This review is for soundproofing and related work, only. In early 2015, I had saved up enough cash to move forward with soundproofing my Lakeview condo. I was (am) in love with my (then new) home, but knowing everything that my upstairs neighbor was doing - including feeling the vibration of his phone, the thud of his heels rattling my glassware, and knowing not just when he was flushing, but also urinating, was just a little bit TMI, and I found it impacting my quality of life - partly because my blood would boil with every vibration - and the disturbances were affecting my sleeping patterns as well. I knew I had to do something about it, and I knew that, while this would be an expensive undertaking, that my quality of life was at stake. (I know I sound dramatic right now, but the struggle was real!) I called Dave at Chicagoland Renovations, as well as another reputable soundproofing organization and received estimates from both. My experience was very much the opposite of what Amy S. has written - Dave was responsive, cordial, and proactive. He communicated well in writing, and showed up when he said he would. I needed to fully understand the proposal, from both contractors, and Dave explained it carefully and thoughtfully to someone who knows zilch about construction and sound transference and decibels and...stuff. With the assistance from my HOA (we are an 8-unit walk-up), I opted to work with Dave - partly because his competitor's proposal was slightly more expensive, but more critically because his competitor's proposal involved what seemed like something that would impact the structure of the building itself, which introduced some structural risk to my unit as well as other homeowners in the building. I was certain that Dave offered the best solution for my needs. Dave was perfectly responsive with all of the 'paperwork' (insurance, bonding, etc.) that I had to have in hand, in order to begin construction on my unit. Once the paperwork was in order and the construction scheduled, things started happening. The materials for the job arrived, and let me tell you, based on the cases of tubes and the stacks of the materials they brought in, Dave and his team do something incredibly manual, which actually helps explains the precious price tag on the work. Dave and his team moved furniture out of the room that they were working in; and moved everything back when they were done. I could tell that all of my furniture was cared for in this process - his guys were very respectful- and they were very clean about the whole process. In addition to protecting my floors (leading to the room under construction), they had even papered the carpeted floor of the common entry/foyer area for the duration of the project. Dave was kind enough to allow me to replace all ceiling fixtures during this construction, so when the old came down, his team installed the new, and I really did have what felt like a new room. I initially had some concerns around losing ceiling 'height' and making the room look/feel smaller - but I can tell you that while I may have given up an inch or more, it is completely transparent - the rooms feel the same. Dave suggested I let the ceiling cure/dry before I pass judgement on the work - and I have to be honest; the first month was hard because I could still feel/hear everything, which continued to disturb me/wake me up - but somewhere after the 60 day mark, when Dave called to check in on me - only then did I realized that the annoyances were gone - no more waking up with my upstairs neighbor, no more frustration with knowing his potty habits - I was sleeping well and NOT ANGRY. Dave promised me full reduction of 'airborne' sounds, and something less than that for those that travel through the upstairs floor/my ceiling. This is exactly what happened - I would say that I'm in the 80-85% reduction of the noises that were disturbing me, if I had to take a SWAG at it. There was an issue with some of the finishes on the ceiling - visually, after a few months. I take away a star for that workmanship specifically, but Dave earned it back, because even after he had gotten the thumbs-up on my satisfaction with the sound transference, he continued to check on my satisfaction with the project, and when I shared with him my concerns, (which appeared much later) he actually scheduled an entire team to come in and make it right - and he assured me that he had made some changes in personnel to ensure that didn't happen to any of his other clients. Dave/Chicagoland Renovations retains my highest recommendation for soundproofing, because he delivered what he said he would - he did it how/when he said he would, respecting my home and belongings. Dave cares about his clients - and he made good on things that weren't perfect. If I had to do it again - I would. read more

I am so disappointed with the work that was done at my condo. I had the ceiling "soundproofed" throughout my entire condo. While I don't hear my upstairs neighbor peeing anymore, I still hear his footsteps, music, and conversations as clear as day. And not only did the soundproofing not work, when the work was done, there was a giant mess and damage left behind. There was damage to furniture and light fixtures, there was plaster everywhere, and there was paint on bathroom vanities and toilets. And to top it all off, my ceiling looks terrible. You can see every nailhead and lines of plaster in every room. While Dave said they would come back and fix the look of my ceiling, I don't think I'm going to have them do it because of the damage and mess that I would have to deal with afterwards. read more

David was very helpful and reasonably priced. He's always on-time and finished the work in a timely fashion. We did a small remodel to the basement of our duplex condo. read more

