GENERAL BRICK DESIGNS
About us
Owner Eddie Costanzo is a unique combination of master stone mason and structural engineer. Licensed and insured and on every job. All of his employees have been with him for many years and are dedicated to keeping up the impeccable record with the Bureau of Consumer Affairs of not one complaint in all the years in business for over 25 years. Former Army Corp. of Engineers takes on the most challenging of building and structural problems as well as all stone and paver masonry that is done in a special way to have lasting beauty and no settling. Member of the BBB holding an A+ rating.
Business highlights
Services we offer
All phases of and masonry - driveways, outdoor kitchens, patios, pool areas, retaining walls and fireplace specialist.Perfected waterproofing method used by Army Corp. of Engineers.Gravel and drainage specialist. Land grading and all phases of building as well as lifting and re-supporting of existing structures., stoops
Amenities
Free Estimates
Yes
| Number of Stars | Image of Distribution | Number of Ratings |
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Ed took great pains to solve the grading problems generated by our desire to expand the driveway. He suggested the perfect size, color and pattern for the concrete pavers. His team did a tremendous job of regrading the area and the result is the concrete pavers have a fluid look and feel as the grade changes from our garage down to driveway.
We could not be happier with the results and we cannot provide a strong enough recommendation to anyone interested in new masonry work or masonry repairs at their house. Ed is the consummate professional - he has great design ideas with respect to material and color selection. But most important, Ed truly has the customer's best interest at heart. We saw many examples of this both last year and during his time here this year.
I do confess that we have one regret - for the near future we have run out of work for Ed and his team to help us with around the house! However, when the time comes for our long range projects Ed will be our only choice of masonry contractor.
I will only use him of any of my waterproofing and stone work from now on!!
I highly recommend his work and his team. the experience was incredible and i never had to worry about anything. Either Eddie or his wife would contact me to let me know what was next in the schedule.
They fixed multiple items at my home. I had water coming in on the side of my house which created a musty smell and would have turned the wood on the side of my home rotten. It has now been dry as a bone and the smell is gone.
They repaired my chimney cap which was breaking and bricks were falling in pieces with bad weather. while they were fixing it they noticed that the original chimney many levels down was weak from years of harsh weather abuse so the took it apart and fixed it all at no extra charge. It is now solid at I no longer need to worry about falling chunks of brick!
The largest part of my project was putting stone in my driveway. He designed a beautiful herring bone style that my wife fell in love with from the drawing that he then crafted in stone. before laying down the stone he installed 2 dry-wells because my gutter were just running off into the drive way making a mess and a hazard during winter months.
Lastly he reinforced some loose patio pavers I had from years ago around the pool and other areas. This was something that he normally doesn?t do since the original work was not his but he made an exception and the outcome was great!
Eddie and his team did an amazing job on my stoop, window well and driveway apron. I reached out to Eddie after reading his reviews on Angie?s list. I have had issues with contractors in the past; poor work, failing to show up, not finishing the job, etc. I had to believe if people wrote all these positive reviews for General Brick Designs, I would at least get a completed job. I was extremely impressed with Eddie?s professionalism during our first meeting. He listened to my ideas as well as my concerns and spoke honestly about what he thought would or would not work. He also gave me some suggestions to improve the overall look of the design. I loved everything he had to say and I could see he was as passionate about the project as I was, so I gave him the job. Best thing I ever did!
Eddie and the crew showed up to start working exactly when he said they would. They worked hard, they worked neat, every brick was placed perfectly, and every cut was spot on. They cleaned up after themselves and left the front yard exactly as they found it. They truly took pride in their work. I was very impressed with their talent, they did a spectacular job. I am constantly opening my front door to look at the stoop and window well. It went from being the most embarrassing thing on the property, to being the focal point. When my son saw the apron on the driveway for the first time he said, ?Mom, this looks so cool. You should do the entire driveway this way.? I?m sure I will do that in the future, along with my walkway and patio and whatever else I can brick or stone. I will definitely, without a doubt, use Eddie again. I would not let anyone else put as much as a pebble on my property. Thank you to Eddie and his team for a job well done!
Eddie has done work for us in the past, and at this point, we would not even consider going to anyone else to do our masonry and/or foundation work. Eddie is a valued professional. He and his crew do exemplary work. Eddie will be on site with you each and every day during the entire project. His right-hand man, Oscar, is as competent and professional as he is. They are detailed workers who attend to every issue. And when they leave, your home and yard will be as clean as when they arrived - in some cases, cleaner!
