Basements Unlimited

Al and team did a fantastic job our our basement. We had a large project, but the team paid attention to every single detail and really went above and beyond. From the beginning, we appreciated the line by line estimate that explained every cost rather than simply charging a standard price per square foot. The quality of all the work, from bathroom to flooring, walls, painting etc. was excellent. We opted for a custom built bar, and were blown away with the quality that they delivered. I would HIGHLY recommend basements unlimited to friends looking to finish their basement, especially if they have an interest in a bar.

Al was professional, provided great ideas for our design, and was very willing to listen to what we were looking for. We felt very comfortable with his crew being in our house while we were at work, and they did a great job keeping the construction dust out of our normal living area. Al is clearly committed to quality work, both during and after construction. When minor hiccups happened (which are inevitable) Al was sure to make them right. Everyone that sees our basement comments on how amazing it turned out. It is the best investment we've made in our house since building it a few years ago. If you are thinking about finishing your basement, go with Basements Unlimited and you will be very happy you did!

The job was completed about 7 months ago, and we're very pleased with the work done by Basements Unlimited.  Al and his crew were very easy to work with, particularly Lance, the project manager.  All of the guys were polite, approachable, and open to questions and suggestions on the fly.  With the bottom of the ceiling joists being only about 7.5' from the floor, we opted to have them painted a dark color as opposed to drywall.  Al noted this was something they don't normally do, but they did a great job with it and we couldn't be happier with the result.  They ran into an issue with some of the drywall screws in the stairwell puncturing our built-in cabinets on the other side of the wall, though I'm not sure if they could have forseen this because the depth of the wall framing wasn't normal.  In any event, they repaired it in good order and all looks fine.  Also, when it came time for carpet, his installer noted an issue with the slope to the floor drains, which delayed the work until the floor could be leveled.  This added a bit to the cost, but Al was more than fair with the additional cost.  His bid for the project was neither the cheapest nor most expensive we received, but I think he provided good value.  I docked a star for punctuality only because the project took a lot longer than originally anticipated, and as much as a week would go by with no activity.  To be fair, though, we dragged our feet a bit on paint and carpet selection, and in any case the delay would not be a deal breaker since the end result was so good.

Also worth noting is Al's responsiveness, probably the best I've experienced with a contractor.  His email replies almost always came the same day/evening or early the following day.  Big thumbs up for this.

unknown

This work was done 7 years ago, in 2009. We are now selling our house and the finished basement still looks great! Still one of the best parts of our house. Al's design was awesome! The contractor and subs did great work. Roger, who worked with Al at the time, did great work and was super friendly. We had some electrical issues after the fact, that turned out to not be related to the work done, but Al was super responsive. We had some embarrassing issues with one of the checks we wrote. Al was understanding and patient with us.

unknown

We found Basements Unlimited/Al Cloern on Angieslist and we could not be happier.  From the first time my husband met with Al to discuss the scope of our project, we felt completely at ease.  During the remodel, we were in and out of town throughout the process and Al was great at communicating with us via email, text and phone as needed.  When we had an issue with our heating system during the cold snap in March, Al personally went to our property after 11PM to turn on the faucets and check the temperature inside to make sure we did not have any pipes burst until we could get the HVAC company out to repair the issue the next day.  The workmen were all pleasant and professional and we are really enjoying our newly remodeled basement.  Al did a great job on planning the layout - It is so much more functional and attractive than the outdated basement we started with.  Also, Al stuck to his bid.  The only additional costs were for additional items which we requested, or for those which were needed to meet code that he could not have known about until he got into the job.  And for those additional items, the charges were more than fair.  (We added a counter to the laundry room, went with a higher cost flooring throughout the basement than originally planned, and also upgraded the vanity in the bathroom).  They also built a custom shelving/cabinet unit in the wall flanking the shower in the new bathroom, added cabinet doors under the laundry counter to conceal plumbing, and completely finished a storage area under the stairway in the bedroom (flooring, paint and lighting!).  We are so pleased that we found Basements Unlimited and highly recommend them!!!

I received quotes from three contractors for our basement. When I met Al I felt he was the best match for us regardless of price, but his estimate was by far the best. Lucky for us! He said he?d do a good job for us and I immediately trusted he would.

