The Basement Men & The Concrete Man

I wish we had read his reviews here first. We never would have hired him. More of the same. I ended up coordinating with the subcontractors, and the window and door supplier myself. We only heard from Steve when he wanted another check. Whenever I questioned anything he would belligerently tell me how ungrateful I was. When the wrong window size was delivered, I had to sort it out with the supplier. In an effort to sound like he was in charge, Steve would tell me false updates on the order status. Then become combative when I would tell him what I was told from the supplier. I was essentially bringing Steve up to date on the status of a project he was allegedly G.C-ing. Our project was completed only because I stepped in.

Same story as every other one star review, Steve said he and his 16 guys along with lots of company equipment would be performing the work and then subcontracted out the concrete work to a landscaping company. We found that he forged my signature on the proposal of the landscaping company and ended up canceling the job. Steve kept the 15% cancellation fee. Terrible business practices. Find someone else!

The guy who actually did the work(Alexander) was great but the owner of this company(Steve) who hired him made me very uncomfortable. He was very unprofessional. He insisted on payment before the job was completed and tried to pressure me into paying it before complete. He tried to make me feel bad about making him come later than immediately (I was at doctor apt) I had no option to come sooner. When he showed up he asked for more money that wasn’t on the contract and again tried to pressure me into paying it. He said “didn’t I do a such a good job on this mantle?” No HE didn’t do the job he just showed up to make a contract and then take money, what a strange thing to say. I was so relieved when he finally left I was so uncomfortable and nervous about what he might do or say next.

i could not be happier with the work completed by The Basement Men after we suffered a Sewer Back Up. I was not happy with the proposal from the original remediation company, and several contractors quoted the project but did not understand what we were looking to accomplish. Steve took the time to ask questions and clarify everything we wanted done, and the results were outstanding. We are now working with Steve on a Concrete project for our back patio. Great job!!

I am very glad to give a reference for The Creative Approach Builders and Remodelers, Inc., Steve Lauer, owner; on our recent basement construction. We purchase our new home and wanted to finish the basement. The square footage was approximately 2100 feet of unfinished area. After the drawings were submitted we agreed on 1300 sq. ft. of living area. The rest would be storage. From the start to finish, everything was done very professionally. Through putting up the framework to the laying of the floor, the workers were efficient and knowledgeable. The best experience o the construction was our personal input in every aspect. We decided on changing parts of the construction supplements other than what Steve offered. This was accepted by Steve with no hassle. Working with Steve and his workers was an easy and professional endeavor. We will be hiring Steve to do other construction work on our home in the future.

It started out as a great project. We discussed several options and settled on replacing all the brick. A few came out and did a good job EXCEPT I was the GC. Steve only showed up when he wanted a check. We payed Steve to also do the electrical. Let me write that again - we PAID Steve to also do the electrical and it was never done. He told us the electrician broke his wrist, I checked in with Steve weekly and most of the time he didn’t reply. We had to HIRE ANOTHER COMPANY to complete the electrical works. Lastly, Steve recommended his crew to help with our landscape. I PAID his crew to remove bushes and shrubs and told them my deadline - guess what??? Screwed over again! I had to pay ANOTHER LANDSCAPER to remove the bushes. We have contacted him so very often asking him for the refund on work we paid him to do that he never completed. NO RESPONSE. Completely unprofessional. To boot - it’s a shotty job - seal coat not done well areas missing AND they sealed over tire marks - as in never cleaned the brick before sealing, still have lose bricks, sloping of bricks towards the house

Steve poured concrete for a porch at our home. They did a terrible job, the stairs and patio were completely uneven and visible to the naked eye. They were sloppy and left concrete splatters all over our beautiful brick driveway. when we complained and asked him to fix it or refund our money he kept showing up at our home threatening to sue us and screaming at us. Do not hire this person

would stay away from using the Basement Men. The owner, Steve only shows up during a project when he wants another check. In addition, when I had a problem with his multiple change orders he argued with me and we ended up in a yelling match. Strike 3 which caused me to write this review is because a couple items went missing from my house during the project. I'm 100% sure one of his guys took it. While its possible it was accidentally mistaken for the workers tools, Steve acted like he could care less that my items were missing. Probably because the job was already paid in full.

Getting a quote was great and after signing up found out the job was sub-contracted to another concrete company. I had to re-explain the project again. When they finally showed up I had to explain the project to the crew… again. The sub contract team was fine but they I had to manage them. Steve never showed up to look at the job or the work, not sure what I was paying for. Then after paying him I found the fence post there were suppose to install wasn’t done correct and only half of the post was in concrete. I had to dig 30” down and redo the work myself. When I called to complain (I was angry at their point) Steve proceeded to say something was wrong with me! Never again and I’m not sure how this company has a service award.

Work was done in a timely fashion and completely to my liking. Price was very reasonable and the workmen were extremely polite and thoughtful while on the job -- moving trucks whenever neighbors needs to get by, and could not have been more polite about it. The old driveway was removed quickly and the new cement was poured with care and now looks beautiful and smooth. Great job!

Very professional crew. Great job. Would hire again.

Steve worked with us to get a new bathroom put into our basement. As all construction has its challenges, it took a lot longer than planned, however, the work was finally complete. The work performed was top notch. Steve is a good guy, he can come across pushy, but nonetheless a unique person to work with. This is the 3rd job Steve has done for us and we have one more planned in the spring.

Many concrete businesses I reached out to were not interested in even quoting the job because I guess it was too small. I got a call from Steve at The Concrete Man right away. He came out the next day for a quote. His pricing was very reasonable and he was able to have a crew do the job the very next day. The crew was incredibly friendly, they showed up on time, and did a great job. Steve checked in on the project several times. I would recommend them to anyone doing any size concrete job.

