicted exactly what the project would look like in its finished state - all very helpful for folks as visually and creatively challenged as us! He also helped to find cost saving adjustments that allowed us to get everything we had on our wishlist while staying on budget. When the project shifted to the demo and build stage, Jim and his crew could not have been more thoughtful and accommodating in terms of recognizing that while our kitchen was indeed a construction zone, we still had to live there. Jim’s team used several techniques to keep the dust out of our living space and cleaned up the work space every day before they left. They even relocated our stove to the finished basement and hooked it up to a gas line so that we would be able to prepare meals at home throughout the process. They always went above and beyond to make the process as painless as possible for us. Now our new kitchen is beautiful as well as functional and we are loving it! Everything looks great and is exactly as we envisioned it. Until the project was complete and we were actually using our new kitchen we could not fully appreciate the finishing touches and attention to detail Jim put into the project. Even now, 6 weeks past completion of the project we still find ourselves constantly remarking about how much we love our new kitchen. Thank you, Jim Schell!

Jim and his crew recently did a major kitchen renovation for us in our new home. In the past, they've done some smaller projects and so we were very excited to see what they would do with a project of much greater scope. Throughout the process, Jim was extremely helpful with visiting different suppliers, explaining what the different options were at various steps, as well as providing very realistic renderings of what the project would look like. We couldn't be more thrilled with how everything turned out. They replaced pretty much everything in our outdated kitchen - new cabinets, countertops, lighting, floor. Jim's estimate was very accurate, including the timeframe. One thing we really appreciated was how they are very intentional about minimizing the disruption a kitchen renovation can have on daily life. After all, you still have to live in your house for the several weeks the project goes on. They always made sure to let us know when we'd be without water, a sink, etc. but even then it was always for a short while and really did not disrupt things too much. If you go with Jim for a project, you can be sure it will be done well, thoroughly, without cutting any corners. We look forward to the next project!

I met Jim in my neighbor's driveway. He seemed like a nice guy, so I asked about him. My neighbor highly recommended him! I was looking for someone who would do a relatively small job quickly. Jim was quick to send me an estimate, and he was careful to fully understand what I wanted. I am thrilled with my new laundry/dog wash sink and Corian countertop! It looks great and is fully functional. Jim and his men were nice to work with and cleaned up carefully after the job was done. I highly recommend him!

To replace our ancient farmhouse sink, Jim and his crew custom built, and designed, installed a new kitchen cabinet and new lighting in our kitchen. Everything came out perfect and we could not be happier with his work. Jim was very personable and thorough. He took the time to make sure everything was perfect and came by several times with his ideas. We really enjoyed working with him and will definitely be calling him again.

Jim had to rebuild a wall for a wine cellar compressor and did an excellent job. Quality work in a timely manner!

Jim did a really fabulous job renovating my bathroom. He went above and beyond, and met all my criteria for contracting excellence; 1) he initiated the project with good advice and samples to review, 2) he followed up on the status of items we ordered for the project, 3) he showed up when he said he would, 4) he completed the job when he said he would, and 5) the end product looks great. Contracting work is tough because you can run into a lot of variables, but James C Schell handled all very professionally and produced great results.

We needed a major overhaul of our master bathroom. After scanning some of the contractors on the Houzz web site, we decided this spring to talk with Jim Schell. Jim listened carefully to our needs and paid attention to our concerns. At the beginning of the project, Jim built an airlock so that the disturbance and dust in this construction would not spread to other areas in our home. He put down protective covering on our hardwood floors and our rugs. He had to strip everything in the existing bathroom down to the studs. Then tiled the shower, floor and walls. Added vents. Modified the plumbing as needed. Added frameless shower doors. Put panic bars in the shower and added a shower seat. Replaced the toilet. Replaced the vanity with a new one that he built, adding features which we thought were important. And it all looks good. Jim is careful and attentive to detail. His helpers have the same care that he has. They were all pleasant and attentive folks. Jim was present at the work site every day. We were always comfortable with him and his helpers in our home. At the end of the day, the worksite was always clean. Our new master bathroom is a show piece. Jim does quality work and we are very pleased with the finished product. We liked his work so much that before he was finished with the master bath, we hired him for another project! Jim is pleasant to work with. He is a careful listener, a skillful craftsman and delivers what he promises.

Jim is a perfectionist He is also creative and will make suggestions that you would not necessarily think of yourself. He has done several projects for us and always was prompt and returned calls. We highly recommend him.

We hired James C Schell to help us turn our funky old basement into a studio and we were very very pleased. We could not be more happy with the work that Jim and his crew performed. He really took us through the whole thing from the demolition to the finish work and it looks terrific. He worked closely with us to help us make good decisions. The project came in at budget (maybe a little under) and on time. He was reliable and communicated throughout the whole process so that we knew what to expect. He gave us his expert opinion when we needed and stepped back and let us make our own choices when that was called for. He was always pleasant and upbeat. We will definitely have him do work work on our house in the future and I would highly recommend him to others!

