How to Find a Qualified Masonry Contractor

Looking for a masonry contractor? Make sure you ask the right questions to get the quality workmanship and professional expert you deserve.

If you're about to entrust a masonry contractor with your hard-earned cash and your property's well-being, you'll want to make sure you're working with a company that won't cut and run with your money before finishing the job to your satisfaction. Here are a few questions to ask before making a final decision on a professional for your masonry work.

1. Are they licensed?

If the masonry construction company is licensed, that means they have been certified by the state or local municipality to build fireplaces, lay bricks, pave driveways, etc. In the same way that individuals can obtain a driver's license through driver's ed courses and state-regulated tests, masonry contractors receive a license only after they have gone through the necessary training and passed all required state regulations. When your hired contractor is licensed, you're ensuring safe, secure masonry work.

2. Are they bonded or insured?

When a company is bonded and/or insured, it means that they are financially able to cover expensive mishaps or criminal activity. Specifically, a bond is an amount of money controlled by the state that is supposed to pay for any filings or claims against the company. So, if a member of the masonry contractor team accidentally drops a concrete slab on the hood of your car, you'll be paid out of the bond to cover the damage. Likewise, if a company is insured, the owner's insurer will reimburse you for the costs of a similar mishap. If a masonry contractor is not bonded or insured, you might get stuck with the bill yourself.

3. Do they have a positive rating with the Better Business Bureau?

The Better Business Bureau (BBB) was created to protect individuals and consumers from inferior business practices. As part of its service, the organization assigns ratings to accredited businesses according to a long list of factors. Some of the factors include how long the business has been in operation; whether the business has the required competency license; the business's overall complaint history, including number and severity; and the known existence of any government actions against the business. The ratings range from A+, the best, to F. If the masonry construction company has a BBB accreditation, check their rating before moving forward. This should give you a good indication of how trustworthy and competent the business is overall.

4. Can they provide references from previous projects?

The majority of reliable masonry contractors will be able to refer you to former clients. You can talk to these individuals and ask them for details of their experience, and whether they were satisfied with the work performed. Most people will be candid and happy to help a fellow homeowner.

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Top Four Choices in Poolside Pavers

With the dry and scorching conditions of the Australian summer, installing a backyard pool is a wonderful way to provide a tranquil space for entertainment, play and relief from the relentless heat. It's also an area of home renovation that requires a lot of strategic decision making such as selecting the most practical and aesthetically pleasing shape of pool, color of tiles and safety fencing to water quality testing and cleaning facilities - but one of the first choices you will need to make concerns the type of pavers you use for your pool surrounds.

There are pavers made of many different materials that can used to construct an attractive and functional poolside area, each with different qualities according to the placement and location of the pool and the environmental demands of the area. Let's take a look at a brief overview of the materials most suitable for poolside locations:

Natural Stone: Natural stone pavers are available in many different colors and textures. From sandstone to granite, limestone, bluestone and slate, colours can range from dark red, to gold, dark green to grey and everything in between. Granite and slate are both attractive and durable for use beside salt water pools, while sandstone is available in an incredible range of hues and ages quickly to inspire a vintage feel. Stone pavers can be prepared with many different surfaces when they are combed, chiselled or hammered and finishing techniques can lend a unique look to your pool.

Terracotta: Terracotta pavers can be purchased and installed at a lower cost than natural stone and can be found in tones ranging from deep red to gold. Terracotta will lend a casual appeal to your pool and can be installed for aesthetic effect, for example in interlocking herringbone patterns. However, terracotta is more brittle than clay or natural stone and will weather more rapidly.

Clay: Clay pavers are composed from blocks of natural clay that are fired under high temperature to provide a durable product that features rich red and brown tones. Clay will work particularly well in poolside areas that adjoin lawns and garden features due to their natural, earthy appearance. Clay pavers only improve with age, giving character to the garden landscape.

Concrete: The variety of options available in concrete pavers is limitless. Concrete can be moulded, rendered, painted and assembled in any number of ways according to the requirements of your poolside environment. Concrete can be produced to mimic the appearance of natural stone, but boasts the advantage of not being as porous as its natural counterpart. Concrete pavers are also one of the most cost-effective poolside solutions.

While your decision of which pavers to use around your pool will be based on individual taste and the design of your garden, any variety of tile will offer the advantage of being very low maintenance once they have been laid properly. All that will be required of you will be the sweeping of leaves and occasional power-hosing to keep the area clean, meaning lots of time left over to be spent enjoying your pool.