With Eddie and Oscar, the work will be done completely and correctly the first time. I wouldn't hesitate to hire General Brick Designs for future work on my home - and I highly recommend them to everyone.
How did it go?.... If I said - "Tremendous"- it would not describe half of the satisfaction that my wife and I have after Ed and his team finished their work. Ed was always onsite with his team making sure that everything was executed the way we discussed. Ironically, Ed's team needs very little supervision as they are are hard working, meticulous and talented, which are 3 essential qualities to have for the work they performed.
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Ed is wonderful because he is always concerned about the quality of his work and he provided us with suggestions on finishing details and color combinations that were spot on. He definitely is not a contractor who comes in looking solely to make the most on your job at the expense of your satisfaction. His suggestions sometimes resulted in his team providing a little more than what was quoted but he did it at no charge.
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When we first contacted Ed we were in the midst of finishing other exterior work and he made a couple of trips to nail down the estimate and material/color choices. When he left in mid-August we had an estimate based on a certain backyard design. Fast forward 3 months when Ed started the job - he came in to find that we had to redesign our backyard due to several factors, which changed the size and configuration of the patio and we include a new separate area. As he did in August, Ed took it in stride and worked with us on assimilating the different elements of our design to produce a backyard that will definitely be our little Getaway.
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Ed made it easy for our experience to be a collaborative effort, which we wanted and appreciated. He has a vast amount of knowledge pertaining to his trade, as well as to other construction trades and residential landscaping. Given his attitude, talents and knowledge, Ed is a modern day Renaissance Man and we were fortunate that we were able to have him work at our house.
We only wish we had more projects for Ed to work on. Oh wait... we do!! In the spring we have to replace our driveway and we were planning on paving it with asphalt. However, after discussing our options with Ed, we have contracted with him to demolish the old driveway and build a new one with concrete pavers. I do not think we could offer a better endorsement of General Brick Design's work. Thank you Ed..
If there was an A+ category, Ed and his crew would qualify for this grade. Ed is SO passionate about his work and strives hard to make every detail of the job just as the homeowner wants it. Ed is very knowledgeable, he built bridges for the Army Corp of Engineers, has been in business for over 30 years, and is a Master Bricklayer. He is so accessible with any question or concern. The crew is so professional. Led by Master Bricklayer Oscar, the crew arrives on time and gets right to work. They are meticulous in the design and layout of the job, respectful of your property and work like a well oiled machine. Several of the crew are Master Bricklayers as well.
You will not go wrong in hiring this excellent company!
Eddie and his crew are craftsmen and workmen, diligently working to finish the job both well and on time. The team has clearly worked together for a while, they each have their role and manage the job so that everyone is busy. Super progress was made each day, and the result is beautiful! Thanks to the entire team!
Excellent design and construction. Workers were cordial, professional and highly skilled.
The job was detailed and complicated because we have an older house - and this crew completed the job beautifully with perfect cleanup.
We feel the end result was even better than expected. It was a beautiful job executed to perfection.
We recommend Eddie and his crew highly and without reservation....A+ job.
If all business owners, contractors and professionals conducted their business like Eddie and General Brick Designs, I am sorry to say Angie, your list would not be needed! Eddie looked over the area and made some suggestions on what he thought would be a good look that would enhance the look of the house and the grounds as well. We agreed on his suggestion as he truly has a vision and the experience with the products and what would look right for the property. We then agreeded on a price. Eddie kept in touch with me letting me know when i should expect him and how his present job was running.
Several weeks later Eddie and his team showed up everyday at 7:00AM or shortly after and worked hard all day, Eddie was on site everyday as well. All the bluestone that was in place around the pool and patio area had to be removed as well as the concrete under it. No jackhammers here, all the bluestone and concrete pickaxed and hauled away. With care given to the pool and keeping the mess out of it. The ground was smoothed and compacked and the pavers where installed in a herringbone pattern. It was obvious that the workers cared about what they were doing and not just going through the motions for a paycheck.
These gentlemen knew their stuff as Eddie mentors them to be the best they can be, and it shows. There was extra work that had to be performed around the pool that was unseen and unexpected while the old bluestone was still down, but Eddie's leadman Oscar said there was no way to do the job properly without first installing new mortor and flashing i believe it was called around the pool edge. Eddie and his men did an excellent job of installing that before proceeding, and would not charge me for the extra work! When was the last time you heard that!
