They came to "lift" a cracked, sunken, patio, and did an amazing job; this *should* be a 5-star…read morereview, please read on. This is a tough review to write, because the crew (Nick & Elario) were outstanding; they were professional, friendly, and their work was excellent. They exceeded my expectations -- outstanding work! This would be a 5-star review, EXCEPT -- the communication from the company is terrible. They don't answer the phones, they don't answer emails, they don't return phone calls or reply to emails. They are extremely frustrating to deal with. Interestingly, if you call in the evening when the local office is closed, Groundworks Canada answers the call, and actually does their best to help. But the South Plainfield office, fuggedaboudit. But let me end by saying, the work they do lifting concrete is outstanding. Too bad they have such a dysfunctional administrative office.

Bad experience. Don't let them sell you services you don't need. They almost got $50k out of me for…read morework I didn't need. They try and take complete advantage of first time homeowners.

This review comes after my 10 month Journey with restoring a 100-year old home built by my…read moregreat-great grandfather in 1926 that I acquired November 2025. I first connected with Quality 1st Basement Systems after finding the company through a Google search and reading their positive reviews. On November 22, 2025, I requested an estimate for waterproofing and foundation repair and was introduced to Frank Pellegrini, a System Design Specialist. At that time, I chose not to move forward. I believed the condition of my nearly 100-year-old basement was simply the result of decades of neglect. Instead, I hired a mason to repair the walls and install a thin layer of new concrete over the basement floor. Initially, everything looked great, but it wasn't long before "dirty" rings began appearing through the concrete. After further investigation, I discovered the issue was not the concrete at all. It was hydrostatic pressure, and there were visible signs of water intrusion at the cove joints as well. Remembering my previous conversations with Frank, I reached back out in May. He came back to my property, conducted another evaluation, and unfortunately confirmed my fears that the basement was wet behind the scenes and showing clear signs of hydrostatic pressure. At this point, I had already completed the framing for a future bathroom and laundry room and I was concerned that everything I had already invested in would need to be torn apart. Frank came out again and addressed those concerns and reassured me that whatever needed to be removed would be restored. He took the time to answer every question, explain the process in detail, and help me understand the solution and long-term value of doing the project correctly. After many more conversations, emails, phone calls, and text messages, I decided to move forward and invest in a permanent solution. Together we designed a comprehensive waterproofing system that included Pre-Slab WaterGuard®, trench drains, a TripleSafe™ sump pump system, and the removal of the existing basement floor so that four inches of new concrete could be poured throughout to establish a solid foundation. I also decided to install an egress window with the WellDuct window drainage system, which not only brought natural light into the basement but also integrated into the waterproofing system. Once the project began, I was at the house daily to watch the transformation. Throughout the process, I had a dedicated onsite contact, Juan, who kept me informed every step of the way and ensured I understood what was happening. What impressed me most was the team's commitment to doing things the right way. During the final walkthrough, I was asked multiple times if I was completely satisfied with the finished product. There was one opportunity to improve the placement of a drain, and the team addressed it immediately. There were no arguments, delays, or excuses. They simply just made it right. It has now been six weeks since the waterproofing system was installed and the basement floor was repoured, and I am happy to report that my water problem is completely gone. While Frank was my primary contact throughout the project, I cannot emphasize enough how much of a team effort this was. From Frank's expertise and availability, including evenings and holiday weekends, to the support from Kayti and Jay, who helped coordinate follow-up activities with our town, everyone played a critical role in making this project successful. What stood out most was the responsiveness and communication. From start to finish, it felt as though my project was being managed within its own dedicated bubble. I always knew who to call, my questions were answered quickly, and I never felt that they were disconnected internally. Investing in foundation repair and waterproofing is a significant financial decision, and I spent months trying to convince myself there was a less expensive solution. Looking back, Frank's original assessment was correct from day one. Instead of spending money on temporary cosmetic fixes, I ultimately invested in a permanent solution that protected my home and gave me peace of mind. If you are considering waterproofing or foundation work, I highly recommend Frank Pellegrini and the entire Quality 1st Basement Systems team. Their professionalism, expertise, communication, and commitment to customer satisfaction exceeded my expectations. Thank you, Frank, Juan, Kayti, Jay, and the entire team for transforming my basement and giving me confidence that the problem has truly been solved.

Mr. Ramon was wonderful! He arrived early, completed the job quickly, and did excellent work. This…read moreis the second time we have hired his company to address floor settling issues. After being very satisfied with the quality of their first repair over four years ago, we did not hesitate to call them again. Their workmanship has stood the test of time, and once again they delivered outstanding results. Highly recommended!

