Like many others, we were hit hard by Sandy and became a mandatory lift with more than 50% damage. It was a daunting decision and not a project we were eager to do, especially after having been displaced for 13 months to rebuild our one story ranch. We met with and got quotes from several contractors. Thankfully, we selected Ben's General Contracting, Corp. for the job after taking our neighbor's glowing recommendation into consideration. From day one when we met with Tony for a quote to the last day when Don declared we were officially completed, Ben's was with us every step of the way. They patiently explained everything in terms we could understand before we started and then again as we approached each milestone in the overall project. We used the architect they recommended (Jim Prisco). He was as reliable, knowledgeable, and helpful as they promised he would be. Ben's pricing was in line with the other quotes we received. Costs and expectations were clearly outlined in the contract and explained to us before signing. Anything we decided to do along the way that was outside the parameter of the contract was billed separately as a change order. Those costs were detailed for us before the work was done. They made certain to have a signed change order from us before performing the work and the costs were more than fair. They adhered to the timeline established from the beginning. Of course there were circumstances beyond Ben's control. Weather, change orders by us, inspections by NYR and the buildings dept., gas/water/electric companies... However, they always managed to roll with whatever came along and still got us back home before our rental lease expired. The office support staff was incredible. Tara and Tyra went above and beyond on more than one occasion to handle anything that came up along the way. Among other feats they expertly dealt with the City of Long Beach's building and water departments, filled out and filed all necessary paperwork, and tracked down a supervisor's name and number for the gas company so we could beg them to change their reconnect schedule (which they did). If either was unavailable the other would always lend a hand. If unable to assist, my call was returned promptly. Tara and Tyra were knowledgeable in the house lift/NYR process. They explained things to me and answered the many, many questions we had along the way. Debra handled the weekly billing as we progressed. The invoices clearly listed by line item what the billing was for. Any change order invoices were handled separately and clearly marked as such. The onsite crew we cannot praise enough. The quality of work done was top notch all the way. No corners were cut; every aspect of the job was done expertly. Any unexpected issue that arose we were immediately informed of. Don went above and beyond to work through an issue were having with the front deck stairs. He dealt directly with our architect and offered us three viable solutions. (We are very happy with the one we chose). Don and Mike were both very understanding and guided us along the way whenever we had any specific requests or questions about the process. All phone calls and emails were returned promptly. Equally as important to us was the way the crew handled themselves. The jobsite was always cleaned up at the end of the day and the property was fenced in. The dumpster never overflowed. We were greeted with a wave and a smile whenever we stopped by. Someone would quickly step in a muddy mound to get my mail so I wouldn't have to. Don, Mike, or a lead crew member would stop and explain what they were doing that day and show us what was going on. Our surrounding neighbors all came to us and told us how great Ben's crew was. They were impressed by how neat everything was and the quality of the work, there was never construction debris or lunch garbage blown onto their properties, no loud music blaring, no shouting or cursing, and they were friendly and courteous. In closing, Ben's General Contracting, Corp. did everything they could to turn a project we feared would be a nightmare into one as pleasant as a major construction job could be. The contract is structured so that all agreed upon parameters of the job are clearly listed with costs and payment schedules outlined. Their pricing is fair with no surprise or unexplained invoices. They adhered to our agreed upon timeline. The office support staff is knowledgeable and helpful. The quality of the work and the work ethic of their job site crew are second to none. We highly recommend Ben's for your house-lifting project and welcome any questions you may have about them. read more

i saw ben jackson and his crew on tv doing a home improvement for a person in need (george to the rescue) i followed up, called the architect, james priscoe, and set up a consult and estimate for my work project. i always do my homework, check licences, references, and a company's work experience. theirs was pristeen. jackson has been included in many articles in newspapers, he sits on the nari board, as well as the nassau county home improvement board, etc. he must have a credentialed director of design (bs!) because everything he says or is written about this company is so false, i can't believe no one has called this guy out before. his brother tony jackson, is as much a fraud as benny is. he might be a hometown boy in freeport, ny, doing good deeds for neighbors, a handyman is far different than a big time general contractor. they have no references to back up any work produced by them, they took a ride with ny rising at the time of the superstorm sandy, and they sub-contract out work behind your back, making you believe they did work. ben's general contracting corp can't do no wrong, they are very well politically connected. their baldwin friend at the beginning, laura curran, a photo op between friends, may have helped lauch them. pr can't hurt when you call george oliphant and say you want to help. dan mullan, their "dream build" pr man is top man liar. he "talks" promises, but make sure everything is written in a contract, owners ben and tony have no clue what is "promised" and you have to fight in order for them to deliver, if they are out on their own project. the damage they have done on my home can and will be fixed. sucks about the time delay. sucks more about having now to pay for civil litigation. i paid them, within two weeks time of each payment, just over $30,000 to start. they abandoned the job after having three of their best men work as project coordinators (they like their titles, makes them feel more knowledgeable) if i wanted a handyman or diy home depot carpenters, i would expect a little less. work done on my home was shoddy, inexperienced, not done to any code. i had to call an architect to take pictures, and tell them how to correct the work done. they tried to comply, and after two more tries, finally abandoned the project, trying to blame me for being unreasonable. they said they would not come back!!! i should have called george to the rescue, to rescue me from their gc pal! ben jackson, tony jackson, his firm, ben's general contracting corp. is flying by on popular name recognition, not on good construction, unless they work with some other firms to help carry them on a combined project. i wish others who have experienced their horrible work ethics would comment- no one even oversees any work- no one inspects- owner never comes on the job to check anything- if you rant they blame it on you- buildiing departments beware!!! consumers affairs have been told of previous complaints, but it is a lot of effort to follow through financilly, and with time dedicated to do all that there is to do--the indistry is innundated with rotten apples like these. nari and the home improvement indistry will carry these crooks, membership is huge and have upper hand at representing their own members. bennyboy sits on these panels, board of directors and others. his name is well known. i had to beg the guy to come to my home to see what was done by his crew, they communicate by cellphone and take pictures of the day's work. someone needs to investigte them and their fraudulent business, other than members of their own. what do they turn in as proof of credentials??? thousands of dollars are collected from other workers, not by the owner himself. owner ben will not be responsible, he will not sign anything. excuses are always given- his girlfriend's child has a problem, he is away vacationing, someone has died, he steered clear of this project. maybe b/c his new at the time consultant/project mgr dan mullan messed up big time. maybe b/c they really were incapable of doing the work nd not experienced enough with the given work crew of 2. they sub-contracted out work by unlicensed construction company (galaxie) and had them work under ben jackson's company, until they fucked up the start of my project!!!!! read more

