Concrete Design Works, Inc

Never a moment of doubt or regret for choosing CDW. Great web page, and the owner, Mike Bennett, was professional to the core. He was patient and calm, clearly explained his work and vision for my project, and enunciated beautifully (icing on the cake). I told him straight up I needed his guidance on this project and he took it from there. Mike widened the drive just enough so I’ll no longer get tangled up in tree roots, and he evened out the sidewalk. The finished job was crisp, smooth - even pretty. There was no mess left behind. I trusted him completely and would highly recommend Concrete Design Works. Thank you, Mike!

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Perfectly. Mike was great to work with and he takes pride in his work. We will have it back to do our driveway as soon as we can.

Excellent. Mike is wonderful to work with. His prices are very reasonable and is very conscientious about the work he does. He IS a true professional at what he does.

he is awesome unlike other providers I called he came out the same day to give me an estimate and gave me a date within 1 day to start work. He showed up on time, was professional and completed the work on time and it was of excellent quality. Quite pleased.

We had a 24' x 12' ground level deck that we had built ourselves over the original 12' x 10' concrete patio.  The deck lasted 5 years but more than a few boards had to be replaced each year. By the fifth year the whole thing had deteriorated badly.  We tore it up ourselves and got a dumpster from the city to dispose of the debris.  Now the only question was whether to replace it with a larger slab of plain concrete, decorative or stained concrete, or a patio built out of pavers.
I contacted a couple of companies before signing up on Angie's List.  Mike's Concrete Design Works had very good reviews and his prices were competitive.  He went over the pros/cons of concrete versus pavers and we decided pavers was the best choice for our new patio.  We selected the Ottawa Creek II non-tumbled pavers.
Work began with Mike's two assistants digging out a lot of dirt and clay -- about a foot deep or more on the largest side.  The dirt was transported by wheel-barrel into a trailer.  Due to my side yard being narrow (and at Mike's recommendation) I relocated two medium-sized Emerald Green Arborvitaes so the worker's wheel-barrel traffic would be on my lawn only.  
After all the dirt was removed, Mike brought in two trailers of rock.  The rock was transported to the backyard via wheel-barrel and made level with the existing 12' x 10' concrete patio.  
A long white PVC pipe was installed with the rock to help with drainage.  
Mike then laid the pavers and created our new patio.  He also removed the existing concrete step and build a much nicer one using 20 pavers.
The end result looks fantastic and really adds to our backyard.  I highly recommend Mike and Concrete Design Works.

He was prompt. He tore out the sod and he put in stone and then concreted where the drive was going. He was very friendly but also professional. I would certainly recommend him to anyone wanting any concreting done. He was done within 4 hours.

It was a pleasure working with Michael from start to finish.  First, he responded to my request for quote with a phone call the same day - arrived as agreed to discuss my plans/options for replacing the stairs and provided my quote during the time frame promised. I generally get three quotes for contract work and this project was no exception.  Michael's quote, while neither the highest nor the lowest, was reasonable for the work requested.  During the project he arrived when he said he would,  progressed as planned and kept me informed throughout - all of which made the project very stress free for me.  And when he was finished, not one pebble of the old crumbling steps was to be found!
The best part - his work is awesome!  While I expected the new steps and landings to be vast improvements over the old, crumbling ones, I was pleasantly surprised at just how good they look and how much they improve the curb appeal of my house! Several contractors in the neighborhood have even dropped by to compliment (and admire) the quality of his work.  
I am very pleased with every aspect of my experience with Michael Bennett and Concrete Design Works!

Mike came out and inspected the area after contacting him by email.  Discussed options to have area fixed.  Worked with us to make sure we got what we want.  Started work that weekend.  Slight misunderstanding with one of his workers about the area to be worked on- called Mike and it was fixed by the end of the day.  Mike did the finishing work on the porch and cleaned up the "splatter" from the previous concrete work.  Did not damage any of the brick around the porch.  Area looks much better than it did when the house was new.  He powerwashed the area clean and fixed the edges.  No mess to clean up.  Very impressed. Worth every penny.

