Gaetano Cement Contractor LLC

From the first estimate to finishing the driveway, it was a pleasure to work with Gaetano Cement Contractors. I had several estimates and I was impressed that Guy not only gave me a reasonable price but also pointed out things that could potentially be an issue with the installation. No other contractor took the time to do this. Once we decided to work with them, the communication was excellent, I was informed a week ahead of time when they would start and warned if there would be potential delays. The whole project took three days. Guy kept me informed every day about what they were doing. His entire crew was very professional and clearly took pride in doing a great job. They kept the area clean and impressively preserved the adjacent lawn and landscaping while installing the driveway. The driveway not only looks fantastic but now actually drains properly. I would highly recommend them for anyone who needs to do concrete work.

Red carpet treatment from friendly, efficient staff. I was in a crunch as my contractor walked out on my job after ripping out the old drive. I had car trapped in the garage, and a muddy pit for a driveway. I had some neighbors who used Guy and they had nothing but rave reviews. Guy and Lisa really stepped up to take care of me. From first contact to poured cement was a week, and several thousand under what the guy who walked off wanted. The end result is a perfect slab of highly complimented concrete. Beautiful border treatment and pure white glistening cement make this a true eye catcher for my home too. I wanted the most reinforced slab I could get. Guy and I talked about the options and I went with double reinforcement - both mixed in fiber, and steel concrete wire.

I can't even begin to say how disappointed I am. Guy did another job for me at my house before this one so I had a lot of trust in him as he replaced my driveway in Lakewood. After digging up the old driveway and installing the drain, we secured permission from the Lakewood Building Department. I asked him to see the framing BEFORE he laid the driveway. We agreed to lay the driveway after a few days when I could be there to check it out. I received a call on a Thursday morning at 7:30 am saying they were going to pour the driveway that morning when I was out of town. I arrived late in the day after getting a text from Guy stating how good it looked. I was horrified. It looked horrible. Of 1,000 driveways that are a simple, clean straight line from the pad back to the garage, mine is not! It doesn't even align with the pad to the street, it's almost 2 feet wide for the first 10 feet, then cuts back to the house. The driveway is 3 inches ABOVE the basement window sills, almost 6 inches above where the old driveway was so we somehow have to topsoil everything, the back pad has a crooked line from the garage to the back patio that doesn't line with ANYTHING (it's 3 inches away from any line) and they splashed cement all over the back brick walls (we couldn't clean it off). After it was poured, all of the next door neighbors told my tenants, "OMG, your owner is going to be so upset" because they also thought it was so bad. Even though it's just a driveway, my heart sinks every time I drive onto it. How hard could installing a new driveway be? I told Guy how disappointed I was and he said I should not pay him for most of it. I told him that I didn't that was completely fair but would like a discount. He said that instead he would finish my basement floor at no charge. I regret not getting it in writing, but conveniently Guy doesn't remember committing any of this. Prior to this incident, I thought Guy was a decent person with a true caring for customers; now I think differently. if you use this contractor, GET EVERYTHING IN WRITING, ASK FOR DRAWINGS, ETC, IN ADVANCE AND INSPECT EVERYTHING. BUYER BEWARE!

We were extremely pleased with every aspect of this project. Communication was excellent from setting up the estimate visit, to receiving the bid, to keeping us informed about the start date (i.e. where we were in the queue and the impact of the weather). They started on time and finished on time, and the charge exactly matched the quote. They pulled the permit well in advance of starting the work, and arranged for the city inspections before the concrete was poured and after the work was completed. We were particularly impressed with the care they took to safeguard the nearby plants and trees. They proposed use of a sealer that was environmentally friendly, and avoided trampling or doing any damage to the gardens that lined the driveway. The work was expertly done, and our new driveway is beautiful. We can wholeheartedly recommend Gaetano's. This is a wonderful company!

