Conference 7.286::home_work

    
      Anyone know of a brick mason?  We need to have a brick hearth
      built, to put a wood stove on... Would like to have it done soon
      too, which is a big problem... Can anyone recommend someone?
    
      Thanks
      Kris

    Where ?

I'd like to make two suggestions to people asking for contractors:

1) Try doing a dir/key=masonry (in this particular case) or dir/key=contractors.
   If you don't know what the keywords are, type SHO KEY.  Or, you can try 
   dir/title=brick to try to find brick masons.  A quick dir/key=masonry turned
   up three previous notes asking for masons.

2) Tell us where!  There are often requests posted here that make no mention of
   location.  Although most people in this file are in eastern Mass ('cause 
   that's where DEC is), they are spread around, plus there are some of us in 
   southern NH and I know of several contributors who are in Colorado.  I'm sure
   there are also readers from other countries.  

Paul

    First, I remembered last night that I had forgotten to put where
    I am in the note.  Oops.. I live in Chelmsford Mass..
    
    Also, I did try the dir/key=brick idea and didn't come up with
    anything about a mason...will try the key=mason...
    
    Still looking for one..

    Todd Dutcher in Littleton and Peter Antonelly in Westford are both
    good. Niether is cheap but if you want to be sure of a job well
    done it's probably worth the price. I've used both and would be
    glad to show you some of their work.  

    Hi
    I am building a house in Dracut Ma and just had a 5' wide
    chimney done by Ray Matte from Windham NH. He did excellent
    work! His price was good too. The masons bid on a 44" chimney
    going up 15 feet (cathedral ceilings). He match the lowest bid
    $1800 with the high of $2360 from a group in Tewksbury.  He also
    made some suggestions (which I am glad he did) to put in a 5'
    chimeny since it is located in a great room and he said the 44"
    would have been to small (which it would have).
    Contact me if you'd like his phone number
    Kevin

We just had a mason finish up two fireplaces - one with a raised brick
    hearth, the other with a brick floor level hearth; they came out
    very nice.  The mason is from Fitchburg and has done a lot of work
    in Princeton.  His last name is McGrath - send me mail or give me
    a call to get the specifics - I highly recommend him.
    
    Bob Hazel
    MEMCL1::HAZEL
    DTN 232-2482
    

    
    
    We had a new chimney built this last fall. It was done by Noel Gagnon
    and Sons. I recommend them highly. Good work at a good price. They
    are in Manchester, but they do work all over NH.
    
    Mike

    I also had a chimney done last fall...
    The work was by Stack and Hughes in Lowell.  I believe they do most
    all of southern N.H. as well.  
    I thought they did good work, and for a fair price.
    
    Debbie
    

Try McEntee Masonary Contractors at Perham Corner, Lyndeborough (654-9243).
This guy and his sons do excellent work.  He usually is quite backlogged and
is expensive but you get what you pay for, quality.  He has done quite a bit 
of work for me and still has more to do when his schedule permits.

            <<< JOET::DUA1:[000000.NOTES$LIBRARY]HOME_WORK.NOTE;1 >>>
                         -< Better living through DIY >-
================================================================================
Note 165.1                   Wanted Fireplace mason                       1 of 5
CURIE::GUTNICK                                        9 lines  14-MAY-1986 13:20
                               -< A Good Mason >-
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

    Call Frank at F.J.D. Masonry in Hopkington.  You can reach him at
    435-5182 or 435-4960.  He rebuilt my chimney from the roof line
    up, and then built a georgeous hearth for my living room--using
    old bricks, which I had requested.  He was reasonably priced, always
    on time, and a nice guy to boot.  I recommend him highly.
    
    -Bonnie
    
    

            <<< JOET::DUA1:[000000.NOTES$LIBRARY]HOME_WORK.NOTE;1 >>>
                         -< Better living through DIY >-
================================================================================
Note 165.2                   Wanted Fireplace mason                       2 of 5
CRETE::GORDON                                         5 lines  14-MAY-1986 16:55
                          -< ...try a DECie........ >-
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

call Dave Lyttle via the DTN - works at DEC and lives in Maynard, I think.
I had him do some work last fall in littleton for me.  God is he
fast and on time!  He works early (7am) and leaves early (3 ish)

Bill G.......

