Get matched with top basement remodelers in Franconia, VA

"If you want to work with someone condescending, rude, confrontational, unprofessional, and whose contractors workmanship is probably the worst I have ever encountered in my 30 years of working with contractors, THIS IS YOUR GUY. I can ramble on about the false promises, the horrible workmanship, the constant delays, the lack of communication, the rude and confrontational text messages. I guarantee Mr. Shank will in fact respond to this review and try to flip the script and blame it all on me somehow. He talks very poorly about all his customers well at least the ones he doesn't like. Not sure what that is based on although I do have some idea what is based on. But he never made anything explicit, so I can't make accusations that he is a racist. So I am definitely not saying he is a racist because he didn't do anything racist. But if he was a racist it would explain why he didn't give two poops about doing good work for multiple projects I provided him. I also have multiple properties and was hoping to make Mr. Shank a lifelong contractor. In a nutshell, he has done 2 projects for me at 2 properties. One was installing a threshold for a glass enclosed shower stall. His crappy sub contractor (they are not employees) despite him saying they are employees, did not install any grouting on the threshold. Fast forward 1 year, and mold is popping up all around the threshold. Rather than dealing with this individual, I hired another contractor to fix up his mess. Second job, and my second mistake, I hired him for a full scale home renovation for around 50K. That project was an absolute disaster. He took 3 months to do what he promised to me verbally would be a 3 week job. I don't really want to spend 1 hour writing down all the crap he did wrong. I'll try so sum up the highlights. Ripped out old flooring, promised to make new flooring level after installing new concrete by using lasers. New flooring is totally not level and as bumpy as walking on your local trail. The shoe moldings around the flooring look like a child installed them. I had to argue with him to get him to regrout the bathroom which was in his contract in the first place. I can go on and on. For sure if you are someone that Mr. Shank likes and match his criteria of what he likes, whatever that could be I have no idea definitely not race related. He may do a great job for you and that may explain the great reviews. I myself had a horrible experience with Mr. Shank and his group of sub contractors who just plain do terrible work. Ignore my review or take it seriously, frankly this guy will keep getting business cause he's a great salesman. Even has a LinkedIN profile to show how professional he is. Epic scammer and fraud. Stay away."

"Work was excellent! Workers kind and understood all my directions."

"Made appointment for them to come over for an estimate (which they charge for) between 9-12 today. They are a no show. I wasted the whole morning on them. DO NOT recommend."

"We recently had the unfortunate experience of working with Character Companies Inc., and as government civil servants and veterans, we were deeply disappointed. The price of renovating two bathrooms and installing new LVP flooring at $70K (original quote: $84K) seemed excessive, but we hoped that the quality of service would justify the cost. Sadly, that was not the case, and it has cost us the chance to rent out our home while we are deployed to Iraq. From start to finish, the experience was a nightmare. The project management was abysmal, with multiple delays that extended the timeline one month beyond the agreed schedule. It took over two months to do just two bathrooms and replace flooring when the original timeline was four weeks. This company demonstrated a shocking lack of professionalism and accountability throughout the process. The design work was utterly incompetent, failing to conform to the existing plumbing structure in our bathrooms. The contractor disregarded our repeated attempts to bring attention to design flaws and forced the installation of bathroom vanities by performing a â carpentry fixâ that left us with two top drawers sealed shut, one bottom drawer with a cutout, and one fully functional drawer. One month after installation, one vanity separated from the wall and had to be reattached. Our allegations of Character charging us for high-end fixtures and installing cheaper ones were ignored. The final straw was the damage done to our marble floors. Instead of offering a repair or replacement, the contractor covered it with LVP and then charged us at the end of the project for the extra costs of the LVP that they incurred to cover up the damage! This was deceitful and completely unacceptable. The CEOâ s disregard for customer satisfaction and maintaining basic work standards is unforgivable. The only thing he did well was apologize profusely, not caring about fixing any problems. During a phone call, he admitted that our project was a â dumpster fireâ yet didnâ t offer any concessions. We strongly advise anyone considering Character Companies Inc. to stay far away. Their poor project management, substandard design, shoddy craftsmanship, and unprofessional conduct have left us with a costly mess that will take more time and money to fix. Protect yourself and go with an experienced, reputable company."

"I could not ask for a better contractor. The whole team from start to finish was top notch. The communication was always there and I was never sold something I didn't need. The end produced was amazing. I will definitely be using them again. I highly recommend this company."

"An amazing, super nice guy to work with...great communication and design ideas. I've never seen someone (and his crew) work so hard to complete a job! I would hire again in a heartbeat."

"The original project I hired them for was to replace leaky faucets in both the kitchen and bathroom. Frank, the owner, was responsive and professional. They scheduled the work promptly and showed up on time. Unexpected issues were discovered that required a second trip and additional work. They communicated everything clearly and the additional costs were handled separately and transparently. They also cleaned up after the work was done. I would hire them again."

"Incredible work. Great attention to detail and appreciate their capabilities of hand fabricating trim pieces and our whole brand new doors from locally sourced wood"