I contacted Gaetano cement in the Summer of 2014 to receive a quote for replacing our concrete driveway. This was our 4th quote we received for the project. I was sold on Gaetano?s reputation, personal observation of their concrete work in our neighborhood and my personal interaction with Guy Difini(owner). He was knowledgeable, experienced and I appreciated his attention to detail, pride in his work and great care regarding our project. I appreciated that he insisted on waiting for ideal weather conditions. As such, we were not able to have driveway poured last Fall. Our driveway had been really damaged early in 2014 by some heavy excavation trucks. At no extra cost, Guy came out last Fall, removed two large blocks of damaged concrete and filled area with packed gravel to get us through the winter. Our driveway would not have been able to be plowed without this temporary fix. Guy waited until favorable weather in early June to pour our driveway. The base and quality of the concrete seemed excellent. Unfortunately, after completion, we realized there were two locations where water was not draining in the manner we had expected. This is where Guy really stepped up. He understood our concerns, took responsibility and assured us he would re do 2 sections of the driveway. In Late July, he did exactly that. Our driveway is now complete and we are very pleased with the final result. I would highly recommend Gaetano Cement for the quality of their work, competitive pricing and most importantly for their customer service.

We hired Gaetano Cement Contractors six years ago to replace our driveway, walk ways, patio, apron and garage floor which was reviewed on May 4, 2009. Our review was all ?A?s and six years later we are still giving Gaetano all ?A?s. While working on another driveway on our street Mr. Difini came over to our house and was concerned about the way the drive was chipping around the drain in the driveway. He suggested ways it could be fixed and we decided that it should be replaced and since they were working at house nearby, it would be easy to do. A couple of days later they cut out the affected area around the drain (about thirty-two inches square) and replaced the concrete. I expected to have a bill for the work the next day and when there was no bill, I spoke with Mr. Difini and he said there was no charge and that ?it should never have broken up that way?. We were very surprised and very pleased. We think it is quite rare to find someone who takes that much pride in his work. He told us that it was no big thing but we felt it was a very big thing. We continue to rate Gaetano Cement Contractors all ?A?s and continue to recommend them to all our neighbors, family and friends.

I spoke to Guy, the owner on the phone. After talking to other contractors prior to him, I had a pretty good idea of what I was looking for in the design of my patio & what I wanted from my contractor. Guy & I hit it off right away. I could tell he was extremely knowledgeable & professional. I explained to him that I needed it completed by a certain date & he said he would fit us in. He came out to meet with my wife & I to give us an estimate. Guy had some great ideas that we were able to use. My wife & I knew we wanted him to do the job. His price was very competitive but more important, we knew we could trust him & we were not mistaken. From the beginning to the end, Guy & his workers were courteous & professional. They far exceeded our expectations. My wife & I have built three homes so we are no stranger to the potential headaches that can come with picking the wrong provider. Guy was as good as anyone we have worked with & better than most. His work was excellent & he was always true to his word. We also had Guy replace a cracked section of our driveway at the same time he put in the patio. In doing so, he noticed a hairline crack in the section next to it. He called me to let me know about it & said he had no idea if it was there before or if the crack was caused by his tractor. Because of this, he offered to replace it at the cost of the materials. In my opinion, this is honesty & professionalism above & beyond. The job was completed on time & there was absolutely no debris left behind. I would not hesitate to use his company again & have already recommended him to my parents. You can not go wrong by using Gaetano Cement Contractors.

