Get matched with top masons in Custer, MI

Q: Do brick houses have framing?

• <div><p>Modern brick houses are really stick-built homes with a brick facade for aesthetic purposes only, so most have framing. With genuine brick construction, most homeowners install furring strips over the interior of the brick and then install drywall over those strips to cover the brick wall, so they don&rsquo;t have traditional framing. </p></div>

Q: Can I use a regular drill for making pilot holes in brick?

• <div><p>You can use a regular drill to make pilot holes for gutter brackets in the wooden fascia board around the top of your house, but it&rsquo;s not the best tool for brick. Instead, you&rsquo;ll need a heavy-duty power tool like a hammer drill with a carbide tip bit.</p></div>

Q: Can you German smear over painted brick?

• <div><p>A traditional German schmear uses mortar, making it unsuitable for adherence to painted surfaces. Professionals recommend removing any existing paint before applying mortar. However, you can rough up the painted surface and clean it to test if the mortar will stick. Remember that the underlying paint's texture and color may affect the schmear's final appearance&mdash;so starting with a bare brick wall will ensure the ideal finish.</p></div>

Q: What kind of drill bit do I need for brick?

• <div><p>Drilling into brick or mortar requires the use of a masonry drill bit. Masonry drill bits appear similar to standard drill bits except for the leading tip of the bit. The tip has a bulky carbide arrow-shaped end slightly larger than the rest of the bit shaft. Standard or high-speed drill bits designed for making holes in wood or metal don&rsquo;t have the ruggedness or design shape you need to drill into brick. They may not go through the brick at all, and if they do, they&rsquo;re more likely to overheat, crack, or dull before you finish drilling.</p></div>

Q: When should I worry about cracks in brick walls?

• <div><p>You should worry about <a href="https://www.angi.com/articles/cracked-brick-always-foundation-issue.htm">brick wall cracks</a> when they are wide and growing, or in a horizontal or stair-step pattern. Additionally, they may be accompanied by other signs of structural stress. In these cases, a foundation specialist should inspect your home.</p></div>

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Verified Reviews for Masonry Work pros in Custer, MI

*The Angi rating for Masonry Work companies in Custer, MI is a rating based on verified reviews from our community of homeowners who have used these pros to meet their Masonry Work needs.

*The HomeAdvisor rating for Masonry Work companies in Custer, MI is a rating based on verified reviews from our community of homeowners who have used these pros to meet their Masonry Work needs.

Last update on August 16, 2024

Reviewed in August 2024
Midtown built us a beautiful deck. From the very start the sales representative (Chris) spent a long time going over all the potential materials to choose from, and the pros and cons of each. We had by this time seen several deck builders, and we're convinced that Midtown specialized in...
Midtown Home Improvements, Inc. (St. Louis)*
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Reviewed in February 2024
Ezekiel built an awesome composite deck for my home. We were very happy with his work, and we love our new outdoor space.
Keystone Contracting LLC
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Reviewed in October 2023
We want to give a big shout out to Serden. Its really hard to know that youre getting a good contractor. And we were lucky to get the best ever. From our initial bid from Dennis to the final design and construction it has been nothing but a pleasure to work with such a professional company. We...
Serden Group
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Reviewed in March 2023
They were very professional, timely and completed the projects within a week of starting them. I had my deck redone from wood to their product along with my house resided. Very pleased with the finished out come. The company is very costumer oriented.
Green Shield Home, LLC
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Reviewed in November 2022
The attention to details was amazing in this company. They took their time and did the project correctly. I never had an issue with them and they did numerous project in our home. I'm completely satisfied with the quality of the work and I would recommend them to anybody whose looking for a...
The Shower Guys
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Reviewed in October 2022
Mr. Bender and the crew were excellent to work with from the design to the completion of my new garage. The attention to detail was important as we wanted the finished building to match our existing homes architecture. We now have the additional storage we needed and increased the long-term...
Diversified Management Group, LLC
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Reviewed in July 2022
T & M Landscaping and Tree Removal did a professional tree removal job last summer for me. I was so impressed that I recently hired them to do some landscaping. They are a professional, efficient, reasonably priced and friendly company, I highly recommend their services and have plans to...
T&M Custom Builders,LLC
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Reviewed in June 2022
Peter Gillette from Shamrock Contracting, LLC responded to our request for quote within 10 minutes of submission and came to our home same day to give an estimate! Provided quote for metal roof within two days. Immediately ordered materials when we paid the required 50% down. Materials were...
Shamrock Contracting, LLC
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Reviewed in June 2022
We hired FoamWorks to insulate the roof deck of our 125 year old home. They were exceptionally accommodating as we are doing the rest of the remodel work ourselves. They communicated well, were prompt, professional and left a clean job site. We are very happy with the results! While not cheap it...
Foam Works, LLC
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Reviewed in May 2022
I was so impressed with the immediate response I received from Todd. He was in constant communication with me throughout the project. The work was completed in a timely manner. We are very pleased with the pressure washing and staining of our deck. I highly recommend GroundWorks LLC!
GroundWorks MI, LLC
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Find Masons in Custer

Groundworks

5.0(

)

Serving Custer, MI and surrounding areas

Approved (Corporate)

Super Service Award Winner

In business since 2007

Free estimates

Warranties offered

"Chris Peplinski came out and gave us a fair and honest estimate on fixing our foundation. Alex and crew arrived and installed helical piers to shore up our foundation and you couldn’t tell they were even here. Everything from the first call to the install was top notch! Highly Recommend!"