            <<< JOET::DUA1:[000000.NOTES$LIBRARY]HOME_WORK.NOTE;1 >>>
                         -< Better living through DIY >-
================================================================================
Note 165.3                   Wanted Fireplace mason                       3 of 5
SYSENG::MORGAN                                        7 lines  19-MAY-1986 11:50
                                 -< 897-6839 >-
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

    If you're looking for quality then you want Barry Jenkins.  As a
    matter of fact I used to work for him.  The only problem is he's
    extremely busy so you can expect a wait period.  He lives in Maynard,
    is very fast, and very reasonable.  He built a chimney for me (before
    I worked for him) for half the price of the two other estimates I got.
                                                         
    					Steve

            <<< JOET::DUA1:[000000.NOTES$LIBRARY]HOME_WORK.NOTE;1 >>>
                         -< Better living through DIY >-
================================================================================
Note 398.1            Wanted: Mason in the Nashua N.H. area               1 of 2
MRMFG1::A_PEIRANO "I like IT"                         8 lines  18-SEP-1986 11:02
                           -< This guy can help!!!! >-
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

    
    I have a friend who lives in Dunstable,Ma. who is a VERY good   
    mason.I know he travels all over and has a crew of about 5-6,
    but will handle small jobs himself......everybody could use a  
    few extra $$$. His name is Joe Donlan and his phone number is 
    617-649-7553.
    
    Tony.....

            <<< JOET::DUA1:[000000.NOTES$LIBRARY]HOME_WORK.NOTE;1 >>>
                         -< Better living through DIY >-
================================================================================
Note 599.4               ?  Looking for a brick mason ?                   4 of 5
SMAUG::FLEMING                                        4 lines   1-DEC-1986 08:48
                       -< Good work rarely come cheaply >-
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

    Todd Dutcher in Littleton and Peter Antonelly in Westford are both
    good. Niether is cheap but if you want to be sure of a job well
    done it's probably worth the price. I've used both and would be
    glad to show you some of their work.  

            <<< JOET::DUA1:[000000.NOTES$LIBRARY]HOME_WORK.NOTE;1 >>>
                         -< Better living through DIY >-
================================================================================
Note 599.5               ?  Looking for a brick mason ?                   5 of 5
CLUSTA::MCCARTHY                                     11 lines  23-DEC-1986 17:00
                            -< Mason in Windhan NH >-
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

    Hi
    I am building a house in Dracut Ma and just had a 5' wide
    chimney done by Ray Matte from Windham NH. He did excellent
    work! His price was good too. The masons bid on a 44" chimney
    going up 15 feet (cathedral ceilings). He match the lowest bid
    $1800 with the high of $2360 from a group in Tewksbury.  He also
    made some suggestions (which I am glad he did) to put in a 5'
    chimeny since it is located in a great room and he said the 44"
    would have been to small (which it would have).
    Contact me if you'd like his phone number
    Kevin

            <<< JOET::DUA1:[000000.NOTES$LIBRARY]HOME_WORK.NOTE;1 >>>
                         -< Better living through DIY >-
================================================================================
Note 1571.1                   Brick mason in Derry?                       1 of 1
OGOMTS::GALUSHA                                       6 lines  25-SEP-1987 14:48
                                -< BRICK MASON >-
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

    THERE IS A GOOD ONE IN HUDSON BY THE NAME OFD BRUCE ALEXA.  HE HAS
    DONE A LOT OF WORK FOR ME, AND HE IS FIRST RATE.  HE IS IN THE P[HONE
    BOOK.
    
    
    

Tim Boston of Seacoast Chimney Cleaning in Portsmouth, NH
just finished installing a chimney cap and re-pointing some
masonry damage to my chimney.  I would strongly recommend him.
His rates are very reasonable, sounds knowledgeable, and is very 
friendly.  Did a good job cleaning up after.
(he came out the same day I called him and brought his
fiancee to help, a real family business)

He seems willing to take on any job.  I asked him about extending
my chimney when I put the second floor on in a few years.  He 
also does stove & pipe installation, prefab chimneys, and general
masonry work.  I get the impression he is much cheaper than 
using a mason.

