"Henry from Republic Masonry was excellent we hired him for the remainder of the winter season He was very respectful and even cleared the slush off the front walkway at no charge so we could safely get our mail 5 stars"
"DiOrio Builders & Designers has been excellent to work with on several projects around our 1890s colonial home in Boston. Over the last few years, they have painted the interior of our house, installed hardwood flooring, rebuilt our front porch, installed French drains in the back, reinforced and repointed our granite foundation, rebuilt our kitchen floor and tiled it, and installed numerous lights and a range hood. The quality of work is top-notch and they were great to work with. Pricing was fair, communication was professional and timelines were met. I recommend them to all my friends."
"Great work. The owner and crew were professional and proud to show their work. The pavement is thick and smooth and they left the site clean. Highly recommend Everlast Roadtech. Good honest people to work with. I plan to hire them to seal coat the driveway in the fall."
"Rocky Ridge did a fantastic job at clearing some land for us. He got back to us very promptly, met us at the site, and started to work all within about a week or so of us originally contacting him. He took a totally undeveloped area that was basically a forest on a hill and made a nice flat area for us to build on. His attention to detail was amazing. He used the stones he found in the area to build a retaining wall to help create the flat space and even left us an adorable stone bench. I would highly recommend Rocky Ridge for any landscaping, clearing, or excavating work you need done."
"The project went great, from the first phone call to the end of the job. We were called a day before to confirm the arrival time, and the work crew arrived on schedule. It turned out they had some additional material from a previous job that day, so they actually repaired a bit more of the wall than had been agreed on, which we really appreciated. When we originally scheduled the job, we were given information on other services that Pioneer Basement provides, but at no time were we given any sales pitches. We're very confident that we picked the right firm to do our foundation repairs -- we'll definitely call them first for any similar work, and will recommend them to friends."
"We were worried about the cement dust covering everything in our basement as they dug up the floor to install a French drain system. I watched them carefully tape up plastic sheeting just at I described. They were thorough and very pleasant to work with."
"This experience was excellent from start to finish. Al was very helpful, kind, professional and friendly. The price was fair and the work quality was outstanding. The crown on our chimney looks great and will protect our property for years to come. We would definitely use Expert Chimney again."
A mason lays brick or stone together, sometimes with mortar in between the bricks and stones, and sometimes without mortar, also called a dry-stack or surface bonding. Examples of work masons do include:
Brick, stone, or cement block houses and buildings
Yes! Hot glue is an excellent—and temporary—way to spread holiday cheer with Christmas lights without damaging your brick exterior.
You should generally drill into the mortar joints when installing shutters on brick. Mortar is softer, which makes drilling easier and puts less strain on your tools. It also lowers the risk of cracking a brick—something that’s a lot harder to fix. Mortar holds fasteners well enough for standard shutters, and if you ever need to patch the holes later, it’s a much simpler job than dealing with damaged brick. Just keep in mind that if your mortar joints are too thin or the hardware calls for brick anchoring, you'll need to check the manufacturer’s recommendations and adjust accordingly.
You should use cement for a chimney crown. The purpose of the chimney crown is to protect the mortar below from water damage and the effects of weather. For this reason, chimney crowns should only be made using cement. When repairing a crown, use caulks and sealants designed for cement repair rather than mortar repair.
The best color to paint a brick fireplace comes down to personal taste. However, neutral colors—like white or gray—will open the space and create a bright modern look, making them popular options. However, choosing a bold color can turn your fireplace into a feature piece that will be the talk of all family gatherings.
The Egremont, MA homeowners’ guide to masonry services
From average costs to expert advice, get all the answers you need to get your job done.
Need to repoint brick in your home to make your home look fresh and new? Use this guide to repointing brick cost to price out your project before starting.
Door or window lintel replacement costs $400 on average, but there are ways you can save. On the other hand, complicated work will increase costs considerably.
When it comes to masonry versus concrete, it can be easy to confuse the two. Use this guide to learn about the differences in appearance, strength, and more.
Discover the wide variety of masonry materials for your next home upgrade project. Our guide covers the different types of materials to choose from and more.