+16

72 neighbors recently requested a quote

Recommended by86%of homeowners

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AccuLevel, Inc. - Michigan

4.0(

220

)

Serving Custer, MI and surrounding areas

Approved

In business since 1996

Free estimates

Warranties offered

"They explained everything very well, and they fixed the foundation without ripping out my front porch. They have awesome payment plans as well!"

+28

Response time4 days

217 neighbors recently requested a quote

Recommended by87%of homeowners

Serving Custer, MI and surrounding areas

Approved (Corporate)

In business since 1976

Free estimates

Credit card accepted

"Erie Homes was great. Ty and Chris shared the information about roofs in a clear and precise way. I love the high quality of the roofing materials and the standards they hold their workers to when placing the roof. Mike called me each step of the way, so I was prepared when the roofing supplies showed up. I even got calls after the beautiful roof was done. Amazing job!"

+38

296 neighbors recently requested a quote

Recommended by93%of homeowners

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Ayers Basement Systems

3.5(

173

)

Serving Custer, MI and surrounding areas

Approved

In business since 1981

Free estimates

Warranties offered

"Came in, figured out the situation and proposed a solution. We will go with that solution when other situations. have been settled. Very pereased with this company. Robert Hoffmann"

+34

Response time10 mins

Recommended by83%of homeowners

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EverDry of Greater Grand Rapids

3.3(

128

)

Serving Custer, MI and surrounding areas

Approved

In business since 1991

Free estimates

Emergency services offered

"We had a very good experience, from start to finish. Very professional. good communications, workers also were very personable, very courteous, and respectful of your property."

+94

Response time1 day

173 neighbors recently requested a quote

Recommended by91%of homeowners

Serving Custer, MI and surrounding areas

Approved

In business since 1994

Offers commercial services

"Has not done any work yet for me but would hire him without a doubt. Seen the work this man has fone"

20 neighbors recently requested a quote

Serving Custer, MI and surrounding areas

Free estimates

Warranties offered

Credit card accepted

"Troy and his team were so wonderful throughout this entire process! Troy came out over a year ago to quote - he spent nearly 4 hours on my property making sure that he understood exactly what was going on with each of my buildings. He took several pictures and gave a very estimate. I had several other companies come out to provide quotes & they just simply weren't as thorough or kind. Troy continued to follow up and once we were able to budget for the project, he came out and made sure nothing had changed. Throughout the job he took TONS of pictures so I didn't have to go under the building to check it out. They were professional & very respectful of our business operations. I will have them back this summer to finish up some additional projects! HIGHLY RECOMMEND THIS COMPANY!"

+63

Response time12 hrs

Response rate99%

Recommended by88%of homeowners

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Stay Dry Basement Waterproofing Inc

4.5(

221

)

Serving Custer, MI and surrounding areas

In business since 2006

Free estimates

Emergency services offered

"I was able to use the basement, and it was not mushy. I highly recommend them. They were awesome, respectful, and did a great job.. I was happy with the service."

Recommended by89%of homeowners

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Guevara Land Art Landscaping

5.0(

)

Serving Custer, MI and surrounding areas

In business since 2024

Free estimates

Credit card accepted

"wonderful! workers were nice and got the job done right! highly recommend them!"

+47

Response time1 day

Recommended by100%of homeowners

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North West Home Solutions LLC

5.0(

)

Serving Custer, MI and surrounding areas

In business since 2015

Free estimates

Emergency services offered

"North West Home Solutions did Excellent Work on our home!! I am Very Pleased with their recent work on our roof! They did exactly what was needed. Our roof and chimney has been sealed off to stop the water damage and they have completely fixed our interior ceilings from the damage caused. I would Highly recommend them."

Recommended by100%of homeowners

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Showing 1-10 of 24

Masonry questions, answered by experts

Modern brick houses are really stick-built homes with a brick facade for aesthetic purposes only, so most have framing. With genuine brick construction, most homeowners install furring strips over the interior of the brick and then install drywall over those strips to cover the brick wall, so they don’t have traditional framing.

You can use a regular drill to make pilot holes for gutter brackets in the wooden fascia board around the top of your house, but it’s not the best tool for brick. Instead, you’ll need a heavy-duty power tool like a hammer drill with a carbide tip bit.

A traditional German schmear uses mortar, making it unsuitable for adherence to painted surfaces. Professionals recommend removing any existing paint before applying mortar. However, you can rough up the painted surface and clean it to test if the mortar will stick. Remember that the underlying paint's texture and color may affect the schmear's final appearance—so starting with a bare brick wall will ensure the ideal finish.

Drilling into brick or mortar requires the use of a masonry drill bit. Masonry drill bits appear similar to standard drill bits except for the leading tip of the bit. The tip has a bulky carbide arrow-shaped end slightly larger than the rest of the bit shaft. Standard or high-speed drill bits designed for making holes in wood or metal don’t have the ruggedness or design shape you need to drill into brick. They may not go through the brick at all, and if they do, they’re more likely to overheat, crack, or dull before you finish drilling.

You should worry about brick wall cracks when they are wide and growing, or in a horizontal or stair-step pattern. Additionally, they may be accompanied by other signs of structural stress. In these cases, a foundation specialist should inspect your home.

The Custer, MI homeowners’ guide to masonry services

From average costs to expert advice, get all the answers you need to get your job done.

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May 30, 2026May 30, 2026
How Much Does Brick Wall Repair Cost? [2026 Data]
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How Much Does Door or Window Lintel Replacement Cost? [2026 Data]
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•
May 2, 2026May 2, 2026
7 Types of Bricks and When to Use Them in Masonry Projects
Burnt clay bricks are the most popular option in modern construction, but there are others to consider as well. Here’s a look at seven common types of bricks.
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Your Guide to Common Masonry Materials
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.