Anyway he charges $45.00 for a chimney cleaning, and since he
didn't have a lot of business in my town (Kingston, NH) he said
he would charge $35.00 if a group of us on the street had
him clean chimney's on the same day.  

If you interested his number is 603-431-3774.
You can mention my name if you wish.

-JFK-     

    
    
    	I just had a Mason by the name of Jeff Baer add about 12 feet
    of chimney (4 sides) to my existing chimney and poured one 10x14
    concrete slab and two porches. He was always on time,his rates were
    competitive, and the quality of work was excellent. He works out
    of Harvard Mass area. His wife works at DEC in the Mill.  I highly
    recommend him.
    
    			Jeff Baer   (508)  456-6941
    

    I'd like to give my highest recommendation to DAMERY MASONRY in
    Merrimack, NH.
    
    Todd Damery has built a Chimney for me that is as high a quality
    as I've seen.  
    
    Damery deals with all types of masonry (Brick, Block & Stone).
    
    He'll do fireplaces, hearths, walkways patios, ect.
    
    The best thing about Damery Masonry is that it's a small company,
    so the customer can deal directly with the owner, and when he says
    he'll be there, he always shows. In addition, the prices are great.  
    Damery's bid for my chimney was 35% better than all the other bids 
    I received.
    
    I'm going to have him come back and build a hearth for me as well.
    
    His work is outstanding, and he'll work from sunup to sundown.
    
    Todd Damery can be reached at 603 424-1438.
    
    Tell him that Kevin recommended him highly.
    

I've had John do several jobs (actually his sons do the work).

In 1979 he put in a block chimney for me.

Last year he did the following when I was building a house:

           Basement/garage floors
           4-flue chimney (with exposed brick-facing)
           Two fireplaces (one of which is a Rumford-style, with a 12-foot
                          long floor-to-ceiling brick facing) 
           Three "dry" stone retaining walls (one wall has 5 blue-stone steps) 


John seems to enjoy a good reputation among the locals, which is the main
reason I hired him (other masons were cheaper).

I have no major complaints and would use him again.  Like most contractors, he
is busy.  He was a little late in starting some of the work.

Contact me at DTN 226-7567 or 582-7888 if you have any questions.

-Bruce
                              

    Frank from FJD Masonary can do anything. He built two fireplaces
    for me, the upper one offset from the lower one requiring a separate
    support system of brick archways and walls. His experience saved
    me lots of money. I live in Shrewsbury and will happily display
    his work if your interested. see note .8 for his number. By the
    way, he is also the kind of person you don't mind hand your house
    keys to and leaving.. He even took the dog out to pee when she was
    wimpering.......  bottom line...  good guy.... 

    I can reiterate 2017.17...  Jeff Baer did an excellent job on three
    concrete floors in my new addition. They included a 2 car garage
    a basement walk out ramp with some drainage plumbing and a small
    farmers porch. He spent the entire day, 10 hours going over and
    over. They all look perfect, garage doors seal perfect, he knows
    his stuff and is very reasonable. I wouldn't hesitate to use him
    again. Good honest talent.

    
    I recently had a quality chimney built at a very fair price.
    
    	A.B. Navarro Masonary (Tony)
        P.O. Box 556
    	Marlboro, MA 01752
    	481-9376

    He did all the things right that often go wrong with contractors:

        - showed up on time to do the estimate
        - showed up on time to do the work
	- worked with the building inspector, not against him. 
        - did high quality work 
        - completed the work on schedule
        - cleaned up afterwards

    He had the lowest estimate of the three masons who provided estimates
    and still built a larger chimney than the other two were planning.
    Also, he doesn't mind if you do some of the work yourself to save $'s -
    I dug the hole for the footing and cut the siding from the house
    myself. He'll travel some distance - my work was done in Acton. 
    
    Tell him Bob in Acton referred you ...don't tell him he has good
    prices. 

I'll second the recommendation of John Proctor and his sons of
Lunenburg, MA (508) 582-6501. They built a 3-storey one flue external
wall fireplace and chimney. 

He came when he said he would. His sons did the work and cleaned up 
after they were completed to the point of picking up their cigaret 
butts from the driveway. I found that to be pretty remarkable. I think 
the work they did was very nice.

