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R M Concrete Specialists Inc

About us

R M Concrete Specialists, Inc., in Chicago, IL, is the area's leading waterproofing and concrete restoration specialist serving the Chicagoland area since 1997. We specialize in waterproofing, drainage systems, protective coating, overlays, sealants, concrete restoration and repair, foundation crack repair and more. For all your waterproofing and concrete restorations needs, contact Ray at R M Concrete Specialists, Inc. in Chicago.

Business highlights

Emergency services offered
28 years of experience

Services we offer

Commercial and Residential, Concrete Restoration, Concrete Restoration and Repair, Crack Injections, Crack Repair, Drainage Systems, Emergency Services Available 24 Hours, Epoxy Injection, Foam Injection, Foundation Crack Repair, High Pressure Polyurethane, Mold Remediation, Overlays, Presentation, Protective Coding, Redone Ventilation and Remediation, Sealants, Seepage Repair, Waterproofing, Waterproofing Membranes

Amenities

Emergency Services

Yes

Accepted Payment Methods

  • CreditCard
Reviews
4.611 Reviews
Number of StarsImage of DistributionNumber of Ratings
5
91%
4
0%
3
0%
2
0%
1
9%
Showing 1-11 of 11 reviews
Tracy L.
Oct 2016
5.0
Yes, I recommend this pro
Ray was responsive and made sure that the work was done meticulously and effectively

Sam R.
Jan 2016
5.0
Yes, I recommend this pro
$960
Ray was terrific from start to finish. I'd been putting off repairs to leaking foundation cracks in my unfinished basement for about ten years because I didn't want to deal with the hassle, mess, and expense of having them fixed. The cracks had been patched with epoxy cement prior to my purchase of the house, but these "handyman" repairs failed after about a year. I finally got tired of running the wet vac after every rain and gave Ray a call. He came out to the house just a day or two after my call and gave my basement a quick but thorough inspection at no cost. He actually found a crack in a dark corner that I hadn't yet noticed (it was letting in water but was hidden from view). He took time to explain to me why the epoxy cement patches had failed, and the process he uses for this type of repair. I really appreciated his talking me through every step of the process, what I could expect from the repairs, and what the repairs would cost. His estimate was lower than other companies I'd researched online, and his work comes with a lifetime guarantee. I asked to schedule the work. He called me back a few days later with a proposed date and time for the repair, but as I had given him my work number and was on vacation I missed the call. He fit me in the very next day (12/31), a day he'd given off to his staff. He arrived on time, made all of the repairs, and again, took time to show me how the repairs were made and how the materials worked to fill in the voids which were the source of the leaks. He cleaned up all materials after the repairs; there was absolutely no mess left behind. I wholeheartedly recommend R M Waterproofing & Concrete Specialists Inc.!

KATHLEEN M.
Nov 2014
5.0
Yes, I recommend this pro
.

Deb K.
Aug 2014
5.0
Yes, I recommend this pro
$500
After the large rain we had in mid-July, I didn't notice any water in our finished basement. A week later, I did. I thought I spotted an area outside the foundation, so I did a $299 for 8 hours with a contractor to repair the crack and then replace drywall, baseboards, etc. The crack was covered, but when they opened the walls even more, the wall was still coming in and it was not a repair they could make.
I first called General Moisture Solutions. He quoted $3,000 to open up our basement floors and install a drainage system from the back of the foundation, where the leak was occurring to our sump pump. Luckily, I also called Ray. He was able to come over on a lunch break and told me he could fix it for $300. He explained how leaks should be fixed from the inside out and how a drainage system would only redirect the water, but not stop it from coming in. It made sense and the price was right.
Ray squeezed me into his very busy schedule. He found more than one crack and was diligent about making sure it was dry, even though he was running late for his next appointment. He had to open up more of the wall and do some additional work he wasn't planning on and said it would be an additional $200. I had no problem agreeing. Unfortunately, the following Monday, I noticed a small trickle of water. I called Ray and even though he was leaving on vacation in two days and was swamped, he came over that night and made the final repair for no additional charge. BTW, Ray knew how much the other company had quoted me and that I was seriously considering using them. Still, he kept his charge to $500.
Thank you so much, Ray. You're an honorable man - talented and knowledgeable. I highly recommend his services.

Vanessa V.
Dec 2011
5.0
Yes, I recommend this pro
$1,000
His name was Ray Markowski and he did a really good job. He was vice president of the company. It was clean and I have not had any leaks or any problems with my foundation. I believe it is a small company with one or two other workers but he was the one that did my basement. He seemed very knowledgeable. He suggested a choice and I was glad I went with it. I haven't had any problems and it has been over a year and we've had several storms. The repairs are guaranteed for the lifetime. The price also removed removal of some old patching material. They are a little less informal than a big company so they didn't have clipboards and uniforms. It is a small business and the work was good. I got two other estimates and they had the best price for the work. I would most definitely use them again.

Rodger C.
Sep 2011
5.0
Yes, I recommend this pro
$7,500
Ray was prompt with coming out for the estimate. We talked it through and his solution covered both leaks in our foundation as well as the sewer backup we were suffering from. His price was the same as other vendors who would have installed a backflow valve in our sewer line in our front yard requiring major changes to our landscaping. I had to follow up a bit to confirm construction dates.

They arrived on time and were pretty good with moving our stuff stored in the basement and covering it all with plastic. They took three days to complete the work with one delay of a couple of days. Only complaint was cement being mixed over the grass in the yard rather than over cement floor. Clean up was good considering the mess that was made to dig out the trench.

