(810) 956-5766 jimdikos1127@gmail.com

Our Work

Real jobs, in the order they actually happened

Drag to Compare

The same wall, the same angle, before and after

Every photo below came off one of Jim's job sites — no stock photography, no staging. Drag the orange handle across a photo to wipe between the two states. Keyboard works as well: tab to the handle and use the arrow keys.

Case 01

Up North Cabin — Exterior Rebuild

The back of this cabin faces the water, so it is the elevation everybody sees. Tired cream siding and a dark-stained deck came off. Board-and-batten went up the gable, lap siding ran the wall below it, and every window picked up a clean white wrap.

  • ScopeFull exterior rebuild
  • SidingBoard-and-batten gable over lap siding
  • TrimNew white window wraps, fascia and soffit
  • ThenA new composite deck — in the gallery below
After: the back of the cabin finished in deep blue lap siding with board-and-batten in the gable and white window trim
Before: the same gable in original cream siding with a dark-stained deck and railing
Before After
Both frames look at the same gable on the water side; the finished shot was taken a few steps closer, from the new deck. Drag · or focus the handle and press ← →
Case 02

Porch & Deck Repaint

Michigan sun had taken these front steps down to bare, checked gray wood — one tread had split end to end and the rail caps were cupping. Everything was scraped, re-secured and finished in a solid gray deck coat.

The old wood spindles came out for black metal balusters, and the posts picked up new caps on the way through.

  • ScopeRepaint and refinish
  • SurfacesFront steps, covered porch deck, rails
  • RailingBlack metal balusters, new post caps
After: the front steps painted a solid gray with new post caps and black metal balusters
Before: the same front steps in weathered bare wood with a split tread and worn wood spindles
Before After
Front steps — same doorway, same paver patio, same time of day. Drag · or focus the handle and press ← →
The covered porch walkway before refinishing, decking faded to gray
Before — the covered run
The covered porch walkway after refinishing, decking and rails in solid gray with black balusters
After — the covered run

The covered run got the same treatment. These two were shot from opposite ends of the porch, so they sit side by side rather than under a wipe.

Anatomy of a Job

What a staircase remodel actually looks like

Seven photographs, one job, in order — including the couple of days where there is no staircase at all. Most of a remodel is the part nobody photographs. Here it is anyway. Tap any photo to open it full size.

  1. The original staircase, carpeted, with a turned-spindle oak handrail
    Step 01 · Before

    The stair we started with

    Worn builder carpet down the middle of every tread and a turned-spindle oak rail that had been there since the house went up. Structurally fine. Tired to look at.

  2. The staircase removed entirely, leaving an open stairwell down to the lower level with a ladder through it
    Step 02 · Demolition

    Everything out

    Carpet, treads, risers and stringers — gone. For a day or two the entry is an open hole in the floor with a ladder through it. This is the stage that makes homeowners nervous, so it is the stage we move through fastest and keep swept.

  3. The rebuilt staircase in bare pine treads and risers, with the new oak railing and newel post installed
    Step 03 · Rebuild

    New stringers, new treads

    Fresh stringers, then solid treads and risers cut to the existing rise so the run still lands exactly where the family expects it to. The new rope-twist balusters and newel post go up at the same time.

  4. Close view of the bare pine treads masked off with painter's tape while the oak railing is stained
    Step 04 · Finishing

    Masked off, rail stained

    Blue tape everywhere the finish is not supposed to land. The oak rail, balusters and newel get stained and left to cure while the treads wait bare.

  5. The finished staircase with new carpet over the treads and the stained oak railing
    Step 05 · Carpet

    Carpet down

    New carpet over the treads, wrapped and tucked at every nosing so the edge stays crisp instead of rounding off after a winter of boots.

  6. Detail of the finished newel post and turned oak balusters
    Step 06 · Detail

    The part you actually touch

    Newel post and turned oak balusters, stained to match the rail. This is the piece the family puts a hand on twenty times a day, so it is the piece worth spending the extra afternoon on.

  7. The finished staircase shot head-on from the entry, matching the angle of the first photo
    Step 07 · Done

    Same doorway, same wall sign

    Shot head-on from the entry, from roughly where photo one was taken. Everything around the stair is untouched — which is the point.

Step 01 → Step 07

The whole job in one frame

The first photo and the last photo, taken from nearly the same spot. Drag the handle across to run the job forwards and backwards.

