The Basement Men & The Concrete Man

I met with Steve for a estimate on a basement remodel. Steve was professional and on time. He came up with a great design for my basement. The next day, he sent me over the proposal and his price was reasonable and right in my budget. Steve is one of the few professionals who still cares about their work and wants to please his customers. I had other estimates on my basement, some companies were a no show, others were expensive and some companies never even responded to me. I had to postpone my remodel due to plumbing issues, but once that is squared away I would like to pick up where we left off.

As a lot of reviews here we got a bad experience with Steve. I truly doubt the good reviews since before the final discussions he wanted to offer us a $200 DISCOUNT FOR A GOOD REVIEW. Just be aware and read carefully all the F reviews there to learn ahead who are you dealing with. After getting big money from us in a period when this business is very slow, he has decided not to finish the job unless we consider a part of it a different job and we pay extra. This was the installation of handrails and spindles that he was looking again to rip us off with. He started before Christmas and after they got the $$$ thousands in down payment and dogged in the basement, Steve decided not to continue the job without extra $300. He threatened me with living the job, if otherwise. In the end he tried to intimidate me with his lawyer. I feel cheated and deceived by this individual and I warn everyone to watch out. I am very disappointed with the outcomes, especially because we were so fair in dealing and paying him. We had made 9 payments for him instead of 3 major ones, because he had asked us for money to pay his workers or materials. Each time he asked us for a payment, we were right on time and pleased him. We even paid him half of the final payment without completing the job. Moreover, we have paid for the delivery of floor, cabinets, vanity and doors to make it easier and faster for his workers. We have made 2 extra trips to Lowes for floor since some miscalculation occurred. Steve refused to do anything we asked him, blaming us for everything. His subcontractor left us on a Friday without power in the living room, and Steve considered this our existent issue and he thinks that we should have paid for his subcontractor's services. We wanted a full replacement of both WASHER and DRYER machines. His subcontractor has scratched and damaged our appliances. Patching them up is not good enough for us. They were brand new and we have all the paperwork from ABT and pictures to prove it. *We wanted 4 of the 6 panel doors installed to be replaced with flat panel doors because they have been cut and we are not pleased with the look. Basically, this individual will not take the responsibility at the job and all he will try to do is to rip you off. I have learned about poor business ethics, no moral integrity or professionalism with this individual. I am not sure what YOU are looking for?!?

Great design on time on budget clean and tidy no complaints whatsoever

Today was the start (Feb 24, 2020). And so far the first impression has been exceptional. My husband and I along with Steve and the men met up on this past Wednesday ( February 19, 2020 at 10am) for the final walk through before the start of the job. The plan was clear concise and consensual . We paid the initial deposit and excepted the men to show up today at 8:30 am. The men showed up this morning at 8:15, they came in very polite and went right to work. This job is off to a good start, actually a really good start. I will post here every few days as the basement renovations progresses. The basement is expected to be completed in approximately 2-3 weeks. So check here often for my latest updates. I will be giving my absolute honest experience as some of these reviews aren’t as detailed. I will be, because I understand the investment and expectations many of you like me may have. So stay close as I give you all an honest review on The Basement Men ...... so far....... I am pleased.

Steve and his crew did an outstanding job on time to perfection and within budget. His design knowledge and experience eliminated possible problems. He is hands on and we will use him again on future projects.

