Posts Tagged ‘ masonry restoration ’

When looking for a masonry restoration expert to tackle your commercial masonry project, it’s important to thoroughly vet candidates with a detailed selection process. While it’s easy to rely on online review services like Angie’s List, or browsing through union membership lists, these won’t guarantee finding a commercial masonry expert who will fit your needs, and it can be hard to tell if an online review is paid for, or by someone whose opinion you can trust. Consider these steps when looking for a masonry restoration expert that fits you.

Consult Friends and Family

Often more reliable, and more aware of your personal needs than the internet are friends and family members. Check with them, or with trusted business associates, to see if they’ve ever needed masonry restoration done for their homes and businesses. You can also check nearby stone supply companies, which contractors will visit regularly. The staff at the supply facility will be able to point you in the direction of the companies that buy the best materials and pay their bills on time.

Phone and Face-to-Face Interviews

Write up a list of the most qualified-looking companies, and make a quick phone call to their offices. Ask them if they take on the type and size of project you’re looking to start, if they’ll provide financial and personal references, a previous client list, and how long they’ve worked with their subcontractors. Using these answers you can narrow down your list further and set up an in-person meeting. When meeting a potential commercial masonry restorer, trust your gut. If they put you ill at ease, have unusual stipulations, or try to pressure you into making a deal on the spot, cross them off your list. However don’t be bamboozled by flashy personalities either and make sure that they are in good standing with the Consumer Protection Bureau, and the Better Business Bureau as well.

Investigate

Spend some time checking with past clients and examining completed restoration projects. If you can, find a current site their working on and pay them a surprise visit to see if restoration is being done it what looks like a timely and efficient manner.

Get Bids

With your shortlist in hand, present your proposed masonry project to the potential clients. Don’t automatically accept the cheapest bid, particularly if the company wants most of costs up front. Low bidders and companies that require more than 50% in advance are frequently desperate for cash, and may suspect you won’t want to pay them upon completion, or they may go out of business before the job finishes.

Looking for the best? Need Additional Help?

For other questions regarding commercial masonry restoration, feel free to contact Delprete Mansonry. Our masonry restoration professionals have the experience and history of satisfied clients to prove that we’ll get the job done right, and cost-effectively. To get started with your commercial masonry restoration project, please contact our office today at 410-683-0650 or email us at mike@delpretemasonry.com. We serve Baltimore City, County, Harford County, Carroll County, Anne Arundel County, and Howard County. Keep up with our blog for masonry related information, and follow us on Facebook, Twitter, and Google+.

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This Old House

Masonry work is a beautiful thing. There is a lot of meticulous, detailed work that goes into creating a masonry structure. Stonemasons have been working to perfect the art for centuries and make advances on the foundations of masonry as they go. If you have mason work that is starting to crack or deteriorate (which does happen, no matter how hard we work to make it perfect), you have a couple of different options.

1. You could tear down and start over, destroying something that could have a rich history.
2. You could leave it be or reseal it and hope that it doesn’t get any worse.
3. You could hire a qualified restoration service to come in and restore a piece of work back to its original glory or better.

You should only approach option 1 if there’s absolutely no hope for restoration, if the original structure is poorly built, or if you want something entirely different. Demolition is sometimes the way to go, but if you like the structure, why not put the work in to save it and maybe even create something better out of it? The second option is rarely a good one. If you don’t work to properly take care of masonry (which is actually pretty low maintenance), it will eventually start to crumble and you’ll need to hire someone to tear it down or restore it anyway. Most of the time for both buildings and decorative structures, we recommend that you choose masonry restoration for a few reasons.

• Add aesthetic – We can add a nice aesthetic appeal to older buildings that need to be restored. If they’re still useable but just need a face lift, restoration is a really good, fairly inexpensive option.
• Stability – Restoring masonry returns it to its original stability and strength. Stone and brick masonry stands up well against weather and the elements, especially after you’ve restored it.
• Protect history – Many buildings have a rich history that you risk losing if you choose demolition over restoration when the building can be successfully restored.

At Del Prete Masonry, we offer professional restoration for your building or structure. Delprete Masonry is a commercial masonry construction and restoration company that services Baltimore and the surrounding area. For more than 25 years, we’ve been performing quality masonry work for a wide variety of clients with different masonry needs.  We’ve built a solid reputation for ourselves in the Baltimore area as a leading commercial masonry service. For more information, please contact our office today at 410-683-0650 or email us atmike@delpretemasonry.com. We serve Baltimore City, County, Harford County, Carroll County, Anne Arundel County, and Howard County. Keep up with our blog for masonry related information, and follow us on Facebook, Twitter, and Google+.