CUSTOM MASONRY & FIREPLACE DESIGN INC

The work was done as described, within the time specified and with complete attention to minimizing the impact of their efforts on our home and comfort. I particularly appreciated Paul's willingness to make sure that we we had a basic understanding of what needed to be done and why, since chimney masonry is not an area we have a lot of knowledge about. He patiently repeated and reassured us throughout the process. It is clear that this work is his passion and he brings exceptional professionalism and skill to the job.

Very professional and clean!

Paul made the necessary repairs/upgrades and we could not be more pleased with both him, and his work. We light the fireplace regularly and we would not even think about using anyone else for any fireplace needs that we may have. We highly recommend Paul and Custom Masonry & Fireplace Design.

My ancient chimney was crumbling badly and, with our recent wet weather, letting copious amounts of water into my house. Now it looks like new. Paul and Hector were professional, knowledgeable, skilled and all around great to work with. I got a number of opinions and quotes before this repair, and I'm very glad I went with Paul.

Paul and his crew were in and out in a matter of days and treated my house with respect. The fireplace is almost unrecognizable. Hit a bit of a snag since the original studs were too close to the fire box. Re-framing cost me and additional $1,200. Better to spend the $1,200 than have the house burn down.

You need to know how amazing and professional Paul Walker and his team were, and how beautiful his craftsmanship is. Paul and team took a very neglected corner of our living room and made it the pride of our home. I trusted his advise to make the changes to bring our fireplace up to code and keep our family safe. He had great vision, listened to our ideas, presented fact based counterpoints and presented additional ways to complete our mantel in a way we had not considered. Ultimately, his vision was the right one (and we have strong opinions!). We now have a fireplace that is warm, welcoming, safe and such a delight to see each morning from our kitchen as we make our coffee. Paul was honest in his bid, was EXTREMELY fastidious throughout the efficient engagement, and his whole crew was so professional. You may get a lower bid, but there is no chance you will get a better value with no need to address any nit-based issues post work. That is *invaluable* in this day and age. I cannot more highly recommend Paul Walker and team and San Diego Fireplaces. This is a company of great integrity and workmanship. I am so pleased that we chose them. Paul, happy to provide direct references for those who ask.

.I want to start off by saying that both Paul and his assistant Hector were such great people to work with from beginning to end, not to mention the fact that their work is the absolute best in the industry. We found Paul because he came highly recommended by our architect to rebuild the masonry fireplace in our 1920s Spanish-style home. From the moment we called Paul to inquire about his work he was curteous, professional, knowledgeable and most importantly RESPONSIVE. Ok regarding bids, we also called his competitor just because we wanted to see what our options were. When it came to pricing, both were the same, give or take a few dollars. On "first impression" both were also the same and equally likeable. But what would have naturally been a deal breaker- Paul's nominal fee for coming to our home to prepare a bid- turned out to be a good thing! Allow me to explain: what you get by paying Paul his small fee is much more than what anyone could expect to get even with an estimate that's paid for. First, we got his bid immediately (within 24 hours). Secondly, his bid was extremely detailed and easy to understand with the cost of everything broken down. In it there were no hidden costs or fees and the fireplace building process was clearly outlined in a chronological manner. Thirdly he provided us with various options as a starting date. And lastly he was responsive to all our questions and maintained contact via email giving us updates regarding permitting and start dates. The competitor, did none of the things Paul did which in retrospect makes sense as we hadn't paid him anything. In fact, the time and effort Paul gave us in the beginning I feel like was worth much more than the small fee he asked for for coming to our home (which by the way gets credited back to you if you hire him). Had we known from the start how solid Paul would turn out to be, we would've been willing to pay more for that estimate! So in case you haven't figured it out by now, we decided to go with Paul Walker of Custom Masonry and Fireplace design. It was a very easy decision for the reasons mentioned above (he was extremely responsive and attentive). And though there were a few hiccoughs at the start of our project- none of which were Paul's doing- Paul once again was very attentive to our needs and seemed to genuinely care about our feelings regarding the situation. He even ended up giving us a huge discount for the inconveniences that again were not his fault. Now about the actual work, I want to reiterate that it is top-notch . And I am what you call "Type A" so when I say "quality" it means his work was vetted with a discerning eye that pays extremely close attention to details. And when our finished product (specifically the fireplace mantle and arch) did not appear the way we had envisioned, Paul did not argue with us, defending his work, nor did he slap us with a bill with added fees for the extra work to make the changes. He showed humility and listened carefully to what we were saying and ended up giving us exactly what we asked for and the finished product was simply perfect. I should add that we were also extremely pleased with the work of all the tradesman he recommended including electrician (we had to fix a bad electrical wiring situation around the original fireplace), plumber (to set up the gas line to the new fireplace), plasterer, and roofer. In fact we ended up using the electrician and plumber for other projects, that's how good they were! When Paul and Hector were finished at the end of each work day they were meticulous about leaving their workspace clean and properly disposed of all trash which was a plus. And one more thing worth mentioning, that is equally, if not the most important observation of Paul, is his candor. I mention it because unfortunately we have been burned by people we've hired (and paid) to do work on the house and turns out that they were unequiped to do the job we commissioned them to do and as a result, we were left feeling both angry and cheated after the deal was done. Perhaps you've experienced this- the person over sells themselves leading you to falsely believe that they are more capable than they really are. However I cannot imagine that you would have this kind of experience dealing with Paul. We came into our fireplace project with a special tile that we wanted set in a specific way on the hearth floor but Paul took the tiles and spent some days thinking about how he would execute the layout but he later came back to us saying he would not be able to give us what we described. His honesty really threw us off. At first were were a little disappointed but the disappointment quickly turned into respect and gratefulness because as it turned out the tiles did not go with the style of our home in addition to the fact that we did not have the space for them. In summation, if you are looking to have a custom fireplace built, don't waste your time reading more reviews and call Paul now.