As a lot of reviews here we got a bad experience with Steve. I truly doubt the good reviews since before the final discussions he wanted to offer us a $200 DISCOUNT FOR A GOOD REVIEW. Just be aware and read carefully all the F reviews there to learn ahead who are you dealing with. After getting big money from us in a period when this business is very slow, he has decided not to finish the job unless we consider a part of it a different job and we pay extra. This was the installation of handrails and spindles that he was looking again to rip us off with. He started before Christmas and after they got the $$$ thousands in down payment and dogged in the basement, Steve decided not to continue the job without extra money. He threatened me with living the job, if otherwise. In the end he tried to intimidate me with his lawyer. I feel cheated and deceived by this individual and I warn everyone to watch out. Here is what we were asking him for and he didn't done: *credit for services that we no longer needed and were included in the contract: **laminate countertop installation **removing and moving kitchen cabinets from upstairs kitchen to the basement **Installation of a storm door *Credit of the extra work for ejector pit (he had charged us with extra money without a legitimate explanation. He had threatened me to leave the job if I don’t pay. With a young toddler in the house, all the debris resulted from digging and an open foundation, I paid him to have a peaceful Christmas. Moreover, there were thousands of dollars given to him in the down payment). *Credit for the extra payment for can lights. The contract states 15 can lights, and he had installed 16 and he charged us for 2 extra more plus about $100 for the kitchen’s can lights without a legitimate explanation. *We wanted a full replacement of both WASHER and DRYER machines. His subcontractor has scratched and damaged our appliances. Patching them up is not good enough for us. They were brand new and we have all the paperwork from ABT and pictures to prove it. *We wanted 4 of the 6 panel doors installed to be replaced with flat panel doors because they have been cut and we are not pleased with the look. *We wanted the toilet paper holder to be replaced. It was installed in a wrong place *The entrance door needed to be painted and finished inside and outside plus the walls need to be painted. *The wall by the stairs needed to be painted up to the ceiling *Kitchen cabinets, faucet, sink and appliances need to be installed/ connected per directions given in the contract *The mechanical room needed to be cleaned of all the debris left there *The small access door from the electrical box needed to be finished and painted *Some wires in the living room are exposed and needed to be covered so they don’t become hazardous *The bedroom and living room walls needed some touch-ups *Door handle installed at the bedroom door *Proper cleaning of the job site. I am very disappointed with the outcomes especially because we were so fair in dealing and paying him We had made 9 payments for him instead of 3 major ones, because he has asked us for money to pay his workers or materials. Each time he asked us for a payment, we were right on time and pleased him. We even paid him half of the final payment without completing the job. Moreover, we have paid for the delivery of floor, cabinets, vanity and doors to make it easier and faster for his workers. We have made 2 extra trips to Lowes for floor since some miscalculation occurred. Steve refused to do any of those above, blaming us for everything. His subcontractor left us on a Friday without power in the living room, and Steve considered this our existent issue and he thinks that we should have paid for his subcontractor's services. Basically, this individual will not take the responsibility at the job and all he will try to do is to rip you off. I have learned about poor business ethics, no moral integrity or professionalism with this individual. I am not sure what YOU are looking for?!?

Steve is fantastic and I can't wait to work with him again. He had a vision that really made things come together in a way I could not imagine.

Steve is very nice. The quote was resonable. They were able to start earlier than planed and finished on schedule. Rafo did great work. We will have them back to do more projects at our home. Honest, reliable and trustworthy.

Steve was very professional and honest with us in providing a quote, as well as working within our budget. All throughout the process he and Tony were open and helpful. They knew that we were looking to stay within a fairly restricted budget, but still worked with us to build what I needed while still being within what we could afford. They made the recommendation of adding a drain system, which was not part of the original plan, but we're glad we had them add it. The only other additional cost was that I wanted more electrical work done than what was in our original plan. We had: concrete removal, a drain system installed, new concrete poured, and a room built in the new space. Steve and Tony worked hard to accommodate my crazy ideas, including hooking up HVAC silencer boxes that I built myself. In order to help out with the budget all woodworking and painting was left to me, which I'm still in the process of finishing. I found everyone's conduct to be very professional and courteous throughout. Steve estimated that the project would be about a month, and they were finished in 19 days. So awesome. The next time that I have a home project I'll definitely be calling Steve again. I had a great experience working with them.

Steve was great to work with. Enjoyed the experience. Would use again!

