Advantage Masonry

The project went well and in line with projected timing. My only complaint related to workers' failure to protect landscaping/mature plants along one of the 2 front wall sections. That landscaped area will have to be replaced next spring. The owner/operator is very conscientious and did a very good job of explaining the work that I did not originally realize needed to be done.

Estimator arrived as scheduled, was very professional and personable. Reviewed the exterior of the house, explained what they would do and indicated a time frame when they could begin. I received two other estimates but chose Advantage even though the cost was slightly more than the low bid because they would repair the section of bricks where the old electric meter had been and which now sported 4 screws sticking out. Prior bidders had specifically excluded that section. When we decided to fix the masonry, we had reconciled ourselves to painting the bricks afterward because we have seen so many repairs in which the new mortar bears no resemblance to the original mortar. Their team arrived as scheduled and finished the work as scheduled. There was mortar dust(?) left on the sides of the house and on sidewalks and driveways. We were told they would return in about a week to wash the sides of the house to remove the dust. The delay was necessary to allow the replacement mortar to cure. They came as promised and power washed the dust away. I was asked to inspect the repairs before they left after the original repair. I found a couple of cracks they had missed which were promptly repaired. It is now 2 and a half years since the repairs and we remain amazed. The color match of the mortar is so close that you can see the repairs only if you examine with a magnifier. Painting the house is no longer necessary and the house looks better than it did when I bought it 35 years ago. And the ugly four screws and broken bricks where the electric meter was now looks like the bricks around it. Superb work. Amazing.

They arrived as scheduled, they said it would only take 1 day and that worked out as well. They were professional and did a fantastic job! I will refer them to all my friends!!!! Thank you so much!

unknown

This project went great!  Cody Harper came out, was extremely professional and gave an estimate.
Scheduling was also very easy.   I needed to work around the window delivery and installation and Advantage Masonry was easily able to accommodate this.
The crew with Cody showed up on time on the day scheduled.  
The work was completed perfectly and everything turned out great.
I would highly recommend Advantage Masonry.   We will use them again if we need any further masonry work.

unknown

Went well.  Good job! Joe Nech is a professional!!

unknown

I’m late in posting this because I’ve
had some computer problems but I feel Advantage Masonry deserves being
reviewed.
This started in August 2012 and has been a long process to fix the problem. What happen was water came into my home during a very hard rain. The rain came from the north east which was unusual and rained very hard for approximately 4 hours. It leaked around the dining room window and the second bedroom window. The third bed room had water on the floor along the outside wall. The window leaks were minor but the third room was a more severe. After everything dried out I began the task of finding out what caused the leakage. I contacted several companies and hired one of them. They all had their own ideas how to fix the problem but they were all wrong. Through trail and errors it turned out the mortar was the real issue. In 2013 I contacted three mason companies and one of them was Advantage Masonry. I talked to Joe Nech. He explained the process of making mortar, and told me that my mortar was (more than likely) not properly mixed. He suggested I take a sample of the mortar to Dallas Laboratories to be analyzed. The laboratory report confirmed what Joe had suspected. Joe, and another mason company and the lab explained how to replace the mortar without re-bricking the front of the house. They suggested
cutting 1 to 1 and frac12; inches into the existing mortar and squirting properly mixed mortar in its place. They all said this would work. Advantage Masonry does this on a regular basis and guarantee it would resolve the issue. Joe and his crew showed up on time and completed the work in a couple of days. After giving the mortar a chance to cure we tested the wall. It did not
fix the problem. Joe was very surprised but stood by his guarantee…yes he stood by his guarantee. Joe and I discussed using a sealant but neither he nor I liked the idea. So I decided to re-brink instead of putting on a
sealant. I had two bids for re-bricking the front of the house. I again went with Advantage Masonry because their bid was the best and they stand behind their work. Advantage Masonry cleaned and reused the old brick and found new brick that matches the excising brick. He put tyvek paper everywhere it was needed. He stayed at the job site throughout the re-bricking except to get materials. He and his crew cleaned up the lawn and scrubs and left it better than when they started. Joe has contacted me several times to see how I am doing and ask if I was satisfied with his work. He takes pride in his work.

I would hire Advantage Masonryagain. I highly recommend Advantage Masonry.

unknown

The brick had seperated in several places on the outside of our home. They came out and filled in the places where it was seperated, and everything looks great now.

These guys are the BEST! They did a FANTASTIC job and are hands-down experts at masonry. I was blown away by their knowledge, talent, and quality. I highly recommend them. In 2 days, my house went from and quot;dingyand quot; to and quot;brand newand quot; outside.
I originally called 3 companies for bids. After talking with Joe, I cancelled the other bids! I've never done that before. But I realized that after his presentation, I knew that what they offered was exactly what I wanted, I didn't care if the next guys might do it cheaper...I felt sure no one could do better, and I was not disappointed.
First of all I have a home with Mexican Adobe brick. Mine is the mostly sand with the occasional pinksh and brownish ones. I have tried many times in the past to find it and match it. It's practically impossible for a lay person to find this stuff. They had it in stock! All the other masonry contractors I've contacted in the past, told me that this brick is no longer available. and quot;Problem Solvedand quot; with Advantage.
They also showed and explained how several previous repairs, where I had gone with lowest-bid, were flawed and really had failed again. They explained how their process is as good as/better than original, and sure enough they delivered on that promise.
They also explained that their mortar blending and mixing techniques are geared for the long haul, not just and quot;mix water and goand quot; like my previous contractors.
They did extensive work on my chimney. It was whack. The top was all crumbly, the cap was the wrong type, there were breaks in the exterior, the firebox was jacked, and the flue was stuck. The entire chimney is now as good or better than brand-new, on my 50-year old house. I have had many other companies come over the years and these are the first guys, to do the chimney absolutely right, it's a beautiful thing.
One day after the work was finished...i cannot even tell where they did it, anywhere at all on the house. They did work on all four sides and the flowerbeds and chimney, and it's invisible - wow!
Brick work involves dust. Can't get around it. They did a fantastic job of preventing dust where possible, and cleaning up whereever needed. They were meticulous about the clean-up and i was very pleased.
Bottom line - if you want it done right, or if you just want the best - these are the guys.