After: the rebuilt staircase with new carpet and a stained oak railing
Before: the original carpeted staircase with its dated oak handrail
Before After
Interior staircase and handrail remodel. Drag · or focus the handle and press ← →
The Full Portfolio

Nine projects, start to finish

Decks, porches, siding, patios and interiors. Filter by the kind of work you are planning, or open any photo to page through the whole set for that job.

Showing 9 projects.

Custom pool tiki house built by Proven Construction 7 photos
Outdoor Structure

Pool Tiki House

A custom-built tiki house beside the pool — designed and constructed from the footings up to the thatch.

  • Pool tiki house view 1
  • Pool tiki house view 2
  • Pool tiki house view 3
  • Pool tiki house view 4
  • Pool tiki house view 5
  • Pool tiki house view 6
  • Pool tiki house view 7
Lakefront up-north cabin with a finished blue exterior and a new composite deck overlooking the water 10 photos
Exterior Rebuild

Up North Cabin Exterior Rebuild

A tired lakefront cabin taken back to a showpiece, finished with a new composite deck. Compared side by side at the top of this page.

  • Cabin exterior before renovation
  • Cabin back exterior before renovation
  • Cabin during demolition with framing in progress
  • Cabin back exterior midway through renovation
  • Cabin back exterior after renovation
  • New composite deck on the lakefront cabin with the water behind it
  • Finished cabin deck with patio furniture and fresh sod
  • Close-up of the new composite decking and step up to the sliding door
  • Mitered picture-frame corner detail of the composite deck
  • Cabin interior before renovation
Custom-built wood deck with railings 5 photos
Decks & Porches

Custom Deck Builds

Three deck projects across different sizes, materials and configurations — each built around how the homeowner actually uses the yard.

  • Custom deck build 1
  • Custom deck build 2
  • Custom deck build 3
  • Custom deck build 4
  • Custom deck build 5
Cedar porch addition on a residential home 4 photos
Decks & Porches

Cedar Porch Addition

A custom cedar porch drawn to sit with the existing roofline instead of bolted onto the front of it.

  • Cedar porch view 1
  • Cedar porch view 2
  • Cedar porch view 3
  • Cedar porch view 4
New backyard patio construction 4 photos
Patio Construction

Patio Construction

Outdoor living space built to extend the footprint of the house and turn a plain back yard into somewhere people stay.

  • Patio construction view 1
  • Patio construction view 2
  • Patio construction view 3
  • Patio construction view 4
Freshly installed exterior siding on a residential home 2 photos
Siding & Exterior

Finished Siding

Fresh exterior cladding for lasting weather protection and curb appeal.

  • Finished siding view 1
  • Finished siding view 2
Front porch steps after repainting in a fresh gray finish with black balusters 4 photos
Painting & Refinishing

Porch & Deck Repaint

A weathered, sun-faded porch and set of steps brought back with a solid, durable gray finish. Compared side by side at the top of this page.

  • Front porch steps before repainting, showing weathered gray wood and a cracked tread
  • Front porch steps after repainting in fresh gray with black balusters
  • Long covered porch walkway before refinishing, with faded and worn wood decking
  • Long covered porch walkway after refinishing with a clean gray painted deck
Completed interior staircase remodel with new carpet and refinished oak handrail 7 photos
Interior

Interior Staircase & Handrail Remodel

A dated, carpeted staircase rebuilt from the stringers up and finished with a hand-stained oak railing. The full seven-step sequence is above.

  • Original carpeted staircase before remodeling
  • Staircase demolished to the framing during remodel
  • New solid-wood staircase treads and risers under construction
  • Newly built wood stairs prepped and handrail being stained
  • Finished staircase with new carpet and stained oak railing
  • Detail of finished staircase with turned balusters and newel post
  • Finished staircase viewed head-on, with new carpet and refinished oak railing
Custom white mudroom locker built-in with double coat hooks, bench seat, shoe cubbies, and an upper storage shelf
Interior · Built to Order

Custom Mudroom Lockers

A locker system with a full-width bench, shoe cubbies underneath, double coat hooks at two heights and an upper shelf for bins. Built to order — sized and configured for your entryway, mudroom or garage wall, not pulled off a shelf.

Like what you see? Let's build yours.

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