As to price, I don't know if it was high or low as we hired him based 
on local recommendations.

John H.

    Give Scott Cournet from Brick Appeal a call at 603-429-2048, he did a
    beautiful job on my fireplace which is a split blue stone with blue
    stone harth and mantle. It's really very very nice. Great guy to work
    with. He also did a wonderful job on my chimmey, the top is
    unbelivable, you have to see it. He also did my front landing in blue
    split stone and blue stone, again beautiful. But most important he is
    great to work with.
    
    Peter Stopera
    dtn 264-6483

    One more who comes with EXCELLENT reccomendations is David vonJess from
    Stone Horse (Construction?).  They're based out of Acton, MA, and he
    specializes in stone walls, walkways and that 'type' of stone work.  He
    has a real nice portfolio of work he's done if you want to see ahead of
    time. 
    They do a GREAT job!!!
    
    	David vonJess
    	(508)263-9111

    I would like to recommend an excelent Mason if anyone needs work done
    on the South Shore or Cape Cod.  I had Dick Gilbert build or shall
    I say replace an old fireplace and chimney for me.  I am doing a
    complete renovation of an old beach house, my wife and I took the
    old fireplace and chimney down.  I took pictures of it before as
    I wanted it to look as authentic as possable when it was re-built.
    Dick went over the different types of brick we could use the pro's
    and con's of each and really wanted a lot of input from us as to
    just how and what we wanted.  He did excelent work, neat, clean
    looking very precise, even the building inspector was impressed.
    He is the type person you can work with, "I want people to be happy
    with my work thats just the way I am". he said.  My builder was
    also impressed with the quality and price and took my recommendation
    and used him on his next job.  I promise you won't be disappointed
    in the quality or the price. Dick Gilbert (508) 564-4153.  Tell
    him I recommended him.
    
    Paul Caldera

   This is in reference to note 2021.5:



( Call Frank at F.J.D. Masonry in Hopkington.  You can reach him at     )
( 435-5182 or 435-4960.  He rebuilt my chimney from the roof line       )
( up, and then built a georgeous hearth for my living room--using       )
( old bricks, which I had requested.  He was reasonably priced, always  )
( on time, and a nice guy to boot.  I recommend him highly.             )
(    
( -Bonnie
    
  One of the numbers above (508) 435-5182 is no longer valid. The woman who
answered kind of wondered why she has been getting so many calls asking
for Frank. 

JC

    I needed the top of my chimney rebuilt, and got a reference from my
    former landlord, who had similar work done.
    
    Mike Horan (there are two, father and son).
    Father: Waltham, (617) 899-5004
    Son: West Acton, (508) 263-7447
    
    The father did our work. I have never met the son. It was a minor job,
    but he did it nicely. He's a charming fellow.
    
    --Dan

  I second the recommendation in .21 of David VonJess (Stonehorse
  Construction in Acton). The quality of his work is without equal. 

  We just had a small wall and steps built by him, and are very please.
  A real businessperson -- excellent work, on schedule, on budget, no
  complications of any kind. 

  If you want to see a sample of his work, visit Fieldstone Farms on Rt
  2A in Littleton just west of I-495.

Has anyone ever used the masonry services of B & L Builders (Edward Lamarre)
 in Dunstable?

    Has anyone ever had any work done by Rines Masonry out of New Ipswich
    New Hampshire? Good Price! How's their work??????????????????
    

    I recommend Jeff Baer of Harvard, MA to do any mason work.  He is
    very prompt on getting back to your request and looking at the job for
    an estimate.  He has a small business, himself and a helper.  He arrives
    on the job on time and puts in about 10 hours a day.  He is very
    conscious of his work and his quality of work was excellent.  We had 
    cement steps that needed work and he built new cement steps over the 
    old ones.  He also did repair work on our chimney, repointing.  His 
    prices are very reasonable.  He will travel anywhere.    
    
    He also does fireplaces, floors, walkways, stone fireplaces, etc.
    
    You can reach him at 508-456-6941.  
    
    Bob
                        

	I also had Jeff Baer do some work, and I was very pleased.
	I had a 'rudimentary' fireplace in my basement, the facing was
	concrete block, and Jeff put a nice brick facing on it and
	and a hearth on the floor.  It came out very nice.  Jeff was
	easy to deal with and was reliable in getting the job done.
	He had no hesitation in coming down to Shrewsbury to do the job,
	even though he is up in Harvard.