The crew arrived 20 minutes early and knocked the job out within an hour. They matched the existing mortar perfectly. Joe is very experienced with a wealth of knowledge - he took the time to explain everything about the process to me. I have more masonry work that needs to be done around the house that does not require immediate attention, but when I am ready to have it done, I will definitely be calling them back out to do the work! Couldn't be more pleased!

Everyone was punctual and very professional. They had to work within my time frame and the inclement weather which they did. They guaranteed successful results with one of the major cracks but the other one was more of a problem. Actually, both cracks turned out beautifully. They completed the work and cleaned up nicely in the time they estimated it would take. The house is old and their work made a big difference in its appearance. Another plus was that sufficient time was given to explain the work to me in advance by both the owner who gave me the estimate (Joe Nech) and the men who did the work.

I called on Monday morning for an appointment to have someone come out and give us an estimate for the repair of badly cracked masonry on our home's exterior. Joe Nech (the owner) came out the following afternoon. He gave the house a thorough inspection (he saw several areas that I had not seen) and prepared an estimate for the work before he left. Due to a cancellation in their schedule they were able to start the work on Friday.
The two-man crew (Lino and Francisco) arrived on time (actually, they were a few minutes early). Even though our house is over 30 years old, they matched the new mortar perfectly. The guys were so conscientious that they even repaired the broken mortar around the fireplace clean-out door, a welcome but unexpected attention to detail. Joe Nech visited the work site before they finished and supervised the final finishing touches, the complete washing of the house exterior and the cleanup. The entire job was completed by mid afternoon.
It looks like a new house. We could not be more pleased.

Two gentlemen removed about half of the fire-bricks in the fireplace fire box. Cleaned and filled many mortar joints. Replaced the fire bricks removed leaving a very professional job well done. Cleaned up after themselves and the job was professional from start to finish. I would definitely use them in the future.

Went well in this day and age of non service Roger was polite, onetime and honest.

Completely professional and responsive. Checked work while in progress and upon completion of job. We are totally pleased with the job and with Joe.

Due to foundation settling, the brick on the exterior of the house had seperated and had large cracks and gaps. Joe came out and explained what was involved and advised that we get the foundation repaired first before brick repair was to be done. He even came out and worked with the foundation repair warranty people showing them what was wrong and which way to change the piers.
Bricks were delivered the day before the work began so there was no problem with construction materials sitting around being considered an eyesore by neighbors. Then the Advantage crew removed the bricks from sections of the house front and sides. They matched the bricks the best they could as the manufacturer no longer made that color. Broken bricks were discarded, and new runs were layed. The brick ledge on the upper window was lowered so the heavy rains would drain better. Window frames were permanently sealed around with mortar, not just caulking. Bricks were painted matching color so they appear as the original color. The paint has not worn off in any way.
No landscape was damaged and ALL debris was removed when the job was complete - not dumped at the curb for the city to deal with. I am exceptionally pleased with this company's work.

Great. I was pleased at every turn.

They did an excellent job. I would give them all A's. They are clean, professional, speedy, and very reasonable. I highly recommend them!

The estimate ($995) was given to me on 9/11/07 and an appointment for the work was made for 10/05/07. I called the company on 10/04/07 to get an estimated time of arrival of the workers and was told I was scheduled for the afternoon of 10/05/07. The workers showed up at 1-1:30 pm (a three man crew led by Lorenzo). I discussed with Lorenzo exactly what I wanted done. The crew then proceeded to remove the damaged (spalling) bricks by use of a diamond saw. This process took 1 1/2 to 2 hours. Then Lorenzo told me they needed to go get the replacement bricks. About 1 1/2 hours later they returned and finished the work of replacing the bricks. When the work was finished on the chimney, the crew swept up and washed down the area, including the roof around the chimney, the patio cover, and the patio. They did a very good job. The crew left at about 6:45 pm.

WHEN THEY FINISHED THEY ASKED ME TO LOOK AT WHAT THEY HAD DONE. THE GUY IN CHARGE KEPT TELLING ME EVERYTHING WOULD LOOK MUCH BETTER WHEN THE MORTAR HAD DRIED. IT DID NOT AND UPON A MUCH CLOSER REVIEW I FOUND AREAS WHERE THEY TOTALLY MISSED REPAIRING THE MORTAR. IT TOOK A COUPLE OF PHONE CALLS, BUT THEY SAID THEY WOULD SEND SOMEONE OUT TO MAKE THE REPAIRS THE NEXT TIME THEY HAD PEOPLE IN OUR AREA. THAT WAS A COUPLE OF WEEKS, BUT WHEN THEY ARRIVED THEY CHEERFULLY MADE THE CORRECTIONS AND WE ARE SATISFIED WITH THE RESULTS.

THEY DID A GOOD JOB MATCHING COLORS. THEY DIDN'T CLEAN BRICK THOROUGHLY HOWEVER. I THINK I WOULD HIRE THEM AGAIN.