I met the owner, David, when he was doing some work for a neighbor. The neighbor spoke highly of…read morethe experience and the result, so I called the company. And I called one other company for a second bid. David showed up in time for our appointment, and his explanation of the problem (80 year old mortar in our brick house was falling out). The previous owner had gotten some of it repaired. That mortar was failing, too. I was particularly concerned because one pillar that carries a heavy load was cracked so badly (see photo) that you could see daylight through it from top to bottom. David explained why it had failed, and how the repair work someone had done years ago made matters worse. His bid that was about the same price as the other firm, but his explanation -- and the bid itself -- were so clear that D. Masonry was my obvious choice. He provided me with proof of insurance, too, a request the other company ignored. They lived up to my high expectations. Watching them work, I realized that tuck pointing is a highly skilled craft, practically an art form. They took the time to mix and try a range of mortar colors. With their help, we selected the one they advised. Now that the new mortar has completely dried, I can see it is a perfect color match. The pillar I was so nervous about? They elaborately jacked up and stabilized things, so they could remove the pillar, which they disassembled completely, laying out all the bricks (with all the old mortar removed), so they could put them back exactly as they were, only sturdy now, and good as new. Masonry repairs -- done well -- simply disappear when the work is done, right? As long as I own this house, my gratitude for this job-well-done will live on.

David and his team did amazing work, and for an incredibly reasonably price. He did some exterior…read moretuckpointing, matched brick 1947 brick for a slight exterior alteration, and fixed some interior cracking in plaster with concrete block underneath. Communication was great, David even called me to let me know he was going to be a half hour late. Fantatstic work. Would hire again.

Highly recommend this company. Called for a free inspection of some cracks or settling in our…read morebasement. Rob came out and was very helpful and thorough explaining what was going on and what we could do to prevent actual structural damage. Very helpful and professional.

Rob was so friendly, nice and informative. We have some cracks in our ceilings and our doors are…read morenot closing as easily... we thought something might be up with our foundation. Rob walked the inside and outside of the property with me, and was able to provide a load of insight. Luckily we do not have a structural issue. I would highly recommend them, they are honest and not just trying to "sell" something to you that you don't need.

Excellent work. This company uses polyurethane instead of…read moreconcrete, which is a much better method of lifting and stabilizing concrete. Abdul and John did great work, and the project was completed quickly and professionally. I have construction experience, and I had a friend who did commercial construction over to watch, and we were both impressed with the quality and results. Highly recommended. Excellent work. Excellent. Grant gave a great estimate, and understood the necessary repairs. What a well run and efficient company!! Highly recommended.

I would not recommend Liftech based on my experience. The biggest concerns were the lack of proper…read moresubgrade preparation, the lack of transparency, and the difficulty getting clear, consistent answers throughout the process. I specifically chose and paid extra for high early cement because my goal was to regain access to my garage parking as soon as possible. I expected clear guidance on the product's performance and realistic timelines. Instead, I received conflicting information ranging from not being able to walk on the concrete for 48 hours to not being able to park on it for anywhere from 2-10 days. When I asked for clarification, the responses were vague. Liftech's production manager stated, "There are no specific specs for high early since it is mixed with concrete at the plant," and also said, "There is varying information because no concrete is created equally." I would expect concrete professionals and concrete plants to have more consistent information regarding the product being installed. Another major concern was the subgrade preparation. Liftech subcontracted the concrete work, and when the crew arrived, they did not even have a compactor onsite. I asked the workers if they planned to compact the subgrade, and based on their responses and actions, it did not appear that proper compaction was part of their plan until I contacted their Project Manager and requested that a compactor be brought to the site. A video documenting the work can be viewed here: https://youtu.be/YBubb-Wx-ac. In the video, it appears that only about 50% of the area was properly compacted, with some areas not compacted at all. The subbase also does not appear to have been watered down as part of the preparation process. The video speaks for itself regarding the preparation that was completed before the concrete was poured. For a project of this size and cost, I expected better communication, transparency, and attention to detail. Unfortunately, my experience left me questioning both the workmanship and the information provided throughout the process.

