GENERAL BRICK DESIGNS

Ed demonstrates a tremendous knowledge, respect and deep affection for historic homes and fine architecture. His engineering skills and expertise are peerless and his enthusiasm for his work is contagious. Our home was built in 1850 when construction codes were an abstract idea. The original foundation was a hodgepodge of stones, bricks and wood. Ed has reconstructed the entire foundation, preparing our home for the next 150 years or more. It is due to his diligence that our historic home will survive and thrive.

Eddie of General Brick Designs did a fantastic job building a gravel driveway at my summer house. He lives up to his rave online reviews. He is a great communicator and friendly. He is prompt and thorough. He immediately understood the look I wanted and told me how to achieve it in a way that would be easiest to maintain. He explained to me how a gravel driveway is engineered and carefully talked through the challenges of my space, which needed grading so that water wouldn’t pool in the center. Once I decided to hire him, he got to work ASAP and finished ahead of schedule. The driveway looks terrific. I know that if I have any questions or issues, I can call Eddie and he’ll respond right away. He’s now my go-to guy for masonry or paving work. I’ll encourage my friends to use him. Heck, I’d probably call him for advice on stuff unrelated to paving. He’s that good. Hire him. You won’t regret it!

We've worked with Eddie and General Brick Designs a few times over the years, since purchasing our first house. We bought an old house which we love, flaws and all. One of its biggest flaws is that the foundation was not originally adequately done to support the house and keep water out, and has been deteriorating over time. The first time we hired him we were in a panic, with water seeping up through our basement floor after heavy rains. We had met with 3 or 4 people, he was the only one who was able to correctly diagnose and fix the problem. We've hired Eddie and his team to make the repairs that we have needed to over time, and recently worked with him to repair a large section. It was a very tricky, big job in a narrow space on the side of our house. His team carefully and surgically hand dug a trench, in the process working around, and supporting, a chimney and two brand new stone landings into our house. He's an excellent problem solver. He told us he stayed up most of the night before crafting the design and solution, and met with us to walk us through a few different options. He knows how to present facts and information, pros and cons, help you make a decision, with a balance. He's clear about the approach and materials he is using. We're curious people and want to know everything. We're already planning a small patio adjacent to the back of the house, and his vision and design is perfect. He did another small patio for us a few years back, and can do both "practical" repair work like a foundation repair, as well as skilled stone work and design. Being both a mason and an engineer gives him a unique perspective on any job and challenge. His team is consistently a pleasure to have on our property. They had to remove a cement bib, stone border and gravel on the side of the house, and put it back better than it was before. He also fixed a problematic gutter drain and corrected an issue with overflow in heavy rains. We feel very relieved and have deep peace of mind that our house has been properly structurally fortified and is now able to withstand whatever nature and time will do. Lastly, he's just a good human being who enjoys what he does and is generous with his time and expertise, always happy to answer any questions, super responsive.

Ed knocked on our door because he was visiting a client who is a neighbor and told us he had done our driveway way more than 10 years ago. He told us he stands by his work and offered to fix any bricks that came out a bit or anything to make the driveway look new. My husband and I thought we were on candid camera. Ed's guys are right now fixing our driveway and walkway for free to make sure it still looks good. This was done more than 10 years ago, probably 15 or 20!! Who does this? They are true masons and incredibly nice and efficient. If there was a way I could give 10 stars, I would. Ed is the kindest and most professional person I have ever met (and believe me, we have used MANY contractors before for various jobs).

Long Island ice, snow, rain, sleet and heat can take its toll on any brick and cement job. I've used General Brick a few times over the years and their jobs are similar to the incredible jobs of the past generations. Those in the time when Legal American Immigrant Mason's came here to make their dreams come true. General Brick has a tremendous pride in the work they do and of how long it lasts. In the rare case that Long Island weather ever does make one of their jobs less than perfect, they strongly and quickly back up their 10 year warranty. Amazing Mason's. Amazing Company

Ed is a true professional. He is honest, fair priced, and the quality of work is above the rest. Ed and his team installed a patio around my pool and its absoultey beautiful. He listened to what my wife and I wanted and delievered beyond. It's hard today to find a contractor that not only does the job correctly, but also ensures the customer is 100% satisified. I couldn't be happier with the patio and the overall experience. I highly recommend!!!