They were responsive, efficient, and fairly priced. Installed a garage grate to stop flooding and a…read moreFrench drain in our basement, both done quickly and professionally. Hardworking and polite crew. Highly recommend!

Took the time to come on-site and do a detailed walkthrough multiple times. The estimates were very…read morereasonable and on point. Additionally, they give you options and their recommendations but ultimately let you choose. Work done: French drain, window wells, gutters. Plan to hire them next for basement painting and mold remediation and prevention. Definitely recommend.

John was very helpful to me and my spouse in our home. He helped us significantly and throughout a…read moregrueling process of vacating our home and ending our lease amicably with the homeowner. we are safe and happy and credit that to John being there for us continually.

we called this company to have our home tested for mold because we have an ill autoimmune daughter…read more we wanted to explore if our house could have mold, driving her illness. the owner of this company John Whaley knew this and come to our home to test the crawlspace for mold. we paid for a test to be done. he claimed to have seen the mold with his own eyes in our crawlspace, and when the test results came back he provided us with a report showing OFF THE CHARTS toxic mold. he told us this was very bad and could absolutely be what is making our daughter sick. he said it is likely going to make us sick as well and encouraged us to evacuate. we of course got our daughter out of there immediately and he offered to rush our remediation job because it was such an "emergency" for $42,000, and that we should be in a hotel for at least a week. we moved out and scheduled the work. after sharing the report with our neighbors there was a lot of suspicion about a brand new house being so toxic. john explained it away to us, that this was possible likely because of a builder design flaw. and encouraged us not to reach out to the builder. fortunately we a second opinion to come over asap. the second opinion confirmed there is no mold in the crawl space so we had them test the whole house. no mold and all levels low and normal. there was nothing to remediate. then we got a third opinion. nothing to remediate. john whaley provided us with a false report that we paid him for. and straight up lied about seeing mold with his own eyes. he knew our daughter was sick and that we would do anything for her. he preyed on our heartache and a sick child for a $42,000+ scam. john should be ashamed of himself and his company investigated.

My driveway came out nice. The workers were a little messy. They were suppose to re-sand and seal…read moremy pavers, which they did a horrible job. The owners son just came with a spray can and sprayed something on them Willie Dilly. Did't do any kind if sealing. I would not recommend this company at all

From the owner: Asphalt Driveways, Blacktop Driveways, Masonry Walls, Steps and Stoops, Driveway Pavers, Asphalt…read moreRepairs, Finished Basements, Stucco Work, Parking lots, Private Roads, deck building, Waterproof, Historically building restoring.

These brothers are the best in the biz! It's been more than a year since they came to replace our…read morechimney flue, which they did in one day at half the price others had quoted. They also repointed the bricks, sealed the flashing, and waterproofed the chimney, which solved a long-recurring problem of rain pooling in the attic and leaking into our bedroom ceiling. Everything they fixed stayed fixed. Referred them to neighbors and friends. My only regret is not thanking them more effusively for their stellar work. You guys are the tops! Hope this review brings many new clients your way.

After having roof work done by a roof contractor I discovered a leak in my ceiling by the chimney…read morechase where it penetrates up and out the roof. Calling back the original roof contractor and informing them of the leak they said I needed to replace the siding of the house in the area of the chimney chase at the tune of $4000!! I then began calling other various contractors for this repair and was told all kinds of BS, from having to rebuild the chimney chase, having to wait as they were too busy, too cold (it was December) and told to wait until spring, etc. It was a bad leak and causing damage to my home not to mention the stress caused on me being at the mercy of contractors. So... I kept on searching contractors and came across Up On The Roof Chimney Sweep during I'm sure their busiest time of the year like everyone else's. However Up On The Roof Chimney Sweep promptly returned my call, took my information, promptly came to measure the chimney chase and came back with a reasonable price and did not take advantage of my situation! I scheduled the job with Up On The Roof Chimney Sweep and could not be happier with the quick prompt service and results that were received! It has been a full 2 months with some heavy gusty rains and no leak so this job was given the test of time! There is barely any worse feeling than being at the mercy of contractors when you have a situation that needs to be correctly fixed in a timely matter and not at a contractor's convenience. Up On The Roof Chimney Sweep not only fixed my chimney leak but relieved the awful stress on me from the start with their integrity, price, answering all my questions, and all the way to the finish product which looks great too! I highly recommend Up On The Roof Chimney Sweep and will definitely use again!!

