The Building Doctor Esquire

Chicago, United States

4.7

Open now

15 reviews

Accepts Credit Cards
By Appointment Only

Contacts

QR code, vCard

Telephone:
+1 773-528-1671
Website:
www.thebuildingdoc.com
Address:
1850 N Kedzie Ave, Chicago, IL, 60647
b/t Cortland St & Moffat St
Logan Square
Nearby public transportation stops & stations:
0.6 miLa Grange Stone Avenue
0.8 miWestern Springs
1 miLaGrange Road
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Bussiness info

Accepts Credit Cards
Yes
By Appointment Only
Yes

Today

Today 8:00 am – 6:00 pm
Open now
Local time (Chicago) 9:01 AM Thursday, May 22, 2025

Business hours

Monday 8:00 am – 6:00 pm
Tuesday 8:00 am – 6:00 pm
Wednesday 8:00 am – 6:00 pm
Thursday 8:00 am – 6:00 pm
Friday 8:00 am – 6:00 pm
Saturday 8:00 am – 6:00 pm
Sunday –

Description

Specialties

We specialize in remodeling, repair and maintenance work and are a licensed, bonded, and full insured General Contractor who has been in business since 1976. We are a fully accredited member of the Better Business Bureau with an A+ rating since 1994. Our work includes but not limited to dormers, porches/​decks, concrete and masonry, flooring, leveling, plumbing and electrical. We are a certified window and door installation contractor through Lee Lumber Company. EPA certified for lead abatement and certified in Housing Inspection through the Housing Inspection Foundation.

History

Established in 1976.

Before The Building Doctor, Esq. was established the owner worked as an Elevator Constructor. During this time he bought his first home and began seeking ways to make an extra income. As most young people can relate, when you purchase your first home there are many costs that comes along with it. Due to this Gary took on a side job providing maintenance work for a very large real estate company in Lincoln Park. At this time Gary used his specialties to assist the real estate company with repairs, remodeling, and maintenance work on single family homes, multi-​family unit rental properties, and small commercial businesses. Once he developed a client base Gary quickly turned his side job into a flourishing full time business and to this day enjoys the challenge of tackling any job no matter the size along with his crew.

Meet the Business Owner

Gary J.

Business Owner

Gary was born and raised in Chicago, where he lived in the Humbolt Park area. He attended Lane Tech High School and the University of Illinois for one year. He volunteered for the Army and was a member of the 101st Airborne Division during the Vietnam Era. After being honorably discharged he worked various jobs including sales, electrical mechanical draftsman, elevator constructor, and general contractor. In 1976, he started The Building Doctor and began making a long list of satisfied customers. Gary still resides and works in the Chicago land area and is here with his crew to assist with any home repair, remodeling, and maintenance you may have.

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15 reviews of The Building Doctor Esquire

