Hunt Heritage Masonry

Barkley Hunt from Hunt Heritage Masonry built our retaining wall only to have it collapse after 7 years. There have been many opinions on why it failed including too thin, not enough slope & likely the heavy rainfall on the day it fell. Disappointed to discover Barkley didn’t stand behind his work or offer to repair. In fact, he blew us off entirely citing other bigger projects he was now working on. We’re now having to pay another stone mason to repair & he’s going to guarantee his work.

Let me add my voice to the universal acclaim Barkley Hunt and his crew have earned. If only all contractors were as knowledgeable, conscientious, and just plain decent as Barkley.

Our Victorian house, built in 1882, had a facade covered by several coats of paint, under which lay the original bricks, many of them damaged. It wasn’t until Barkley began stripping the paint, however, that we realized how badly damaged the underlying bricks were. The only way to finish the restoration was to rebuild the façade using new matching bricks where the originals could not be saved. This raised the price of the job by 60%, but when you see the finished work, it feels like a bargain. There’s absolutely no doubt the resale value of our home increased by much more than what we paid.

In addition, the Hunt Heritage team refinished the original wood lintels and sills, created an ornamental Victorian-character bargeboard, and painted all the woodwork. The result looks absolutely stunning.

Throughout the process, Barkley explained every step and fulfilled our every request.

Like practically everyone else here, I recommend Hunt Heritage without reservation.

Barclay Hunt appears to be a patient, focused contractor - the kind you'd want for heritage masonry on a 100-year-old house. Well, once the contract is signed, the unskilled labour arrives. Barclay's Cdn Assn of Heritage Professionals designation is a joke - probably a social club. These guys gauged out brick using electrical grinders, leaving white abrasion marks on the brick. To his credit, Barclay acknowledged the problem and tried to get them off unsuccessfully with steam, said he would come back, and that was the last I heard of him. The colour matching was also poor. Look at the photo for the evidence. The search for quality masonry continues.

I live in a 120+ year Victorian house in Cabbagetown. Like many of the houses it had been painted and then sand-blasted to restore the brick. Removing the paint removed the hard surfaced and the brick was badly eroding (spalling). I interviewed 3 different masons, and Barkley Hunt displayed the required knowledge and skills to complete the heritage work. Barkley secured the necessary City Heritage permits to rebuild the entire front facade with orange and buff UBS brick (of the same colour and style as the original), limestone mortar and limestone sills. We needed to special order the dog-legged brick from England for the bay window. Since the work was done in March with evening temperatures below 10', they covered the porch and used propane heaters to ensure the mortar cured properly. Hunt Heritage Masonry are friendly, knowledgeable and meticulous. A true professional masonry contractor who takes pride in their work. After seeing and admiring the restoration at the front of the house, I had them also replace my window and door sills at the rear of the house. Similarly, my neighbor was so impressed by the quality and attention to detail, they had them replace their front brickwork as well. Strongly recommend Hunt Heritage Masonry to others who need masonry work.

Howard from Old Toronto

We wanted the new addition to look as though it had always been there, and Barkley Hunt accomplished this by carefully matching the orange bricks and the lime mortar of the 1880 façade. Barkley Hunt has done an outstanding job. Our neighbours are amazed. With admiration for Barkley’s skill, knowledge, attention to detail, and pursuit of excellence, we are happy to recommend Hunt Heritage Masonry highly to others.

Let me start by saying that the work you did on my home was nothing less than outstanding.
When I started preparing to have work done on the outside of my house, I knew that the brick work around my historical home was in really poor condition and recognized that it would be a very tricky and difficult fix. So when your company, Hunt Heritage Masonry, was passed onto me with the highest of recommendations, I knew I had to at least schedule an estimate.
25% of the lower brick work on my home needed to be replaced as well as all of the mortar. After meeting you for the estimation, you and your crew came in and took care of it all in a timely and efficient manner. You and your company kept up with a level of professionalism that I find hard to come by in many trades today.
More importantly when any concerns that I had during the restoring was immediately addressed, discussed and explained so that I came away with a complete understanding of what was happening with my house, putting my mind at ease every time.
The entire process was quick, clean, efficient and professional. I will be passing you and Hunt Heritage Masonry along to anyone I know who may be in need of your excellent services. In addition, please provide my name and number to anyone who may wish to speak to with me for a more thorough referral.
I offer this last extended referral because I am so completely pleased with the outcome of hiring you and everything that entails be it work ethic, professionalism, quality of work and product and attitude.

Thank you,

Ken McDonald
416.624.5850

I hired Barkley Hunt to do the grout work on my newly constructed natural stone fireplace. This was a job that I was not willing to do myself as I know the final outcome can either make or break the look of a project and despite being a fairly capable DIYer I knew this was a job for a pro.
I'd have to say the final outcome is better than I ever expected, and it has held up now for approx 12 months. While Barkley was working he noticed that I was interested in his methods (as a DIYer) Barkley willing showed me how to do the work, I consider this a sign of a top ranked tradesman . He also recommended a slightly different colour grout than I asked for and I was so glad he did because the final result was phenomenal.

Many thanks for you help,
Wayne

Barkley and his helpful team approached my house with care and were able to match the old stonework with new perfectly. They were very knowledgeable about the project and were a respectful to me and my neighbours. If you require craftsmen to work on your house, I can assure you that they did a fine job and I will be recommending them to others. I am very satisfied with their work!

Kathy

We feel very fortunate to have connected with Barkley. My wife and I were doing renovations that included exposing some brick in our home. We had 4 masons come in and provide quotes for the work. There was a wide range in the price. Fortunately Barkley was far and away the best quote, the most enthusiastic about the project and the most knowledgeable about the old materials we were working with. We have worked with many contractors and most have been good experiences. But none have been even close the fantastic service we got from Barkley. The job was much smaller than others he does, but he showed us the highest level of attention and care on our project. If you are looking for top quality, great prices, and the best service, you found it. And while he seems like he would be a good person to know as a friend, we had no relationship with him at all before or since, so please know that this is just the unbiased review of a VERY satisfied customer. We have since had friends come over who compliment the brick work and have encouraged them to call Barkley for their own needs. You'll be lucky to have him working on your project. We couldn't recommend him any more highly!

We have a hundred year old home built of brick and a stone foundation. We were unsure as to how we were going to find a contractor that understands how much we care about the exterior of our house. After receiving 3 different quotes, Hunt Heritage Masonry stood out as the ones to have the required knowledge and skills. Once the window to our future kitchen was removed, Barkley guided me through the process of matching the lime mortar to the existing colour and shape. He managed to source out reclaimed red bricks that were found in the area. Standing back from the house now, it looks as though the window had been always there. Our stone foundation is fully restored. I would sincerely hire Barkley and his dedicated team.

C. Besslich