The Basement Men & The Concrete Man

I found working with Steve went professionally and smoothly. He was always in contact and responsive. My goal was to completely refresh my kitchen and bathrooms by updating rather than completely remodeling....with Steve's insight and advice, I was able to accomplish that. I'd say he went beyond the call of duty in his support and counsel in making sure the project went according to plan. I only have the highest accolades for the person Steve assigned to my projects. He is an excellent craftsman and takes great pride in his workmanship.

Initial contact with The Concrete Man (Seve Laurer) seemed to go well. Although he did use high pressure sell tactics, such as 'sign-up for special price available today only', which is usually not a good sign of things to come and it became evident as time passed. He had promised to follow up on all the details of a 'change of contractor permit', which he never did . He neglected to inform us that the work was being subcontracted to another company (makes one wonder if his company actually does any work) and for almost 2 weeks he was uncommunicative to phone calls and emails. He was only prompt when picking up his final payment. So overall, a process that should have taken no longer than 3 days at the most, was drawn out to a period of two and a half weeks, with much frustration and wondering if the job would ever actually be completed. I don't understand why this company has an A rating on Angie's list. Gardenas Landscaping, the company that actually did the work, deserves all the credit for getting the job done, and they deserve a separate review.

The Concrete Man did an excellent job putting in our new concrete driveway. They did everything according to schedule and it was a fair price. It looked great when finished and I would highly recommend them to a friend. They deserve a 5 star rating.

Steve and his staff are wonderful. They are reliable, professional and got the job done on time and at a good price. The key for me is responsiveness. We have significant experience with contractors. Questions and challenge are common in construction. Steve will get back to you and work with you to solve the issues. I am not tolerant of someone not getting back to me. Steve would return calls. text or emails quickly. I wholeheartedly and without reservations recommend Steve and his team.

great, very punctual and clean. would use them again.

Requested for an estimate. Steve promptly called to set up an appointment. We did set up a date & time. But after that when I called on the day before our appointment Steve had to reschedule the appointment to a different day. I obliged and set up another appointment. Again, a Day earlier the second appointment, I received a call from someone from his office(Maybe wife) stating that he won't be able to make it and he will call and set up another day. I never received a call. Looks like they are not interested in making it to the appointment.

I would not do business with this company again. Small things that affect my decision: Project manager only visit site to collect payment. Lying to me that the brand and color of paint that I requested to match current house color was discontinued by paint company, so we to use an off color paint instead. Nevertheless, I recently bought a gallon of paint that I had requested them to use. I used the same info that I supplied to the company. (Where to buy - Store address, paint formula and brand of paint) Workers pouring paint in flower bed - front of home. Workers using water hose and not turning it off (4 hours) Workers painting used vents on lawn, leaving paint stains on lawn - front of home. Installing used material (vent) in my basement. Unauthorized worker adjusting home thermostat Painting voids. Unforeseen cost only mentioned when customer complain about pricing (overcharged for door but, stated I was not charged for tall ceilings. Recommend upfront pricing.

Very friendly, but I didn't get any advice. I was looking for something I can read; with choices.

It was suppose to be a 5 hour consultation. He looked around in the basement. It's not finished by any means but it does have two bathrooms down there, already, sectioned off. We talked about an hour and a half and he went. He called me today. I asked him if he could email me that proposal, not a contract. He said he couldn't do that because he needs to speak to people who are serious about the job. If I hired him, that would mean I was serious and he would be able to email me all the things he could do for me. That didn't make any sense. The only thing that was mentioned that was itemized was the drywall. I would have to buy the fixtures. I would have to buy the flooring. That's fine but what else would he do for the $17,000? You can't just say drywall and blow smoke. There's not $17,000 worth of drywall to put up. I told him I need something, on paper, that says what I'm getting for $17,000. For 800 sq ft, I'm spending $17,000 on drywall. He did say he would replace the vents in my bathrooms. They are already there but in wrong. He was on time. He was very professional.