	Jeff is at 508-456-6941

	Ed

Our Building in back bay needs the brick repointed.  Can anyone suggest 
a reputable contractor to quote the job?

Thanks.

    I need to add our recommendation for Jeff Baer to the file. See notes
    .13, .17 .28 and .29 for phone number.
    
    Jeff did a center chimney fireplace with two furnace flues for us over
    the summer.  Our job is a little out of the ordinary because the
    chimney is a structural part of the house, as the center "post" of our
    post and beam.  It is a slightly odd shape, too.  Jeff was very
    accomodating to our oddball requests.  We did have to work with him to
    make sure the details came out right, but you'd have to do that with
    any contractor.
    
    His prices are good, and he is reliable.
    
    We also had him finish our poured porch and cellar floor.  That was a
    very long day for them 7:00 a.m. til 8:30 p.m.  Again, they did a super
    job.
    
    Elaine
    

    Another "kudo" for Jeff Baer.  My husband and I just built-in
    a new home with a cathedral ceiling family room. Jeff put in a
    floor to ceiling brick hearth, which came out beautiful.  He
    is reliable, neat & tidy, and very reasonable on his prices.  Jeff
    doesn't hesitate to make suggestions that are in your best interest,
    and that might even save you money.  He also installed our garage
    floor and did a super job.  
    
    Jeff was a pleasure to work with, very personable.  My husband and
    I highly recommend him.
    
    Michelle

    
    Clayton Wilson of Bolton put in a cobblestone, raised hearth
    fireplace for us this summer and did a superb job.  He has 
    been in the business for years and years and his work is very 
    well respected.  Sorry I don't have his number - but I do
    highly recommend him.
    
    jodi

	I'm looking for a mason to do a chimney for a wood stove in the
Southbridge,Ma. area. They should:

 1. Be willing to submit an estimate and schedule (breakup of time required).
 2. Be willing to take direction from me and the building inspector.
 3. Be willing to give me input.
 4. Show up on time to do the work.
 5. Do a did quality work.
 6. Stick close to the schedule.
         
	I would appreciate any recommendations you have based on your
experience with a mason who does or is willing to do work in this area.

 Thanks
  JR

Skip Rose comes to mind. He works with his dad and lives right in Charlton. I
know him because he plows my driveway. I don't have his phone number but I think
he has an ad in the yellow pages. I'll try to remember to look up his number
tonight.

Here's Skip's business name and phone number.

	Don Rose and Son
	Mason Contractors
	(508)248-7276

Well I called Don and Skip Rose and the night before that Skip was 
to do the job he got in a car accident and hurt his back.  I don't 
know how bad it is and I wish him all the best in his recovery, but 
meanwhile I still need a mason to install counter flashing on my
chimney.

My house is in Charlton MA (between Oxford and Sturbridge).  Can anyone
recommend any other good masons in my area?

Thanks,
Bill

    HELP! I'm DESPERATELY seeking a Mason who will:
    
    1. Answer the phone.
    2. Come when they say they will, or call if they can't.
    3. Give me a price that doesn't make me faint.
    
    I live in Reading Ma, seems alot of the mason's mentioned in this
    note are out of my range geographically.
    
    Any suggestions, send me mail or call!
    
    DEMON::DIROCCO
    DTN 226-6587
    
    Thanks so much!
    Deb

    
    Since I've had a number of people over the years contact
    me concerning the mason - here is the info from his card.
    Middlesex Masonry
    Ray Matte
    8 Hardwood rd
    windham nh 03087
    603-432-3073
    

    2021.10
    I added the address and phone number of Ray Matte
    in note 599 of this conference.
    
    

	Jeff Baer worked with me to install the floor in my barn.  I was
	very happy with the rates, and the results.  Dispite my help, it came
	out great.  8-)

	I would recommend him to anyone!

    
    			Jeff Baer   (508)  456-6941

  I read notes .5 and .16, but since they are pretty out-dated...

  I'm looking for some information/recommendation on FJD Masonary who
  is now in Northbridge.  