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Brick Repair Due to Foundation Settling

A lot of homeowners might encounter brick repairs when buying a home that was built in the 1980's or older depending in the area you are buying the home. For the most part the masonry repairs should be easy to repair due to natural causes, but it can get a little more complicated if its due to foundation problems. If you see cracked brick or mortar joints on your brick walls it may indicate that you are having foundation problems. A masonry company can fix or replace the bricks but it will only be a temporary fix since the house is most likely going to keep settling and crack the brick and mortar joints again. Before calling a masonry company you would need to call a structural engineer to determine if there is still movement in the house and if you need peers. Structural engineers check the safety and reliability of structures that support weight. It is their job to ensure that your home is a safe and livable environment.

In the Midwest most structural engineers will charge from $200 to $350 for a basic inspection. The inspection will include areas of your house like foundation, roof, interior and exterior walls. You can call a local structural engineer for pricing and what their inspection covers. If your home needs peers for support in the foundation your structural engineer will let you know where you need them and how many. Once the peers are placed you may call a mason but most that place the peers will automatically tuck and point all the cracks once the peers are placed. If you are wanting the entire bricks replaced you will have to contact a masonry company because the companies that install the peers will only grout the cracks of the brick.

Masonry companies can replace the entire bricks that are cracked if they feel it is safe to do so without harming the rest of the wall. Most masonry companies will advise you what type of brick your home has in order to match the existing style and color of your original brick. Brick floors will also need repairs with time since they experience a lot of traffic with time. When you proceed to call a masonry company for a quote it is in your best interest to call a minimum of 3 masonry companies for their opinion on the repair and pricing. If you are still not satisfied with pricing and what they have to say about the repair keep calling other masonry companies since there are plenty to choose from.

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Stone Fireplaces: The Hearth Is The Heart of The Home

One hundred ago the fireplace was a standard feature in most homes. It not only heated the interior, it also was used for cooking, boiling water, and other house hold functions. Today a fireplace is an extra that is treasured for its charm more than its function. Although the modern hearth can be a heat source, its real value comes from the warm atmosphere it creates.

Architects and interior designers have had a love affair with the fireplace for decades. There are countless styles which range from small cozy heaths inspired by 17th century designs to sleek modern structures that incorporate cabinets and shelves. Stone masons are experts in building and reconstructing these interior fire pits in almost any home. Always seek out experts that fully understand the structural elements so it will be safe and beautiful.

An interior fireplace is made of up of several parts. It's important to maintain and be aware for the interior elements of your fireplace as well as the decorative exterior. Let's take a look starting at the bottom and move to the top.

1. Foundation - also called a footing is built under the fireplace floor and is separate from the building's foundation.

2. Ash pit/Ash box - This optional feature is a hollow space under the fireplace floor where ashes can be swept into and later emptied.

3. Inner Hearth - This is the fireplace floor where the fire burns. (The term hearth can refer to the fireplace floor as well as the fireplace interior.

4. Outer Hearth - Now the terms can get confusing. The outer heath refers to the floor in front of the firebox.

5. Firebox- (sometimes referred to as the hearth) This is the surfaces and openings around the fire.

6. Fireplace facade - This is the decorative front that dresses up the fire box. Facades can be simple or ornate.

7. Mantle - Although technically this is the top or shelf of the fireplace facade, it is more commonly thought of as the place for trophies, knick-knacks and Christmas stockings.

8. Smoke shelf - This interior shelf redirects air currents that move through the chimney.

9. Damper and Lintel - Metal parts that control heat and smoke.

10. Smoke Chamber - This is the passageway between the fire box and the flue.

11. Flue - The flue is the vertical opening in the chimney which connects to the smoke chamber. The structure of the flue creates a draft and allows for a discharge of smoke, so the smoke is drawn up and out and does not flow into the house.

12. Chimney - Modern heating systems are more efficient than fireplaces; however there are design options which can increase its heating capabilities. Internal fans and special heat pipes can redirect the fire's warmth into the room so you lose less heat up the chimney. If you want the fire but not the ashes, consider a clean, gas fireplace.

Although the interior design elements are somewhat uniform, the fireplace façade and mantel can be built from a wide variety of materials including natural stone, decorative terra cotta lattice, tile, imprinted concrete, rounded stone, and brick. Modern fireplaces can work with any interior and add beauty to any home.

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Fireplace Efficiency With Glass Doors

Improve your fireplaces heat efficiency by 25% or more just by doing a few simple things, you can improve the efficiency of your fireplace and get more heat out of your fireplace, while enjoying the ambience and beauty of a wood-burning fireplace that is already in your home. If you have a little working knowledge of fireplaces, then you can understand why improving the amount of heat that a fireplace puts out is important to the over all enjoyment of having a fireplace in your home. If you are new to burning real wood-burning fireplaces, there are some very simple ways to improve the amount of heat that your fireplace will produce. The first thing that you would want to know about your fireplace is it in good working order? As a masonry contractor in the Seattle area we see quite a few chimney every year that are unsafe to burn and need to be repaired. Some of the things that you would want to look for would be, if the fireplace needs repair or has loose brick, smoking problems, water damage, or damper problems. One of the best way's to see if your fireplace is ready to burn is to ask for an inspection from a masonry contractor in your area. Now is the time to start that fire, and as we said above we want the fireplace to burn in an efficient way.