From a raw basement to a completely finished area in just over 3 weeks. Steve and his crew, Rocky, Kuba went above and beyond. When it was found that the shower drain was blocked these 2 men fixed it in less than 2 days, that included digging up concrete. These guys roughed in the basement insulated, ran electric boxes, 18 can lights, and did the plumbing. I now have a 1000 sq ft completely finished basement, including a wet bar. I was very Leary of remodelers but this was the best experience of my life!

Both projects were done neatly, expertly and on time. The demolition was quick and neat with the removal of damaged materials completed immediately. New lighting and other work was done exactly as planned. The sidewalk job looks very good and the drain, which does not show, was the important part as it got water away from the house where we had had some leakage in the past. The system worked perfectly and still does more than ten years later.

The work was done as promised, in a timely fashion, clean up was attentive, work completed on schedule.

Successful completion of the work required the removal of yards of topsoil and weighty chunks of broken concrete from two deep window wells, massive concrete drilling equipment as well as sound judgment regarding prevention of rain and ground water intrusion through newly exposed foundation walls. The workers were courteous and friendly, arrived on time and cleaned up after themselves in performing a uniquely muddy and gritty work assignment.

The work went well, and while it took longer than expected, we were never waiting on Steve and his team to complete their work. All of his team were courteous, helpful, and skilled. When additional costs or work was needed, Steve was completely up front and transparent in what was needed when and gave us plenty of forewarning when possible. Steve did our basement several years ago, and we were so happy with the result and our relationship with Steve that we felt confident going into this project. Now, upon completion, I am even more sure we made the right decision. I would not hesitate to recommend Steve and his team for any remodel project, large or small.

It went well. The crew worked with us when we had any issues and wanted to make sure our needs were met.

I have waited to provide this review as it is quite possibly the most bizarre and upsetting experience with a contractor I have ever been through. Please take the time to look at the other reviews and you will see this is standard procedure for Steve. He showed up at our house for an estimate and was pleasant enough until we got to the pricing. The "buy today for a discount" pricing. I was very clear to him on the phone I would be getting other quotes and we would not be signing today. He insisted his price was only good "today" and got irate when we tried to explain we would like to discuss and think about. When asked about getting permits he said "we don't do that. Why would you need that. Then they would just check to make sure we were doing things right"....Ummm, yes ? He said their plumbers aren't licensed, that's a waste of time. They know what they are doing...After all their company name is the basement men. After telling at my husband and arguing with both of us about wasting his time he left. Apparently leaving his "picture book". He knew we were not staying in this house. His "assistant/wife" called the next day asking for return of book. I told her when I went out there the next day I would check. He said if I paid to send fed ex he would reimburse me....Sure... Few hours later got a call from police dept ..Steve seemed to think he could report me for not returning his book he left at my house. She told me it was a courtesy call , she told Steve nothing she could do. I had not even confirmed his book was there and he's calling the police on me...To report what? He left a book there and I hadn't paid to return it? Sent the book back next day only to not have to deal with him as he clearly has issues ..Read the other reviews! Nothing is ever his fault and he stands behind nothing.

Jobs were split into 2 jobs and done almost back to back. Everything went as scheduled and as planned. The work was done very well and it looks great!

Went very well. They came when we agreed and showed me what they were doing. They answered questions and kept me in-the-know as the project rolled along. They even fixed a small neighboring concrete defect. Good job.

