KRAMER'S MASONRY

S ummary comments - Use if you are desperate for fast service OR willing to manage on behalf of the owner....1) 25% cost over-run, 2)  poorly equipped crew 3) but overall did very good work.

Pros:
1) Steve the owner was very responsive, polite, and knowledgeable---we needed the job started ASAP, and he had a
crew of two within two days. 
2) very polite and skilled labor

Cons:
1) Poorly equipped-----they were using small grinders when you could rent larger ones for only $30/day @ home depot.  Tools broke on the job, blades went dull, and the 2-man crew was far less productive as a result.  They also lacked 6-foot long' levels on day 1 of the job, which is disappointing given the whole purpose of the job was to level the floor.
2) Poorly managed---the crew lacked supervision; owners had to ask us what the crew needed.
3) Inadequate safety - no masks or gloves for work that generated tons of dust, therefore I provided dusk masks.
4) Poor estimate - I specifically told Steve that he would need our EXPLICIT approval for any scope changes or cost overruns.  Steve later advised us that it we had ALREADY exceeded his estimate---and incurred a $400 overcharge and the rest of the work would be at least another $400, so I decided to STOP all the work.

They were able to send someone out right away. They came and talked everything over and didn't push us to buy anything but what we wanted. We have gotten the most beautiful backyard we could afford so we continue to use them. They did a sitting wall and the paving stones. We went there to pick out some boulders gorgeous ones. They were very helpful and they had the job done in two weeks and it was a huge yard. They even went over to our neighbors to let them know they would be using jackhammers. They did great preparation work which was great. Those are the little things that really impressed us. Then we had a path made out in the front yard. and I picked out more rocks . It was a very good experience. They basically designed everything with me. This was stuff we could do that did not require us to get a permit because we already knew we couldn't get one for our front porch.  We had a small problem with some flowers started mixing with the pebbles and we called them and they said it was ok we should have predicted it to so they came back out and redid it all for us and didn't charge us.

I selected Kramer Brothers because of excellent references on Angie's list and because they are a family firm located near my home. I phoned on a Saturday morning and Terry Kramer came that same morning to look at the job, give suggestions and set a timetable for the work. Amazing that he came so quickly! We ended up having more work done than originally planned - Terry had excellent suggestions for things that we had thought about but were not sure if we really wanted to do them. He pointed out some jobs that could be done. He was not at all pushy, but the ideas were good.

The work was done very quickly and efficiently. Terry came every morning to check how the work was going and to check my wife and I were OK with the progress. This is the first time we have had a contractor who comes every day and who tells us when he is coming so that we can be there to speak with him! Wonderful. Steve Kramer (Terry's brother) also came several times with ideas and suggestions for how to improve the job. They finished two days ahead of schedule!! Amazing.

The only reason I have not marked everything as Excellent is that there was one glitch: the sealing they used between the pool and the flagstones turned out to be a mess. After three days it had still not dried and was a sticky goo. We kept stepping into it. Yuck. As soon as we called Kramer brothers about it, though, they came immediately to check what had happened, took out the goo and replaced it with a product that worked. Otherwise, we are more than satisfied. Kramer Brothers did a great job. We will definitely work with them again.

From start to finish, it was a pleasure working with Steve Kramer, his brother Terry, and the five member crew. I had previously worked with Steve around 8 years ago, when he was the primary subcontractor for our landscaper.   I was so impressed with his design talent, professionalism, delivery, and quality of his work, that I thought of him when I needed some work done on one of my rental units.

Steve was sensitive to the fact that this was a rental unit in a low-income neighborhood.  He made lots of good suggestions, and worked with my budget.

I met with Steve and Terry at the job site on Friday morning.  Steve had lots of good ideas, but budget was a factor for me. He was willing to help me think through the priorities and narrow down the project. We agreed on the scope of the project and the price ($1200) to grade the entire yard and side yards (it's a corner house). I then asked him to lay two lines of irrigation pipe with a stub on the end, so in the future I could add some irrigation.  We agreed on $300.  Terry and his crew began work on Friday afternoon, they returned on Monday to finish the job -- it looked great. 

Of course when you do one thing, then something else looks bad.  In this case, there were two overgrown pine trees that dwarfed the lovely craftsman style home.  Terry offered to trim them for $900.  I had gotten a bid the day before for $1900.  How could I refuse?  I dug deep into my pockets and came up with the money to complete the yard and make it look nice.  They were back on the job on Tuesday and finished that day -- the trees look great!  Plus, they took care of another tree that wasn't so much overgrown, but  UGLY!  They trimmed and balanced it out as well.  Looks much better and it's not hanging over the sidewalk now.

I will definitely use Kramer's Masonry again.  These are the type of contractors Angie's list members love.  Steve has a great crew, the proper equipment, and a location you can visit to see his materials and samples of his work.  I highly recommend this company for a variety of landscaping work. I can't believe only one other Angie's list members have used him before, and that was only recently. 

Angie's list has been my lifesaver as a recent landlord now owning four units.  I only use Angie's list referrals now because I've been burned when I don't.  Let's keep up the good work of supporting quality contractors and weeding out the ones that don't deliver what they promised.