About Jack Williams
Owner Jack Williams has been in the residential construction industry since 1984. Working as a carpenter in the high-end custom home market, Jack is experienced in every aspect of the construction process and applies that broad expertise to your project. Since starting JW Williams construction in 1998, Jack has brought his clients peace of mind that their project will be clean and on schedule. Open, two-way communication ensures his clients are as comfortable as possible during the sometimes stressful remodeling process.
In his free time, Jack volunteers with Youth Investment at Timber Bay, a camp for youth near Lake Mille Lacs, Minnesota.
Michael Kadesky
Michael Kadesky was a JW Williams Construction client long before he became an employee 10 years ago. And it’s that “customer” experience that still makes him so valuable today.
“Michael understands how remodeling clients think and feel because he used to be one, so he helps to keep our customer service grounded,” Jack Williams said.
When Michael ended a long career in retail auto sales and dealer financing in 2007 all he saw was retirement ahead. But it didn’t take long for him to miss the people contact. An amateur chef, he first volunteered at the Kitchen Window cooking school in Uptown. After “some convincing,” he accepted a part-time staff position in their retail store.
“They never had anyone in the retail store with my sales experience who also was a customer and was working in the cooking school, so it was an advantage for them,” he said. Next, he contacted Jack and asked if he could use some job site help.
“Here I was a 51 year old guy who had worked in an office my whole career asking to do remodeling demo and clean up,” Michael recalled. Jack’s first reaction was, ‘What?’ But he was starting two big projects so he said, ‘Ah, sure.’”
Michael still remembers the first two tasks Jack assigned him: yank hundreds of nails from a plaster and lath ceiling they had demolished and install oriented strand board panels in a shallow crawl space under a house. “It was hard work and I got filthy. I think Jack was surprised I showed up the next day,” Michael recalled. That was 10 years ago.
Today Michael handles site prep (erecting dust containment barriers and surface protectors). He also is responsible for demolition tasks that require finesse, such as salvaging interior trim or exterior siding for reuse. Plus he keeps the jobsites clean and does the final “deep clean” when projects are completed.
“I’m nitpicky, so I usually am first in and last out on most of our jobs,” Michael explained. Michael doesn’t just vacuum the floor and wash the windows. He’ll use canned air to blow dust from cabinet molding crevices, razor dried varnish splatter from glass and excise the tiniest sliver of shipping plastic the delivery guys missed on the new stainless steel refrigerator. To watch him work, you’d think his career was in auto detailing rather than financing expensive rides. This guy is fussy.
Although he always has been a bit of a handyman around his own home, Michael says working for Jack has stretched his confidence. “This job has quelled some fears of heights,” he said. “A carpenter working for Jack needed some help up on scaffolding two and a half stories high, and he said, ‘We’ll just have Michael hop up here.” And I looked at Jack and said, ‘He doesn’t know that I don’t hop up anywhere that’s 12 feet off the ground, but I will crawl carefully,’” Michael said.
Michael appreciated that Jack was different from other remodeling contractors when he bid his kitchen remodeling in 2002. “He was the only one who would even consider repurposing some of the old cabinets,” he remembered. He also was impressed with how Jack and his team demonstrated respect for his property and pets. “We act like we are guests in your home, not bulls in a china shop,” he explained. He also liked Jack, “because we both were cat people.” Actually, Jack has a soft spot for most critters.
When he’s not helping Jack, Michael enjoys cooking on his Viking range and Memphis Grill. “The kitchen is my domain,” he said.
Our Designers
Christina Burns
Interior Designer Christina Burns is co-owner of Floors of Distinction in Maple Grove, MN. Helping JW Williams Construction clients choose the perfect flooring for their remodeling projects is just one of the services she provides. Christina and her associates also guide Jack’s customers on countertops, tile, lighting and plumbing fixtures. And they can advise them on window treatments, artwork and furnishings.
Design consults often begin in the beautiful Floors of Distinction showroom. However, Christina also likes to see samples in the client’s home to ensure that textures and colors will work with the architectural style and lighting. She may accompany them to other showrooms or simply bring samples to the house for their convenience.
Christina says remodeling clients can easily become overwhelmed with so many ideas from Houzz, TV shows, magazines and showrooms. Yet she also shares her personal insights into design trends and products from the coasts and Europe will catch on here in the next few years. There is no design fee for products purchased through Floors of Distinction. Jack’s clients may purchase additional design assistance at an hourly rate or flat fee.
“If you are planning to spent $50,000 or more on a remodeling project, adding $500 for an interior designer is the best investment you could make to reduce your stress level, keep the project on schedule and have it look great,” Jack said.