Hyundai Quality at Mercedes Pricing
This fall, we had our basement remodeled by Basements by Bek. As with most things there was some good, some bad, and some ugly.
Starting with the good. Bek receives an “A” grade for craftsmanship and knowledge. John and his team are very skilled and professional. John and the Bek team also receive high marks for finishing the project on time.
Now the bad. Bek receives a “C” grade for pricing and a vague contract. My advice to anyone considering Bek, please cover your contract in detail and ask John to show you the materials he will be using in your home prior to signing. The contract he offers only accounts for the lowest of builder grade flooring, doors, fixtures, and hardware. In addition, any minor changes will be up-charged substantially. Oh yes, and you are responsible for the removal and disposal of all left over construction debris. I blame myself for not being more thorough when reading the contract, I only mention it to prevent others from making the same mistake.
Finally the ugly. As I have mentioned, Bek uses the lowest of builder grade materials. We asked three separate times for the carpeting brand that was being installed, John wouldn’t give us the name because he knew it was very poor quality. Not surprisingly, he offered better options that would have been up-charged significantly. Who would expect a $100K basement job to only include trailer park carpeting? We also asked if we could visit the warehouse to see a bigger selection, and again the answer was no. It was obvious we were disappointed, but there was no effort to provide anything better without significant cost being added to the project. The LVP he installed was Home Depot average quality, but the original doors he was offering and door fixtures are cheap. At some point, we will be spending several thousand dollars to have someone come in and install better carpeting and finishes.
Would I use Bek again? Yes, but it would be under much different terms and with a clear understanding of expectations. John is a great salesperson and gets high marks for maximizing his profit at the expense of customer satisfaction, but I have no complaints about his skill or competence as a builder. You should consider him for your basement project, but be very clear before signing any contract about your expectations, materials to be used, and any potential up charges.
So is our basement really comparable to a “Hyundai?” Yes it is, but Hyundai’s are serviceable cars and we will get good usage out of it for years to come. My complaint is that we paid Mercedes pricing because I didn’t pay attention to the fine details of the contract and because John is solely focused on his profit. I’m giving Basements by Bek a 3 star because 2.5 isn’t an option, but buyer beware.
Reply from Basements by Bek
2025.12.01
Burt, thank you for taking the time to leave your review. We truly aim to make every customer happy, and I’m sorry to hear we fell short for you. We do our best to outline all project details clearly in our contract language, but we will work harder to ensure things are even clearer moving forward. We appreciate your feedback, and we hope you enjoy your new basement for many years to come.