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"Erlin was very easy to work with. He took time to really look at the job in question and provide me with one of the best and most competitive quotes in the area. The materials he used were top notch as was the quality craftsmanship of the work. He was also able to get my project on his schedule super quickly (within a few days) and completed the entire raising of my existing walkway to eliminate a step and a complete resurfacing in stone of the existing cement steps in a single day. Not only was the stone work and masonry completed professionally, but the clean-up of the site was incredible as well. The surrounding lawn area was cleaner than when they showed up for the job. I highly recommend Shkembi Masonry!!!! I would hire them in the future for sure."

"Can tell he is a master mason. Will not try to sell you other services and des not want to sell you other services. His specialty is masonry, patios walls, etc. Great father son team, did my front walkway and patio, with Belgian block edging around all landscaping. Came out beautiful, my wife loves it, added much curve appeal to the front. Highly detailed oriented. Will make sure you are satisfied with the job and will touch up anything you want corrected. Leaves job site clean as it was when he came. Will hire him again for next project. You should too."

"I had a patio and a small concrete pad built by them about a year and a half ago on the recommendation of a neighbor. The quality of the work was good but although their Yelp post says they take credit cards they insisted on cash. After they left I discovered a crack in a block which I reported to them and provided them with the requested photos. After several phone calls and promised repair appointments that did not happen I have resigned myself to live with the crack."

"Mike responded quickly and was very personable He and his crew were great and they did a fabulous mulching job. Will use them again definitely "

"Very responsive, clear and professional. Gave me information I needed and then some."

"Well worth the price. The guys did a great job."

"He did a fantastic job.I am more than satisfied."

"The visit to my home in West Hartford was a nice affair. The technician explained everything. He even mentioned that I had to get a plumber to remove the sink away from the wall, so the work could be done to repair the window and wall area, but I did not hear him mention that I had to pull permits. The problem with this permit pulling issue is that I never initiated the pulling of permits, and this also is a red flag for me. The pulling of a permit should always be done by the contractor who is doing the job. It ensures that the permit pulled is to code. It ensures that the permit pulled follows local ordinance and CT. laws and statutes regarding construction, and that also includes consumer protection mandates in the State of Connecticut. Having me pull the permit to allow the CT. Basement Systems to do the work is a big, red flag, and it can result in my home owner's policy being cancelled if the permits are pulled either after the fact, or the permits pulled do not line up with the inspection process. I can also be fined by the town for pulling permits after the fact too. I've had my furnace replaced. The plumbing company who replaced the furnace followed state law and guidelines. Especially, since funding provided through a loan from a Credit Union chosen by the State of Connecticut ensured that permits were pulled correctly, legally. The same applies to my roof being replaced. The roofing company pulled the permit. Having a customer whom you are charging in excess of $20,000 to pull a permit is putting that customer in legal jeopardy, which is unacceptable. If I sell my house, and I had the work done in my basement, and the permits were pulled by me. The person who bought my house could sue me for an incorrectly pulled permit. How would I answer questions from the town about the technical aspects of the job, which should be handled by the contractor directly? Why introduce another layer of bureaucracy that slows down communication? Have the contractor pull the permit, so that the contractor and the municipality, town or city can communicate directly, and the pulling of the permit is done correctly and legally. How would I know, when the town should be doing an inspection during or while the job is being completed or after the job is completed? This should never be a requirement of the customer to pull the permit for a job to be done. The tech who visited my home mentioned that I had to hire a plumber to move a basement sink, but they did not mention about pulling of permits, but I went and re-read the quote again, and it is at the bottom of the quote page under "Customer Will" that states not only hiring of the plumber but also pulling permits and scheduling inspections. I did not have this job financed by CT. Basement Systems. I, instead, decided to get a home equity loan. If I did not get the home equity loan, then decided to go with CT. Basement Systems financing, then I would be screwed. The best thing I did was slow the process down, seek my own financing, and ask larger, bigger, deeper questions that prevented me from making a mistake by allowing this work to be done."

"Unfortunately I give BBB a 1 star rating. The project began October of 2021 with demolition, upon completion of each phase I sent an email to Better Built Basement management thanking them for their work effort and identifying items that either required further explanation and/or resolution. As the project went on, I became increasingly frustrated with their lack of communication, lack of accountability, lack of caring, and lack of skill. The straw that broke my back was when Jim (an owner) called me a f’ing c’sucker. Randy, (an owner) sent me the following email: No one has time to read your 3-page condensing e-mails. You have done nothing but complaint. It's obnoxious and draining to everyone you come in contact with. There isn't one person who cant wait to have you out of our lives. I terminated Better Built Basements on June 7th, 2022, here are some of the details of my experience: - The demo crew was excellent in and out in a day and did a great job cleaning up - The electricians were very consultative in their approach to the project, providing input on lighting and outlet placements. - Framing was mediocre. Despite using laser equipment, one wall was wavy and the ceiling grid has a large gap. Pictures attached. - New steel stud framing and pre-hung doors should be dead on straight as an arrow instead, two of the doors has an aesthetically noticeable skew. - The replacement to an existing door resulted in using the wrong hinge set for the existing mortices, inclusive of color – all the other hardware is brass they used chrome. Picture attached. - 3 of the four doors were either chipped or cracked. BBB was notified before the ‘final’ paint job, but they failed to address the issue. - I returned home the day they applied joint compound to find glops of joint compound on the floor, which I tracked around my house, and glops on wood work on a floor where no work was occurring. Pictures attached - Following the flooring installation, they left garbage in my basement for 2.5 weeks, then did not take it when they came back – in frustration I disposed of it myself. - Many of joints on the ¼ round trim molding were caulked excessively to cover up sloppy miters. - Cracked switchhplate was not replaced. Picture attached. - Sub-contractors have sub-contractors, who seem to be able to sub contract – direct employees of BBB other than the demo and electrical were rare. BBB demands using a lock box, Many people have the combination, providing little sense of security over access to the home. Overall, BBB does a bad job communicating, managing expectations and fails to deliver on their stated objectives at best they are contractors not craftsman."