I contacted Steve to give me a quote to install two new windows in my house. He came out same day which was great, but used high pressure tactics to get me to sign a contract and said that if I didn't sign up he could not offer discount. He individually priced each item as I requested. He promised to be back a few days later with his subcontractor. When he came back with the subcontractor, he got sticker shock from the guy and probably decided he couldn't use him for this particular job, he called to ask me if he can bring another one of his workers the following week, which I agreed. I asked him for an additional related job and he priced this up to something ridiculous and not to the value of the work to be done. Then I say maybe I will reduce one of the original window installs which he originally priced at $750 and he said fine I will reduce the final price by $200! Where is the logic in that? You are charging $750 but when I requested him to remove that window was costing $750 he was only planning to return $200. Anyway, this sent up red flags so I said I wanted to cancel the contract and he got really whiney and said fine but he is going to charge me for his time. So I agree for him to continue and a few days later he calls me and says can I bring another contractor?!?! This is when I lost it! We haven't even started the job and you have 3 contractors and are now delaying the work again and again. The original agreement was that he would start the job the following week and now we were 3 weeks into his negotiations. I told him no, he can't delay and he can't bring another contractor and then he got angry and says we should not work together. This is the only thing I agree to! I say I want all my money back and he says "no" because his time is precious. I asked him "what about all the time you wasted of mine? Does that have no value" He was planning to keep $500 out of my $1500 deposit but he came down to $200 which was still not agreeable to me but I took the loss. I told him I would write a review if he didn't refund me and he said he would report me to the city for not getting a permit! I was the one who originally asked him about the permit because it had not occurred to me to get it at the time but he said it would be fine not to get it since our house was tucked away! Anyway, we parted ways, I got $1300 back and felt cheated out of my $200. Oh and by the way, he called me cheap! I told him what my budget was and he gave me a price accordingly, but he then realized he had under priced me and that was the problem. This was a very unfortunate experience with a disingenuous contractor who just manipulated the situation and when he couldn't deliver he wanted money for his time, placing no value on my time. Anyway I got a permit and hired a great company who did the work diligently and were excellent to work with and came in $800 cheaper than Steve and I never asked my new contractor for a penny off. Nick's price was fair from the get go and very reasonable and I will use him for every future project. My brother used him for a much larger $10,000 project and was very happy with the results. If you want a quality company please use these guys: Nick Snitko Exterior Repair & Design Solutions nsnitko.erds@gmail.com 630-877-6670 CELL 630-406-9239 OFFICE

After a detailed initial discussion of the various projects we hope to accomplish this calendar year at our home with the assistance of this company's personable and well-experienced owner, we decided to start by replacing the apron in front of our garage. The actual work was performed last week, with demolition completed after several hours of labor during the afternoon of the first day, and reconstruction finished by mid-afternoon of the second day. The two laborers worked quite well together as a team, spreading the cement mixture that rumbled off the concrete truck with such accuracy, dexterity and self-assurance that we had no doubt years have gone into perfecting their craft. As a bonus, watching them as they worked was quite entertaining, and we have no doubt the newly installed apron will endure for decades.

HORRIBLE. ANGIE IS CATERING TO RACISTS. I HAVE BEEN DISCRIMINATED AGAINST BECAUSE OF WHO I AND MY CHOSEN FAITH.

They provided a prompt, courteous review and estimate with fair pricing. The work was done within a few days. They cleaned, prepared and fully patched the crack with injected epoxy-like material that has provided an excellent and sturdy seal.

The garage floor is beautiful. The piwer washing was a bit complicated because I had to run out and get a pump to drain the basement when they exceeded the capacity of my small floor French drain.

We had a wonderful experience working with Steve and his team. Good quality work for a reasonable price. Steve was always willing to talk through the project and resolved the two or three issues that popped up in the project quickly and effectively. The project moved along quickly and provided a very nice result for the price. We used a number of contractor grade materials, but our basement was not meant to be a showplace - just a great additional living area. Steve was open to my design choices and the crew was excellent. They were always timely, respectful and willing to answer questions as well. Our basement was a mixture of an old portion of the original house (c.1940s) and a newer addition. The work they did tied the old and new together nicely. Certainly one could nitpick little things, but the price point for the project was so reasonable and the crew's willingness to correct issues along the way was amazing. We are thrilled with our space and pleased with the overall craftmanship of the project. I think it is critical to know what you want from your basement before hiring any contractor... we did not want a Northshore showplace basement - just a comfortable spot for some family time and games. The Basement Men delivered with a reasonable price and in just over 3 weeks.

Steve Lauer was amazingly available and patient, and walked us through every step of the way. He was really good at offering suggestions for the wall colors, too. The two-man crew of Voytek and Edgar were really efficient and they finished a few days earlier than we expected, even though they had to start a day late due to the waterproofing work running late. They also were good sports about having to stop in the middle of the afternoon due to a power outage in our neighborhood. They always spoke with us if they had any questions, so we felt confident that everything was proceeding as planned. The finished job looks beautiful and we were extremely happy with the quality and speed of their work. We also thought the price was a good value.