We LOVE our new fireplace!! Paul and Hector could not have been more efficient, prompt and personable. There just are not enough great adjectives to describe our experience with Paul and his company. He actually finished faster than his quote had stated. They were very vigilant to keep our house as clean as possible during demolition. Paul is the kind of contractor that you wish you could find in all trades. I highly recommend them to anyone wanting to build a new fireplace or recondition an existing one. They are awesome!

We were very pleased with the work that Paul and his crew did for us.  The design was our own, but Paul was a great help with the details. He provided us with a written agreement, came
when he said he would, and was meticulous about preventing any spread of the unavoidable dust, and about cleaning up afterwards.  He recommended a colleague to deal with the plastering we needed to fill in the newly exposed wall and ceiling, and he worked closely with the company providing and installing the new stove.  We would engage Paul again in an instant, and
recommend him to anyone remodeling or building a new fireplace.

Paul and his assistant came tapped the whole area off and rebuilt our firebox. He even changed the shape so we could have more heat. They were so professional and caring of my living room and floors it was awesome to watch how they went about it all. I would recommend him to anyone in need of fireplace work. I already gave his card to one of my neighbors!

Paul Walker and his crew did an amazing job. He was honest about what needed to be done, on time, on budget and professional, and he and his subcontractors were all extremely good at their work. They even left their work area clean. Every day. I would absolutely recommend him.

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Everything went as planned.  Paul was very responsive and patient throughout the process.  We had many questions and he explained the ins and outs of the chimney for us.  He even came in on a Saturday to explain to us the detail plans for the project.  We called another place but had a difficult time getting in touch with the person.  Paul was more personable and really focused on customer service.

His crew came and did the work according to the schedule and cleaned up nicely.  Because we were late (we are still in the process) in picking out the stones for the fireplace, Paul has agreed to come back later to put the stones on our fireplace.  This is a great comfort because it gives us the time to pick out the right material for what we want. 

All in all, a great experience.

From start to finish our experience with Paul and his team was flawless. He is a true craftsman who knows the ins and outs of fireplaces. We have a VERY large two sided fireplace that had outdated stone on it and wanted to modernize it. We had already picked the materials and with Paul's help ordered the correct amount. During the entire process they protected our brand new wood floors with many layers of wood and carpeting so that they would not be damaged. They built out the fireplace on one side so that a TV would fit in flush. Paul also installed the TV mount and the TV because we had them available for him. The two mantels they installed were giant and heavy (about 150 pounds each). Paul knew the exact way they needed to be installed so that they are securely in place. I have even hung from them to make sure they didn't budge :) The stone work was also amazing and we couldn't be happier. 