No registration required
Place rating: 5
Chicago, IL
Our condo association used the Building Doc. Company for various repairs including putting up new guard rails and support rails to our back wooden staircase. They also sealed around the building perimeter and secured some loose cement blocks at our entrance-​way.
They did a great job overall. When I noticed they missed a spot of sealant around our stairs they came out right away to fix it. They are very busy and couldn’t start our project until 2 months out from the original start date, but I looked at it as a good thing b/​c that must mean they are in high demand. I would definitely recommend their services.
Place rating: 5
Chicago, IL
My condo association hired Gary and his team from The Building Doctor to do some repairs on our decks and staircases as well as power wash and stain. Gary gave a complete and fair estimate and accomplished everything they said they would and more efficiently. Gary also kept us updated on the work and responded to our questions and emails quickly. His follow-​up and recommendations were excellent as well. I would recommend the team from The Building Doctor for any contracting projects… they are honest, trustworthy, professional and very reasonably priced. We will use them again for future projects.
Place rating: 5
Chicago, IL
The Building Doctor recently completed finishing the attic in my home and I could not be happier with the work. Gary and his guys were punctual, trustworthy, and always transparent when it came to progress reports. The price was fair and well worth the high quality of workmanship. I would definitely recommend the Building Doctor to others, and I plan to use them again for future projects.
Place rating: 5
Bowling Green, KY
I created a Unilocal account just to help people find an honest contractor, which is always a struggle.
I am part of a 7 unit self managed condo association and we’ve needed multiple projects done over the past couple of years. I originally found Gary by luck and have used him ever since.
He sealed our main building roof last year, then in the middle of winter the coach house had a leak, he and his guys were out quickly diagnosed the problem/​fixed and just this month we had Gary install a new roof deck.
Gary and his team (Francisco and Tony) are always on time, clean and professional.
Gary is not always the cheapest quote, but the piece of mind that the project will get done and done right is worth the few extra dollars.
Place rating: 4
Chicago, IL
My home needed a new front door. It was a custom, hard to fit round top door. It was challenging to not only find the door itself, but a company to install it. I called the Building Doctor after reading positive reviews on Unilocal.Gary and his team were thorough. They protected my home during the work and cleaned up thoroughly at the end of each day. I am pleased with the final result. The cost was on the higher side, which Gary readily acknowledged up front. The quality was worth the extra expense for this project and I would consider using the company again.
Place rating: 5
Chicago, IL
I have worked with the Building Doctor on at least 5 projects over the last 5 years and am always thrilled with the result. They have done everything from small repairs, i.e. refinishing a deck to rehabbing bathrooms, and installing iron balusters and wood hand rails. Francisco and Tony, who work with Gary are A+ professionals. They are always punctual and never leave the job without thoroughly cleaning up after themselves. They are very precise in their work and are very open to comments and suggestions (I have worked with many contractors who disregard all comments and also never show up when they are supposed to). Tony and Francisco are extremely trustworthy and easy to contact. Gary ensures no job is completed without the owner’s satisfaction. I have recommended them to many friends and will continue to do so, and I continue to use them for repairs and rehabs on my own home for years to come.
Place rating: 5
Chicago, IL
I have done several remodeling projects over the years and out of every company I have used the Building Doctor is the only one who shows up when they say they will and does what they promised they’d do. When I have been stuck going elsewhere I am always disappointed and told by friends,“well, they’re contractors, they never show up on time, get the job done in time, do what they said they would… etc” There is a general feeling out there that because contractors take on multiple jobs, we are at the mercy of their missed deadlines and no shows, because, well… they’re contractors and you know how THEY are. Unprofessionalism is a generally accepted behavior in this field and I’m not sure why.
The Building Doctor is the exception to this rule. Not only do they show up on time, they do excellent work, are polite, professional, honest, and clean up when they are done. Sometimes the place looks cleaner that when they got there! The owner, Gary Jacobsen, always gets back to me promptly with a fair, detailed and reasonable quote. They recently came to clean up an unfinished mess anther contractor left me with– on a days notice. I cannot recommend these guys enough. they have never let me down.
Place rating: 1
Chicago, IL
I was recommended to call the Building Doctors by another company because I needed additional work done in my home that they could not do. I called the Building Doctors and they asked me to send them an email with a description of the work I needed done and pictures of the room. I did that the next day. I then followed up with a phone call two days later to make sure they received the email then emailed them again two days after that– still with no response.
I think it is extremely unprofessional to not respond to a potential client.
I will be letting the company that recommended them to please stop, they are not worth the time.
Place rating: 5
Chicago, IL
These guys do fantastic work. They are the only people I’ve ever worked with who are on time and professional. They show up when they say they will and do a great job. Francisco and Tony are polite and incredibly self sufficient. I would hire them back in a second. I don’t think I’ll ever use anyone else.
Place rating: 5
Chicago, IL
I was really pleased with the service I received from this company. I was freaking out about some leaky windows in my new condo and called and left messages at a few contractors that had good reviews on Unilocal.Gary was the only one that got back to me in the same day and he came out a few days later to survey the damage at no cost. He did a thorough investigation and even got his binoculars out to survey the damage from around back. He also gave me some great pointers on random maintenance items that are probably common knowledge to others but were very helpful for me as a new home owner. We are still working things out with our HOA to see who is liable for the repair but if it is on us we will definitely be using this company. Gary is very honest and I haven’t felt pressured at all to commit to anything. If we have anything else go wrong, he will be our first call.
Place rating: 5
Chicago, IL
The Building Doctor recently refinished our wood floors. They also did some brick work for us in the past. The work was of extremely high quality and clean. We just finished a remodel a few months ago from a different company. That job left us extremely disillusioned due to the low quality of work and unclealiness.
The Building Doctor is a reliable company with great workmanship. They leave everything extremely clean and are affordable. We would definitely call them again.
Place rating: 5
The Building Doctor completed work on two balconies and a roof deck on our building, removing some deteriorating non-​structural wood on both balconies and refurbishing the deck wood on one of the balconies and on a roof deck. Gary came out before the work to research the project and provide an estimate. He took careful notes and listened well to what we needed. Gary is comfortable with communicating over email, and responded to all of our followup questions very promptly and completely. The workers he hired to do the job were extremely polite and conscientious, taking care to protect the work areas from damage and cleaning up thoroughly after the job. The balcony and roof deck wood, which is now 9 years old and has only been treated once, looks practically brand new. We’ll surely go to The Building Doctor first when we do our next maintenance (and we won’t wait so long this time!).
Place rating: 5
Evanston, IL
The Building Doctor recently finished a small job at my home, consisting of replacing a basement window and some masonry work. Especially given the small scope of the job compared to some of the total renovations they do, I was treated with courtesy and received personal attention. Gary provided several different options to help control costs and get the best solution for my needs, which again is impressive given the small job. He ended up building me a custom window, which works perfectly for the space, even though I was making an unconventional request. The gentlemen doing the install were courteous and clean and took extra time to make sure everything was done right, coming back the next day to put on finishing touches that probably could have been rushed through on the first day. they even cleaned out the exterior window well! Finally, they worked around my odd travel schedule with no issues. I am very satisfied, and I will be using them if/​when I take on a more significant project.
Place rating: 5
Chicago, IL
The terrible review posted elsewhere here is complete hooey. We’ve been using the Building Doctor since we moved into our house 17 years ago and wholeheartedly recommend them. They’re reliable, honest (can’t emphasize this enough), promptly respond to urgent cases and are happy to re-​do something if it wasn’t done to complete satisfaction. We’ve had them do everything from roofing to windows to bathroom leaks to siding; we’re never afraid of approaching them with a job that may be too small. In this terrible economy, they’re also agreeable to working out arrangements that have let us pay for the bigger jobs in installments. We just recommended them to a friend and will continue to endorse their work and professionalism.
Place rating: 5
Schererville, IN
I am so pleased with my new windows! The process went smoothly and professionally from start to finish. I will definitely use them for my next project!