  We have already met with him and he gave us a pretty reasonable estimate
  for the work we need done, but I'd like to get some feedback from anyone
  who has used his services or knows his work.

  If you would like to contact me off-line please send mail to SOFBAS::FRANTZ.

  Thanks,
  Kathy

    This is yet *another* recommendation for Jeff Baer!!!
    
    Jeff is from Harvard, MA but was willing to work on my house in
    southern NH.   He lined and repointed 2 flues of a very old 
    chimneys.   He also installed dampers on these.
    
    Jeff does beautiful work.  He is obviously a true tradesman
    who takes a great deal of pride in his work and in making
    sure that the home-owner is happy with the job.
    
    Jeff shows up when he says he will, and works long days to get
    the job done as quickly as possible.  
    
    His prices are very reasonable and he sticks to his bid (even
    when one of the jobs he did for me took longer than he
    expected).     
    
    If you're in southern NH, I'd be happy to show you the work he
    did for me.   
    
    Jeff Baer - Masonry
    Harvard, MA.  (508)456-6941
    

I'd like to put in an additional recommendation for Jeff Baer.
(Jeff Baer - Masonry - Harvard, MA.  (508)456-6941)
    
Jeff completed the stairs/walkway in the front of our house.  Previously
the walkway was made up of stairs that were framed with pressure treated 
wood, and there was flagstone to step on.  The flagstone was always breaking 
and we were constantly tracking dirt and mud into the house. (to say nothing
of having to weed all the time!)

Jeff bricked these stairs for us after using a layer of crushed gravel and 
stone dust for a base.  It really added to the appearance of the house and 
we're very pleased with the quality of the work.  

Jeff was very willing to work with us on this project and gave us some
options on how we could keep the cost down.  We found his rates to be very
reasonable.

We live in Chelmsford, and Jeff's located in Harvard, so he does cover a
wide range of areas.

-Susan

    Steve Lannon (617-595-0572) did a fine job fixing our front steps:
    removing the old brick & railings, and cementing-on limestone steps
    with a bluestone insert at the top. He was careful to preserve the
    character of the rough stone risers. Steve took time to explain his
    work and his price was lower than several other's. I believe he lives
    in Lynn, Mass.

    I'd like to add another recommendation for Jeff Baer of Harvard, MA. 
    Jeff built a beautiful stone fireplace and brick stairs for my house
    I'm building in Boxborough.  He did a fantastic job at a great price.
    The builder I'm using was impressed with Jeff's work and prices also
    and I believe he is planning on using Jeff on future jobs. 
    
    Gina Marksteiner
    DTN:  296-5287

Jeff Baer, Harvard MA (508)456-6941

Jeff solved a problem we'd been having with our fireplace chimney.  I had
hired a chimney sweep to inspect the fireplace chimney, but unfortunately,
the first time we used the fireplace, smoke leaked into the basement through
the basement fireplace.  (Our house is about 45 years old, and we just moved
in last Fall.)

I called a couple of people in the chimney business to check out the problem.
One tried a quick fix that didn't work.  Another told me I would have to spend
thousands of dollars to re-line the chimney and repair the outside.

Jeff was my third opinion.  He showed me that the chimney lining was in
good shape, and that except for some bricks that needed repointing, the
outside of the chimney was also in good shape.

To solve the smoke leak problems, he tried a few things, including a
technique he had read about but never used.  I'm not sure what did the
trick, but this year we're using the fireplace and it's working great.

The bottom line:

- Jeff took time to really investigate the problem.  He was the only
  one who bothered to light the fireplace and see what was happening.

- He came on time and was good to work with.

- He saved me a lot of money. (He let me work with him, which cut down on
  my cost because otherwise he would have had to bring another person to
  to do the job.)

- He did an excellent job.  The fireplace works; the chimney is in good shape.

- He gave me pointers on things I could do to fill some cracks and maintain
  my chimney, stone walls and walkway.

- Mike

Can anyone recommend a mason contractor (driveway, front steps) 
in the MetroWest area of Boston?

Thanks.

    any recommendations for southern nh?
    