The Basement Men did a very nice job working with us to design changes and remodel our entire basement. The project started on time and was completed within our expected dates and budget expectations. The best outcome is that when I needed Steve to send someone in to make some adjustments to a door and some other minor fixes and missed little touches that are bound to crop up or get noticed, the work was handled promptly and without question or hassle, after he had been paid in full. We were impressed by how the crew demolished and removed the old, and cleaned up daily before leaving our site. We had to make change orders along the way, normal in most projects of this nature. Steve was fair and reasonable and we had no objections insofar as the pricing of additional materials and the labor changes required. The most impactful example of how Steve was reasonable to work with and his good judgement was deciding what to do with the floor in the storage (back) portion of the basement, paint it or add the same vinyl flooring we used in the playroom front. We followed his advice to go with a more expensive vinyl option and are very happy we did because it turned out beautifully and added value to the renovation. Yes, he encouraged us to spend more money than we had wanted, but the results bore out his reasoning. It was good advice, and he was very straight-forward in our discussions leading up to the final decision on our part. I would characterize all of our dealings with Steve on our project in the same manner; very fair, well articulated, polite, on-time, to spec, and at fair prices. We highly recommend Steve Lauer and The Basement Men.

Very happy with the work done by The Basement Men! We had them remodel our split-level basement and laundry room. We met with Steve who easy to work with and offered great tips in planning for the work within our budget. Our space had all wood paneling, a broken drop ceiling, old carpet and exposed concrete floors. As the work started, they moved very quickly and checked in frequently to address any questions or concerns. Even during the work they made great suggestions to make the space look great. In just 2 weeks, they gutted the room, re-insulated, put up drywall, carpeting and flooring. They removed the drop-ceiling, painted it all black and installed canned lighting and it looks amazing! Even clean up was great when the work was done. We now have a room we love to be in! We plan to use them again for our next project.

Outstanding. The crews were professional, quick, efficient, and did quality work. The price was fair. They also did an excellent job of cleanup.

workers were very fast and efficient. cleaned up was complete.

Steve and his team did a fantastic job. They were professional, fast and offered great service. We were also very happy with the work they performed. I would highly recommend them to anyone.

No professionalism. We scheduled an estimate, they reschedule the day before. The morning of the second day they rescheduled again. The third time they just never showed up, no call no email, just didn't come. I rearranged my schedule for the estimate and they just ignored it.

For our convenience, Steve stopped by on a weekend to provide a quote. He had a great design idea that was a bit more expensive than the job I originally had in mind, but it turned out to be well worth it. In less than a week the job was done (almost all in one day). Really happy I went with Steve’s plan. Great look for the front of the house.

They did a GREAT job in a short time-frame!

Be careful, the business address is a P.O. Box and Steve’s license is not under “Basement Men & Concrete Man”. Not sure if Creative Approach Builders is Chicago licensed.

Steve showed up as scheduled and gave a reasonable quote on the spot. They came three days later to do the job. The only thing that was not A+ was the quality of dirt they brought to fill in along the new walk but they did bring the dirt.

Scheduled an estimate three weeks in advance, they didn't come at agreed upon time - had called early and decided to leave the area because i ddin;t respond quick enough. . Why did you schedule appt? I even told the office I thought it was too far for for them to come, but the insisted they could handle it. If this is an indication of how they do business - steer clear. I was offered the opportunity to call again, take another day off work. And here's a news flash - they concrete is OUTSIDE. You could have driven by since you were here so early. Thanks for showing you unprofessional approach before the project took flight.

The job went great. Before the job began Steve came over and brainstormed some ideas of how the bar would look best and offered some suggestions on how to fix the area. Once we agreed on the work to be done he provided a quote right there and it was very competitive. One of Steve's co-workers, Martin, came and did the work. He did a great job, was punctual, very skillful, and cleaned up each day. Overall it was a great experience and we are planning to use them for other projects in our home.

I'm going to keep this very brief. He repeatedly asked for more and more down payment without ever viewing the project in person, or scheduling a definite date to start work. He was by far the cheapest option, but easy to anger and would hang up on me whenever I would ask pressing questions. I ended up needing to threaten legal action to get our deposit back.

It went professionally fast and conveniently done in 2 days.

on time and professional, would highly recommend