I wish I could give Randy more than 5 stars…read more BEFORE: (Contact, Initial Visit, Signing) Contact: Randy was easy to get on the phone. It went directly to him and I liked that I was able to talk to him directly. We were able to schedule a visit for that same week. Initial Visit: Randy was right on time, which is rare and surprising haha. As soon as he walked into our basement he was able to access everything. You can tell he knows what he is talking about, and it's to the level that you trust what he is saying. Plus, Randy is not a sales guy. Even though it's his business, he never pushed or tried to sell me anything. He just stuck to the situation at hand and what problems existed, as well as what was not an issue too, also rare. Usually companies make everything an issue in order to make more business. Randy doesn't do that. There were things we were concerned with that he told us were not an issue and we didn't need to worry. It felt like an honest and kind person, just trying to help us out. Also, although you can tell he is an expert in his field, he doesn't try to tell you more than you want to know. I personally like to know all the details because I like learning and Randy was completely open to describing everything to me and was patient. I can tell from our interactions that for people who don't want to hear the details, he will spare you, but for those people who want to know the ins and outs, he will gladly share. Signing: This part was very easy and Randy answered any questions we had. Scheduling was easy too and he worked around our schedules. DURING: (Arrival, During Work) Arrival: Again, they were ON TIME, which just amazes me haha. They were very quick with their set up and courteous to our home and furniture and draped everything. They set up their equipment in our garage. I actually didn't know we'd be using that side of the house for entry and so my garage had items in the middle of it. I remember going back in the house to tell my family and when I came back all the things had already been cleared and stacked neatly to the side. I was shocked at how neat and quickly it was put away. (and thankful!) haha During: They were really courteous and Randy would come to give me updates. This is probably because I'm a curious person, so my guess is he was being kind to my curiosity. I read online though, that the best consideration is to stay out of the way during construction and not ask them questions. So I tried to leave them be haha but I would look every once in awhile. But for other people who don't care, you don't need to be there or do anything. The team takes care of everything all on their own. Surprisingly, I actually took a nap later on. I normally wouldn't nap with strangers in the house, but I felt completely safe doing so. As for time/length of work, Randy gave me a time frame of how long it would take and they finished everything in under that time by a couple of hours! Amazing. Our basement went from a wreck to a super basement before dinnertime! AFTER: (Post-Work, Value, Feelings after completion) Post-Work : The work done was exactly as discussed. Randy was great at showing and describing everything. I was impressed and really happy with the outcome. When they left, they left it clean. I think my garage was cleaner than when they came. Also, I had left a 50 ft ext cord near the stairs. After they left I noticed someone had neatly wrapped and tied it for me. This is so sweet because they didn't have to do that for us. Value: Worth every penny. Randy's cost was literally a fraction of the cost of other companies. Other companies are very "sales" like and will push you. Randy never pressured or pushed me. He just gave me all the information so I could choose on my own. And honestly, looking back, I would pay more for Randy's work, than going to another company and paying less, although I don't even know if another company would come under his cost. My neighbors actually came to ask questions and they were quoted prices that were double the amount! Hearing this confirmed yet again, that we made the right choice to go with Randy. After: My family found that we are HAPPIER with our house now. I didn't expect that. But we just love our house more. Before leaving, Randy also mentioned the smell of the house would change. I didn't ask for clarification but my family has noticed it. It just smells, very FRESH and CLEAN. Before it smelled very plain, maybe even slightly dusty? I never would have known that, but it's only now after the work, that I can tell and make that comparison. BOTTOM LINE: It's rare to find companies that make the entire process (before, during, after) painless and pleasurable. The worst is to regret after you have paid for something. So I make sure to point out the really good/bad places, to help others avoid that. So yes, if you choose Randy, you'll be happy and will have no regrets! Thanks again for everything MMRG!

My wife and I called Randy about a potential mold issue in our basement based upon the great…read moreratings other customers posted on Yelp. He spent over a half hour with us listening and responding to our concerns and providing excellent suggestions. Based on our discussion we would definitely work with his company if we needed remediation services. Randy gave us great direction and answered all our questions professionally.

Consulted with a member of the staff who came to my home. He was excellent in explaining his…read morerecommendations. Very forthright, knowledgeable. Definitely would recommend.

1/7/26-Scaldino technician Tyler did an annual check of our 2 sump pumps and also checked the back…read moreup battery. We found him to thorough, professional, extremely proficient and polite. If possible would request he be assigned to our next service call.