We have James and his team to renovate our new home. We are new buyers and have no experience with contractors, but James took care of all the things so well. His attention to details, aesthetic, and craftsmanship really help us to get the final look of our beautiful home now! James and his team did an amazing job painting our entire home, and upgraded the hardwares. We have changed the countertop, got customized closets. He even quickly fixed some of the pumping issues near the end of the projects. Super reasonable price, and we definitely recommend him to anyone! read more

See all

I highly recommend James McGhee and A Better Craft for your home renovation and construction projects. James is a pleasure to work with (so easy going and professional) and he is always around working and managing during the project. For the work A Better Craft did for my project - see below. WORK COMPLETED: Painted my unfinished basement from top to bottom (including painting and tacking up messy wires and finding a way to conceal them), smoothed over an uneven concrete basement floor, patched up parts of the ceiling where you could see the rafters, installed recessed lights and moved electrical outlets, built a closet with doors that his team constructed from a picture I showed them, patched up and painted my cracking concrete steps in the front and back of my house, installed a ceiling fan in my bedroom, hung heavy gym wall mirrors on the concrete walls in my basement, eliminated my rodent issue by adding wood siding under my steps and deck and had my iron gate repaired in front of my home. James is a talented painter and he knows his team well in addition to knowing all the local hardware, paint, and electrical stores which helps with product and pricing. You will enjoy working with A Better Craft! read more

A BETTER CRAFT - BEFORE - General Contractors Near Me - BAYONNE, New Jersey

See all

My shower continued to lead through the ceiling despite a previous plumber/contractor "fixing" the issue. I called James and his team came by that same afternoon and they knew exactly what to do. I am so lucky to have found his company. James and his entire team are professional, reasonable, A+ people and I couldn't recommend them enough. They do most of their work in Jersey City/ Hoboken but are local to Bayonne (so you should call him if you live in Bayonne and any of the surrounding areas). Anybody who needs quality work done in a timely matter should go with James and A Better Craft. read more

I shared the positive experiences of the other reviewers. I live in Paulus Hook in Jersey City and James and his partner Jacob replaced my floors, kitchen counters, and cabinets, and helped me select all of the supplies for the kitchen (and saved a lot of money). These guys are awesome - very punctual and respectful, and have good taste and design sense. They go above and beyond. Two examples: 1) James insisted on touching up a paint job I had done previously, for free; and 2) they spackled and patched up some wall holes that I had created when moving in furniture (and that had nothing to do with their scope of work). I had complete trust in these guys and my condo association is hoping to use them for some additional work. Thanks guys! read more

Yet again James and team delivers! Not only did he provide a fair quote, the job was finished on time and the quality of work is above and beyond. No wonder he has such a good reputation and a long list of repeat clients. read more

Other contractors quoted me ~$4,000, James and A Better Craft did a perfect job for over 6x less!! Super professional, super passionate and an all around amazing guy/team. Will without a doubt have James and his crew back for ANY work we need done. He attacked water damage with intelligence and deliberately addressed the leak, stripped the old paint, repainted, readjusted the frame, fixed the seal and so much more within only 6 hours over 3 visits. Super punctual, considerate of your time. You can really tell James is amazingly passionate by the way he conducts himself. Would recommend 1000x!!! Want to post pictures but since it's inside and outside work from water damage they won't do the job justice. Look below for superficial before & after. read more

A BETTER CRAFT - Before - General Contractors Near Me - BAYONNE, New Jersey

See all

James did a small job in my apartment, and I can tell this guy is a responsible professional, loves what he does and takes accountability/pride in what he does. He's not just a contractor, he's more of an Artist. He treats his projects like artworks and that is a very good thing. I wish I had gone with him with bigger projects, but unfortunately the timing did not work and I ended up going with other contractors because James was on vacation at the time. That was a big regret of mine. I wish I had waited for James to come back. In short, James is so great in what he does that he's the one people call to finish shoddy work and unfinished work left behind by other contractors. Just look at the rest of genuine Yelp reviews which I cannot agree more. In addition, he helped me in many ways. He had personally recommended his cousin Ryan to help me with basement clean out. Ryan also did a wonderful job. He comes on the days he said he was going to come and he finished job on the day he said he will finish the job. In other words, he's reliable. Thank you! read more

