THE STONE MAN, LLC

When reading reviews and researching the various masonry contractors out there to remove our deck and pergola and install a raised stone patio, I read where one reviewer had said, “ It is hard for me to put into words the deep appreciation and admiration I have for everyone at The Stone Man.” After going through this process, I feel the same way. We had interviewed several companies, and it was clear to us that the Stone Man was the way to go. This is their specialty. They are not a landscaping company that is doing this on the side. They know their stuff and did not cut corners. It was unbelievable how every step along the way was so well orchestrated. First, Chris Davis designed our raised patio with us where we were able to see the 3D images and give our input and make changes. We count ourselves very lucky to have had Jeremy Armstrong as our project manager. Every day he would let us know when he would be on site and asked if we had any questions or concerns. He was so knowledgeable and patient in answering any and all of our many questions. Because of him, everything was timed to perfection with the coming and going of materials. On top of that, Ishmael’s crew was outstanding! I can’t express how much it means to have a patio that is their work of art. They laboriously broke apart stones and stacked them to create beautiful columns and walls for our raised patio. To see how they meticulously measured everything and made sure the curves and pitch were perfect was incredible. It takes a lot of precision and strength to do what they do, and I have a lot of respect for them. The Stone Man has changed our life, and I can’t thank them all enough for everything!

It is hard for me to put into words the deep appreciation and admiration I have for everyone at The Stone Man for transforming my backyard into my own outdoor oasis. During the planning/ design phase, Chris Davis met with me multiple times, both at my house and on-site at The Stone Man to develop and refine initial sketches. Working with me to understand what my dream goal would be, and finding a way to get the design completed within budget was greatly appreciated. Chris remained professional and patient with me throughout the planning phase, and his work was greatly appreciated. Once the construction began, Jon Purdue and team worked diligently on-site around the clock to transform our design vision into reality; and did the final result exceed expectations! I have confidence the team can complete any project, large or small, after seeing the work completed. The team developed the following: - Retaining wall designed in variable height from approx. 4 feet to 6 feet (to meet an architecture design I requested) - Large covered area with a fireplace, wet bar, and bar seating for 4 - Outdoor kitchen equipped with a custom designed brick oven - Outdoor fire pit with a seating wall, and additional seating for 4 adirondack chairs - Large paver area, complete with matching stone trim, which ties into countertops, fireplace, fire pit, etc. The daily workers on-site (led by Leo) are truly artist at their profession. One advantage of working from home during the pandemic was to be able to see the team hand chipping stone and building truly one of a kind masterful pieces. Jon did an exceptional job managing the project, checking in with me via phone or on-site multiple times a week. When sub-contractors came on-site to complete the work, they presented the same professionalism as the team from The Stone Man. Through conversations with the various sub-contractors, it was evident The Stone Man team performs a lot of reoccurring work with these groups, and the quality of work and professionalism exemplified by the team at The Stone Man was cascaded throughout all groups involved. Post-production, both Jon and Chris continue to check-in to ensure the work quality remains. Whether it be phone calls, text, hand written notes, or stopping by for small adjustments, this team is committed to excellence from start to finish and beyond. Throughout the process, not only did I gain a backyard design beyond my wildest dreams but I truly did gain friends that I hope to have over for a drink/ food to admire their work and realize how happy I am with the finished product. If you are looking for a professional and personable team who delivers the highest of quality work, look no further than The Stone Man. I did lots of research on others as well as this team, and am happy with the decision to proceed with the team.

Great experience working with Chris and Jeremy at The Stone Man. From start to finish, they provided great detail, honest advice and delivered excellent results. Talked with a number of different companies before moving forward with Stone Man and would highly recommend. Really appreciated their honest advice and excellent results!

We had a great experience with The Stoneman. From the first point of contact until the project was complete they were always in communication with us. In a day when it can be so hard to get contractors to respond to you this was very refreshing. We submitted a request online and Chris called the next day. He showed up exactly when he said he would and took time to walk through all of the details of our project with us. We had a stone patio that was sinking due to poor construction. We ended up having the patio reconstructed and added a small sitting wall and fire pit. After listening to what we wanted, Chris created a drawing that showed what the project would look like at the very end. It was so nice to be able to look at the finished product up front and be able to make tweaks as needed. Once the drawing was complete we were added to the project list and were sent weekly updates letting us know the approximate time our project would begin. Once our project was about to start we were assigned a project manager. The project manager visited us ahead of time to go over any questions before beginning the work. The crew that came onsite was very professional and never left a mess. If we had any questions during the project then the project manager would respond immediately and all concerns were addressed immediately. We have never worked with such a responsive and professional company. We would definitely recommend and would use them in the future.