Eddie Costanzo is a rare find in the world of contractors and we are so grateful that we found him! We discovered him here on Angie’s List due to stellar reviews and we must say, those reviews certainly do paint an accurate picture of his excellence as a contractor who cares greatly about his clients and the integrity of his work. We called him initially to install new pavers around our pool. During this process, Eddie devoted so much time and effort to our job. He visited our property more times than we know and spent countless hours trying to figure out the best way to proceed with the work - we know that no other contractor would have devoted the time and effort into this job that Eddie did. Contractors like him simply do not exist. You will not find another contractor like him. With a background rooted in the Army Corp of Engineers, Eddie brings a knowledge-base to his work that others simply don’t have. We immediately felt confident in Eddie due to his qualifications as a master mason and the high standards he sets for himself as a contractor who does the right thing for his clients. His pride in his work is the driving force behind his actions and he will not compromise the quality of his work for anything. Eddie’s attention to detail led him to discover a problem that needed attention and action. We are confident that no other contractor would have been thorough enough to recognize what Eddie recognized. Eddie and his team swiftly acted and fixed this problem. In doing so, we avoided what would've become a very serious issue. We cannot thank him enough for his thoroughness and quick-thinking. If we had hired any other contractor, we would’ve been facing huge headaches and stress. If you are looking for a master mason who is highly qualified, genuinely invested in each individual job, and won’t settle for less than an impeccable finished product, Eddie is the man for you. His word is his bond. You can absolutely trust him; he backs up everything he says with action which is nearly impossible to find today. It was so refreshing to work with a contractor who genuinely cares about his clients and always goes above and beyond. It has been our pleasure to know and work with Eddie. We cannot thank him enough and we recommend him with complete confidence. THANK YOU, EDDIE!!

We noticed a crack or two in the cinderblocks that support the back of our house, and instantly turned back to Eddie Constanzo and General Brick Designs, who have completed several projects for us with exceptional professionalism, courtesy, and a remarkable depth of knowledge. Eddie came by with several high-tech scanners to survey and diagnose the problem, and patiently explained the situation to us. While we couldn't be sure the concrete footing was compromised, Eddie was pretty confident -- and we trusted him. We were right to do so. Eddie promptly came by with a team, dug up the footing and exposed EXACTLY the problem he had so expertly diagnosed. He again took the time to walk us through the findings, and showed us exactly how he was going to reinforce and protect our house for the next century. This type of work can feel big, and scary, and he put us at ease. In fact, I recommended Eddie to my next door neighbor over a similar issue. The man is trustworthy! As with every job he has done with us, his team is so courtesous and respectful of our property. They did a beautiful job of putting our rock garden back together, it looks better than before!

A bit about my project. 110 y/o home, poured concrete foundation, multiple cracks, crumbling walls, leaky windows and portions of the floor that were still dirt. I contacted 4 different contractors/waterproofers. One never responded after seeing the basement, 2 offered up French drains as the only solution which would do nothing for the cracks and crumbling walls that could over time compromise the house. Then Ed from General Brick Designs called. Ed was the only contractor to discuss stopping the water from entering the home which is exactly what I wanted. Ed showed up with an array of evaluation tools, thoroughly explained the issues and reviewed the necessary mitigation steps. Ed’s team came in moved all my “stuff” neatly to the side, they dug out one side of the house, reset window wells, ground down all crumbling concrete, reinforced weak areas with high psi concrete and steel underpinnings, triple sealed walls, repaired large portions of the basement floor. His team showed up on time every day, worked constantly and diligently in 17degree weather. After the first day of grinding walls when they left for the day the basement was cleaner than when they had started. To say I am pleased with the result is an understatement. Ed and his team are consummate professionals, the job they did in the basement and outer wall was no less than spectacular.