The patio turned out beautiful.  Mike did a wonderful job!

Mike Barrett- owner of Concrete Design Works was a pleasure to work with from our initial contact through completion of our project.  By phone, we shared our issues: winter damage on driveway and cracks that were worsening as well as front porch cement steps that had  pulled away about two inches from brick porch and subsequent settling that also created significant cracks in walkway with uneven levels.  We had read alot about repairing and sealing driveways and wanted to learn more about those options, Mike Barrett is a natural collaborative teacher and described the process involved and what the final product would look like.  We also discussed options of replacing concrete.  
     By phone we discussed the issues and he asked appropriate questions to further understand our issue, concerns and desires and arrived within a few days to view our property and to give us options and estimates.He was terrific explaining what he thought occurred  (no reinforcing bars or anchorage to porch to prevent steps from settling away from porch).  He also discussed the driveway damage and offered options to repair and/or replace with pros and cons of each .  Within 24 hours we had options and estimates emailed and we then waited for a competitors estimate and then made our decision to go with Mike Barrett and Concrete Design Works. Mike's estimate was very competitive and detailed.  Because we will be putting our house on the market in a few months we elected to replace all of the concrete including driveway, walkway and steps.
     Once we made the decision to replace with Concrete Design Works, Inc., everything went pretty quickly.  Within a week Mike was here with a machine to break up the old concrete, the next day he removed all of the old concrete and then added additional stone followed by a machine used to condense the stone to create a great foundation.  The weather then delayed us a day, but then reinforcing bar was cut and placed to support the concrete (missing in the original concrete).  Multiple rods were attached to the vertical wall of the brick porch to support the steps. The concrete was poured over the course of the next two days.  Mike is a perfectionist (in a positive way) and worked the surfaces to a beautiful finish.  It took 4-5 days to complete the job- so we had to plan to not have access out of garage for those days. (car out of driveway etc.). After completion, he also replaced soil and seeded grass where the wooden supports had left a gap. Each evening he and his crew cleaned up the area and gave us an update on the progress.  His communication is terrific and we really appreciated his suggestions and the options available for our project.  We very much loved his attention to detail and professionalism. Neighbors have all remarked how nice our driveway looks and how hard Mike was working for days to really improve our curb appeal.  We highly recommend Mike Barrett and encourage the Angie's List Community to consider and choose Mike Barrett and Concrete Design Works for your concrete needs.

I called Mike on the Friday before the Labor Day Weekend. He was able to come by that very afternoon to review what I wanted and to give me an estimate. He gave me some great ideas, and we settled on a design he came up with. Mike told me up front that he was tied up with several jobs ahead of me, but would try to work me in. The process was a real pleasure. He kept in touch with me and came when he said he would. Mike, and his workers, were very professional, and hard working. I now have a very attractive front pourch and front walk. I would most certainly use him again, and have already recommended him to a couple of my friends. Mike is very creative and comes up with really good ideas. He really cares about his work and strives for perfection.

It went amazingly well.  Mike did a very thorough and professional job.  He is extremely detail oriented and he did things right!  I would highly recommend him!

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Our house is over 90 years old and the front porch is a prominent feature of the house. I was very concerned due to the age of the house and potential underlying problems (that always seem to pop up when renovating an old house.) The results are awesome. Mike not only is a master craftsman but has a good eye for design. He knew exactly what was required for this job: flawless workmanship that works perfectly with the existing old concrete. I highly recommend him. BTW, I wasn't sure how to rate the Price, as that was not my criteria for sourcing the job. Perfection was critical & I did not shop around.

We had a general idea of how we wanted our patio to look and what size we wanted it to be.  We dithered between stamped concrete and pavers.  Mike gave us impartial pros and cons for each and we chose pavers of three different sizes. In building the patio some of the pavers had to be cut to make the pattern work out. We were in no hurry to have the work done but once he started Mike finished the job in four days--from excavating to cleaning up (which, in itself, was exemplary).  We felt the price was very reasonable,
and the work was very well done.  We would certainly hire Concrete Designs again and are already thinking of new projects.