When my husband and I first met George, we could tell right away how genuine he was in his desire to create a unique outdoor living space that would bring our vision to life. He listened and made suggestions without imposing his ideas. He made it clear that he wanted the final product to reflect what we wanted and how we wanted to feel in our space. We knew at the end of our meeting that we were in good hands. We had a couple more meetings before the start of the project to make sure we were certain with all the details and selections. At that point, we felt at ease taking on such a large and costly project because we knew George and his team would get it right. Fast forward 3 months — they got it SO right. It was better than we could imagined. Matt, our project manager kept us posted constantly throughout the project and always checked in to see if we were happy with every detail. He did not hesitate if we asked to change minor details along the way. The stone crew’s attention to detail and workmanship is remarkable. Matt coordinated the different trades (carpentry, paint, electrical, etc...) really well so that we would stay on schedule and on budget. All in all, we are beyond thrilled with the final product. We were amazed at how closely the computer rendering matched the final product. We would not hesitate to recommend The Stone Man. We really had a GREAT experience from beginning to end. Thank you George and Team!

Excellent experience. Everything was done neatly and in a timely manner. Good listeners, good suggestions. George, Matt and Jeremy are the best!!

We can't say enough about how happy we are with the work from The Stone Man!. They came up with a fire pit and outdoor hardscape area design that was really creative, and wove all of our ideas and goals into the work. The crew doing the work kept the area in order, didn't impact our day to day, and finished the job on time and on budget, even when they hit some unexpected things in the excavation. The final result is a great addition to our home that we really enjoy!

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He just had him come out and look but we have not used anybody. They were good. They came out, looked at the yard and gave us their ideas but we just did not move forward with it. There was no charge for the estimate. They were really nice folks. We just went in a different direction. We just did not do anything similar to what we told them we wanted to do. We actually did a completely different project and we are adding on to the home. I think they responded the same day that I reached out to them. I think it was a fair estimate. They are a very high end landscape company. I knew what I was getting into when I called them. I think it was fair for what they provide. They are not the cheapest in town. I did not want that. I choose not to do it because my yard will not support the pool. So, we could not put one in.

George had a team come out within a few days to fix the issues and they also put down a new layer of sand in the joints. Each time I have worked with The Stone Man, the results exceeded my expectations. George is very responsive and has a crew that does excellent work. I highly recommend The Stone Man.

George brought beautiful design refinements to my initial vision. His algorithms for estimates were crisp and accurate. Both his expertise and amiable manner guided me through the design and materials phase of the project.   Additionally, work began exactly on schedule and was completed with no hiatus.

My project consisted of a natural stone patio, paths, walls and borders.  George's vision of exquisite stonework is implemented by a wonderful crew of craftsmen, some of whom have been with George for years.  The execution of design, the artistic arrangement of stonework, the solidity of construction does not disappoint.  The men were courteous, neat and exceptionally careful of my established gardens.  
Communications between office and field are excellent; information is disseminated quickly throughout the organization.  Project management coordinated delivery of all materials seamlessly.  Finally, the beauty of the project has garnered effusive comments from neighbors and family and I finally have the garden that lingered on my bucket list for years.

The process of sitting down with George to work on design, pricing and material was one of our better experiences with a contractor. He actually listened top what we wanted and did his best to explain advantages or disadvantages of everything we discussed. Going to Blue Max to pick out of materials and having him with us was also as very good experience as his knowledge helped us in our decision. Once we got on the build schedule, which at that time was running about 3 weeks out, we received weekly emails letting us know when or process would begin. About a week prior to our scheduled start, George brought out several of his project managers and walked through the design with them. Once the build process began we were amazed at the effort and ethics that this crew had. They worked looking and hard in the heart of the summer to get our job completed and were friendly. Matt, our PM, checked in with us on a regular basis to make sure we were satisfied and answered any questions we had. We had a few issues with how the pavers were laid down in one specific area and we were told that they wanted us to be happy so the crew dug up what they did and re-did it to our satisfaction. We would highly recommend George and his gang.

