MAKE! Chicago – Professional Services

I recently had some major decorative woodworking done as a surround to my fireplace. I interviewed 4 different contractors for this particular job, and ultimately chose to work with Joseph. I could tell he had a true passion for what he did, and his knowledge of woodworking was top-​notch.
The communication process was easy throughout the entire process. Joseph got the work done very quickly, even though I know he had a lot of other things going on at the same time. whenever there was a question as to how I wanted to proceed, Joseph asked the right things to make sure the project turned out exactly as I wanted it.
I would recommend Him to anyone.

We hired Joseph to install somethings around the house (new sink, thermostat etc.) as well as fix the grouting in our bathroom. He did an amazing job and our bathroom looks better than ever. He was prompt and professional. Highly recommend.

I found Joseph through a friend and asked him to repair and refinish a very beat-​up mid-​century modern Lane coffee table that my husband bought 10 years ago at a thrift shop. Joseph was so easy to work with and did a fantastic job on the table! One of the corners looked like a dog had taken a big bite out of it and after Joseph was done it looked like new! Joseph has great customer service. As we had a 2 wk old baby at home he worked around our schedule, came to my condo to pick up and then drop off the table. And it only took him about a week to do it. I would definitely use him again for my carpentry/​furniture refinishing needs.

I found Joseph on Craigslist and I hired him to build some things for stage set. After he showed me some of his prior work I knew I had to hire him. The ideas and the things he had were great. I’m looking forward to working Joseph again in the future.

I loved working with Joseph from Pagoda Studio!!!
I originally found him on Craigslist and hired him to put together a rather complex, ahem, Ikea shelving system. I use the system, which is comprised of floor-​to-​ceiling poles, clothing racks, and shelves, for my retail women’s clothing boutique. I had previously put the shelving system together myself in a different location, but in my new space there was an unforeseen problem: the poles were not tall enough to reach the nearly 14 foot ceilings.
After almost falling off of a ladder, I decided to find some help. Joseph responded quickly to my request, came over to assess the situation and figured out a solution to the not-​long-​enough-​poles dilemma. He offered to construct some pine boxes to prop the poles on and affix them to so that they would then have the height needed to reach the ceiling! Brilliant! He made me a very reasonable quote for the project and finished the pine boxes in a very agreeable amount of time. Then he proceeded to complete the whole project, installing the boxes, and poles, and shelves, etc., in an afternoon. Also he is VERY good at design and knows what looks good and what will look bad. He assisted me in designing my space, i. e, where to put the poles, where to put the dressing room, etc. etc. He was extremely adept at customizing what we had to work with, supplementing extra pieces, and sawing down pieces to fit our custom design. Using every nook and cranny of our small space to it’s best potential. Perfect!
About 8 months later, one of the poles came out of the ceiling in the studio section of my store, my fault for piling WAY too much weight on it. I called Joseph and he came over and fixed it right away, and also adjusted the other poles so as to be able to support more weight safely.
Of course, when I decided I was MOVING my store — just one door over to a corner space with much better street exposure and triple the space– I called Joseph right away with my new project. This one was a doozy– disassembling and re-​assembing the pole system, adding more pieces, rearranging everything, and also moving some very ungainly furniture. He and his team handled the whole task efficiently and professionally, and best of all, safely… I don’t have to worry about the thing falling on someone.
I would recommend Pagoda Studios without any hesitation if you are looking for a professional, innovative contractor who will go above and beyond your expectations. And best of all: the cost was very reasonable each time, which makes a big difference to me as a independent business owner.

We had a project that came into our shop that required us to handle some big wooden beams, and we didn’t have the machinery to accommodate them. I called Joseph to see if he could help and he picked up, surfaced the beams, and returned them… All within 24 hours. And this is with less than a day’s notice. Very professional; We will be partnering with Pagoda again.

My partner is an interior designer and found Pagoda Studios surfing online. He had a project for a client in Scottsdale, Az that happens to be a very good friend and a mentor of mine. Needless to say, I am always worried about ensuring they get the best for their homes. I asked Dave to write a review and have pasted it below. THE TABLE THEY MADE FOR THE CLIENT WAS TRULY AMAZING.
Dave’s review:
I needed two custom made steel bases to hold up a 450 lb. table top for my clients dining room for their new house in Scottsdale. My client was moving from Chicago on Dec. 26^th and I only had two weeks to come up with a solution and it was in the height of the Christmas holidays. I thought this would be an impossible.
After checking out the Pagoda Studios website I decide to give them a call. Joseph helped me with my situation. I worked with him and told him what I wanted and he drew up plans and started on it immediately. He was able to deliver my client’s bases on Dec. 23^rd just before Christmas and in time for my clients move to Scottsdale.
It was everything we had envisioned and I was really amazed at how great it looked. The service was so care free. I highly recommend Pagoda Studios to anyone who needs any repair or custom metal or wood work.
David Goodman
L’ARTE DECOR