Wilkens Contracting Inc

Left a message requesting assessment of work required. Contractor called back within a day. Came to assess the work within a couple of days. Needed to replace some bricks on the foundation wall between house and cold storage room. Hole had been created years ago to accommodate furnace/water heater exhaust pipes. Agreed on a day when work would be done. Quote provided. Contractor came and completed work in a couple of hours. VERY NICE QUALITY WORK. Very professional. Always on-time. Cleaned everything up. Left winter boots at door. Completely satisfied. Would not hesitate to rehire.

Ernie explained to me clearly how he proposed to address my issues, and immediately hand-wrote a quote with clear descriptions of each component of the work. With others I have had to wait several days for the quote, and the work was not explained in writing. The typed invoice was similarly clear. He was also the only one to recommend repairing the existing augur on the chimney rather than replacing it with a pop-top: a cheaper and better solution, I think. David gave me clear answers about the scheduling and followed through with his promises. And Bill, who actually did the work, took time and very courteously and clearly answered my questions, did some additional tuckpointing when I requested it, and even took the time to test out my chimney by burning some paper. I will go back to them if I have similar work in the future. I enjoyed doing business with all of them and am comfortable that the job has been well done. Thanks!

We had lost some bricks during a structural repair and having the lowest quote .. we were pleased with the service and called them back to quote on another job..

We are so pleased with the Wilkens touch!! Ernie was great at walking us through every exacting detail to ensure we were comfortable and confident in the end work. We were demoing and rebulding a victorian fireplace (firebox, surround and hearth). Bill was who performed the work and he is a true craftsman. He was meticulous and talked us through every step of the way. We had about 5 different quotes and only Wilkens gave us the confidence to proceed. They even suggested a woodworker to help with mantel adjustments (Bryan). Bryan's work was also meticulous. If I could give them 11 out of 10, I would. They are also delightful and trustworthy. Once you give them a call you will know what I mean by the Wilkens touch!

I'm the President of a small townhouse condo complex. We had a total of 9 multi-flue chimneys (some had 2, some had 4 each) that needed total rebuilds.

We received estimates from several brick & chimney companies, and ultimately selected Wilkens based on price, reviews here, and phone referrals.

We couldn't be happier with the work. They did a high-quality job, started when they said they would, and kept to schedule.

They were on site for nearly 3 weeks but you barely knew they were there. They kept their work and supplies clean and neat the entire time. They left no mess behind when they were done, and they were careful to make sure they caused no damage - they even moved my patio table away from the house just in case something dropped.

I didn't get a chance to meet the crew myself, but many condo-owners have commented on how friendly and considerate they were.

From a management perspective, they were great to work with. We could always get them on the phone, and they were flexible and co-operative at all times.

In summary, from estimate through to final invoice, everything was fantastic.

I wish I could hire them to do other work!

They fixed the flashing and repointed my chimney. They did an excellent job and did not ask for any money until it was done. Unfortunately, they do not do roofing anymore. They seem really honest and only want to do the work you really need.

When we bought our 1940s bungalow, we were told by our home inspector that we needed to get a damper installed in the chimney leading to our basement wood-burning fireplace before it could be safely used. This work would apparently run us around $750-$1000. We were also told that we needed to get our two chimneys repointed. We called Wilkens Contracting to come out and have a look at the chimneys to see what work needed to be done and weren't disappointed.

Ernie Wilkens himself came out the same day we called and right on time. He did a through inspection of our fireplace and chimney, taking the time to kindly point out why it was safe to use. He discovered that there was an original cast iron damper that became unseated and worked better that new dampers - no replacement necessary and no upselling! He worked on the damper to make sure it was once again seated properly and showed me how it worked.

After the fireplace was deemed safe to use, I discussed the chimney repointing with him and he again explained what work probably needed to be done. Because it was dark outside, he said that he'd happen past at some point over the next week and look at the chimneys from the outside and drop a quote off. He was out bright and early the next morning and provided a great quote for the chimney repointing. With the speedy fireplace repair under our belt, there's no reason we won't use Wilkens Contracting for our chimney repair and all sorts of other masonry work in future!

Great company. Good advice, they won't try to sell you work you don't need. Didn't ask for any payment until job was completed. I have no hesitation in recommending Wilkins to anyone needing chimney work.

Wilkens Contracting did some work for us last year, and I just finally got around to writing this review now.

Here's why I'd recommend them:

Excellent customer service (friendly, timely and accurate quotes)

Quality workmanship. The work they did stood the test of time.

"Above and beyond." -- a part of the cement fill around my basement window had decayed away. Although it wasn't part of the job, the mason who came to do tuckpointing filled that section, and some other sections as well.

The team @ Wilkens was very polite and friendly every time I had to deal with them on the phone. All our inquiries were always returned or addressed. They were also quick and efficient with the quote.

We needed our chimney torn down and completely rebuilt from the roof line. Ernie took down our address and came by while we weren't home and was able to just drop the quote in our mailbox - which we liked! We didn't have to be at home sitting around for an estimate.

The rebuild was quick, clean and efficient. A team of two came by, removed all the bricks and was finished in less than 6 hours.

The price quoted by Wilkens was in line with all the others I received. We chose to go with this company because of the great reviews on Home Stars! Because of the nature of construction and all the crappy rain we have been having, Ernie was not able to give us an exact start date because other projects kept getting pushed back because of the weather. We totally understood, we just needed it completed before our flat roof was installed and they completely made good on our deadline.

Overall we are very happy and would gladly recommend this company to others.