Mike is extremely detail oriented, artistic, and creative. He listens to everything you have to say and really tries to please you. He doesn't make false promises and delivers 100%, plus. We first interviewed Mike in the early Spring, 2013. We weren't exactly sure of what we wanted to do with the space below a new upstairs deck - pour plain concrete with a broom swept finish, stain it, put porcelain tile over it, or pour colored concrete, broom sweep it or polish it, etc.
It took us several months to get folks to provide us with estimates of several scenarios. Mike was the first person we interviewed. He was punctual and timely in giving us an estimate, unlike many of the folks we contacted. His bid was extremely reasonable compared to other bids that came in for the job. By the time we decided to go with Mike, due to all the delays in getting other proposals and bids from other local contractors, it was June. We contacted him and he was able to start working on our project two weeks earlier than he had first thought he could get to us.
We decided to pour two colors of concrete for our porch floor - a dark outside, broom swept border with a lighter, hand troweled, center. During the process, Mike listened to what we had to say, learned our tastes and expectations. We made a few modifications, which Mike stayed on top of, and he made suggestions that would improve upon our design and worked very hard to please us.
In the end, he exceeded our expectations and the final product looks like something you could put in Architectural Digest. He is every much a perfectionist as I am, and that is refreshing to find in the Lexington area.
 
I would definitely use him again for any type of concrete work - from just plain ole' grey driveways to elaborate, decorative colors, finishes, stains, and designs.
The two neighbors that live on each side of us stopped us at different times to comment on how well he was putting in the forms for the border and how skilled he was in making the saw cut diamond designs in the center of the patio/porch floor, which was a suggestion he had made to us that was a definite creative upgrade to the design we had originally considered. 
From the placement of the joint cuts in the outside border to the precision of the diamond cuts and ensuring all the diamond pattern fell where it was supposed to within the outside border, he was a perfectionist.
My husband said that he was an artist, and I agree! I am an artist, and I know of what I speak!!! LOL

Mike and his crew were great to work with.   This was a big job and took about a week and a half to complete.   I was informed of when they would be on-site to work and they showed up when expected.  They worked hard to preserve the areas of the yard not involved in the project.  Mike explained what was being done and well as discussing and making changes as the work progressed.  I have additional work he will be doing in the future.

Michael (owner) did this entire job himself ... start to finish. Once he started, he worked our job and only our job (a commitment he makes up front). He is very creative, meticulous, and hard working. The end result looks great. The brick edging and steps look fabulous. No cutting corners in any way. 
While working the job, he picks up at the end of each day, and when done he restored all irrigation and electrical that had to be disturbed just as he found it..
Good as it gets. Highly recommended . 

Went very well. Arrived as stated, worked efficiently, returned when stated, and completed job in a professional manner.

Mike is every bit the professional!  He is very artistic and had great ideas for ways to redesign the porch and walkway leading to the front door.  He widened the drive on one side to make it symmetrical.  There were 4 separate pours ... rebar reinforcing and expansion material used ... because he is very particular about the quality of the work.  Every day that he was here, someone was stopping by to observe his work.  Even the UPS delivery man stopped to say that he had never seen anyone so dedicated to excellence.  The yard was raked and everything cleaned up well.  He even pressure washed everything down at the end.  It looks terrrific - now we have curb appeal!

Mike is the owner and is basically a one man company most of the time, with all kinds of concrete experience over the past few decades in this area and out west.  He wasn't the very cheapest, but he's not very expensive either.  You definitely get what you pay for with Mike- top notch design, installation, high quality finish, and thorough cleanup.  He takes pride in his work and full ownership of the project from start to finish.  I'm familiar with some of Mike's other work for friends of mine, and he can make it as artistic and beautiful, or as basic and cost-effective, as you want it.   He has all the equipment and tools to do what it takes.  If it's concrete, I'm pretty confident Mike could do just what you want with it, if you have the budget for it.