What I liked from the start was that Al was very responsive. My texts and emails were answered right away.  Having had a previous, negative home building experience I thought there was a possibility that something might go wrong or shortcuts would be taken.  With Al, though,  I could see right away he was a craftsman and a perfectionist. The work he did, and the contractors he used, was top notch. I felt like they were doing work they?d do on their own homes. They took great care to keep things clean with a minimum of dust and dirt.

Al did little things that I didn?t even think of, like use switches with dimmers so that we could adjust our lighting and multiple hardwired smoke detectors for us.

All in all I am so happy we connected with Al. Our finished basement.is beautiful. I would highly recommend Basements Unlimited. A+!

unknown

unknown

Al and his team took an unfinished, rather disgusting, basement area and made it into a wonderful rec room/family room. The quality of the workmanship was excellent. The finished product looks great. My wife and I are thrilled with the result. It is always difficult to compare price between contractors as most do not include everything - some have you buy your own flooring, some your own lighting fixtures. Al includes the entire project. The estimate was the final cost (except for the upgrades that my wife and I decided upon after the project started).

I contacted Al at Basements Unlimited for a quote.  He was one of three vendors that I contacted to provide a design and estimate.  Al was great to deal with during the quote process.  It was obvious that although he has done jobs much larger than mine, he was interested in listening to what I wanted for the space.  He had the perfect mix of incorporating my wishes with his suggestions based on his vast experience.  Both of the other vendors I had quote the job were more interested in telling me what I should do, not necessarily what I wanted.
The tear out went very quickly, as did the framing and rough-in plumbing, electric, and HVAC.  There were questions and changes as we went along, and Al always made sure I got what I wanted.  All of the cabinets and woodworking were custom, and his contractors in that area are absolute artists.  Once that was done, the stain and painters came in and did a fabulous job.  Then came tiling and carpet, and the trim out for electrical, plumbing, TV?s, speakers, etc.
I would like to mention that everyone Al uses are great people.  These are people that are in your house for 3+ months, and my wife and I felt like we?d known them for years.  We really enjoyed getting to know them.  Trust was never a problem, and that?s important.
The finished product was beyond my expectations.  I think Al?s true talent is making the basement look like the rest of the  house.  As I said before, he has vast experience in all types of basements, from Muirfield to our home in Gahanna.  His
communication skills were refreshing for a contractor.  Anytime I emailed or texted him, I got a reply right back.  We met regularly to go over the progress, and discuss any changes that were required (or small changes I wanted to make).
We?re looking forward to enjoying the new space and watching Blackhawks and Buckeye games with family and friends for years to come.  If you?re looking to do a basement remodel, do yourself a favor and go to Al?s website and also check out his videos on YouTube.  I am happy to be a reference customer for Basements Unlimited.

Basements Unlimited finished my basement about two years ago.  A couple of weeks ago, I noticed that some of the bar lighting was starting to go bad.  I contacted the owner, Al Cloern,  just hoping he'd remember the specific lights that he used so I could replace them myself - I certainly didn't expect them to last forever.  I told him I was having a party that weekend and wanted the bar to look its best.
Al replied right away with the type of lights he used, and where to get them.  But, an hour or so later, he contacted me and said he'd pick them up and install them for me.  He remembered that some of the installation points were tricky to get to, and figured I wouldn't have the right tools to do it myself (he was right).  He came out, replaced three sets of lights, and the bar was looking great that weekend.
Oh - there was no charge, not even for the lights themselves.  Al told me when he did the initial construction that I was a customer for life and could contact him anytime, and I now know it wasn't just a line.  I certainly don't expect him to run over every time a light bulb goes out, but it great to know he's there when I really need something.

