Description of Work: They took the money and ran. I was given a very good quote for some stairs I needed redone on my 1920's home in Kenosha's Allendale neighborhood. I liked the guy who came over for an estimate so I don't know what his involvement was with what didn't happen next. I made a call to schedule service and the lady on the phone said mail in the deposit (which was cashed). She said they were very busy and it may take a few weeks before they would be able to start the work. That was in late August. I emailed the guy who have me the estimate but he didn't offer much information about when the job may start (mid September). It is now November! I gave them a call yesterday inquiring about my deposit and it went straight to voicemail. I have the feeling I may have been victim of a con job. DO NOT USE THIS "COMPANY"!!!
Rating Category
Rating out of 5
quality
1.0
value
1.0
professionalism
3.0
responsiveness
1.0
punctuality
1.0
$250
Response from Universal Masonry
My name is David Klein, I am the owner of universal masonry, regarding Mr (member name removed) comments we are not a scam, we are very customer service oriented and take pride in everything we do. Mr (member name removed) did receive his deposit back due to the fact we did not complete his project, we ask for a small deposit to for materials as well as to hold a spot on our schedule because typically from the day a customer calls to schedule to the day work commences is about 4 to 6 weeks due to our normal work load. Mr (member name removed) was delayed additional time because of weather.
Edward B.
09/2014
3.0
masonry, replacement windows, glass block
+ 1 more
We have several complaints with this company. In list form, here they are: - After sending in our deposit, the company did not contact us to set up the appointment, as promised by the salesman. We had to contact them, and when we did, they seemed to think it was odd that we wanted to set up an appointment ahead of time. - No mention was made by salesman or installers that we would need to cover any of our possessions, only that we should move them away from the windows. In fact, the salesman said there would be minimal clean up needed after the work was completed so we assumed there would be minimal mess made during the installation. Two windows were being installed in a finished area of the basement with computers, other electronics, TV, and a bed with a homemade quilt on it. I had glass block windows installed in a house I lived in previously and had no issues with dust or mess of any kind. One of us was in the house during the first part of the installation and could have been told to come cover items. After the installation, there was a thick layer of dust on everything, necessitating hours of cleanup. Simply informing us ahead of time could have prevented this. Better yet, they could have put down protective tarps. Perhaps this is what my prior company did. -We believe the windows were installed upside down. They have two rows of glass blocks, with a row of larger blocks on top and smaller blocks on the bottom. One window has a vent which is situated in the row of larger blocks and this vent opens by lifting it upward. All the windows I have seen in person, including the windows in my previous house and in stores and online, open from the top downward. -The workers broke a door stop in the lower wall and did not inform us, did not replace a ceiling tile they moved out of place, did not plug back in an appliance they had unplugged for their tools, left a water bottle, failed to remove a bar code sticker from a window, and did not clean the masonry grout from the windows - I had to afterwards. A simple wipe with a wet cloth took care of it, but a professional would have left the windows looking nice. Four days after the workers left, we discovered they had left a hose turned on outside which they had used to mix their mortar. The windows look nice, but from setting up the appointment to protecting possessions to clean up afterward, this was not a professional job in the least.
Description of Work: Installed 5 glass block windows, one with a vent, in our basement
Rating Category
Rating out of 5
quality
3.0
value
3.0
professionalism
3.0
responsiveness
3.0
punctuality
4.0
$1,350
Rob Z.
09/2014
5.0
masonry
+ -1 more
unknown
Description of Work: Tuck point work, they were great to work with.
Rating Category
Rating out of 5
quality
5.0
value
5.0
professionalism
5.0
responsiveness
5.0
punctuality
5.0
Yes, I recommend this pro
$4,000
Jeanice W.