My home was raised by Ben's General Contracting Corp after Hurricane Sandy and I am still grateful to them for the wonderful job that was done. Some additional work was done at the same time and everyday I enjoy the quality of workmanship and the improvements in my home. The project manager assigned to my house was excellent, he attended to all my ideas and was available to converse with me about the job often. During the raising, they were able to avoid certain costs that they previously told me I would need to incur, that unexpectedly were not needed. I would not have known, yet they told me and credited my account. I was back in my house in less than 10 months, and I was very grateful for their commitment to the timeline. As a customer, you can rely on BGC to do a great job, to listen to your ideas and concerns about your project, to keep you updated on the progress of the job and to follow-up with you after the job has been completed when small details are discovered and require attention. At my request, without any problem or delay, workers were sent back to my home a few times to in the first year after the raising to make adjustments that were needed, and I called them about. BGC is a fairly large contracting business, over the years Ben has acquired a tremendous breadth of knowledge and accomplishment, yet he is reachable 6 days a week, either directly or through his office staff. This serves to reduce the anxiety and potential aggravation homeowners experience about the job when they are unable to reach the contractor. The phone is always answered, messages are taken, and issues, questions, details are addressed quickly. Ben's office is always staffed. I have walked in without an appointment, early in the am on my way to work when I was worried about something, to have my concerns addressed on the spot. Ben's brother Tony is considerate and responsive to customer concerns. During my house raising, he met me at the house when I called him after the pouring of the foundation because I was worried about something I noticed. The issue was resolved to my satisfaction. Ben also came onsite quite a few times to meet with the engineer and Town Officials and to directly coordinate work with plumbers, electricians and carpenters. If reliability, expertise, commitment to delivery of service, work ethics and standards are what you are looking for in a general contractor, I recommend BGC without reservation to anyone thinking about having work done on their homes. read more

My husband and I recently purchased a home and within a month of moving our family in, we discovered that all prior repairs and renovations to our home were performed incorrectly and casuistic. That recent discovery prompted us to be extremely selective and responsible when entrusting our family's safety and resources in care of. After hours of research and verification of qualifications and credentials, we found Ben's. Having the residual effect of reluctance, we contacted Ben's to request a meeting to discuss our situation and available solutions. Within the first 5 minutes of our meeting, any anxiety I felt previous, began to be replaced with comfort and confidence that ultimately turned to complete trust. Everyone we had the pleasure of working with at Ben's reinforced our trust and confidence exhibited with a consistently clear, prompt and accurate communication focused on our thoughts and concerns. So it didn't come to our surprise when Ben's completed the work we required, the results far exceeded any of our expectations. From start to finish, we couldn't have wished for a better experience and the skilled craftsmanship that we feared to be a thing of the past. Ben's made this family customers for life! read more

Ben's General Contracting is an excellent builder/contractor located in Freeport, Long Island but licensed to do all contracting business in 5 boros of NYC, Nassau and Suffolk counties. They helped me re-build my Sandy ravaged Nassau county home from demolition to obtaining C of O. The staff, especially Don, are patient, knowledgeable and helped me all the way to pass the many inspections that Town of Oyster Bay required. The owner, Ben, is especially sympathetic to seniors and people that are unfamiliar to the tedious building process. He devoted a lot of his time to volunteer for helping Sandy victims, esp. the vulnerables. Good old fashioned American value builder/contractor. Thumbs up! read more

Bens is a local contractor located where my business Rachels Waterside Grtill is. One morning we came to work to find a car had crashed into and destroyed the brick facade to the walkway to our restaurant. Bens General Contracting came immediately to our rescue. BGC asked no questions and as we were still dealing with the insurance company reconstruction had already begun. Ben';s was even able f to find stone that matched perfectly to the original. Bens General Contarcting's professionalism and attention to detail is second to none. We highly recomend read more

Only Ben's! Ben's General Contracting Corporation is an excellent contracting company. They've completed major work on our home, twice. They are very professional, skilled, and do what they can to assist with their clients' needs. We are so thankful and grateful to have had Ben's to assist with the elevation of our home after Hurricane Sandy, as well as, putting an extension on our home. The entire staff was a pleasure to work with during some difficult times. An excellent job done. Thank you so much for your help! I will only recommend Ben's. read more

Bens contracting is the best around! Ben is a nice man and the office is very efficient and works quickly. Simply the best! Tara who handles the office has been very helpful and informative. We are doing a rear extension and so far so good. I would trust this company renovating my entire house! People don't do business like Bens GC anymore and it's great to see there's still some "good guys" around! read more