Westchester Carpentry, Inc

In my experience I found the company to be disorganized, unreliable, and worst of all very unresponsive. Rick and Jim failed to meet one deadline after another, but always were quick with an excuse or to point the finger. I found Rick and his partner Jim on the Houzz app. After an extensive upfront due diligence process to review the scope of work, I hired them as the GCs for my home renovation project in December 2020. We agreed on a 4 month timeline. Over a year later, they’re still not done and we’re 9+ months (and running) over schedule. Their poor communication resulted in issues and headaches that should have been avoided. Engaging Rick/Jim as general contractors is a cautionary tale of overpromising and underdelivering. I found them NOT to be pragmatic or proactive in addressing the typical problems or issues that arise in any project in the normal course of business. They were unaccountable for their lack of oversight and the subpar management of their sub-contractors. As a result, the project materially exceeded the agreed upon budget and delayed our timeline. The root of the problem was that there was no ‘foreman’ onsite or consistent day-to-day point of contact overseeing the job. Rick and Jim spread themselves way too thin. As a result, the sub-contractors that they hired to perform the actual work were not supervised and it resulted in a number of mistakes that needed to be corrected. The subs were good people, I got to know some of them pretty well, but since they weren’t given proper direction and Rick/Jim wasn’t onsite to check that the work was being done properly and per the architectural plans, various components of the job had to be redone and delays/costs mounted. Ultimately the mismanagement of their sub-contractors and unaccountability for their actions caused progress to derail and forced me to step in and basically do Rick/Jim’s job. To add insult to injury, several sub-contractors have since shown up at my front door saying that they haven’t been able to get a hold of Rick/Jim and that they are owed money. Multiple subs of theirs quit midway through the job or walked off after similar complaints. Very dissatisfied with my experience working with them.

Horrible experience and honestly shocked by the prior reviews listed here. My experience has been the total opposite of what was previously claimed here. This business has all the makings of a fraud/criminal behavior. Communication has been horrible. Getting responses from Rick at best can be a week. Emails and texts with no responses. Never answers phone and his voicemail is full. Never showed up to start the work on time. Litany of excuses as to why things were being delayed. Said he would refund my money and now going on 10 days with no response. Cannot recommend enough to avoid this scam artist unless you want creative excuses as to why work doesn’t start or for him to try and steal your deposit. Currently going through filing complaints against his business with the County Office and filing a lawsuit. Avoid at all costs

I used Rick for a re-decking project and from the start he was extremely professional, friendly, responsive and suggested several different (effective) options to complete the repair. The specific carpenter that performed the work was much of the same and was extremely methodical and clean with his work. Would definitely have Rick out again and absolutely recommend him to others.

We had done several projects with Rick, including the construction of a composite deck, a kitchen renovation, basement bathroom, and other miscellaneous projects. He completed all of those projects and we were very happy with him so we hired him to do a basement room remodel. Unfortunately in light of the experience with the basement remodel, I cannot recommend him. He outsourced the work, and the workers never showed up when he promised until we intervened. We specifically communicated that we needed the project done before the birth of our son and hired him many months in advance of that, and my son is now 6 months old, and the permit has still not been closed out and I have been unable to get in touch with Rick for a month. The project caused enormous stress, as we had to act as project managers - handling the project separately with the electrician and plumber. Rick has not even been on site to inspect the job, and an important access panel still has not been cut.

I can’t speak highly enough of the experience we had working with Rick. We are so happy with our built-in bookshelf! Rick was professional and knowledgeable. He knew exactly what we wanted for this area of our home. The work was completed in under a week. The price was fair. We will definitely use him again for future renovations!

Rick and his team did a fantastic job adding some finishing touches to our new house. You would have never known the additions weren’t original. They were on time, on budget (no hidden upcharges or “additions”), always professional and courteous. They gave a detailed estimate that was far more professional than any contractor we interviewed. And they always left my house spotless afterwards. Highly recommend!

I had some work that needed to be done at my house in Westchester county, but I live across the country. I found this company based on web search, and am glad that I took a chance on them. Rick was prompt and courteous in his communication. It was difficult to chase down the town's building inspector through multiple visits, but Rick persisted and got the job done. I would definitely recommend this company for your carpentry needs.

Rick and his staff were professional and courteous. Any questions I had were quickly answered. The quality of their work was outstanding and I highly recommend them.

Rick has done several projects around our house and he has expertise in many different areas. He helps us renovate our living room and built a gorgeous mantle to match our house's traditional style. He has done woodwork in our home that has transformed our living room and mudroom into gorgeous spaces. I would highly recommend him to anyone needing a great carpenter in Westchester.

I found Westchester Carpentry thru the HOUZZ wesb site, left my contact info and the job I needed. Within less than a minute Rick DePalma, the owner called me back. I explained the job I needed (kitchen cabinet separating from wall) and he gave me an immediate reasonable quote. Set the appointment for 2 days later and Rick arrived at the scheduled time. Rick surveyed to situation came up with a very good way to fix my kitchen cabinet problem. I found Rick to be courteous, meticulous & he did not leave a mess. I would highly recommend Rick and Westchester Carpentry to anyone who needs carpentry work at reasonable rates. I will keep this in my contacts for further use when & if I need any further carpentry work.

Rick and his team did an excellent job ! We needed work done in our master closet and a tv mounted. We are so happy with the end results! He is super communicative and efficient. I would highly recommend. We have already hired him to do additional projects in the next few weeks.

Deck repair - got rid of all bad wood and reconstructed. The deck looks new again - beautiful work and was performed in a timely manner.