Guy came out to give me an estimate to replace my driveway. Two other companies had given me quotes to do the same. To be sure I was comparing all companies on same proposed work, I tried to ask Guy about things like concrete cement mix, thickness of drive aprons and such and he responded very smugly and kept talking over me and telling me to wait for his proposal. I TRIED to explain I wanted his proposal to include materials and planned work comparable to these other companies so wanted to discuss what I wanted in the proposal (apples to apples). He remained very pompous and continued to talk over me. When I reacted to his disrespectful manner he responded that he'd been doing this work for 25 years and that "this was highly unusual" (being asked questions?). If a customer asking questions is "highly unusual" and distasteful to him, I realized there was no way I could work with him and I abruptly ended our meeting. The 2 other companies I met with had no problem discussing the details of the work and materials they would be using. If this was his attitude in the "sales" stage, what would I encounter if there was a problem with the job? Nooooo thank you. Updated review to give professionalism an F. I thought I'd given that to begin with. Updated on May 16 after receiving an Angie's List email from this business.: Most of my reviews are A's, so I give credit when I get good work and customer service. I also believe the point of Angies List is to let others know to avoid doing business with those that are not customer oriented. Today, I got the following message from this business owner through Angie's List mail. They attempted to disguise this as a friendly message - at least the first sentence, but it is apparent the actual message to me is intended to be less than kind. I thought I should share this with Angie's List customers so you know who you're dealing with before hiring. Read the second sentence - not intended to be so nice. From the business on 5-16-2015: "Ms. (Name withheld) - I wanted to contact you personally and let you know that I hope all goes well with your driveway project. Based on your demeanor I am certain things will go exactly the way they should. Best of luck to you. Lisa Marie Difini Vice President Gaetano Cement Contractors LLC."

Have not yet received proposal.

This is the first Angie's List I've ever written and I felt compelled to because Guy and his team were so good. He is by far the nicest, most laid-back and professional contractor we've ever used. They were responsive, professional, timely, fair-priced, etc. etc. I recommend Guy without reservation and have asked to bid on other projects for us as well.

It was a pleasant correspondence, and I respect being told what service I actually did need, because, honestly, I didn't know. Thank you!

The experience went well with this company. Everything was good with them.

Initially, I was please with the work of Guy DiFini. However, a 6.5 foot crack appeared within 6 months of installation. when I asked him if any corrective measures could be taken to prevent further damage, he became very combative and unpleasant. Small cracks and chips of cement continue to appear. I no longer wish to deal with Mr. DiFini, so I will call another contractor. As of September 1st, I had to have someone come in and do some more caulking, the cement is pulling the caulk away from the house. Many deep cracks have developed through out the driveway. Slabs of cement rise and fall unevenly. It has been costly for me to repair. It was unfortunately a very poor installation.

Overall I'd say that they did excellent work. Guy was prompt to come visit the job site at my first inquiry in June, and his office was glad to keep me informed of my place in the queue during this very wet summer of 2014. They worked with me as I needed to add into the mix an electrician for some external work that could best be done in conjunction with the concrete tear out and pour, and were willing to go the extra mile in terms of some trenching that needed to be done for the secondary job for a minimum uptick in the original quote. During the actual job I was dealing with a broken foot and they were careful to provide solid footing for me to get into the house during the job. In terms of the plan that I had to reshape my front entry way and attach a patio area in the back: Guy quickly caught on to the vision and was able to provide just what I wanted. He was also able to deal with a drainage issue that I had under the driveway and repaired it easily. I had also asked for rebar to be added to my site due to some settlement issues, and again, he met this request and came up with the best plan for my site. The only truly negative part of my experience (and the reason for the B in professionalism) was a lack of communication over the need for a working external electrical outlet. Rather than contacting the owner (Guy) or myself to correct the issue, the actual work team chose to plug into my neighbor's external outlet without permission, which created an issue with my good friends. When Guy discovered from me the choice that the work team made he apologized and offered to make it right. At the end of the job the team left my property free of their work debris, did some leveling of the dirt and clay clumps in the gardens adjacent to the concrete, and also replaced the grass that was carefully dug out at the sides. I need to remove my broken drainpipes from their carefully stacked place, but this would be expected. I would recommend them to all, with the warning to make sure that you have your external outlets on at the start of the job.

