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Diagnosis and Restoration

We have the experience to diagnose and seal water leaks, correct previous construction, and much more.

basement water damage

Storm, fire, and water damage can be so devastating. Long the disaster has cleared, the seemingly endless rebuilding phase drudges on. Even if there wasn't an initial disaster, the long-term effects of worn out weatherproofing, foundation issues, and pests can cause unseen hazards inside your walls, floors, and ceilings. Whatever the case, the dangers posed by unaddressed issues and improper solutions are not worth the risks and headaches, and it's definitely not worth the stress to try to figure it all out on your own. You need professional diagnosis and remediation services, and we can take you all the way from inspection to job completion.

From black mold caused by water intrusion to fire or storm damage, we can help. We've worked with clients from all walks of life to achieve high quality, cost-effective solutions to every building-related issue imaginable. Simple or complex, every repair job can benefit from our detailed and personal approach.

Services include...

  • Electrical Issues

  • Drywall Cracking or Patching

  • Glass

  • Gutters

  • Handyman Services

  • Interior or Exterior Lighting

  • Masonry

  • Mold Remediation

  • Painting

  • Pests and Rodents

  • Plumbing Leaks 

  • Roof and Shingles

  • Siding

  • Structural

  • Trim 

  • Water Intrusion 

  • Window or Door 

... and much more!

Start your diagnosis project today!

Gary J. Building Doctor, LLC

thebuildingdoc@hotmail.com

773-528-1671

Gary Jacobsen, owner

10803 Potomac Drive

DeMotte, IN 46310

The Project Success Roadmap

A long time ago, I learned the secret equation that increases the level of quality and makes every project successful (even if there are bumps along the way). I'm going to share that secret with you now:

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TIME + EFFORT = SUCCESS!

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It's pretty simple, really. The best results take more time and effort! Although we strive to complete each job as quickly as possible, we don't rush and skip steps. We treat your project as if it were our own property at stake, so we always take our time and put in the effort to reach 1st Class Quality work with everything we do. 

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Read on to learn about our process and warranty, and how you can help as we progress toward SUCCESS with your project.

1

Request a Quote

Our process starts the moment you submit your information. Once we receive your request, we start planning our approach, estimated labor and materials costs, and judging the level of care necessary for the job. You can expedite this step if you are extremely detailed in your initial quote request. By providing us with the address, exact scope of work, desired timeframe, budget, and pictures of the work area, you help us get you an estimate FASTER! We recommend requesting quotes from multiple contractors at least 4 weeks before your desired start date.

2

Consultation - $ (refundable)

After we have processed your request, we may reach out to schedule an in-person inspection/consultation. This appointment allows us to get a view of the surrounding work areas and potential hazards, while also refining our understanding of the work to be performed as we discuss your specific needs. We'll explain how we would plan to complete your project and give you an overview of costs. In most cases, we are available to schedule within 1 week of receiving your quote request. We recommend scheduling your consultation at least 3 weeks before your desired start date. The consultation fee (amount varies based on job specifics) is refunded upon acceptance of our proposal. The refund will be applied to the job bill, lowering your total payment. This fee reimburses us for our time and travel costs associated with the consultation.

3

Estimate and Proposal - FREE!

We gladly offer free estimates and proposals. Our typical turnaround time to provide you with our proposal is 1 week from the consultation appointment. Our proposal will include our total job pricing for materials, labor, transportation, and waste management fees. Although some jobs may result in price increases due to circumstances beyond our control (previously unknown structural deficiencies, surging market price for materials, etc.), we always try to be as transparent as possible with our price--there are no hidden fees, and the price you see is our best estimation for the total cost of your job. Now that you've received bids for your job, it's time to compare factors such as price, availability, and quality of work. Oftentimes, the cheapest bid is not going to be the best choice. Remember: you get what you pay for. We pride ourselves on offering a high standard of quality at a reasonable price. Cheap work is easy to find, and also typically first to fail. You'll find that our price is often "middle of the road" of our competitors for this reason. We offer premium materials and work, while saving you from a premium price tag. Our proposals are typically valid for 4 weeks, so take your time to make the decision that's best for YOU! If you decide to go with someone else, no hard feelings. Please just send us a quick email to let us know so that we can close out our file for your job.