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George (owner) created an excellent design which we loved.
Had two different crews working simultaneously; one on the deck and one building the patio area.
Despite all the rain we had in December and January, the crew was able to complete the project in agreed upon time frame.
Both crews were excellent.
Project manager Billy expected work frequently and was extremely responsive to any concerns and questions.
Delivered final project on budget.
Clean up afterwards was excellent.
Highly recommend this company.

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Stonemans team arrived on time did excellent work and followed up the next day to ensure I was satisfied.  I would definitely recommend them !!!

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Fantastic.  Stoneman and his crew are true artisans.  They use the design-build process, starting with several in-depth meetings at the house to come up with a 3D rendering of the proposed job based on what we wanted.  Stoneman took care to understand exactly what we wanted and offered design insights that really made the project come together.  Then there are several, very straight forward, discussions about budget, so that it is very clear early on exactly how much the project is going to cost.  Then he took us to look at all of the possible hardscaping materials in person at the stone yard so that we could see exactly what we would be getting.  He was never pushy and always worked with us when we wanted to make changes, even as the project was ongoing.  There is no question that Stoneman is a very high-end builder and designer, but he is fantastic about working with a set budget and making sure that we were totally satisfied with the product.  During the project, we noticed a few of the pavers were slightly cracked (manufacturer issue, not Stoneman's) and he had them replaced immediately and without question.  He completely transformed our back yard and we have been enjoying it ever since.  I'll also note that his crew and project managers are extremely professional, courteous and tremendously skilled.  We had an enormous amount of flagstone borders put in, and each piece was hand chiseled on-site to create the perfect fit. 

Very impressed and we will be coming back for more!

Overall, I was very pleased with the work that The Stone Man performed. They use Blue Max Materials and I was equally happy with Blue Max's customer service. One great part of the job was that I wanted "old brick." What I ended up with was hand made brick which looks old made by Old Carolina Brick Company located in Salisbury (Blue Max is their distributor.) George of The Stone Man pointed me in that direction and it was a great choice. My fireplace looks as if it was built in the 19th century - just what I wanted. The mason who did the work aimed to please and that he did. He and his helpers endured excessive heat and always had a smile on their faces. 

A couple of glitches came up during construction but The Stone Man remedied the problems quickly and took full responsibility.

I definitely recommend The Stone Man for your next project.

He was timely with the original look at the scope of work as I did not have any urgent time schedule.  He completed both projects in a timely and professional manner

• This was by far the contractor  I have ever dealt with. They did a fantastic job and the professionalism could not be beat.  They were polite, kept the area clean and respectful of the surrounding area.  I looking at having more work done.  From the first meeting with George through out the entire project it was handle perfectly.  Billy was the project manager and his team was great.  There pricing was fair and reasonable and the service was great.

We met with and received quotes from 5 different contractors. It was a difficult decision at first, as we were trying to be as economical as we could be. We took economics out of the equation and in every category, we wanted Stoneman. So we worked with George on our budget and desires, and he delivered. He had great ideas and designed something perfect for us and our yard. The other quotes weren't truly lower, as they lacked some of the quality and materials that stoneman was including. The best part was when his team showed up on site. Man, I never saw contractors work so hard and so fast. They were truly skilled, paid attention to details and were open to feedback and changes. I highly recommend Stoneman and am so thankful we chose them!

We interviewed and received proposals from six contractors to design and build an outdoor living space.  Having had a similar project in our previous home, we had a good idea as to what we wanted as well as what mistakes to avoid this time.
After meeting with designer David Barbee a couple times, we felt his proposal best translated  what we wanted into a beautiful design. He asked thoughtful questions and was extremely patient during our revisions to the design.  
The quoted price was comparable to the other firms and in line with our expectations.
The project went well and we were appreciative of the communication from Project Manager Billy Griggs.  He was often onsite ensuring everything went smoothly and answered any questions or concerns.
The crew doing the work was fantastic.  They were friendly, professional and did an outstanding job.
In the end, we are thrilled with our outdoor living space.  We wouldn't hesitate to use The Stone Man again and recommend them highly for your project.

Excellent professionalism and punctuality.  One of the best contractors I have ever dealt with.  The only downside was the price was high but I assume you get strong quality work with that price.  Also he was booked up for weeks and we wanted to get started right away.