We received several quotes and met with several contractors before hiring Guy at Gaetano Cement. Although his estimate was in the middle of the pack, we chose him because we trusted his experience and felt that he listened to what we wanted. For example, we have a basketball hoop along the side of the driveway that we really wanted to keep. Other contractors wanted to tear it down because it would be difficult to work around. But Guy said he would work around the basketball hoop if that is what we wanted. We communicated by phone and e-mail and received prompt responses. The crew did all the work in 3 days with Guy working hard to make us happy every step of the way. We requested a last minute change to the driveway on the morning the cement was to be poured - although we were not sure if the change would even be possible at that point. Guy came right over before 7:00 am to discuss if he could make this happen. Then he went right to work to make the change we requested before the concrete arrived. The invoice was just as originally estimated. Even with our changes, there were no surprises. We are very pleased with the quality of work and beautiful finishes on our driveway, garage floor and patio.We would highly recommend Gaetano Cement and would not hesitate to use him again.

Updated Review 4/27/2015: I have to adjust my review and recommendation. Unfortunately after the winter my driveway has cracked severely across several sections. I am not saying that it is a result of faulty materials or craftsmanship, but it is frustrating especially since two neighbors had new concrete driveways installed at the same time with no issues. I sent the contractor pictures and they responded that the cracks are most likey not functional/structural, but cosmetic. After paying $12K and less than 7 months later, I don't want a cracked driveway. The reason why I am revising my review is that I contacted the contractor to look at the damage and provide me an estimate on the cost to repair or replace the damage. Unlike when trying to get the initial business, there is no sense of urgency and actually the opposite ? delay and we?ll get to you at some point. I?m sure they have had to deal with a number of similar complaints this year, but I was not looking for them to pay for it ? I made this very clear from the first contact back in March. I hope that Gaetano stands by their work by inspecting the damage, providing me an estimate and getting me on their schedule. I am concerned that I may have to find another contactor to do the work. Initial Review: Awesome work! I highly recommend Gaetano Cement. From the initial quote through the end of the project, everything went as promised. The owners and staff were all very polite, professional and easy to work with throughout the project. The end product looks great and is high quality. I have received countless compliments on the new driveway, etc. Not only were they flexible to my changing the scope of work, they also suggested better ways of designing/completing the project. They provided a fair price, excellent work/craftsmanship and truly care about their customers. This is one of the few times in my life that I am walking away from a home project/improvement and can honestly say that the I extremely happy. Gaetano exceeded my expectations!

Guy was very flexible, as we were trying to work this project in around other project we were having done. He followed up every couple of weeks to see if we were ready. We really appreciated his follow-up and flexibility. Once the project was underway, he and his crew problem solved to deal with some difficult drainage issues. They kept us informed, took photographs and found a solution that worked well without adding too much cost. Gaetano is professional and does great work. Our new driveway is beautiful. We would definitely use them again and/or recommend them to others.

Because of a severe water problem, we have to have all of our cement sidewalks, 2 entrance steps and cement patio removed in preparation for foundation repair work. Because of reviews on Angie's List, I contacted Gaetano Cement and left a message describing the job. Promptly, I received a return phone call. I learned the following (1) Gaetano is not registered in the city of Hudson at this time, (2) even if he could do the job, it wouldn't be this year because he is booked for the "cement season" and (3) he was well-spoken and thorough in his explanation. I so appreciated his honesty and only wish I could have hired Gaetano Cement for the job.

I had a great experience with Gaetano Cement. I would HIGHLY recommend using this company for any cement work you need done. They were very courteous, even my neighbors commented on how polite the team of workers were. Weather was shakey but they kept me informed as to when they would be out and what time they would be there. The job was done in two day total and their attention to detail is incredible. Thanks again!

The Gaetano team arrived as scheduled and efficiently performed all quoted activities in a professional manner. I would highly recommend using this contractor for any concrete work.