    
    
    			Dan Hastings - Masonry Contractor
    			173 Burns Hill Road
    			Wilton, New Hampshire 03086
    
    			603-654-9057
    
    
    	Dan is the brother-in-law to Paul Lemieux (see note 2008.87 & 88)
    former (left June 3, 1994) Decie now Electrical Contractor 603-673-5602

        Have another thumbs up for Jeff Baer. He built up our front steps
    which had sunk causing water damage to the sill. He did an excellent
    job, arrived on time and was finished in one day. He is also going to
    put in a mantle over our fireplace...I would not hesitate to call on
    his services again. His prices are excellent also...An all-around nice
    guy......

For outstanding work, you'll want to contact:

  Chris Waelter Masonry & Concrete Construction
  17 Pasture Drive, Hudson, NH  
  (603) 882-1784


I had a patio, walkway and steps built recently and was EXTREMELY
satisified with the results (I've been stopped by just about every 
one of my neighbors who commented how nice it looks).

He has a few books he can show you of before and after shots and they are
very impressive.  He's done big commercial jobs and small residential 
work.

I'm pretty sure he will travel out of Southern NH.

    We just had a chimney built by Mazzafarro and Wilson Masonry.  Dennis
    and Jack did a beautiful job on our chimney and also did some interior
    work for my inlaws.  I highly recommend them, their price was better
    than everyone else we talked to, and their work is extremely high
    quality.  
    
    Dennis Mazzaferro 508-365-7848
    Jack Wilson 508-827-4731

    I'd like to recommend Ron LeBlanc, LeBlanc Masonry, in Leominster, MA.
    He does all types of masonry:  brick, block, fieldstone...  
    His rates are very competetive in both the residential and commercial 
    markets, and his quality is excellent.
    
    He can be reached at (508) 537-4600.
    	

    	I'm putting in my recommendation for Randy Schmidt, Stillwater 
    Masonry of Sterling, MA.  He (and his partner whose name I forgot)
    just finished installing a 48"x40" fireplace with crane in our timber
    frame colonial.  Top notch work, the highest quality.  They showed up 
    ontime all the time until the job was completed (well within schedule).
    They cleaned up after themselves.  Nice guys, easy to work with.  They
    came up with an original hearth design which turned out beautiful.  The
    fireplace draws perfectly.  And the price quoted (and billed) was one 
    of the lowest we reviewed.  (And there is quite a price range in masonry 
    work, we found out.  At least one of them was DOUBLE what Randy quoted.)
    All in all, one of the best contractor choices we have made so far.  We 
    will be contracting with them again to do the brick steps at the entryways,
    no question about it.
    
    Randy can be reached at 508.422.8858.  Give him a call!  
    

	My husband and I are in the process of calling Mason contractors to
obtain estimates for a front walkway. We have not decided what type of material
we'd like to go with, but we are considering pavers, bluestone and brick. Many
of the contractors I have called have either a.) not returned my phone call
or b.) said that they can't get out to do an estimate for awhile since they're
too busy. I'm a little hesitant going with someone who won't return my phone
calls, since I don't want to be chasing down a contractor to complete the work.
We live in Andover, MA and would like any recommendations on reliablemasons who
have dealt with. We have received an estimate from Russo Earth Care in Haverhill
and are awaiting an estimate from Diamond Masonry in Burlington. Any experience
with either of these two?

Thanks,
Sharon

Sharon,

Please look in 2021, the mason contractor referral note.

I did a search earlier and couldn't locate the note. I just pulled several
references from there that might be very good. 

Thanks.

    If you're looking for a stone/brick mason, I'd like to recommend 
    R.L. Pierce from Hudson MA.  He's very talented in stone wall
    (dry walls too), brick or blue stone walk ways, and just about 
    anything to do with any type of stone.
    They recently had a display at the flower show in Boston this 
    past week and won blue ribbons for the wall/terrace they built
    for Ann Barker.
    He has photos of the work he's done and a video tape from the
    flower show.
    
    Check him out... You won't be disappointed...
    
    You can reach him at:  (508)562-0590  ask for Rick
    

I just had a frustrating experience with a Nashua-area mason, William English.
I had asked him to bid on a job of replacing a basement bulkhead - he gave
me an oral bid, but said he couldn't start on the job for two weeks because
the ground was still wet.  I asked him to write up a contract and send it to
me.  A week went by and I didn't hear from him so I called again - he said
"I can't start for six weeks - in the past week I booked six full jobs".  When
I said that I had told him over a week ago that we wanted him to do the job,
he said "Not my problem".

