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Advanced Masonry and Construction is a small Cambridge, Massachusetts outfit run by Robert O'Donoghue, working with a crew of a couple of people on concrete and masonry jobs — foundation repairs, chimney work, stonework — around the Boston area. The five reviews on file, all from 2023 and 2024, split sharply. On one side, a homeowner who hired the company for an $80,000 foundation reinforcement in 2024 described Robert and his crew as supportive through a stressful project, working six days a week for about three weeks to finish on schedule. Two shorter 2023-2024 reviews echo the same theme: on-time crews who clean up after themselves. On the other side, two detailed 2024 reviews describe a very different experience. One customer says an initial $13,000 quote for a field-stone foundation repair grew to a $40,000 demand after the crew dug out the foundation as part of a 'test' — and that no permits were pulled and no itemized bill was ever provided. Another says a $200 estimate to reset a chimney cap turned into workers damaging the chimney's crown, bricks and flue without her authorization, with the price then jumping to $5,500. Both complaints describe the same shape: a low initial number that grows sharply once the crew is already on site and has found, or the customers allege created, more work to do. That pattern, repeated across two unrelated jobs months apart, is worth asking about directly — get a written, itemized estimate before any work starts, confirm in writing what a scope change will cost before it happens, and ask whether permits will be pulled for foundation work. For a straightforward, clearly scoped masonry or chimney repair, reviewers who used them came away satisfied with the pace and cleanliness of the work. For anything where the scope could expand — a foundation inspection, an older chimney — get everything in writing up front.
Advance Construction & Masonry is manipulative and negligent. Robert O?Donoghue and Patrick gave a competitive $13k quote for a field stone foundation repair, then destabilized the foundation by digging it out under the guise of a ?test? (something you NEVER do), forcing ?emergency? repairs. They quoted $40k for concrete work that reputable contractors later estimated at $5k?$15k (they also said they would NEVER use Advance solution. They did not pull permits, refused to provide an itemized bill, and left leaks after the job. They exploit trust by causing damage to force inflated work. Advice: Pause for second opinions if a contractor changes plans mid-job or adds ?urgent? work. Ask why it was not anticipated. Insist on detailed, written estimates and permits. Reputable contractors will mind due diligence do not rush. Protect yourself from predatory tactics like these.
Team was always on time cleaned up after their service as well and done magnificent work
Advanced masonry and construction is a property destroyer. They are engaged in a deceptive business practice and are unprofessional, unethical, and irresponsible liars. Robert ODonoghue, the owner, came alone and gave me an estimate of $200 to put my chimney cap back on. He assured me that it was a small job. On 10/4/2024, he wanted to come to do a reevaluation. But he sent two workers who smashed my chimney without my authorization. The workers did not knock on my door. They just went up to the roof and destroyed my chimney. They ruined the crown, layers of bricks, flue, and another cap adapter. The very loud banging noise and the vibration of my house woke me up. I jumped out of the bed and confronted the workers. I then called Robert to stop the workers. Robert came later. He did not bring his drone as he said he would to take some pictures. Instead he brought his business partner Ryan who is also a vandal. Ryan looked at the damaged chimney and said it would cost $5500 to rebuild the chimney. I was shocked. A $200.00 small job turned into a thousands of dollars major job so quickly because Robert assured me less than two hours ago that the price would still be the $200 when I called him to stop the workers. You can see how dishonest this company operates. Robert said $200 first, then sent workers to vandalize my chimney. Ryan then came to jack up the price from $200 to $5500. I have never encountered or heard of any company that would just go to a home and start damaging his/her property like Robert and his company did. So please stay away from this dangerous company. They have no respect for your property and the law! After I declined the $5500 estimate that Ryan gave me, he wanted to see the base of the chimney. In the basement he purposely snapped a piece of mortar around the furnace flue pipe which was supposed to keep the soot and smoke outside the basement. Now the soot and smoke could come back inside through the big hole Ryan made. Ryan did not care. When I confronted him, he said that his worker would put it back. I told him he should not break my things before I agreed to do any work with him. That shows the destructive nature of this company. After Robert and Ryan left, another company who originally also offered me $200 to put the chimney cap back with warranty came to do the work. They were also shocked by the extensive damage done by Robert and his company. They kept asking me what happened to my chimney, who did it and why. They no longer felt it was structurally sound enough to put the cap back on without major repair first. Other chimney companies that came subsequently were also very disturbed by the extensive damage done by Advanced masonry and construction. I tried to work through Angies resolution team, but Robert has no remorse! So beware, stay away from this property destroyer company and never let them touch your property.
I inherited a large 2 family home from my father and began some home improvements that I had noticed were necessary for quite some time, but I was too busy caring for him as he was terribly ill to commence. While I was having a concrete wall in the garden repaired by Robert & Patrick of Advanced Masonry, they both brought to my attention in the gentlest manor that my center foundation of the house was extremely weak and needed immediate reinforcement. I was not well prepared to begin such a large project right away unfortunately it was not possible to delay any longer. I was really stressed while this work was in progress however Robert & Patrick were extremely supportive and made sure that I knew everything that they were doing and what the result would be. I do not think that I could have made it through seeing my childhood home ripped apart if not for them. The project took about 3 weeks to complete with Robert & his crew at my home 6 days a week working extremely hard in what was to be the hottest weeks of this summer in Boston. The result is exactly what I had envisioned, my house is strong once again and I have never seen my backyard look as great as it does now. I would not hesitate to recommend Robert & Patrick from Advanced Masonry to anyone who needed an honest, empathetic contractor in need of help with repairs to their home or business
Very punctual..polite..respectful..knowledgable overall a great company and cleaned after their Work was done..I would definetly recommend this business to anyone..Robert and the other young man was a joy to work with while repairing the chimney ..
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Resolves persistent basement dampness5.0
Driveway paving5.0
Renovates century-old structures5.0
Durable stone & block retaining walls4.9