Basement Finishing by Hartel Constr. Grp., Inc.

Our basement was mostly unfinished and the "finished" part had been a do-it-yourself project by previous owner. After reading reviews on Angie's List, I called Martin Hartel and arranged for a consultation. He responded promptly and we met in early September. His proposed price and time line was great, so my husband and I signed the contract. To my delight, demolition work actually began well before the proposed "start" date which allowed Martin and his team to begin the remodel on schedule. Communication was excellent - I was always informed of next day's start time and on the rare occasion that traffic was heavy (Hershey Antique Auto Show will do this!) Martin called to update me. The finished product is wonderful and beautifully done. As I told Martin on the final walk-through, it was exactly what I had requested and much more than I had hoped for. It is obvious that Hartel Group takes great pride in their work and they are all invested in making sure that the client is happy with the result. I have had a few tradesmen come through the space (furnace service, etc.) and they all offered unsolicited WOWs as to quality of the workmanship. That was great to hear. Family members came home for the holidays and were all thrilled with the final product. It provided a spacious new area for adults and children alike to enjoy. Hartel Group finished ahead of original schedule and despite the dust and noise that is part of any construction, I would definitely work with them again and enthusiastically recommend them to anyone looking for high quality interior work! Overall "A" rating is well earned by Hartel Group.

It went fine. They were prompt in getting the job started and worked very diligently to get the job done. They moved the washer and drier and then studded the basement out. Once finished with that they ran the electric and hung the lights. They also reworked our hvac to zone our house. After the electric they hung the drywall, painted and put on all the trim. They tested everything to ensure everything was working, once finished Martin did a thorough walk through with us. Once the basement was finished were tried to bring our furniture in and it did not fit. So Martin had to remove a knee wall and replace that with a rod iron railing, which actually made the basement even better. The work was of high quality and we are very happy with the work. we had a custome toy box added and we had larger doors put in so we could access our storage area easier and to ensure work could be done to out water heater and heat/ac unit if needed.

Martin and his team were wonderful to work with - professional, neat and completed everything in the projected time frame. Martin worked with my husband and I on the layout for our basement and made some great suggestions to help us maximize the use of our space. He also built us a beautiful barn door for the doorway between our finished space and our unfinished storage room as well as a cool kickbar for our bar that helped us save a bit of money. There was great attention to detail and Martin made sure that everything was completed in a way that met our expectations.

They were very polite and professional. The workers were prompt and worked hard. I was very impressed that they were always busy. They were able to get the work done quickly and they did a great job. I am very happy with the work that they did. Martin went out of his way to make sure the job was done to my satisfaction.

He did a fantastic job. He is wonderful! He is fantastic! My bathroom upstairs was a mess. They took it down to studs and redid it, and it's absolutely beautiful. I think he wants to stay more towards basements. If I have any work I want done, I would call him first. All the guys that work for him were so wonderful. It was not an easy job. Our bathroom was glass. The walls were green tiles and it was old. What a job it was and they did a fantastic job with it. They had to break all the glass and get out the tub.

We got 3 quotes, and I was impressed with Martin from the beginning. He had some great ideas in maximizing and customizing our space based on our needs and preferences, for example, finding the best layout so the bar and powder room weren't right next to each other. I work from home and other than the sounds of the saws and pounding necessary, they provided a minimum of an inconvenience. They cleaned up after themselves, were friendly and polite. Any time we had a question, Martin got back to us quickly. He even went "above and beyond" on a few occasions, including picking up our bar cabinets we would have needed to make multiple trips with our personal vehicle. They stuck to their estimate of approx. how long it would take--about 4.5 weeks (not including a delay due to the township supervisor's availability). We are very pleased with how the basement turned out and would highly recommend Hartel.

Martin works as a true professional and did a great job. He worked with us to determine a layout and was creative in suggesting moving the hot water heater to create more space for the bathroom. He communicated with us throughout the project, and the project was done according to the estimated schedule (other than a delay in township approval of the plans). Martin pays close attention to detail and takes pride in his work. He was as careful with this project as we thought he'd be on his own house. Overall, we were very pleased with the quality of work and the ease of working with him. And even after the work was done, he's just a phone call away, as on two occasions we called with concerns, and he came out to help promptly at no charge. We'd definitely be likely to use his services again if a similar project comes up.

Hartel's team does an excellent job at a reasonable price. I highly recommend them to anyone looking to renovate or remodel.

We bought our home in 2010 and had our first child months later. With a second child on the way we decided we needed more space to spend time together as a family, and also more room for the growing number of toys! Our basement is approximately 700 square feet. We had three different companies come out and give us estimates, and Hartel gave us the best price. They started working on our basement several weeks after they gave us the estimate. It took them a little less than 3 weeks to finish the entire project. It was really nice that they came and went through the large basement window, so they never made a mess dragging materials through our house. The owner, Martin, is extremely personable and always explains what they are doing and asks for your input. I trusted him to make the decisions about lighting and other electrical things and I love the way it turned out! It was a fast and easy project that was virtually stress-free for my husband and I. I love our new space and would recommmend this company if you are considering getting your basement finished.

Overall things went well. Martin and his group were able to get everything done well and on time. Zero issues in terms of responsiveness. One suggestion would be to provide more detail in the estimate as to the materials contemplated, would still say that we had a positive experience - would refer them to others.

Martin knows his business and his company does an excellent job. We had a gutted home and his crew did the drywall and some carpentry. They did an excellent job.