08/2014
5.0
masonry, chimney repair
+ 0 more
unknown
Description of Work: Universal was focused on getting the job done at the soonest possible time. My job was wait-listed due to their business volume; however; they called 3 weeks earlier than scheduled and completed the job in one day. I had 25 bricks replaced on the chimney, some minor tuckpointing and an application of a waterproofing to stop the old bricks from leaching calcium. | |The masons were efficient and knowledgable, careful not to ruin my flowers and cleaned up nicely. | |Overall, my experience with Universal was pleasant and non-stressful. I trust them to do any work I may have in the future.
Rating Category
Rating out of 5
quality
5.0
value
5.0
professionalism
5.0
responsiveness
5.0
punctuality
5.0
Yes, I recommend this pro
$1,200
Richard D.
07/2014
5.0
masonry
+ -1 more
My experience with Universal (David and Debi) was EXCEPTIONAL!!!. From the phone call, to getting a written estimate, and scheduling the work it went extremely well. They inspected driveway and made a cost effective recommendation for repairs. The recommendation was complete and very reasonable. Once we scheduled the work it was completed as scheduled. They made sure that the weather allow for proper curing. I highly recommend to anyone looking for a reputable and highly professional organization to look no further than Universal. I will certain look to them for any of my future concrete construction work.
Description of Work: Universal repaired our concrete driveway to seal and fill in cracks due to settling and the harsh heat and cold of the Illinois/Wisconsin winters
Rating Category
Rating out of 5
quality
5.0
value
5.0
professionalism
5.0
responsiveness
5.0
punctuality
5.0
Yes, I recommend this pro
$750
Pat F.
06/2014
5.0
basement waterproofing, masonry
+ 0 more
unknown
Description of Work: New chimney, flashing & liner
I noticed this company doing work on the Panera Bread store in Kenosha, WI while out for lunch with my daughter. I stopped and asked if they did residential work, and asked for an estimate. The Job they were doing on the Panera looked GREAT so I assumed they were qualified to do my project. They arrived on time which was nice since I had originally contacted two other companies for estimates and never showed up, There pricing was fair and the estimate was very detailed which I appreciated because I was not familiar with concrete work. I asked a lot of questions and the estimator was very informative. Universal Masonry Construction did an excellent job on my driveway replacement and when they were finished I asked if they did foundation glass block windows. I had them install 8 windows after that and we love them. Overall I would highly recommend this company to anyone wanting quality and excellent workmanship, and Debbie in there office is very good as far as Customer service and very Courteous when I had called about my final balance. Thank you for a great job done, we love our new driveway.
Description of Work: Removed and Replaced our driveway , Installed Glass block basement windows with vents
Rating Category
Rating out of 5
quality
5.0
value
5.0
professionalism
5.0
responsiveness
5.0
punctuality
5.0
Yes, I recommend this pro
$17,250
Edward P.
10/2013
5.0
masonry
+ -1 more
The work was good, and the men were polite on the job.
Description of Work: Installed glass block windows and did some tuck pointing
Very professional, job was completed when promised the site clean and neat
Description of Work: Chimney tuck pointing and installed a new stainless steel liner
Rating Category
Rating out of 5
quality
5.0
value
5.0
professionalism
5.0
responsiveness
5.0
punctuality
5.0
Yes, I recommend this pro
$2,000
Carly H.
05/2013
5.0
concrete repair, masonry
+ 0 more
Great work quick and professional would hire again
Description of Work: Stabilize brick porch columns
Rating Category
Rating out of 5
quality
5.0
value
5.0
professionalism
5.0
responsiveness
5.0
punctuality
5.0
Yes, I recommend this pro
$400
Mike H.
05/2013
5.0
chimney caps, chimney repair, masonry
+ 1 more
The chimney was 20 years old with a fake faand ccedil;ade that was falling apart. Universal Masonry came out and gave me a bid, explained what had to be done and gave me options on what type of caps they could do. They stripped down the old work and revamped my chimney in 2 days, the work that was performed was way above the original work and looks great. I have no doubt this will be the last work I'll ever need on my chimney. The crew was professional and friendly and just did a great job, everything promised was delivered with out going over budget and the work site was left spotless. If this is the type of work you need these are the guys you want to do it.