Guy was honest about what his company does and doesn't do. He turned down the job as it would entail waterproofing, something he did not do. However, he did provide me with advice on how to handle the situation. I would recommend him for this alone. For phase 2 of the project, I will be contacting him for an estimate for this reason.

Guy responded quickly with initial follow up phone call and came right away for a quote. We had a couple more contractor's come out and give us some ideas. Called Guy and asked if he could do those for us and he did. Some rain delay, as this is a very wet summer, but, came out as soon as he could, kept to his customer time line. When Guy showed up we asked him to remove some concrete from our stone patio we took apart and add two steps and he did everything we asked. Rained during our week, but, Guy came back and finished the job Friday and Saturday. It started raining after the driveway was poured and he flew back to our house from another job nearby to see if the drive needed to be covered. The driveway was sealed so all was good. Overall Guy knows his craft and his Dad is adorable. Answered all our questions and office staff, Lisa was great.

We ended up not going with them because the cost was more than we anticipated.

Our goal for this project was to create a smooth surface for cleaning and prevent water permeation through the floor as we had the walls waterproofed on both the exterior and interior. We solicited quotes for two different types of basement jobs 1) to cover the existing floor with a leveling concrete and 2) to rip it out and start over. We solicited quotes from 4 Angie?s List companies rated ?A?. Of the 4, Gaetano was the only one to actually come out and bid the job. 1 company did not return my call and the other 2 said they did not do interior residential work unless they were also doing exterior work. Guy Difini of Gaetano Cement, was prompt in his response to my phone call to schedule the quote and was upfront about the amount of work both types of jobs would require. He spent over an hour discussing our options with us. He explained that if we wanted to pursue option 1, work could not be warrantied as our existing floor had hollow pockets and deep holes that could not be filled by top coating with leveling concrete. The end result would be a pretty looking floor that would not prevent water from entering our house and would crack eventually. Option 2, while requiring more manual labor, would correct the sub-floor and properly prevent water from coming through the floor. The cost for either option was similar due to the higher material cost of option 1 and the high labor cost of option 2. After evaluating the information Gaetano had provided, we decided to proceed with option 2 and had our entire basement jackhammered out, a vapor barrier installed, wire reinforcing added, and new concrete poured. Gaetano worked with us to figure out a way to pour the entire floor on one day while leaving the washer, dryer, and other miscellaneous tools and lumber in the basement on the raised ledge we had recently fixed using bag cement and a small bathroom which is going to be remodeled later. The crew showed up on time each day, was respectful of our house, was friendly and did not complain about the backbreaking labor of jackhammering and hauling the old cement up in 5 gallon buckets out the only door in the basement. I believe the greatest challenge was the fact we do not have a driveway, which meant the dump truck, cement truck, pump truck, tool truck and trailer, bobcat truck and trailer all had to park on the street in front of our house. Despite being a challenge, the demo days and pump day ran smoothly. Our resulting basement slab is gorgeously smooth and we no longer have moisture in our basement. After the slab cured (and we had time), we moved everything back off the raised ledge and Guy came back to epoxy coat the raised concrete ledge which was generating a lot of concrete dusting (common when bagged cement is used for large areas, especially with a vapor barrier below the concrete). We had a very successful experience using Gaetano Cement and will recommend them to our friends and family. Should we ever need another cement slab poured, we will be calling Gaetano Cement first.

Guy and his team did a first rate job. It was the end of the season to do concrete work before it gets too cold for it to cure properly, but Guy got his team out to the house and did the entire thing from first call to completion in one week. The existing driveway had been gravel a long time, and it had been built up to be very unlevel. They not only perfectly aligned the existing sidewalk apron with the new concrete, but the aligned the existing concrete slab of the old garage. They did it all so that water would both channel to the middle of the drive (a very subtle v-shape) but also channel away from the house to the street gutters. This required substantial excavation and re-use of the gravel as foundation material. They also beautifully finished the completed drive with texturing that looks great and will provide better traction. All-in-all a first rate job by a very professional crew.