I had asked to have some of the old bluestone placed on the side as a relative requested it, it was greeted with "no problem, whatever you need" and it was done quickly for me.
As the job went on i asked Eddie what he thouht of a driveway apron using the same pavers, Eddie thought it would make a great statement and loved the idea, a very reasonable estimate was given and when the patio and the rest of the job was completed the driveway appron was installed the very next day and the results are outstanding!
I cannot say enough nice things about Eddie and his team, professional, caring, neat, hard working, with the end result being a beautiful job that will be enjoyed by my family for years to come.
Before the pavers were placed i had asked Eddie if we could place the remains of my pet cat "Skunky" under his favorite spot on the patio which Eddie was all for. Eddie handled the entire event with dignity and respect that had my entire family very touched.
The next day Eddie had brought along a paver his wife was kind enough to have engraved as a rememberence for my deceased cat Skunky! Talk about a caring professional, including his wife, that says it all, just a class act.
Eddie treats his work as an artist treats his canvas, the love of the job comes first, the money is secondary, if the work is not top notch, then nothing else matters.
Anyone who is in need of masonary work needs to look no further than Genral Brick Designs, everything that is promised, is delivered, and then some! I could go on and on but i trust you understand what i am saying, these guys are the best,
Thank you Eddie for the beautiful patio and driveway apron, everyone who sees it comments on your work, thank your crew as they did a wonderful job as well, and lastly thanks for being a true gentleman and humanitarian! You guys are the best!
The only drawback is, I wish Eddie and his team did more than masonary, i would hire them for all my housing and construction needs! They are truly the best, and the experience was nothing short of spectacular!
Updating review to give an A in the category of price. I noticed in reviewing the review that I made a mistake.
Ed, Oscar and the entire crew did an excellent job on this project. They worked fast, clean and neat and the finished product gives the front of our property beautiful curb appeal. Ed and his crew installed beautiful pavers around our pool and replaced the old wood deck in our back yard about seven years ago and we have since received many positive comments from friends and neighbors about that job. There was no question that we would call Ed back to do another outstanding makeover!!
We recently moved into a home that needed some major remodeling to the back of our property. I kicked off the bidding process by reaching out to Angie's list a few month's ago and called Eddie Costanza to provide a bid for work to be done. His price was actually a bit higher than the other two bids received but my wife and I felt extremely comfortable with his approach to the job to be done as well as his mason experience which was quite evident with the meetings we had before signing a contract. I had read through all the comments about his company on Angie's list and hoped that they were accurate about him and his crew.
Well, ALL comments about Eddie and his crew Oscar, Wilson, Tony and Omar are spot on! This team just spent two weeks at my home and they did an incredible job with my patio, barbq, pool walkway and garden areas. What was great about this experience was how Eddie managed the work to be done. Not only was he on the jobsite everyday but he and I conversed on the design throughout the process and made modifications where necessary. The Danish brick patio with stone edging and stone barbq area could be shown in a backyard design magazine! My wife and I couldn't be any happier!
I also need to recognize his team. They are a hard working crew that are professional, courteous and clearly experienced at all aspects of masonry. As I am retired and was also working in my yard a good part of the time they were at my home I got to see firsthand how effective they worked together as a team. Oscar, the lead, is a masonry artist that is also a perfectionist and takes a significant pride in the work of his guys. Eddie and his crew actually went beyond our expectations as they rebuilt a good part of a brick patio/walkway that was attached to the old deck, laid additional bluestone to my pool area and a shed behind the pool and repaired damage to a part of our chimney.
Before I signed a contract with Eddie he had said numerous times that once the work gets underway that he and his team would have no other distractions and that all of his energy and focus would be on my home and nowhere else. This commitment was spot on! As other Angie's List comments have stated, he has a wealth of experience from the Army Corp of Engineers and this was evidenced by the quality of work achieved. He actually provided additional counsel to me on other aspects of my home such as the siding, chimney and property maintenance that I will take forward with further refurbishment of my home. His outgoing personality, team leadership and keen desire to meet client expectations are just a few of the key reasons why I would recommend him for any form of masonry work.
Overall, this was an incredible experience. I have told Eddie to use us as a reference and if anyone wanted to come see the work done at our home to just give me a call so I could show it off. Thanks again for a job well done.
All the best, Bill & Maritza
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