Let us know if you do (or don't) accept our proposal!

4

Contract - $ (30% Deposit)

To get the job started, there's two easy steps. First, we'll sign a contract. This detailed document will outline our scope of work, including the specific issues you are facing, our approach to solve these issues, and the price of our service. It also spells out the industry standard payment schedule, with a 30% upfront deposit, proportional payments due at 60% and 90% completion, and a final bill for any remaining amount after the job is finished (service-call jobs are typically billed at the time of service). Next, after we both have signed the contract, you will pay the deposit when you're ready to get on our schedule. Typically, we can get your project scheduled to start within a 1-3 week timeframe after proposal acceptance, depending on our workload. In the meantime, we start organizing everything required to get your job done right the first time! This is the real benefit of hiring a general contractor: from here on out, your work is finished! We handle everything from here, including managing inspections, organizing partner contractors for specialty work, and all the things that come up along the way.

5

The Job - $ (Proportional Payments)

We are in the homestretch now! Here we are at the start date for your job. We'll ask you to move pets out of the work area, as well as any valuables and breakables. Throughout the project, we will give you periodic status updates, and inform you of any unexpected issues that come up along the way. If a certified inspection is required, we'll coordinate with you to find a time that works best. Most of our jobs are custom work, so the exact amount of time each job requires depends heavily on the work being performed. When the job is about 60% completed, your next proportional payment is due, according to the payment schedule in your contract. You'll pay the next proportional payment once we are mostly done with our work, and we'll ask you to walk through the project area and give us one punch list of details to get our work tuned to your exact specifications. Please let us know up front if you may face difficulties with making the payments. There may be room for us to space out these payments, but we can only help if you tell us!

6

Project  SUCCESS!

With the job wrapped up and final bill paid, our work is made truly complete by our 1 year warranty. If something isn't quite right, let us know, and we'll come back and make it right, often at no cost to you. We also always ask our clients to leave us an honest review on Yelp, Google, and/or Facebook. By sharing your experience working with any contractor, you can help other people make informed decisions about their own projects. Your feedback is valuable, and your satisfaction is our priority! Now it's time to sit back, relax, and enjoy the quality work by our team. If you ever have a new project on the horizon, we're only a call, email, or click away.

Service area:

Indiana

Jasper County

  • DeMotte

  • Fair Oaks

  • Remington

  • Rensselaer

  • Roselawn

  • Wheatfield

 

Lake County

  • Cedar Lake

  • Crown Point

  • Dyer

  • East Chicago

  • Gary

  • Griffith

  • Hammond

  • Highland

  • Hobart

  • Lakes of the Four Seasons

  • Lake Station

  • Lowell

  • Merrillville

  • Munster

  • New Chicago

  • Schererville

  • Schneider

  • St. John

  • Whiting

  • Winfield

Newton County

  • Brook

  • Goodland

  • Kentland

  • Lake Village

  • Morocco

  • Mount Ayr

  • Roselawn

  • Thayer

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Porter County

  • Aberdeen

  • Beverly Shores

  • Boone Grove

  • Burns Harbor

  • Chesterton

  • Hebron

  • Kouts

  • Lakes of the Four Seasons

  • Ogden Dunes

  • Porter

  • Portage

  • South Haven

  • Town of Pines

  • Valparaiso

Pulaski County

  • Francesville

  • Medaryville

  • Monterey

  • Star City

  • Winimac

 

Starke County

  • Bass Lake

  • Hamlet

  • Koontz Lake

  • Knox

  • North Judson

  • San Pierre

Illinois

Cook County

  • Chicago and the surrounding areas

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