The guy was pretty abrupt, but to the point. Gotta admire honesty I guess.

unknown

We can't say enough about Al and his team at Basements Unlimited. Our basement was partially finished, but had flooded (due to what we were told was just a clogged pipe). We had that addressed, so decided to have the basement fully finished. We interviewed several contractors, but liked most what Basements Unlimited had to offer. We also have a unique situation in that we live overseas half of the year, so we wouldn't be available for the work. We needed someone we could communicate with from afar, and trust to do good, honest work with us not being there. Al and his team delivered, and went above and beyond. Unfortunately during the job our basement flooded again. It wasn't a clogged pipe this time, it was something entirely different. Rather than just inform us, and tell us we get it resolved and then call them back to finish the project, Al and his team took it upon themselves to figure out the problem and get it resolved. They contacted other companies who had difeerent expertises to get everything sorted...ulitimately it was determined that it wasn't just one issue contributing to the water in the basement, but several. Al informed us of all the findings and provided estimates for the different solutions. Some of the issues weren't even basement related, yet Al still had it addressed knowing we ourselves couldn't get it done being so far away. He had even brought in a cleaning crew to tidy up the house (separate from the project cleanup) as we were arriving in a couple days, and had been away...just because he thought it would be nice for us to walk into a clean house after having been gone. When everything was said and done, we have a beautiful DRY basement thus far. His team was on site, on time every day (per friends and family). The project was completed on time, even with all the hiccups encountered. I highly, highly recommend Basements Unlimited...true professionals who take pride in their work and do fantastic, honest work.

Al and his team are fantastic.  The quality of the work was just great, and everyone on the job (which lasted several months) were very professional and a joy to work with.  Al provides a decorator who really helped with choosing materials.  They communicated very well, and were very responsive to my requests and changes.  All the cabinetry is hand built and incredibly well-done.  The finished product is just absolutely beautiful and we are enjoying it very much.  I would highly recommend them and would not hesitate to use them again.

This project went exceptionally well done, and it's all because of the great people that run and work at Al's company.  From top to bottom, Al and his team are pros.  During the quoting process, Al --  by far -- did the most thorough and thoughtful job of providing a detailed and ACCURATE price quote along with creative design ideas.  He was not the cheapest, but his value exceeded all others.  The ideas that Al brought to the table were the most impressive thing.  Al has done so many basement projects over the years that he and his team have ideas and experience that his competitors simply do not have.  Al's carpenter, Lance, is an artist.  Every wooden component…cabinets, bar, pole casings…was hand built by Lance with care and precision.  The results were exceptional.  The team always did what they said they would do, and we could not be happier with the results.  And, to boot, they are all great people, which is important when they essentially become family members for 4 months!  I would highly recommend Al and his team to anyone.

Al and the whole team at Basements Unlimited were great! Al Cloern came out and gave an estimate and was very patient in answering our questions. He then came back to explain his estimate. We received four different estimates, and I think Al was the lowest bid, but we would have gone with him even if he and Basements Unlimited were not. He was very friendly and attentive to what we were looking for in our renovation. Also, Al and the whole team were trustworthy and just great workers.
They put up drywall, put in a ceiling with great cannister lights, a sliding door into the laundry room and installed carpeting.
They also made a custom cabinet for our gas meter, adding shelving under our steps, added light switches to our unfinished area and mounted the speakers for our surround sound system! They also added many much needed outlets!
The basement looks great! Everyone was respectful and the project was done in a timely manner. Al also checks in to make sure you are satisfied every step of the way. I highly recommend Basements Unlimited. Al will work with you to give you the basement you have been looking for! I will admit a few companies we got estimates from had "high tech" gadgets" and one had photo rendering of what the basement could look like. However, even though Basements Unlimited does not have the newest and slickest marketing materials, they are great to deal with and they do provide references, pics of past projects and will answer all of your questions.
We could not be happier with our choice of Basements Unlimited. They did a great job every step of the way.
If we decide to do some other remodeling, then I am sure we will be checking in with Basements Unlimited!
They also went the extra mile for us in doing some little things(fix ups) for us that they noticed along the way. 
Two thumbs way up! Our basement is now our favorite room in our house! I highly recommend that you check them out!