I'm disappointed - I had been impressed with him and his description of how
he would do the work.  All I can think of was that he decided he didn't want
my business after all - perhaps he got more lucrative jobs elsewhere.

I don't know whether or not William English does good work, but you can be
sure that I'll never call him again.

					Steve

Val's Concrete and Masonry
Nashua, NH
883-4710

I'd like to put in a good word for Val's Concrete.  Several years ago, when
I needed some old poured concrete steps dug out and a new pad poured,
Val's was the only mason I contacted who even called me back - Val himself
(now semi-retired and has passed on the business to his son, but he still
supervises and handles the financial end) did the job and for a reasonable
fee.

This time the job I had was larger - remove an old metal bulkhead box,
enlarge the foundation opening and pour a new, larger box for a bulkhead.
Another mason I had called had accepted the job and then backed out, but
Val's came through for me.  Though there was a bit of trouble with them
letting me know when the job would start, they did a fine, professional
job, even working on Sunday to get it done, and charged a reasonable price.

They're not flashy, but they know the concrete business.  I highly
recommend them.

				Steve

I could add briefly to Steve's comments.

When I built my house in Mont Vernon 12 years ago, I did the general
contracting and sought bids on the foundation work. Val had the best
bid, hands down, got the job, was in and out and done with it when he
said he would be, and did a fine job all around. A few years later
when I wanted to pour foundation for an addition, I sought bids again
and included Val in the pool. Again he gave me the best bid, and did
a fine job, including coming back after he'd removed the forms to
set a separate 12 foot section of cinder block which he'd agreed to
in the quote, but which his workers forgot as they were doing the pour.

    	Um, I believe that the concrete contractor recommendations 
    belong in note 2007.  I tend to think of bricks/stonework when 
    I think of 'Masons'....  Then again, I could be all wet, seeing 
    as 2007 is for concrete *foundations/flooring* ....  Whatever...
    

    
    Recommendation for Rick Pierce out of Hudson, MA.  Rick is coming to
    fix an old farmer's wall that we have along our property in Leominster.  
    He is rebuilding the end of it which has collapsed, or was knocked over 
    when they were building our house.  
    
    He also does walkways, patios, building of stonewalls, and from what I
    understand, most types of masonary work.  We've gotten some good ideas
    from him for a patio we eventually want to do.
    
    He is very pleasant to deal with and recently had an exhibit at the
    Boston Flower Show this past season and we were able to see pictures of
    the work he has done.
    
    His number is 508-562-0590.                   

    
    Follow-up on previous note.  We just had Rick Pierce in to do our
    brick patio.  He did a great job!! The bricks are in tight and he has
    edged it all off and will be doing the finnishing touches this week.
    
    Mary
    

	I hired Jeff Baer to build a brick veneer behind our
	wood stove. The job came our really nice and his
	price for the job was quite reasonable and competitive.
	
	I would recommend or rehire him again.


Dan LeBlanc
Lunenburg, MA

    My husband and I recently hired Jeff Baer to build a 50 foot long
    front walk. Jeff did an excellent job and completed the work using the
    pavers we chose and the style we liked. He was always on time and 
    completed the work in a 3-4 day period. His rates were reasonable. I 
    would highly recommend him.
    
    He can be reached at (508) 456-6941.
    

    
    Anyone have any experience or information on:
    
    	Stasz Masonry
        Manchester, NH
    
    If so, please reply or send mail to hylndr::brown.  Thanks.
    
    Brick Appeal was suppose to be doing a fireplace for me, but are 
    months behind in their work (I was originally given a start date in late
    Oct, now its maybe Mid-March...)
    	
    
    
    

    Don't know about Stasz but Jeff Baer (mentioned several times in this
    notesfile) was willing to travel to Auburn, NH.   He does excellent
    work and his prices are reasonable.   Can't speak highly enough of 
    Jeff!!!
    
    

    
    I had Jeff out two weeks ago and am still awaiting a bid.  I want at
    least two bids before selecting a mason.