Proof of the work was we survived the record rain fall in late July with no flooding or wet spots in the basement!!! While our poor neighbors got up to foot of water in their basements.

Wendy L.
Jul 2011
5.0
Yes, I recommend this pro
$950
We knew of a couple spots where we had seepage but, like one of the other reviewers mentioned, he and quot;floodedand quot; the outside foundation to make sure (at my request) there weren't any other leaks. The downside of course is that we got a little more water in the basement but we wanted to make sure there weren't any other leaks. He found one more leak. Ray and his co-worker did an excellent job repairing the leak and removing the paneling in our semi-finished basement and replacing it so that you can hardly notice it was ever removed. He showed me every step of the way what he was doing to make sure I understood and was ok with it. For example one spot he had to cut a bit of the paneling but I understood that and he left minimal damage.

My one minor complaint was that he kept saying he had much more work than he expected that day and was in a big rush, so I felt very rushed to respond and was worried they might rush the job. But, they seemed to do a good job and we have had torrential rain since then and no leaks! Oh, and very reasonably priced, too. I would hire RM Concrete Specialist again.

Rose J.
Jun 2011
1.0
$300
He fixed a leak in my foundation after a big storm. I thought everything was good, but after a couple weeks, we had another rain, and my basement was leaking again. I called him, and he said his basement was flooded too and couldn't get to me. I asked when he could come out and he said he didn't know. I gave it about a couple of weeks and then sent him an email. I never heard back from that email. I also made a couple of calls and he didn't return those either. This has been dragging on since June. I finally got ahold of him yesterday and I explained what was going on, he said he would come today. He came out here today with some other guy. He checked the basement and told me that all the windows in the basement needed drains in them. He said his repairs weren't the issue, that there were other leaks. I explained that he should have fixed the leaks the first time, because that's what I hired him for. Or he should have a least told me about the other issues. The windows aren't leaking. I feel that he is just trying to take advantage of me. If any window is leaking, it can only be the window by the crack, the basement is only leaking in one place.
Response from R M Concrete Specialists Inc
"The customer's son noticed water leaking from crack so customer hired us to repair the crack. We repaired the crack & there is no longer water coming through where the repair was done. We came back & ran a water test. We discovered that the drains were clogged & the window wells filled to overflowing & water entered through window. The $300 is the cost for the crack repair & will not be refunded. Ray Markowski-VP"

Judy D.
Sep 2010
5.0
Yes, I recommend this pro
$1,900
Wet basement after particularly heavy flooding in area, never had water before, didn't want to close up finished walls without being sure problem was solved. Ray found the problem areas and corrected them giving me a lifetime guarantee. He explains the process and the materials used and I feel confident about his work and advice.

Karlos A.
Sep 2010
5.0
Yes, I recommend this pro
$850
We had some water in the basement. The culprit was an old basement window that was covered by a deck (and behind drywall in the basement), and a crack that went down the foundation starting by the window. The crack had been filled by previous owners, but it was leaking again. RM was one of five different companies who came to give us an estimate on the repairs. His estimate was considerably cheaper that others. We'd normally not have gone for the cheapest estimate, but Ray, the RM guy, was very convincing: he explained us in detail why what he proposed was the best solution for us, and he convinced us. Overall, the experience was very good. The final work was: (1) covering the window with concrete, and (2) filling the crack with a special material. Both went pretty fast; about 4 hours total. Most of the time was spent filling the window, about 3 hours. They had to remove some of the drywall to access the window and the crack, which we repaired ourselves. We've had a pretty big storm since them, and as far as we can tell, the fix has worked really well. We waited till after the storm to replace the drywall, and both window and crack areas were dry as bone. I'll definitely call them again if I have problems elsewhere. My only criticism has to do with punctuality and responsiveness. They came a little late on the day they had to do the work, and I had to call them a few times to talk to them about the work to be done. Both were understandable; they probably had lots of work due to the weather at the time.

Maria A.
Dec 2009
5.0
Yes, I recommend this pro
$3,000
Ray has come out to our home for various projects over the past several months because he did such an amazing job and really won our confidence in him on the first job. Our home had "seepage" issues in the basement and the previous owner wouldn't disclose more than that. I did my research and had about 12 commpanies come out to the house to give me a quote. Each of them seemed to have a cookie-cutter approach to the problem (drains, trenches, sump pumps, etc) and quoted me estimates of around $10,000 to $14,000 - and that didn't include the work I needed to do (remove all wood paneling in the basement, remove all the appliances ,etc). And even more worrisome, they said I needed to do all of these to fix the basement, despite them not being able to tell me why there were seepage issues in the first place! Ray took the most logical and simple approach! He said "lets flood the basement"! Well, not really, but what he did was to test the basement to pin-point exactly why and where it floods. He then removed and replaced the wood paneling himself, fixed the problems and explained it all to me step-by-step. The basement hasn't leaked since! And I saved at least $10,000! Ray is professional, fast, friendly and more importantly to me, he's honest and trustworthy! My husband and I totally recommend him.

Licensing

State Contractor License Requirements

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FAQ

R M Concrete Specialists Inc is currently rated 4.6 overall out of 5.

R M Concrete Specialists Inc accepts the following forms of payment: CreditCard

No, R M Concrete Specialists Inc does not offer free project estimates.

No, R M Concrete Specialists Inc does not offer eco-friendly accreditations.

No, R M Concrete Specialists Inc does not offer a senior discount.

Yes, R M Concrete Specialists Inc offers emergency services.

No, R M Concrete Specialists Inc does not offer warranties.