We researched 5 different companies and had 5 different people come to the house. Al was the only person who came over, drew out a floor plan and gave his opinion for free. Many of the other companies wanted to just give us a quote over the phone. When we called him back and asked more questions, he came over to our house to sit down with us. He was so personal and friendly and really knows what he is doing. I can not say enough at how impressed we were with his knowledge. He gave us many of the best quality and small detailed personal touches for our basement. Many of the other companies give you a base price and then charge for the "upgrades". Al does all of the "upgrades" when he does the basement and his prices were very comparable and even better than a few. We loved his design and he was great at giving advice. We loved Roger as well. We felt very comfortable with every contractor he has working for him. We gave them our garage code when we were not home and felt 100% comfortable having them there if we were not home. They got the job done in about 6 weeks, just in time for our baby to be born. We are extremely happy with the job. We had a minor complaint about the paint and Al was very responsive and fixed it to our satisfaction at no extra charge. He also fixed a few other minor imperfections in the drywall so that the paint went on smoothly. We have so many compliments on our basement. We LOVE basements unlimited and definitely recommend Al to make your living space a space to love.

Al Cloern, owner of Basements Unlimited, was very easy to deal and with very trustworthy.  The only drawbacks were the length of time to completion (although we didn't have a firm deadline) and one of the sub-contractors who seemed to leave his parts of the project sometimes to be finished by other persons.  Overall we were very pleased with the quality, value, and experience of doing business with Basements Unlimited and would recommend them to our friends and neighbors.

We are very pleased with how our basement turned out.  It really looks fantastic!  All our family and friends who have visited have also been impressed by the quality work and finishes.  Al was always available and accomodated our changes without a problem.  The work took longer then expected but it was worth it in the end.  I was very happy with the designer who works with Al.  Marlene Casey was instrumental in helping me decide on the finishes in the bathroom and wet bar area.  The only issues we had were with the plumbers who worked for Al- they were forgetful in turning back on the hot water tank several times and this resulted in some cold showers for us until we figured out what was wrong.  Al was very responsive though and he came right over and fixed the issue.  Overall, we have been very satisfied with our finished basement.

Al and his team were entirely focused on completing a quality job.  They were professional, courteous and punctual.  The basement remodel exceeded my expectations in terms of quality and professionalism of the team.  I would recommend Basements Unlimited without reservation.  Al came out and provided an estimate which included detailed drawings and recommendations for enhancements that could be made to the existing area.  Then, the team built the cabinets, stained the wood to match existing cabinetry, installed new flooring and performed electrical work.  The finished product entirely transformed the existing basement bar area.

The basement, and my bar in particular is absolutely amazing.  It all turned out so much better than I had hoped.
I met with four different contractors.  Al was the last person I met with, and frankly, my wife and I had already decided on another contractor but kept the appointment we had made with Al to be polite.  Al blew both of us away with his thoroughness on the proposal.  The others were not willing to do certain things (flooring, for example), or had proposals filled with variables.  One, that is also a highly rated company here on Angie's List, emailed me a proposal that was a pre-printed form with a bunch of checkboxes on it, and wasn't even willing to come out and explain it in person.  Anyway, after Al went over his proposal and left. my wife and I looked at each other and said "OK, he wins".
Due to the financing I was using, construction didn't begin for several months.  Al was great - the financing I used (203K rehab loan) required him to take on some financial burden than he normally wouldn't have, but it all worked out great.
I was a bit naive when the project started - I incorrectly assumed that they did one project at a time, so I'd see them all day, every day, from start to finish.  As I said - Al is a popular guy, and had many jobs going on at the same time.  After a week or two, I got used to the schedule.  There would be flurries of activity, with some down time in between.
There were some delays when the bar construction started, partly because of changes that Al and I came up with, and partly because he is juggling multiple projects and can't be on any one site day after day.  I was OK with the delays because I could see the quality of construction I was getting - I'll wait an extra month if it means getting exactly what I want.  
We got to know all of the crew over the Summer.  Al, Mike, Lance, and Roger were great, we were completely comfortable giving them access to the house - they came and went as needed.
Anyway, completely satisfied.  If I can figure out how to attach some photos, they will say more than I can in 10000 characters.....
Al is really a master craftsman, and a perfectionist.  Because of that, he is also very busy.  Every stick of wood in my bar was custom cut  by him.  I learned a lot about cabinet making by watching his progress (mostly that I made the right decision to NOT attempt to do it myself).

Excellent.  Al and his team did a great job staying on schedule and taking care of the minor suprises along the way.  I highly recommend Al and Basements Unlimited.