We received estimates from a number of different water proofing companies. It seems most just wanted to install french drains even without understanding where the water was coming from. Ed from General Brick Designs was the only one who came with equipment and actually wanted to get to the source of the issue. He was very thorough and explained everything throughout the estimate process as well as when the work was taking place. His team excavated the necessary parts of the house and made the needed repairs and improvements. It's rare when getting work done, but Ed put me at ease and I felt fully comfortable that the work was being done correctly and the right way. During the work they noticed issues with the foundation and footings of the house and they also made those repairs. We will have to wait until the summer storms for their work to fully be put to the test, but I have confidence that it is taken care of.

I can't thank Eddie Costanzo and his crew enough for what they did for my other home. Once again, I had major foundation issues. Not a simple waterproofing as every other contractor stated. The home is at a bottom of a hill. The land around the North side of the home was pitched wrong; as well as the slab never even having a layer of tar added to it. Another contractor would have done a simple water barrier and drainage; Eddie and his crew did way more. Digging under the footings on either side of the home; securing it with steel, as well as protective waterproofing, a ton of concrete- mixed on site so that Eddie is assured of the quality that goes into the job. He brought an indicator with him for the initial assessment that determined the amount of moisture being retained within the walls/beams of the home. The house was at its saturation point, and the concrete base was crumbling. Had Eddie not managed to squeeze me into his busy schedule, I don't think the home would have fared well this Winter season. No other contractor performs as thorough a job; Eddie always errs to caution and winds up doing more to provide the best quality job money can buy. Most every other contractor wants to always do water diversion; usually with French drains when "waterproofing" a basement. That actually compromises/destroys the foundation. Very few other contractors will actually waterproof on Long Island. I know I am always guaranteed the best possible job when I use General Brick Designs. Eddie truly is the Holmes on Homes for Long Island. Big thank you again goes to Eddie, his wife, and crew who made it all possible for me and my family.

I'd give Mr. Costanza 10 stars if I could. He correctly diagnosed the issue and moved quickly to remedy it. He stabilized the foundation and shored up the flooring, even making some repairs that weren't foundation related, but that he'd found needed to be done under the flooring. To reach the foundation, part of a new patio had to be removed. Now replaced, it's impossible to tell it had been disturbed. He noticed the chimney had some cracks and repaired it, without being asked and without charge! He was communicative and happy to answer any questions I had in a way that allowed me to understand and to know that my home was safe. Knowledgeable, affable and kind, Mr. Costanza was on the premises throughout each day, directing the work. His crew were also gentlemen, pleasant and helpful. I will definitely hire them again!

The work Eddie and his crew did for my house was exceptional. From the get-go, Eddie was able to explain the structural issues of my house in a way that was understandable, yet did not demean my lack of knowledge. He is a true teacher, and I wish we had someone like him as an inspector when we initially bought the house. Given his reviews on Angi's list, I had really high hopes for him, and he did not disappoint. His crew did a full underpin of two of my foundation walls, and while he was here, he patched up all the cracks in my foundation and even paved a new walkway and did some landscaping to ensure that we would not have water issues moving forward. He went above and beyond what our contract laid out, but I think my favorite part about the process was that I now feel there is someone I can always call if I have any concerns about my home. Eddie would give me an honest answer and help me find a solution, even if he wasn't an expert. I feel more comfortable as a home owner, knowing that there are people like him in the world. Once we pay this repair off, we are already planning to hire him again :).

From the get go I was impressed with Ed's engineering knowledge, his ability to assess structural and materials issues, and his ability to explain the necessary procedures for an optimal outcome. Unlike other contractors who might avoid the inconveniences of working on an historic mid 19th century house, Ed welcomed the opportunity and took immense pride in stabilizing and preparing it for the next 100 plus years. His crew was skilled, punctual, and very pleasant taking great care in the construction and clean-up process. Ed was also very generous with his expertise on maintaining the house, assuring us that he could be called upon for council or to address any future concerns. His company is far beyond professional - they are house whisperers!

