Wilkens Contracting Inc

The tear down of a rotting chimney and its reconstruction was handled by Wilkens Contacting Inc.

I am entirely serious when I write that the new chimney is a thing of beauty. The point work is flawless. I told my partner my only disappointment was that the damn thing wasn't on the front porch where everyone could see it.

The chimney is shared with my semi-detached neighbour and there was a question as to the appropriate cap for her side of the installation as she was having her furnace replaced. I found the crew's concern that the work be finished appropriately to the point of scheduling their break around my efforts to locate her, as telling as the quality of the brickwork itself.

Ernie suggested I have a roofing company handle the flashing of the new chimney as our roof is currently on life support and the job was best handled by specialists. I did hire a roofing company but I had forgotten to inform them that the chimney work was happening that day. It turned out to be of no concern because after climbing to the roof to see how things were progressing, I found that the roofing contractor was there already. Without prompting from me, Wilkens had contacted them and coordinated the work to ensure the flashing was installed immediately after the chimney was capped. I suppose I've become a little too immune to paying top dollar for mediocre product but this consideration momentarily left me slack-jawed with amazement.

I hardly need to add that the area was left cleaner then before the crew from Wilkens first walked on it.

In the years my partner and I have been restoring our home, we have hired many different contractors for jobs both large and small. Until I hired Wilkens Contacting, I had never had the pleasure of hiring a company that didn't simply meet a quality standard, it set one.

Bravo.

Paul Vivian

When you pick Otto Wilkens for a contractor you shouldn't do it because you're looking for a deal. It's unlikely he's going to be the cheapest, but you're going to get value, honesty, integrity, and something I appreciate throughout any home reno process - good communication.
Otto took care of a piece of concrete in the front of our house, and we're very happy with how it looks and how the whole process turned out. Definitely keep Wilkens in mind if you're doing concrete or masonry work done.

Our house was in desperate need of serious tuck pointing on all four walls and the porch pillars in front. There were MANY areas where you could see right through because so much mortar was missing. A few months ago we called Ernie and about 7 other contractors to come do an estimate. Ernie's estimate was the lowest of all 8 contractors (coming in nearly $7,000 less than the most expensive estimate). It was a few months before we called him back. We were hesitant to go with the "cheapest" estimate because after all, you get what you pay for. We found that Wilkens had good ratings here on Home Stars so we called Ernie back and he came out again. He reviewed the original estimate from a few months ago and stood by it. He was very knowledgeable so we decided to use them for the job. He had a contractor to our house the next week and he worked on our house for 3 full days - all of which he had to work in the rain and cool temperatures. We were SO pleased with the results. He was friendly and did an absolutely amazing job. We even had a 2' x 3' area on our front pillar that was stained white from the previous owner trying to do the tuck pointing himself (!) This stain was gone after our Wilkens contractor left. The house looks 10x better than it did before. We couldn't be happier. We got much more than we expected for the price and when we received the invoice, it was exactly what we had discussed. Absolutely fantastic.

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!