I needed a professional unbiased solution -- a rare commodity -- on moisture and insulation in the basement. After a long search I called Jay at House Calls Renovation Advisors. Jay responded quickly and visited the site the next morning. He did a thorough study of the situation, pointed out and patiently explained the issues involved well beyond my expectation. And that was all in his friendly, professional, and unintimidating manner. What I liked is that Jay’s solution was practical and also affordable. I am writing this review because only five working hours after my first phone call to Jay I had a solution. Thank you, Jay.

Jay Charendoff - Principal, House Calls Renovation Advisors provided clarity, guidance and perspective when we reneeded to replace the flat roofs of our house. With his background in architecture, he looked at both the big picture of our project and the individual details we needed to pay attention to. We highly recommend Jay to others who are trying to make sense out of renovation decisions.

Having interviewed several roofing companies that claimed expertise in flat roof construction, we were overwhelmed by the differences in their recommendations and the price difference of over $40K for similar work. We did not know who to believe or trust. Flat roofs require specific expertise. They are expensive and important investments in a home.

Jay recommended a roofing company with expertise in flat roofs that he had worked with in the past and had referred his clients to who gave him positive feedback. With winter approaching, we needed to make a decision. This roofing company promptly provided us with a quote.

Jay reviewed two of our quotes. One of the biggest and most stressful decisions was whether or not to modify the current water drainage system. We had areas of water pooling on each of the two roofs that needed to be addressed. These two quotes recommended removing a parapet wall on one side of each of the roofs and replacing them with an eavestrough and downspout.

Jay provided thoughtful technical advice using non-technical language so that we could understand the pros and cons of making these and other changes. He offered additional water drainage options to discuss with the companies we were considering, questions to ask and price points to clarify.

Jay took away the fear factor and gave us strategies to ensure that the information we were given was clear and that we were making informed decisions. Jay's perspective regarding the two extreme ends of the price quotes was helpful. He suggested that they were red flags that something was not quite right and that the middle price range was probably the most reasonable and fair.

We chose the roofing company that Jay recommended for a variety of reasons including their expertise in flat roof construction, feedback about their integrity, taking the time to answer our questions, and the trust we place in Jay. It was a mid-range price quote. Jay later provided valuable perspective mid-way through construction when decisions about enhancements to the original project plan needed to be made.

We also included Jay's recommendations that will make future roof maintenance simple, including during extreme winter weather.

Jay did a site visit and went up on the roof to see the progress of the work firsthand and then provided additional feedback. He took photos of the work to share with us.

Now that we are on the other side of roof construction, we are very grateful for Jay's advice and hand-holding. Having had rainstorms in the past week, the eavestroughs that were installed have made a noticeable improvement in water drainage. And an added bonus: the new roofs have improved our home's appearance and curb appeal.

Thank you Jay! D & D

Severe damage was caused to our home. Mold from faulty plumbing, unlevel floors, to name a couple. Yes this was the contractors fault; however,In our opinion, this company did nothing but protect the contractor that was hired. We suggested firing the contractor half way through when the negligence became evident. We were
convinced not to, and things got worse. In retrospect we feel that we should not have listened to their advise.

We were planning to renovate the basement but not this fast! Sewer backed up with roots in the pipes, and our 25 year old furnace died. So we called Jay at HCRA and needed a plan fast. Jay helped us create a plan, did drawings and helped organize contractors to quote the job. We did a full basement reno - down to the studs, new plumbing and electrical. Everything went smoothly. All the contractors were great! All the work was done professionally and on time. It was a pleasure working with Jay! Now we're doing our kitchen with him!

Jay Charendoff of Housecalls Renovation Advisors was recommended to us when we were looking for help in renovating our three bedroom condo. We wanted to update our kitchen and guest bathroom and replace our master bathroom tub/shower with a walk-in shower.
We met with Jay to discuss our needs . He drew up plans of our condo as is and then a set of plans with the proposed changes. The final plans allowed us to widen the master bathroom and put in the walk-in shower we wanted. In addition space was arranged to give us a larger reach-in closet and another small storage closet. We were also able to update our guest bathroom, and renovate our kitchen, removing a half wall to open things up.
Jay had us complete a “Finishes Schedule” which was so handy when construction began and I needed to buy fittings and fixtures.
Because he works in the commercial and residential fields, Jay was also able to recommend contractors for us to consider.
We chose to have Jay visit the condo during construction. His reports assured us that the work was progressing on schedule.
We have now been home in our renovated condo for about six weeks and we love it! We are so pleased with how everything turned out. Jay and Housecalls did a “top notch” job!!

We are planning a full main floor renovation which includes removal of several walls, installing a structural beam, re-working the kitchen, and other odds and ends.

We hired Jay to help us get our project off the ground. We had never done any major renos before, so short of having a so-so proposed layout (done by someone else) we didn't have a clue of how to get going.

Jay immediately took our project as though it was his own house. At our first meeting he really took the time to get to know us and our needs, he reviewed the design that we had come up with and helped us identify the problems with it. He then helped us come up with an awesome layout that we feel is really going to work well for our family.

Once we were happy with the layout, he helped us put together a scope of work. He brought in a structural engineer (Amir) who drafted all the blueprints and got a permit for us. We are now in the process of interviewing potential contractors, and Jay's feedback and support have been invaluable.

Thanks Jay, we are looking forward to our continued working relationship.

UPDATE: Our renovation is complete, and it is stunning! The new layout is perfect. On Jay's recommendation we added 5 (!) sun tubes and now have a tun of much needed natural light throughout the house.

Jay helped us find the perfect contractor - Hossein from Ideal Dream Homes - and we couldn't be happier with his workmanship and work ethics. We also asked Jay to do regular house visits while we were away. He came regularly to check on the progress and sent us detailed reports. The contractor was amazing, and Jay's presence gave us additional security that everything was going well.

All in all, we have been extremely happy with every stage of this project, and we wouldn't have done it any other way.

Due to poor drainage in the pre-existing retaining wall it had become necessary to replace it entirely, and took the opportunity to fix up our front walk as well. Jay provided not only suggestions about where we could look for the pre-fabricated materials we needed, but also advice on how to save money by doing things like moving the excess soil onto other parts of our property rather than paying for it to be disposed of. This is the second time we've used his services, and look forward to working with him on future renovation projects. Definitely recommend!

Jay was great to work with. He was fun, experienced, and we ended up with a design which we absolutely loved. When we started the process, we were pretty set on what we thought we wanted, which was demo'ing a small existing addition, and building interior stairs. Jay made us think about the cons of that design (namely giving up square footage) and asked us to trust him as he thought could re-envision the small addition into something usable, attractive, and which didn't eat into the backyard too much.

We decided to trust him and let him run with the design, which ended up paying off. What Jay come up with was something we could never have envisioned on our own, and we're glad we allowed him to pursue his idea. The final design is simple, functional, elegant, and not cost prohibitive.

Our basement had already experienced one serious flood a few years ago.

The insurance company grudgingly provided assistance, but we knew they would be very difficult if we tried to claim damages from another basement flood.

Last Summer, after another period of severe rainfall, our basement was once again flooded, as surface water from our backyard poured over the edge of the window well, and into my son’s bedroom.

At this point, we felt we needed professional advice, so we called Jay at House Calls for his opinion.

Jay helped us understand the problem and suggested a solution. He also recommended Victor Raschilla Drain Cleaning to do the work.

We are very pleased with both Jay’s help and Victor’s work in rectifying the window well, and connecting the drain line to the sump pump.