Paul and his company re-pointed my (1939) old chimney and restored and built a new firebox in my living room.  They were able to restore and replace the original tiling in the living room.  They were timely, VERY clean, and did a superior job!  I now have a functioning gas fireplace that is safe and up to code and has been inspected.  I would highly recommend them to anyone!  Thank you!  His assistant Hector was also wonderful to work with!  Thank you!  :)

Great Quality Work with Super Attention to Detail







We bought a historic home with a fireplace that needed a great deal of work, inside and out. We asked Paul Walker of Custom Masonry & Fireplace Inc. to re-line the chimney, and then also raise the top height level; demolish the fireplace and hearth; then rebuild those same sections; and then finally re-tile all of it.  The end result is much much more than we could have expected?.Paul is an absolute Craftsman at his trade!

Along the way he and his team took exceptional care to be clean and tidy, and to be really meticulous when it came to every small detail.  Paul also offered suggestions at each stage of planning the project that allowed us to budget properly and plan the proper materials.  If you have work to be done on your fireplace, have him in for a conversation before you make any other decisions.  Thanks again Paul!







Bill S. ? San Diego, California

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Paul and his co-worker showed up on time on the date scheduled and promptly worked on two fireplaces to make them both functional. One of those chimneys had never been completely finished with the lining, so they were able to fix that problem. They also repaired the interior of both fireboxes and added spark arrestors to both chimneys. We were very happy with their work and their professionalism.

It went fantastically. Paul Walker does his own work, which is one of the reasons I chose him to restore my historical fireplace. He is a master craftsman and addresses every task down to the smallest detail. The old flue was exceedingly difficult to remove, but with tenacity and help from his assistants, they finally dislodged the faulty flue. They completely rebuilt and relined the firebox; repaired a gouge out of the face of the mantle (not in the contract; he just did it. . . beautifully!); installed a damper; built up the crown of the chimney and installed a copper spark arrester; and did an artistic job of installing new fire brick. Oh, and he found and installed a vintage clean-out door for the ash box to replace my broken one. I couldn't be more pleased.

Paul Walker is such an expert in his field!! He and his assistant were fantastic and great to do business with. First, they sealed off the area with plastic tarps which really kept the dust, etc., to a minimum. Worked very hard for 8 hours and really earned their pay! Friendly and enjoyable to work with. I can't believe how great my fireplace looks! My home was built in 1957 and I bought it in 2007. The chimney lining was cracked due to the age of the home and when a second fireplace was built on the backside for the adjoining room, it had to have been built by someone who didn't know how to install a chimney. I couldn't have a fire in the living room without the adjoining room filling with smoke. Paul was the expert I needed to properly diagnose the problems. He did everything he promised and was very professional. I can't wait to enjoy my fireplace on a cold winter night and, for once, not get the house full of smoke. I can't recommend him enough. If you need installation or repair on a fireplace/chimney, you CAN'T go wrong hiring Paul Walker. I promise!!!

From start to finish Paul Walker was amazing. He helped me think about the design I wanted and sent me to an amazing tile provider. I had to wait about a month for him to start. He does such a great job he is in great demand. Once he began it only took 2 days. He tented off the area he was working in which kept down the mess and dust in the rest of the house. We are so pleased with our new fireplace.

Custom Masonry and Fireplace Design Inc. are very pleasant and very prompt. They were timely and professional.
I haven't used the chimney since then, but it looks like it was done well.

Everything went well.

When I purchased my home it had an old outdated red brick fireplace. I contacted Paul and he came over to give me an estimate. I can only describe his work as excellent in terms of quality of work, professionalism and just the whole installation process. there was a lot more to the process than I had realized. Paul was very supportive in helping me choose the type and style of the marble and he remained available by cell if I had any questions. I would certainly rate this company very high and I would gladly recommend them to others.