It is rare that you meet a contractor with such a high standard for professionalism, attention to detail, and great communication. We hired James to help us finish the rehabilitation of our row house, including a kitchen renovation, some patch work, roof work, electrical work, a new driveway, and complete gut and rebuild of two floors of stairs. Throughout the entire process, he was very communicative and reassuring. My wife and I were out of town during a large portion of it and he went above and beyond to make sure that we came home to a completed house. He even sent daily pictures to show us the progress play by play. I've never met a more communicative contractor and he always makes himself available to answer questions. James is very active and present - regularly overlooking the work his contractors put in and assuring the work is up to his and the customers' standards. Regularly, he would attend to things himself if they do not meet his standards. James brings an artistic touch to his work that you couldn't get from anyone else. When he replaced our stairs, I couldn't believe that he could make the new wood match the old wood. He assured me, as he always does, that he would take care of it and that I shouldn't worry. He hand painted them to add a seamless texture before applying a coat of polyurethane and they look PERFECT. I've shown pictures to everyone and they can't believe it. He's also always looking to maintain and improve the original features of homes that give them character, instead of scrapping them. We love this about him and appreciate his ingenuity in rehabilitating features that we simply would have removed. On top of his work, he's a great guy, warm and friendly and always calm. We've really enjoyed getting to know him and he's always welcome in our home. We had gone through a series of other contractors (On Time which is awful - AVOID if you like yourself) before we met James and we were always left frustrated with shoddy work and miscommunications and everything ran over budget and well beyond the schedule. James has truly been a godsend and now that we know him, we wouldn't consider calling anyone else. He's helping us now with our second home and showing us how well things can go when you get the right guy in first. read more

I own a 102 year old home. It's a big place, and there is a lot to maintain. While I paint, fix things and give the house a lot of the love it needs, the fact is there are just times when something is out of my league, or I just don't have time to take care of it myself. And now that I've found James and A Better Craft, I'm okay with that. I've got him on my side, so I feel like things are totally under control. Unlike so many other contractors that we have experienced, James listens and really cares about how the job gets done, for projects big and small. We have used him for more than a dozen different painting and handyman-type projects, as well as a larger porch reconstruction project. While there were a few small bumps along the way (the fact is there always are) James was super cool about making sure the job got done well, and that I was totally satisfied. We will continue to call on James and A Better Craft, and we'd definitely recommend him to neighbors, friends and you. read more

James worked with me almost every day for 3 weeks painting my apartment and refinishing turn of the century detail - and restoring it into something quite amazing. He has an eye for detail and a great quality in his work ethic. James was also very fair in his pricing, we were on budget throughout the renovation. I highly recommend James so much we will using him again in many future projects. read more

James And Pedro did an amazing job painting my apartment. They worked quickly and I couldn't be happier with the results. James also patched up all of the holes left it the walls and ceiling by the electricians. Flawless! The doors to the bedroom, closets and bathroom were loose. James tightened them up for me too! I also had an issue with the electrical panel. It was exposed out of the Wall and was a complete eyesore. I almost made the mistake of framing it. But James talked me out of it. James painted it and it looks great. The price was right and the work was top of the line. Already thinking of new projects for the future. James is now my go to guy for all my home projects. read more

See all

I have an old house. The house hasn't been worked on probably since the 40's. Lol...But I got in touch with James and showed him all the work that needs to be done. He demoed my whole 3rd floor. Put everything new in my house. I know how stressful this can be looking for contractors and trying to gain trust in them. James came on time for our 1st meeting and was very professional. He is a very smart person. The way he works hard and his work-ethic is out of this world. He made this renovation so smooth and stress free. His work is very clean cut. He had some great ideas and suggestions and of course I went with what he said. He was right about everything he was saying. He know what he is talking about. He listens very well to his customers. I would recommend him for anything thing and yes he will be doing more big jobs and small jobs in my house. He is WONDERFUL! WONDERFUL! WONDERFUL! HE IS GREAT! GREAT! GREEEEAAAAT!. THANKS JAMES read more

What a relief to finally find a reliable contractor who charges a fair rate. I brought James in to patch my ceiling as well as some cracks in my foundation. He did a stellar job. You can tell he is a guy who takes great pride in his craft. After being burned by a few other contractors who couldn't keep appointments or simply gave my sky high quotes, I was weary. But James came in, quickly offered me a fair quote and once I gave him the green light, he was able to get the work done within a few days time. He actually has me excited to start on a few more projects. James was very willing to give me advice and ideas on what I could tackle next, and I am excited to use his services. Highly recommend. read more

James was fantastic in helping me complete a list of repairs flagged in an inspection report while in the process of selling my home in JC. He was very responsive and easy to communicate with, which was super important while I was on the west coast through the entire process. He was fast, and provided everything in writing via email, and had fair prices. I would definitely hire A Better Craft again for other contracting needs in the area. read more