Description of Work: Chimney's fake bricks stripped and removed. Chimney fitted with a poured cement cap, wood sealed and prepared for brick Bricked and sealed
Rating Category
Rating out of 5
quality
5.0
value
5.0
professionalism
5.0
responsiveness
5.0
punctuality
5.0
Yes, I recommend this pro
$2,300
Bethany M.
07/2012
5.0
concrete repair
+ -1 more
I called about 6 companies for estimates and Universal and one other company were the only two that called me back and came out to the house to look at what we needed. When I called, David came out the following day to provide the estimate and gave me the contract before he left my house. Their price was much lower than the other company (about $1,000 less). The contract said they would be able to start approximately 2-3 weeks after the contract was signed. I returned it promptly and the work was supposed to be done the week of 7/2. We had some other contractors coming in (to do other work to our home) and the weather didn't cooperate so the work was postponed to 7/9 or 7/10. The team didn't actually make it to our house until 7/12. The cement was poured within one day. They came out the next day to remove the wood from around the foundation and ensure the area was cleaned. All in all, I feel that things went pretty smoothly and we are very happy with their work. David was very friendly and professional. My only and quot;complaintand quot; was not getting things done as quickly as we hoped, but it was only delayed a few days, so I can't really complain too much about that.
Description of Work: We had a concrete slab for an 8x10 shed poured.
Rating Category
Rating out of 5
quality
5.0
value
5.0
professionalism
5.0
responsiveness
5.0
punctuality
4.0
Yes, I recommend this pro
$1,150
Nicole D.
04/2012
5.0
concrete repair
+ -1 more
When I called they were out promptly for the estimate in the fall, They were very courteous and professional and provided a complete detailed and itemized list of the work I requested. A delay on our part and change in the weather led to them advising us when we accepted their estimate that work would commence ASAP in spring. Accordingly, when the weather permitted they were out to begin the work and even with rain delay of 2 days work was completed within a week of beginning. They were careful in their work and cleanup - no plants or trees in my yard were harmed by their equipment.
Description of Work: Remove, dispose and replace broken 9' x 9' driveway section. Replace using 6 Bag Mix, low chert with fiber concrete. Remove, dispose and replace broken sidewalk squares. Replace using 6 Bag Mix, low chert with fiber concrete. Excavate, remove and dispose of earth. Install concrete walk extending from NW corner of existing concrete drive west 4" therefore extending north pouring new entry pad at garage door located on west side and extending north connecting to new concrete patio, corners to have radius. Install 4" compacted gravel base consisting of #1 gravel and 4"-6 bag mix, low chert with fiber concrete. Install concrete patio located on north side of structure offset 6" from each window well area. Excavate, remove and dispose of earth. Install 4" compacted gravel base consisting of #1 gravel and 4"-6 bag mix, low chert with fiber concrete. Reinforce using 6" x 6" wire mesh. Patio dimensions (32' x 12'). Corners shall be on radius.Remove and dispose of existing fence post footings and concrete.
All statements concerning insurance, licenses, and bonds are informational only, and are self-reported. Since insurance, licenses and bonds can expire and can be cancelled, homeowners should always check such information for themselves. To find more licensing information for your state, visit our State Contractor License Requirements page.
*Contact business to see additional licenses.
Service Categories
Masonry,
Concrete Pouring and Repair,
Chimney Repair,
Glass Block,
Chimney Caps,
Basement Waterproofing,
Decorative Concrete,
Foundation Repair,
Concrete Leveling,
Signs,
Snow Removal,
Fireplaces
FAQ
Universal Masonry is currently rated 4.8 overall out of 5.
Sunday: Closed
Monday: 8:00 AM - 3:30 PM
Tuesday: 8:00 AM - 3:30 PM
Wednesday: 8:00 AM - 3:30 PM
Thursday: 8:00 AM - 3:30 PM
Friday: 8:00 AM - 3:30 PM
Saturday: Closed
Universal Masonry accepts the following forms of payment: Check