Olde World Restoration

Description of Work: Our Shorewood home was unfortunately one of those that was flooded in July 2010. We initially hired Olde World Restoration and its owner, Al Schmucker, to demolish our finished basement and then rebuild it. Al came highly recommended to us from a friend who is in the restoration business who was already overcommitted with projects resulting from the widespread flooding. Once the walls were removed, unfortunately, major foundation flaws were revealed, including both horizontal and vertical cracking and bowing along several walls. We obtained estimates from several basement contractors, with each contractor recommending a slightly different solution. Al then suggested we retain a structural engineer to help us assess the situation, which turned out to be great advice. In the end, we chose Al to do all of the work recommended by the engineer. This included full excavation along three sides of our house, the installation of drainage tile and the installation of 24 steel reinforcing beams throughout the interior. We also had Al refinish our basement, which included tiling the floor and overseeing the construction and installation of built in cabinets. The finished product exceeded our expectations and has transformed the house by providing us a space that we and our kids actually want to inhabit. Given the state of the housing market and the cost involved, this was not a project we relished taking on. Fortunately, Al and his team (they deserve special mention here as well) were fantastic to work with thoughout. Al is an honest businessman and a superb craftsman who does not settle for the easiest solution, but instead strives for the best one within the alotted budget. We were and are very pleased and would definitely use Al and his team again.