We needed wall decor to be put up (mirror, wall sconces, paintings, etc) and James did everything at a very reasonable price. He is extremely detailed and ensures everything is lined up properly when hanging something up. James is always on time and very responsive via phone and text. Additionally, we had our place painted less than 6 months ago. James, being an artist himself, noticed some areas weren't painted properly and he fixed them for us at no extra charge. He did a great job at fixing those issues and can't thank him enough. James is great and we are looking to get more work done by him (new water heater and custom wood bench). I highly recommend his work to anyone! read more

James and his team were really professional and accommodating. He was able to paint and fix/patch work from a previous contractor before we moved in. He also noticed we had a couple of holes under our AC unit so he was able to fix it. Would strongly recommend him to everyone in the neighborhood! read more

A BETTER CRAFT - James is the best! - General Contractors Near Me - BAYONNE, New Jersey

James recently finished my backsplash in my kitchen and a few other odd jobs around the house. I cannot recommend James enough! He is the most professional, reliable, and hardest working guy in the area. His prices are more than fair and the results are superb. He is punctual which is super important to get the job done on time. James and his team clean up after they are finished and his work is always on point. It is difficult to find someone of his caliber and trustworthiness in this industry but James is now my go-to guy. I will be utilizing his services in the near future to remodel my bathrooms. I can't thank him enough! Definitely give A Better Craft a call!!! read more

James is everything you could want in a contractor/Handyman. Courteous, super competent, punctual, personable, reasonably priced....and he actually gets the work done when he says he will, as opposed to leaving you hanging near the end of the job, like so many other contractors. He's now my go to for nearly everything that needs to be done around the house. read more

James recently did some work on our mud room by hanging floating cabinets, putting up additional shelving units and painting. He and Jacob knocked it out of the park. It was a relatively small job, but it looks amazing. They were able to perfectly match the color and hardware of the new cabinets to those that already existed and put in a nice new counter top that didn't break the bank. I've worked with James before and would highly recommend. He always shows up on time, works cleanly and efficiently, is very reasonable, and does high quality work. I will definitely be using his services again. read more

James has an eye for detail and clearly does his best to make customers happy. He did a wonderful job painting the interior and exterior of our house. He was also very easy to work with and showed a willingness to take on smaller projects as well as bigger jobs. My husband and I highly recommend him for all types of painting and handyman work. read more

James and his colleagues at A Better Craft provided prompt, excellent services. I contacted him on a Wednesday evening about a project--removing and rebuilding a set of basement stairs that required one to duck to gain access. A carpenter he works with, Jacob, came by the next morning to review the project. They provided an estimate that evening and we came to terms on Friday. Jacob started Monday morning, finished demo that day, and had the stair rebuilt by the end end of the day Thursday with minimal mess. There were a few hiccups concerning the construction of the old house that they quickly resolved. The product was excellent. James was overseas throughout, and returned two days after the project was completed. He came by to review it in person that same day to ensure it was up to his standards. I recommend James and his team for their fast, quality work, responsive customer service, and expertise in home building. read more

I had a mouse hole behind a dishwasher that i wanted plugged up normally i would do it myself but our dishwasher is a space saver which is under the sink so it was a little weird and i also wanted to check behind the stove to make sure there were no other holes. First, James called me to let me know that he'd be late and gave me an adjusted time which he was on time for. Previous experiences with contractors just had me waiting all day so i appreciated the heads up. I'm guessing this is a smaller job than they're accustomed to but James and Carlos came in and assessed the situation. I also asked them to check on a faucet installation which added a little to the final cost. The price wasn't too bad but i really liked James' work ethic. He has pride in his work and does it right. He went around checking other possible areas that might not be sealed off and walked me through what he was doing letting me see everything he thought needed to be done. He could've just quickly patched everything and been on his way. He also let me know that peppermint oil would drive any mice out that might be inside and gave me some of his own personal supply. I definitely recommend James for any work you need and will be going to him for anything i need in the future. read more

James is very professional and gets the job done in the right way. He fixed paint issues and re-did kitchen flooring grout in my apartment. The quality of his work is top notch. He is a good-listener, understands the issues, and provides valuable suggestions in order to fix issues within budget. read more

James just painted the exterior of my house and he'll be the first person I call for any future projects. He returns my calls, gave me a professional estimate, stuck to it, started on time, finished on time, and did a fantastic job. He's great to work with, has an eye for detail. All around a great experience. read more

I had holes in the wall behind my baseboard heaters where mice were coming through, and James did an excellent job of patching up the holes. He was very professional, did the work fast and at a great price. He went above and beyond and I would recommend him to anyone! read more