Extremely professional and knowledgeable, intellectually curious and great communicators. When you combine these 4 skills/attributes you get what was the best contractor experience of my homeownership career. No question was too big or small, or taken as challenge to their knowledge and expertise - no ego to bruise here. This made us not just see the results but understand what was done, how it was done, why it was done in such a way and why all other ways were ruled out. Don't get me wrong - if you don't want all that info they won't bother you - they will show up on time and do what they said they would do within the budget they said they would do it with - which in itself is a miracle these days. Do yourself a favor and look no further - if what you need done is within the scope of their services, book them right away. The earliest appointment we could get with them was 6 months after the initial consultation but was absolutely worth the time. Couldn't be more happier with any and all parts of our experience.

***** Ed Costanzo at General Brick Designs is a consummate professional. He brings years of expertise to each job, with an artful eye, and a passion about masonry and brick work. Ed cares about customer satisfaction and works on a timely schedule. This is the second time we've contracted with Ed, and expect to do more at our home. The crew: Wilson, Darwin, Angel and Miguel are hardworking, kind and lovely to be around. One of the best things about General Brick Designs is that they do one job at a time - and Ed is there with his crew everyday. This is a superlative company that I recommend to anyone without hesitation. *****

We had an exceptional experience working with Eddie and his crew to repair our foundation. We originally had him out to provide an estimate on fixing an exterior crack in our foundation and replace some rusting columns in the crawlspace. He spent nearly an hour inspecting the exterior of the house, all the while explaining details about how the house was constructed, how the loads are distributed, etc. I learned a ton about my home I had never known before. When the crew came out to do the work, they then did a much more thorough internal inspection, and found two fairly severe issues (several rotted blocks in different spots of the foundation, and an improperly supported beam that holds up a large portion of our house). The crew took it upon themselves to fix these new issues as well, all without trying to upsell or change the original estimate. And they did all of this work in about a day and half. Part of this project even involved digging up sections of our yard that were under gravel walkways, which they put back looking even better than they found them. Overall, just a terrific experience and a great crew to work with.

Ed Constanza is a man you will love. He is a very intelligent, down to earth, perfectionist, caring person with wonderful work ethics! We had a horrific, disgusting ,smelly, moldy, dysfunctional crawl space as a basement. Which we had to take the oil burner and oil tank out of because of numerous water problems coming into our space. Ed and his crew came in and cleaned it up, waterproofed it, put anchors in, stones, a layer of concrete, wire mesh, then more concrete. Made it look so smooth. All this was done by the crew along with Ed. The crew, Wilson ,Darwin, Manuel, and Angel did all of this by hand!!! What excellent workers.. very hard work lifting wheelbarrows of cement and stones from the front of the house to the back 50 times for each, cement and stones in hot, humid conditions!!! They cleaned up anything that was laying around. Our place looked better than before they came to work, honestly!! We were scared to start this project at first, will all the other things we have done at our house that other contractors have done, and wound up being a mess and they could care less.. Its was that they got their money now try to get them to fix and redo the mess they made. NOT WITH ED CONSTANZA with Wilson, Darwin, Manuel, and Angel!!! Well worth every dollar we spent!! Nobody does it better in our opinion! They were such a Blessing!!!!! They are like our extended family now!! If you need a basement done or mason work, contact them for the best job and work ethics and price!! We are so happy we found Ed and his crew. We can't say enough about this whole experience !!