Martin contacted me via voice mail the day after I submitted the request and stated that he would like to perform a site visit to occur over the upcoming weekend. I returned his call straight away and left a voice mail message that the weekend would be fine and ask that he provide me a day/time. I also sent an e-mail requesting a day/time to meet. There was total silence. I subsequently settle with another contractor for the work to be accomplished. Thus far, I am extremely satisfied with the work and anticipate providing the contractor being used with a very favorable Angie's list rating.

He hauled away the old deck and built an amazing new deck in three days. He did some extra things like putting in a French drain so no more runoff into the basement. The deck is beautiful and very professionally done. Martin Hartel has done numerous projects for me...flooring, roofing and some electrical work. All were superior.

Martin was extremely professional and detail oriented. We met with him several times before finalizing a layout/price and he was always very accommodating of our time and budget. Our house was built in late 2011 and we wanted to ensure that the contractor we selected would keep the same style and quality as present in the rest of our home. Martin was very good about incorporating ideas from our main level and using them throughout the basement. He was very concerned with not cutting corners in order to save money which was greatly appreciated. He and his team arrived on time every day and used a separate entrance which limited any disruptions on our end. We met with 4 other companies and not only was Martin's pricing the best, but his ideas were far superior to the other companies as well. We would wholeheartedly recommend Martin and his team for any basement remodeling project.

Responsive and professional Good design work, but then opted not to use provider due to price. Thus had to pay roughly $200 for the design document Later used TBR basement system via different contractor

A phone call declining the work would have been far more professional than no response at all.

EXCELLENT! Martin and his team are true professionals. They went out of their way to let my husband and I know exactly what was being worked on and what would happen next. The work performed was of the very highest quality. They cleaned up after themselves before leaving everyday. We are very pleased and we do plan on having more work done at our home by them.

The Hartel group was great. They were creative with ideas, paid attention to details, worked efficiently, worked with us when it came to making changes along the way, were courteous, and on time. We had a number of estimates and Hartel was the lowest with great quality (they were almost HALF of what someone else quoted us who subcontracted out most of their work). Martin Hartel was very amiable and we feel he went out of his way to accommodate us. The only minor thing we would add is that if you are looking for a professional paint job for your finished product - you may wish to have professional painter do it. They did a pretty good job though. Overall, we would use them again and highly recommend them to anyone.

Project is still not entirely completed but all went very well. They handled last minute changes professionally and were accommodating whenever necessary.

During March I decided I would like to finish part of my basement but wasn't sure what company to ask to complete the job . My parents have a handyman they use so I asked him but he passed saying the job was too big for him at his old age and recommended the Hartel Group. I called Martin and he came out to look at the job a couple days later. He walked me through the process and gave suggestions based on the layout of the basement and the things I wanted done - laminate/tile, wet bar, half bath, fireplace (which I ended up not doing for now). Martin sent me an estimate a few days later and I let him know I'm fine with it. He said he just started a job and won't be able to do it for about a month which worked for me. In the middle of April he let me know they were almost ready to begin. A few days later Martin and his guys got started and for the next ~2.5 weeks they were working most days from about 8-4:30. He kept me updated with the process and let me know when he needed the things by I was picking out : laminate, tile, bar/bathroom lights, vanity, mirror, bar top. I wanted to hang a TV on the wall behind the bar so they ran a 25 foot HDMI cable behind the drywall so a long cable won't be visible. They also mounted the TV for me. A few days ago they finished and I'm very happy with it! Everything looks and works great I'm sure I'll be spending a lot of time down there and it will be a popular hangout area for guests!

I responded to an Angie's List coupon for basement design services. We wanted some help with a basic layout to split the space between rec room, storage and work shop. With a design in hand, we then wanted to upgrade the lighting and outlets which were totally inadequate. Hartel was prompt and professional in terms of getting an appt scheduled. Once we started talking, it was clear he was interested in doing a much larger job - covering the walls, drop ceiling, flooring, etc - which was not what we were looking for. He did end up sending us a bid for just the electrical work, but we postponed that and eventually went with another contractor.

The entire crew and owner, Martin Hartel, came at the agreed to time and date. Not only was everyone personable, but true craftsmen. As the project was being done, Martin has some wonderful suggestions. We took advantage of each of them and are most pleased. While we tried to keep costs in line, the project took on an upscale effect, all within reason and dependent on the quality of work being done! As the project progressed we found the honesty and integrity of each crew member to be superior. We were even able to leave for a couple of days and give them a key to our home. The finished project turned out so much better tan we even imagined. We have booked more work with the company and will not even get estimates from others!

Workers are respectful of the privacy of home owners. Cleaned up after themselves. Very happy with the finished project.

I am finishing our basement. I hung the drywall myself and hired Martin to do the finishing of the drywall as well as finish the stairs into the basement. When the house was built the stairs were put in crooked and did not have stringers. Martin and his group corrected the stairs and did a fantastic job with the finishing of the drywall. They were VERY reasonably priced and VERY professional and knowledgeable. Thanks Hartel Group. I will definitely use you again when needed! Sincerely Jeff VanderHeijden

Hartel Construction Group did a great job finishing my basement. They made numerous design suggestions that worked with our budget. The suggestions were very original and gave us a finished product much better than we hoped for when starting the project. The quality of the work was exceptional. The time to complete the project was in-line with the original estimate. The cost to complete the project was the same as the original estimate. Very positive overall experience.