We recently had our Victorian front porch repaired and painted by James C Schell. We were very pleased with the results of Jim's beautiful paint job of the porch. Because of the age of our house and the lack of general maintenance, a lot more was required than just simply painting. Jim was very meticulous and careful to make sure that everything under the paint was prepared properly, especially where repairs to the wood itself were required. I would highly recommend James C Schell for home repairs, painting and remodeling.

James C Schell was contracted for our small, interior remodeling project, which included carpentry, plumbing and electric. From the very beginning, Jim was on-time, friendly and professional. We were guided through the interview and design process respectfully by Jim. He was able to use software to show us what our new rooms would look like upon completion. The final choices and fine details were reviewed together for accuracy. JIm began work on time, finished on time and cleaned all construction debris. Jim and the people he works with seemed very knowledgable about all phases of the project and patiently explained things to us along the way. It was really a pleasant experience from beginning to end and we love the outcome!! We will definitely use James C Schell again.

Timing was critical as I needed the work done during a specific week as my tenants were away and Jim carefully planned it so that it went off perfectly. Work was very professional.

Jim gave our fireplace a facelift- removing the old, dated molding and granite and installing natural stone tile. He was detailed and on time. He even re-stained the mantel and added finishing touches like cutting extra tiles to make a border. We are so pleased with the finished product and the impact it made on our room. Jim was reliable, creative, detailed and timely. We will use him again!

Provided garage, laundry and master bedroom shelves and cabinets. Job well done. Honest, reliable and easy to work with. Made sure we were completely satisfied.

Jim was hired to work on several projects in our unique three story, 1880's built, Dutch sided house. Having had a water pipe leakage from the second floor bath the first floor dining room ceiling was ruined. Jim not a great job removing the ceiling job in a neat and professional manner without sending plaster and wallboard dust throughout the house. As part of the ceiling replacement Jim recommended certain changes to the basic project. We had strip spot lighting that Jim replaced with recessed lighting and also added architectural molding which he made himself at the ceiling interface. Additional projects included the replacement of large intricate sections of rotted Dutch siding and the rebuild and replacement of a five foot high by three foot twelve pain wooden window installed over a wooden wall base. Jim has the tools, skills and patience to do quality work. Thoroughly enjoyed the results. Steven Talis

Jim and Co. recently remodeled the master bath--it looks great! In an earlier renovation of the master bedroom, he suggested "taking 1 ft." from my large bedroom and enlarging the bathroom. In the extra bathroom space, he added a linen closet and replaced the single vanity with a double one. He replaced the 30+-year-old tub with a custom shower and installed a state-of-the art low-flow toilet. The newly tiled floor, backsplash, and shower stall look great! The bathroom looks much bigger, and the added space is just what the room needed.

Jim and his crew built beautiful, sturdy storage shelving in our garage and storage areas. The work was completed in a very timely and efficient manor. We have had neighbors ask us for Jim's contact information after viewing our storage shelving. We highly recommend his work and his professionalism.

Jim Schell has done a variety of projects for our family over the past 10 years and we love his expertise, professionalism, and communication skills. Another outstanding attribute is his ability to offer suggestions and options that we may not have considered. He recently handled a complete, top-to-bottom rehab of a Victorian home in West Chester, essentially doing or coordinating everything. He did an outstanding job, so good that the Philadelphia Inquirer featured the home in a writeup in their real estate section in June, 2014. After it was finished, the house appraised for more than 5% over what we had invested in it and was immediately rented for a 30-month term at an above-market rate. Highly recommended without any reservations.

Jim did a major renovation of my Center City (Queen Village) Philadelphia condo kitchen about 10 years ago. To start, Jim provided great ideas about how to maximize the kitchen space, designing a new alcove for my refrigerator and novel access points for various HVAC equipment. Over the course of the 4-week project, he did an excellent job replacing all of the cabinetry, counters, appliances, electrical, and some plumbing. Jim worked hard to get this big project done quickly, but he was also very thorough, cleanly, and kept me informed of his progress on a daily basis. We worked closely together to make sure that the kitchen turned out exactly as I wanted, and 10 years later, everything still holds up great. The new kitchen is definitely the centerpieces of my condo, and Jim's work was well worth the investment.

On our detached house, + 2 townhouse units, 1 owned & 1 managed: Various interior and exterior repairs & maintenance including woodwork, complete interior painting, electrical, plumbing, gutters / extensions. The work was done over over a couple days and was finished on time & on budget, within estimated costs. In addition to having multiple skills, Jim was very professional in every aspect and the workmanship was exceptional. It's nearly impossible to find an extremely competent and reliable contractor but Jim absolutely is one to hire.

Jim replaced my kitchen faucet, a small job but one I needed done. He was punctual, very professional, knowledgeable and cleaned up after himself. He even took my old faucet and the box from my new faucet away for me ! It is often difficult to find someone like Jim, I would recommend him to anyone who is looking for a true professional.