I recently completed building a house with Van Matre Construction and I was very happy with every…read moreaspect of their performance over the 14 months it took to complete. The house was a spec house with lots of architectural details inside and out. During the bidding/pricing process he worked with our architect to improve the project with several important "value" suggestions. The project was bid out to several contractors and Van Matre was clearly the best value. We entered into a fixed price contract during a period of escalating prices, and very tight availability of labor. The project was completed for that price. We did have several change orders, which were truly "changes", those change orders were priced very fairly. I never got the feeling he was "sticking it to us" on the change orders; an experience I've had before. Working with Brady and our Superintendent was very easy. They were very diligent, and followed through with questions very quickly. The quality of work was outstanding. All of the employees and sub-contractors were very professional and courteous. They kept a clean and neat job site. The few quality issues that came up were taken care of with no arguments or drama. After the project was finished we did have a small punch list. The items were mostly small finish items that were quickly dealt with. Overall would I hire Van Matre Construction again? In a heartbeat!! He made this challenging project fun and easy.

I worked with Chris to set up some foundation and masonry repairs, which were performed by Mike,…read moreAlex, and Ricky. They did an amazing job--prompt, professional, and skilled work for a fair price. Highly recommend.

everything went well, but there seemed to be confusion as to how much of the driveway was to be…read morefixed. there are still 2 cracks out by the street that I thought were going to be patched. Perhaps one of your reps could come down for a look. Thank you, Dan Washburne

Right now, I'm waiting on the follow up before I give a final rating. But the solid complaint was…read morethat the sales rep was 72 minutes late getting to my house and that he caused me to be late to my next appointment, which caused my attorney to be late for his next clients. He blamed his previous customers, but I should've used his lack of respect for so many people to know the company would be the same. The actual workers were nice, but in the sales rush, I think the sales person misidentified the problem, so they charged us $20k and really fixed nothing.

It's likely that a very large number of home owners experience, from time to time, totally…read moreunexpected and serious construction issues with their house. One of the most troubling is discovering problems with the home's foundation. We had been considering downsizing and began discussing the possibility of selling the house. Eventually, we found a real estate agent we liked. Our house was built in the late 1800's and the agent mentioned that, due to modern code, the brick foundation could likely fail inspection. That meant we had to find someone other than an ordinary handyman, someone who truly knew the ropes and could guide us to a successful inspection. Web searching eventually led us to Groundworks. After reading all the overwhelmingly positive reviews, we gave them a call. Groundworks responded by sending Jake Davis, a Field Engineer, to look things over. We were immediately impressed with his approach and professionalism. He spent several hours (not just a quick glance) ascertaining the foundation's structural integrity and produced a diagram outlining the suggested work and a detailed list of required materials. Within a few days a Groundworks crew, led by Justin with Abel and Brendon, began placing steel support beams in the areas Davis described. Justin explained each installation step from the support beams to exactly how the columns were anchored. He's one of those impressive people whom you feel genuinely take pride in their work. Not surprisingly, Jake Davis kept us updated throughout the entire process. After two days the work was finished to our complete satisfaction. If you have similar or other foundation problems call Groundworks and set up an inspection appointment. By the way, the overall cost was far less than expected. I most highly recommend Groundworks! Jim Tobias Edgewater

It's been over a year since my experience with Groundworks but I saw one of the vehicles today and…read moreit reminded me to leave a review. I had a French drain system installed in my unfinished basement to "fix" my water problem, this set me back like 8k. 6 months later I'm in closing, selling the home and the buyer demands and inspection. Of the basement and I have them back out, I thought it would be a formality as I'd already installed the system. Nope, the recommended MORE French drains knowing full well that if they recommended it the buyer would demand it and my hands would be tied. I feel totally excepted by these people and will never do business with them again.