Incredible gorgeous work! Mr. Ed Constanzo is my Knight in Shining Armor! I am beyond happy, beyond blessed with the work completed. I had previously hired a landscaper/contractor to install a bocce ball court, 2 horseshoe pits, with ties on each side and area for cornhole,. I thought he had my vision, however, after 3 months of him "working" on my the game area, this "professional contracter" walked off the job with materials I previously paid for, unfinished work, and verbal bullying. With that horrible experience, a sick special needs daughter who is legally blind, has brain tumors and currently on chemotherapy ,and my husband in the hospital in NYC for going on three months....... all this left me in a dire state. I was very angry and heartbroken that this play area was taken from my daughter, especially since this was her birthday gift. However, Mr. Costanzo heard about my experience and offered to help. Talk about blessings!!! He came by the next evening and saw what needed to be repaired or redone. I told him of my vision of the area, He was so well mannered, knowledgeable, and precise with detail. But get this, he wanted to have everything done in time for her birthday and to my surprise, was at my house with his crew the very next day! Now, that is a Knight in Shining Armor!!! He and his crew worked with such perfection. I was floored to see that every inch of that play area was evened and leveled. The bocce court was finished to perfection. It is tapered done smooth. It is beautiful. The horseshoes were leveled and I asked his to use ties to keep a big lane for the horseshoes. Done! He removed grass that should had been previously picked up and leveled out the pea gravel in the whole court, so it looks and is precise. But my biggest surprise was that I had mentioned that I was thinking of putting a seating area in the corner, and he gave me a stunning stone patio. All this in one day. With professional accuracy, precision and creativity. I am so grateful and my daughter is ecstatic on how beautiful it came out. I have never seen a crew that worked so hard for a result of perfection. What General Brick Designs does cannot be matched. If you want your project to be a precise work of art, then this is the company to call! General Brick Designs, Thank you- Donna and Gina DiMartino

Working with Ed and his crew was a great experience! Not only is he incredibly skilled and knowledgeable, he is also a true gentleman. From our first phone call to Ed (which he answers himself or calls you back immediately) to the day that he and his crew finished our patio, he was a true pleasure to work with. Always looking for ways to go above and beyond to help, and extremely good at what he does. He and his crew went out of their way to help me solve a problem we had for years with a previous stone job (done by someone else) that was really bothering us for a long time. Not only did he tell me how to fix it, he went ahead and did it himself (at no charge to us). Who does that? Ed does! Not because there was anything in it for him, but because he truly cares about people and is always looking for ways to help. He is also one of the most humble people we have ever worked with. Our patio came out beautiful! Ed and his crew showed up when they said they would, worked hard the whole time and left our home neat as a pin. I am so happy we found Ed and his crew and look forward to working with him again real soon. Honestly, if you are looking for someone you can trust and truly know their craft, Ed and his crew at General Brick Designs are the ones to call.

Our brick chimney was falling away from the house. There were no ties in the mortar when it was built. Much of the brick was damaged, fallen off, or disintegrated. It needed to be rebuilt from the shoulders up. Eddie used a moisture meter to show us how badly the brick was saturated and where exactly it started. We had 3 other estimates, but none of them cared to explain any of that to us. Eddie's team did a wonderful job. It turned out that when they removed the top half, the inner chambers were not built correctly. Of course, because his foreman is so skilled, he caught this right away and he and Eddie agreed without hesitation that they had to address this for us before rebuilding the chimney. The care they take to ensure their work is of the highest quality is seriously impressive. They go above and beyond. It's very rare to have a contractor that cares that much and doesn't try to nickel and dime you at every turn. They are very clean and respectful of the property too. Would absolutely hire them again and plan to!

