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Advanced Masonry and Construction is a Cambridge masonry contractor whose public reviews split sharply. HomeAdvisor lists 21 years in business, Concrete & Masonry services, and 35 recent projects; Angi describes the same Cambridge profile as offering free estimates and warranties. The strongest positive accounts are older. In August 2024, a homeowner described Robert and Patrick reinforcing a weak center foundation, working six days a week for about three weeks, and leaving the house strong again; November 2023 reviews mention chimney repair, cleanup, punctuality, a guarantee, and follow-up. Those accounts point to foundation and chimney work as the jobs customers have actually hired them for. The serious concerns are also specific. A December 2024 reviewer alleged that a fieldstone foundation test destabilized the foundation, that a later concrete quote was far above other estimates, and that permits and an itemized bill were not provided. An October 2024 reviewer alleged unauthorized chimney damage followed by a much larger repair estimate and described further damage during an inspection. Two shorter reviews from October 2023 and November 2024 were also negative or mixed, while three other reviews praised the work. If you call them, get the scope, permit responsibility, itemized pricing, and repair plan in writing before work begins, especially for foundation or chimney jobs. They may fit a homeowner who needs masonry, foundation, or chimney work and is prepared to verify the proposed method independently; the recent negative accounts make a second opinion and a clear change-order process sensible before booking.
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.
Yes, I recommend this proTeam 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
He was a good guy, very trustworthy. Had great prices, did excellent work with a guarantee. He also came back out to follow up a few weeks later which was refreshing.
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1 change recorded — last scanned Sep 9, 2026.
Resolves persistent basement dampness5.0
Driveway paving5.0
Renovates century-old structures5.0
Durable stone & block retaining walls4.9