Everyone was super professional, quick and timely!

The finish on the concrete is very rough, a brushed surface with dips that hold small puddles, not a smooth one like we had previously. The agreed transition from the driveway to the walk was not done satisfactorily. The cleanup was minimal, lots of stone and excess concrete on the lawn, it’s been two weeks now and I’m still finding concrete and stone in the lawn. Lots of concrete dust and stone on the street in front of the house where they mixed the concrete. We paid for quality and got substantially less. Definitely NOT recommended. A salesman with a glib tongue and no follow through.

Steve was very responsive and did a great job. Highly Recommend.

They did a GREAT job in a short time-frame!

Steve and his concrete guy came out and did a good job looking at our basement floor replacement and their explanation was good. However, when I asked about village permits, they told me that they recommended not applying for one because "that opens a can of worms." Not only does that make me liable for any penalties (my town takes permits very seriously) but it also doesn't confirm the safety of the reconstruction plan. They said it was okay if I wanted to get a permit, but avoiding getting one should not be the first response to that question. Lastly, they never got back to me after saying they would.

My wife and I could not be happier with the work and the professionalism of The Concrete Man and his people. We highly recommend them. First, I want to note that my wife and I have done a lot of work on our house over the years, including a complete three-story addition that doubled the living space of our house. We consider ourselves very experienced when it comes to hiring professionals and gauging the quality of their work. This job was straightforward. We needed a 10 foot, octagonal concrete pad placed as a foundation for a gazebo we intended to install. The concrete pad was to be located in the back corner of our property and due to a fence and a detached garage, there was no way to bring equipment back to the exact jobsite. We first met Steve who quoted the job. In spite of the COVID restrictions, he maintained the kind of friendly professionalism that you want to see in a contractor. The quote was ready for us directly, but because of unrelated work on our part, we delayed our acceptance. In fact, we lost the quote and I had to return to Angies List to try to find the contractor again. In spite of the delay, Steve remembered who we were and our project and, in fact, lined our project up with another project in the area for simplicity and efficiency. We needed the pad by a certain date, and he beat that date by a week. The team who arrived to do the work was simply outstanding. They were very attentive to our specific requirements. They were very patient in explaining our options. Finally, once they finished, they performed the single best jobsite cleanup that I have ever witnessed. My backyard was cleaner than it was before they got there. I highly recommend this company. I will hire them again.

The initial consultation was fine. The sub-contractor, Mike Catalano (sp?) that Steve used was outstanding. Steve's professionalism regarding this job was abysmal. Steve showed up before the job was finished asking for final payment. When I told him that I would give him final payment after the job was finished, we had a very unpleasant exchange. That left a very bad impression and I would not conduct business with Steve again.

very excellent - smooth sailing, all work was performed to perfection and started and completed as promised.

Steve was really easy to work with and got the job done very quickly. Communication was very well.

Communication and scheduling from start to finish was excellent, and having previously worked with a number of contractors that neglected both, this was very much appreciated. The work area was cleaned up well over the two days and the patio - a large rectangular concrete slab w/ expansion joints - looks outstanding. The front stoop plus a step were enlarged from 3x5 to 4.5x5 so we could open the storm door without having to step back and down. This also looks great. The old walkway had a large 2+” crack and had also sunk over and inch. The finish and curved sides of the walk were done well. The only negative in the entire job is the expansion cut in the walkway is a little crooked. That said, I do not think it detracts from the many positives and once the backfill and landscaping are redone I’ll be less likely to notice it. The cost was very fair and the lead time of roughly two weeks was really quick. In the end I would hire The Concrete Guy again. Thank you for a job well done.

As a lot of reviews here we got a bad experience with Steve. I truly doubt the good reviews since before the final discussions he wanted to offer us a $200 DISCOUNT FOR A GOOD REVIEW. Just be aware and read carefully all the F reviews there to learn ahead who are you dealing with. After getting big money from us in a period when this business is very slow, he has decided not to finish the job unless we consider a part of it a different job and we pay extra. This was the installation of handrails and spindles that he was looking again to rip us off with. He started before Christmas and after they got the $$$ thousands in down payment and dogged in the basement, Steve decided not to continue the job without extra $300. He threatened me with living the job, if otherwise. In the end he tried to intimidate me with his lawyer. I feel cheated and deceived by this individual and I warn everyone to watch out. I am very disappointed with the outcomes, especially because we were so fair in dealing and paying him. We had made 9 payments for him instead of 3 major ones, because he had asked us for money to pay his workers or materials. Each time he asked us for a payment, we were right on time and pleased him. We even paid him half of the final payment without completing the job. Moreover, we have paid for the delivery of floor, cabinets, vanity and doors to make it easier and faster for his workers. We have made 2 extra trips to Lowes for floor since some miscalculation occurred. Steve refused to do anything we asked him, blaming us for everything. His subcontractor left us on a Friday without power in the living room, and Steve considered this our existent issue and he thinks that we should have paid for his subcontractor's services. We wanted a full replacement of both WASHER and DRYER machines. His subcontractor has scratched and damaged our appliances. Patching them up is not good enough for us. They were brand new and we have all the paperwork from ABT and pictures to prove it. *We wanted 4 of the 6 panel doors installed to be replaced with flat panel doors because they have been cut and we are not pleased with the look. Basically, this individual will not take the responsibility at the job and all he will try to do is to rip you off. I have learned about poor business ethics, no moral integrity or professionalism with this individual. I am not sure what YOU are looking for?!?

We needed to replace our back stairs. Project came in on time and on budget. No.problem with social distancing.