I purchased a home whose property was severely neglected. Multiple sinking concrete slabs made up a so-called patio and an in-ground gunite pool was surrounded by a rotted railroad tie retaining wall holding in more concrete and loose stones with hideous bushes all around it. The whole backyard needed a re-do. Enter Eddie...I first discovered him on a forum and researched his company. Obviously all of his stellar reviews forced me to call him. From our first conversation, I immediately felt confident that he knew exactly how to handle my yard. In particular he gave me an education on the proper way to work around a gunite pool, which many contractors are not familiar with as it is a bit of an unusual pool structure in my area. Because he is so popular he was booked solid, but out of his humble heart he really wanted to help me out, even if it meant just consulting with him when I hired a different company. I know it sounds crazy, but he REALLY is that kind-hearted. Genuinely. Because I wanted to start this project right away, I got estimates from other companies in the following two weeks, none of which gave me the confidence Eddie did when we spoke. To my surprise, Eddie called me again to tell me he was coming over to discuss the scope of the project with me and to help me sort through all the different contractors I spoke with to see who might be the best fit for my project. I was impressed he did not forget about me and I wasn't even his client yet! Well, he gave me his estimate and as life would have it, things worked out in such a way that he was able to start my project almost right away. As I mentioned from the outset, this property was very neglected and as such, there were a dozen issues that arose once the work started. I am a new home owner who has never had a pool before. Not only did Eddie take the time to help me work out all the snags and I mean ALL of them, but he never once made me feel bad about it even though it meant A LOT more work for them. He went out of his way to make sure everything was done right even if it meant driving across Long Island to get special parts or extra material. And by the way, he did not charge me any more than our agreed upon price even with all the extra labor and supplies that were needed to complete my project. I can not say enough good things about him and his team of true master masons. Not every paver company employs true masons. His team works together seamlessly like clockwork. They started early in the morning every single day until the job was complete. They only take one job at a time which is so important. We had their full attention. Their experience shows in the way they handle dilemmas, the way they coordinate tasks, and the talent set forth in the work product. Quality craftsmanship is obviously important, but I would also argue that the customer experience is equally as important. And this one was mind-blowingly positive. I can't say enough good things. I almost folded multiple times over the stress of our renovations and because Eddie was there to take on the brunt of the outdoor issues, we got through it all. I am 100% sure that no other contractor would have gone out of his way like Eddie did. Plus he provides a 10 year guarantee on his work, namely because I'm sure we will never have to use it. Everything is solid and beautiful!! We couldn't be happier. I will update my review with pictures in the near future. Stop looking. Hire General Brick Designs even if you have to wait for them. It will be worth it.

They did a fabulous job, they were professional, on time, and cleaned everything up when they were done. The patio turned out better than we expected and we would highly recommend them.

So if you read the reviews by many others here you will get an idea of just how good Edward Costanza and his crew are. He takes pride in his work and the results speak for themselves. This was a huge job and he not only completed it in 6 long days but also did a whole variety of things as extras for no additional charge. Let me begin explaining what he did. He had to tear down most of the pre-existing wall which was hand built by the original builder/owner of this house in the 1960's. This wall had gradually deteriorated over 60 years and was failing in many areas. It turned out that it was built to very high standards originally (PSI of over 5000!) which meant Ed had to cut it down with a diamond tipped rotary saw. That took lots of extra work. He removed all that material. He then was nice enough to inspect the foundation of my house since he has that equipment and was happy to inform me that the house was extremely well built. Ed used only the highest grade material and since I have a bit of OCD when it comes to repairs he spent hours with me going over everything that was being done and why. He is the most pleasant and honest fellow you will ever meet. There were few things that I asked to change and he quickly did exactly what I suggested including curving the wall at the beginning to feed it into the land nicely. I also asked him to install a landing where the steps were being built. Since I had extra bluestone slabs from a previous job he simply told some of his crew (Wilson and Darwin) to install these bluestone pieces instead of just pouring concrete. That process took an extra 3 hours and they made it look beautiful. Ed was here every single day watching the work being done and sometimes doing it himself. He also helped me restore a crack in another wall in the backyard. He installed anchor ties along the length of the wall to complete the structure and prevent it from ever breaking down. His mortar mix was specially prepared each day and the crew worked together with each mason doing their specific task for the day. It was amazing to see how well they worked together. When the wall was finally completed they cleaned up the entire yard and removed all the rocks, cement and debris that occurs when you do this kind of work. Just understand that you are getting an expert in the field of masonry and he will do everything to make sure you are satisfied with the job. He will be returning in a few weeks to waterproof the rear of the wall (that is always very important) and he uses Thoroseal (now called Master Seal) which I have used in the past for other work around the house and know how good that material is for waterproofing. So I know this is a long review but I will simply say that Edward Costanza is the best in the business and you will certainly be assured of getting a job well done.

This morning I received a phone from Eddie while watching ESPN Sports Center. It was great to hear from him! Eddie and his crew worked on our home back in January. The work came out better than expected. We gave a great review then; this is a second review! The phone call I received this morning from Eddie was to inform me that he had conducted a second inspection of our home and all looks well. Thanks Eddie! To find someone who takes pride in their craft in 2021 is a rare find. Eddie is that rare find!