I live in a loft building in the city with concrete floors and ceilings and walls made of drywall. My bedroom wall is shared with my neighbors bedroom wall. Well, after a few months of living here and hearing their voices very clearly, my neighbors had a new baby. For your info: the threshold of pain is about 130 decibels which is the same level of a screaming baby. While I don't have any children, I could no longer sleep in my bedroom. (Neither could my pet!!) After two weeks of sleeping on my couch, I contacted three contractors for help. After three consultations and estimates, I contacted Dave Snyder as his recommendations seemed the best to me and he was willing to listen to my ideas. We discussed the solutions and he came out to inspect the issue. I wanted to put Mass Loaded Vinyl in this section and after talking through how he would do it, we agreed to a price. I did not go with the cheapest quote, I went with the best solution to the problem. I have to mention, you have to be realistic about soundproofing. Unless you build a recording studio in your house, your will probably still hear some sounds. They will just become very faint. I happy to report that I now sleep peacefully. Yes, I can occasionally hear very distant noises, but only when I am awake and they are very faint noises. Never have I been awakened by my neighbors. (and I am an extremely light sleeper!). It took me two weeks to get off the baby's schedule after my soundproofing, waking up at 1:30 am and 4:30 am. (My hats are off to all of you that have children :) ) However, being on the baby's schedule when you don't have kids just doesn't make sense. The baby and my neighbors have moved on as my neighbors have sold their place, but my bedroom remains soundproofed. As for drywall, it is very dusty and fine like baby powder. Everything needs to be covered, but somehow the drywall dust finds it's way in. I always cover and pack things away myself as I have had a few construction jobs in my fixer upper. However, Dave also provides protection and cleanup with every job. I find his team to be very neat and they do a great job on cleanup. It's time to soundproof another wall and do some additional home renovation. This time, Dave Snyder is the only contractor I have called. He does great work and is very professional!! read more

I had a noise problem in my condo. It was between my kitchen/dining room area. I could hear partial conversations. I called Chicagoland Reivations and they responded very quickly. After the job was completed they also cleaned up the area. This has reduced my noise level by at least 85%. I was extremely satisfied with the final result! Call them for your soundproofing needs!0 read more

Dave at Chicagoland renovations is an extremely honest contractor to work with. He is very upfront about all the details which he will be doing for your project. If you have any concerns about the integrity or choices he makes, he gives you a full explanation as to why he's selected those options. He was comfortable with me discussing his choices with two other contractors, and we would then come to a decision together. Nor does Dave or his team pretend to be capable of managing something about which they have no knowledge. I will use them again. read more

We used Dave at our condo to seal foundation cracks and identify the source of some mold growth. Both times Dave was quick to identify and correct the problem, cleaning up any mess his work made. We then used him when we were buying a house. He looked at various houses with us in order to estimate the remodeling costs required. Once we bought a house he refinished the wood floors, put in a sump pump and drainage system, laid tile flooring, and put on a new roof, as well as some other, smaller projects. Five years later, we had him redo our wood decks. He recycled as much wood as possible to keep costs down, which he offered on his own. Dave has always come within budget. We have recommended him for 3 other remodeling projects at houses of friends/family. read more

Dave at RenovateChicago.com did a large project for us (~$130k) - he dug out the basement and redid our first floor, including moving a staircase. We are a family of four in a single family home in Roscoe Village and Dave was respectful of our home and made it much more livable. He was onsite just about every day, and the area was cleaned on a daily basis, as we lived in the home while the project was ongoing for about three months. It was dirty as can be expected doing a basement digout and reconfiguration of the first floor but it worked out well, and fast-forward 7 years (now 2017) we are very glad we dugout the basement as the kids use it a LOT and we have tons more storage! The basement dig went very well and frankly it was a concern of mine given our house was over 100 years old and we weren't sure what kinds of problems would arise. Dave and his crew did a great job digging in a methodical manner and we had no issues. We put in a drainage system, floor heating, and soundproofing which have all worked well. On the main floor we moved the basement staircase to under the existing top floor staircase (pic below) which has improved the flow of the house, and also moved some support walls to make the main floor more open. Dave also re-worked our front porch as it was getting a bit old, and we maintained the charm of this old house. My wife and I would recommend Dave to anyone given his great work and easy communication. read more

Somehow, my review disappeared??? Don't use unless you want to have it redone the correct way. We had Dave replace our parking lot lights and he bought the absolute cheapest fixtures and they provided less light that the ones we had him replace, and then after a week, the light bulbs started to burn out which makes me think he put in used bulbs/fixtures or both!!. Since then we had to replace them ourselves, I wish we had completed the work ourselves to begin with and it would have saved us $875. read more