Tuckpointing and brick replacement was required for a 100-year old house. After having read the reviews on several companies on Homestars, I narrowed my list to include Straight Up Masonry. Previous experience with contractors had taught me that if they deemed the job to be small, they would avoid it by coming up with some excuse or by charging a high price. What caught my attention about Straight Up Masonry was that several reviewers had indicated Tony Devlin did not share this attitude.
Earlier, I had contacted a contractor who had replaced the bricks of a neighbour’s garage. He forgot about our appointment and when he finally showed up to examine the house, he decided not to give an estimate. Instead, he said he would charge by the hour. I didn’t bother to inquire about his rate.
I contacted the other masonry companies along with Straight Up Masonry. Tony Devlin arrived as scheduled and proceeded to tell me the scope of the work involved. He answered any questions I had, was helpful, polite, respectful, forthcoming, and honest. If bricks did not need to be replaced, I was informed of this. His recommendations did not deviate much from the recommendations of the other masonry contractors.
However, there were several aspects that did set Tony Devlin apart from the other masonries that I had interviewed earlier. There were two bricks that sat right above the cement porch that needed to be replaced. I was told they could not be replaced because these bricks were structural. Removal would cause the bricks above to tumble down.
When I about inquired about these two bricks, Tony said they were not structural and could be replaced. Replacement of these bricks was trickier and would require more time and effort. Tony in fact, replaced these bricks and at no extra charge.
I was interested in having the exposed side one of the back portion of the house refinished with brick. One contractor told me it was unnecessary while the other quoted a steep price. Unlike the other contractors, Tony took the time to examine the structure and provide an explanation as to the consequences of proceeding with the project. There was insufficient room to accommodate the depth of the brick. The end result would have been obstruction of the window on the other wall. As a result of his knowledgeable, invaluable and honest advice, I did not proceed with the project.
Tony emailed an estimate within a short time. His price was very competitive. The work was scheduled for late October 2010 but due to weather delays on his other job followed by the onset of winter conditions, I contacted Tony to ask for a postponement of the work until Spring 2011. He was agreeable and I was reassured the quote would not change.
In early March 2011, I was contacted and the work was scheduled for the first week of April. About 2 weeks before the work was to proceed, I contacted Tony to request the work be postponed until the end of April due to winter conditions. He was very accommodating and flexible.
He kept me up-to-date on exactly when the work was going to proceed and completion time. He arrived on time with his crew and reviewed what work was to be done. He brought brick samples that I could choose from. Two of the samples matched the original brick of the house exceptionally well (reddish/brown colour).
About 10 years ago, the chimney was crumbling and had to be rebuilt. When I asked to have the colour of the new brick match the house, I was told it was not possible since they no longer made this brick colour due to the age of the house. I believed that contractor. The chimney was rebuilt with this orangey colour brick. When I saw the rebuilt chimney, I was completely dissatisfied because he did not rebuild the chimney back to original height as agreed upon. Instead of the original 3.5 to 4 foot height, the newly rebuilt chimney was only 1 foot high and I was expected to accept it. After a prolong argument and failed attempts to cajole me into accepting the end product, he finally agreed to rebuild it to the height that we had agreed upon.
After having dealt with Tony, I regret not having known about Straight Up Masonry 10 years ago. Tony was extremely easy to work with and he delivered as promised. The simple act of being able to match the brick to the original brick work and delivering as promised demonstrates his knowledge, conscientiousness, his professionalism, competence, and his pride for his craft.
Tony completed the work as discussed in a timely fashion. His work was exceptionally good. The job site was left clean. There were no surprises except for Tony replacing some additional bricks and cleaning the eaves trough for me at NO extra charge. Since I thought the downspout could be clogged, I asked if he would test it by pouring water down it. He delivered.
Past experience with other contractors had been one where they would always agree to do something. However, I found that it was just to placate me or to just land the job because at the very end when I asked if they performed the task, they had “forgotten” followed with “it wasn’t necessary any way". Tony’s actions further demonstrate his level of conscientiousness and trustworthiness. He keeps his word.
Overall, I am quite pleased with his work and would be happy to recommend him to any family or friends.
