Bob Solek Masonry

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At first this company seemed great when speaking with the owner, Bob Solek, about my projects which was to:
seal the long crack under the front steps between the cement path; fill in a make a smooth some cracks in the cement foundation and a few in the chimney; and fix the eyesore of a cement threshold under a front door. I clearly mentioned to repair properly with a nice appearance. That would mean being detail oriented. Well, these guys are just hackers, REALLY! They have no cosmetic detail work ability. They are the type that just slop on the cement, or whatever they're using, pat it down and be down with the job. I have pictures to prove it. Luckily that day when the project started I was able to be there. After they completed applying new concrete to the damaged threshold, it now looked like a different kind of awful from previous. The front surface was wavy and not at all straight. The edges of the cement they put in were rough in may places and not nicely trimmed out (after all, this is the front of the house!! do they care about curb appeal?). As I mentioned, luckily I was home after they left because I used a screwdriver to smooth out many rough edges on the sides while the cement was still workable.
That is not all. The corner of the garage where they repaired other cracks, the detail work was just awful. I had to smooth out the rough edges also to give it a neat appearance. Some things I couldn't do anything about. Such as they slopped on concrete on the driveway under the garage corner where they repaired. I understand the need to seal in the bottom crack, however, you would think they could have at least made the concrete overflow on the driveway trimmed out with a nice edge to it. No, it is just smeared on with no regard to how it should look. I cannot believe what inadequate masons these guys are. And, did I mention the owner left two guys (one could be his son) to do these repairs? The quality control definitely lacked, and I really think that the owner is no better also because he should have inspected the completed jobs they did - and backed it up. They are not talented.
And again that is not all. They convinced me to pay an extra $50 to have some type of sealant applied to the exterior of my chimney after they finished sealing in a few small holes in the grout, nothing extreme. So I said OK but I also asked if it would harm the plants underneath and if they should be covered. I didn't really get too picky about my questions about the sealant because I figured they were masons and new what they were doing. But I did want to make sure about the plants though. So, Bob Solek said they it would be no problem and that they would cover up the plants before doing the sealant. Well, they didn't and to make matters worse the spray they used sprayed on my siding; and I tried a few products later but it won't come off. These people are one of the biggest mistakes in hiring anyone that I have ever done.
Again, that is not all. When they were mixing up the concrete to use for the projects, they were about to go in the middle of a well-maintained lawn to do it. This one I caught just in time and requested that they go to a side lawn by the driveway instead. They said that the liquid from the concrete wouldn't harm the grass but they would move. Regardless, why would you even go at a spot where there is nice landscape to mix concrete?? You know, later I discovered where they poured out the concrete water elsewhere, and it is definitely visible. They really don't care for aesthetics. I mean all they care about is just slopping on concrete and grout. Do they repair huts or nice houses, really??
And that is not all. They put down a sealant at the bottom of my front steps. It ran across the length of the steps where it meets the pathway. The sealant was white but I know we discussed that I wanted it to be clear. They said don't worry in a few days it would dry clear. This was over three weeks ago and it is still white. It is so depressing, these guys have made me sad just to think that many of these areas still look bad!
So about the door threshold that was not straight. I called them and explained nicely about this as it was obvious when you look at it. Also, the corner of the garage that they repaired had a good size chunk of concrete come out because they had applied a large glob of sealant under the siding there and it dried in a long string. So when I saw this I just thought it was a web at first and went to clean it up because it was just hanging. I barely tugged it when the chuck of concrete that they applied (over sealant?!) dropped off. Really, what do you expect, concrete on sealant is permanent?? So the owner, Bob, apparently did come back to fill in the missing concrete spot where the chuck fell off. But did he even tell me he was dropping by? NO.
Then they also came back (not the owner) to fix the threshold that they did. Well, it turned out worse the second time around!! A few days later they put another layer of concrete to make it straight. It looks awful. It dried in several shades of dark and light gray and then the center top chipped in several places. I called to tell them the latest occurrence and suddenly a few days later I received all my money back (and never asked for it to begin with) in the mail. And to make the whole situation worse, they included a sticky note on the check and all it said was this (an exact quote): "your never going to happy here your money back". How unprofessional!!
If you wish to use this business you are encouraging them to act this way to some customers. It is not right that they left me with a bigger mess than I began with: still have to fix the threshold, the bottom of the garage corner on the driveway is now an eyesore, the bottom of the steps is an eyesore with the white caulking, and now I have something else which is the spotted siding from their brick spray!
It is so unfair that these guys not only hacked up everything they did, but they insulted me too with their note. DO NOT USE THEM!
These guys should be sued as masquerading around as masons! If they defend any of this, ask them to contact me for pictures. Pictures do not lie.
And by the way, I should have seen a red flag in the beginning when Bob Solek said to me also that he doesn't have email. I shrugged it off in the beginning. But now looking back, no email really? What reputable business now a days does not have email? It is businesses that don't want anything backed up in writing because they can't stand behind their work!!
And try to get a hold of them. First this picked up and answered my first call back. Then I left a message on the same answering machine as before. Then called back a day or so later and left another message because it was important to fix the issues they just left me with. No call back. Luckily, I had their card they gave me which had the son's number on it. I called it and did talk to the son. Waste of my time. Only the dad has any say. But the son did tell me that the other answering machine was having problems when I asked if anyone got my messages. I don't buy his explanation. So a business does not have a reliable way to get customer messages?
I even left a message after they sent me back the check and wanted to comment on the disrespectful note they sent me. NO CALL BACK FROM THEM AT ALL.
WORST EXPERIENCE. THESE GUYS SHOULD BE FIRED!!!!!!!

Bob came out very promptly after we called to look at the jobs and give us an estimate. That was a Wednesday, and the following Monday Bob and his crew were at our house at 8:00am, worked very efficiently and professionally, and had the jobs completed that afternoon.
We are very pleased with the work that was done on both the chimney and the front steps. Bob is very pleasant to work with, and everything that he said would be done was done well.

They were very professional. They cleaned up every scrap of debris that was left. They were very punctual.
A few days later,I noticed some small cracks that had been repaired. I called Mr. Solek,and the very next day his men came back and repaired the cracks and they are now fine.
I would highly recommend Mr. Solek to anyone. Very reliable. I had called 2 other people on Angies List and neither of them called me back.

They came when they said they would and finished the work as expected.

They were prompt and they finished quickly. I did have a problem with their flushing, I had some water leakage and I actually ended up up having that repaired by somebody else. And the top of the cap of the chimney needs some repair and I've called them and they came out very quickly. We didn't have arranged a date yet for the to re-point the cap of the chimney. It was a damp day that they did the chimney so they think that's why the concrete didn't hold up. But overall I am satisfied.

Bob came same day I called to give price. They performed and finished work the next morning! They left everything clean and tidy, even offered to do some extra repair work! I will hire them again without a second thought! They were great and I would recommend them to anyone!

Bob answered my phone call and set up an appointment immediately. He came right out to give me an estimate which seemed to be very fair. The work was done promptly, and they were very professional. I would definitely recommend him, and also call him again if needed.

Showed up exactly on time, completed work as originally planned and discussed. Repaired additional cracks in retaining wall at no additional charge. Sealed steps and mailbox structure. Cleaned up completely after finishing job. Suggested self application of water proofing on stone steps and mailbox on a bi yearly basis.. Excellent service and a fair price.