The first rule for any fire to burn in an efficient way, is what type of fuel are you burning? For a wood-burning fireplace to burn well you need to burn good quality, dry seasoned wood. When you burn quality seasoned wood the fire will burn cleaner, hotter and increase your fireplace efficiency. You may say I am already using good quality seasoned wood to help my fireplace burn well, but I still want my fireplace to improve its efficiency. There are still several other things that you can do to improve the efficiency of your fireplace another 25% or more. Every and I mean every fireplace should have a glass-door installed on it, if only for safety reasons, installing a glass door is one of the best ways of improving your fireplace efficiency for a very small cost. You might be thinking that if I put glass-doors on my fireplace the heat will stay behind the glass and just go up the chimney. This is not the case, heat from your fireplace will radiate out through the glass even if the glass-doors are closed, so a good way to use your glass-doors is to burn the fireplace with the glass-doors open and the safety screen closed. In this way you have all the beauty and ambience of your fire before you.

If your fireplace is equipped with outside air or make up air you can also burn the fireplace with the glass doors shut and the safety screen open, in this mode you will be able to see your beautiful fire and feel the radiant heat, but not be losing any of the air in the room up the chimney. Make up air or outside air can be installed on most fireplaces if you don't have it in your fireplace now. These two things will also overcome the reasons that some fireplaces smoke, and also why your fireplace has a drafty smokey smell to it when it is not being used. Just for those two reasons every fireplace should have glass-doors installed on them. The best reason I have saved for last and that is, your fireplace is costing you heat loss all day and night even when your not using it. The reason is that your damper in your fireplace is not airtight they are made that way to maintain a certain amount of clearance even when they are closed. So If you have a fireplace that does not have a glass-door you are wasting energy, up and out the chimney. In this article it's easy to see how you can get more heat out of your fireplace with just a few small changes, that will let you burn outside air instead of the air that you already paid to heat, and by installing glass-doors to stop heat loss.

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A Step By Step Look At Building Driveways and Walkways With Pavers

It's amazing how important a well maintained driveway or walkway can be to the overall appearance and value of your landscape. If the pavement is cracked and broken the property can look run down and unkempt. If the paths are just gravel or dirt your curb appeal may be greatly diminished. If you live in an area that is hit with snow and ice, your passageways become even more important.

If you've been thinking about improving your driveway and paths, it is probably time to call a stone mason and get the process rolling. It's important to find quality craftsmen, because if it is not properly constructed, it will quickly crack and deteriorate. After all, laying a walkway is more then scattering some pavers or pouring concrete. To do it right, expertise is required.

Measure and Layout the Driveway Pavers - Before anybody brings out the shovels, you'll need a tape measure and a paper and pencil. Go outside the check out the area. We often take things for granted and ignore elements which we might see every day. After walking the area, you might decide that the path should curve or the driveway should be a little longer. Once you've measured the area, draw it out on paper. The stone masons will also measure, but this allows you to see different options and help you better understand the process.

Excavate and prepare the area - The next step in the process is the excavation of the site. Think about future projects you might want to undertake. If you are planning on installing a pond, fountain, fire pit or outdoor kitchen, you might want to consider running an electrical line under a path before it's built so it doesn't need to be dug up later. You'll also want to call the utility companies before digging begins to find out the location of underground lines. Excavation includes digging out the area, laying wooden boards to form edges, installing a gravel aggregate which will follow the grade of the slope, and mechanically tampering it down. After the area is leveled, sand will be spread.

Cut and place paver stones - Driveway pavers add a sophisticated look that concrete can't compete with. There is a wide range of shapes, styles and colors so ask your stone mason for ideas that will work for your particular property. Consider coordinating your driveway pavestones with patio pavers to create a cohesive and complimentary look.

Paver stones will be measured and cut in advance. Then they will set into place and tapped down.

Install the edge - The final step of building a driveway, patio floor, or formal walkway is the installation of the edge. The wooden boards that marked off the edges will be replaced with edging stones. Sand will then be swept into the edges and cracks between the paver stones.

Your driveway is complete once you've walked or driven on it. Make sure to step back and take in the whole picture. It is truly amazing how a driveway or walkway can transform a landscape.

5 Reasons Why Manufactured Stone Is Becoming So Popular   Installing Cultured Stones