We recently hired 312 Masonry to completely tear down and rebuild our entire parapet wall--a job that came with some serious challenges due to the height, tight access, and tricky location on our property. From start to finish, the team handled everything professionally, safely, and with outstanding craftsmanship. Their attention to detail was impressive--clean lines, solid mortar work, and a beautiful finished look that really elevated the whole building. I highly recommend 312 Masonry. We couldn't be happier with the results and would use them again in a heartbeat! read more

Fantastic job, 100% recommend! Replaced two sections of deteriorating brick impacted by efflorescence in gangway. Highly efficient and hard working crew, very organized and left the site very clean after each day. Will hire again for additional work to be done read more

(situation) * knee wall/entry ⁃ lots of efflorescence in basement ⁃ separating from building ⁃ bulging * 2 rusted lintels * one area of worn brick * missing, cracked, falling off mortar here and there * displaced walkway bricks at sidewalk (work done) * lifted my huge old planter filled with plants off the knee wall, to the landing, and back several times with no damage * tore down and rebuilt knee wall with vapor barriers, stainless drip edges, weep holes/wicks, etc * used new brick (found a good color match), saved a few old bricks to weave into knee wall and help blend the old with new, matched old mortar color * replace worn bricks in other areas * replaced 2 rusted lintels * tuck pointing at various spots around the front of the building * re-lay displaced walkway bricks at the city sidewalk * apply sealer to knee wall, building wall, landing, walkway, doorstep, and frame (issues) * bottom stone at the end of the knee wall broke, replaced free (looked rough in the before photos) * new knee wall was built 3 bricks wide instead of the original 2-1/2 bricks wide. Original cap stone was then too small. So they replaced the cap stone at their cost. The result is that the knee wall looks a little different: wider, straight sided. I prefer the slimmer original with the slight setback between the bottom stone and the brick courses. But my building isn't on the historic register, so whatever. (time to complete) * 5-7 days over about 3 weeks? * Needed better communication and updates on when the next step will take place, weather permitting. (cost) * $12,850 (in summation...) I'll call them again for the next masonry job but I'll be in contact with the owner every day. Might have helped if there was a little more job oversight and the owner or a foreman came by daily to check progress in person, correct problems immediately, and let me know what the next step is and when it will occur. Especially since I don't speak Polish. read more

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They did a great job! They were thorough with every part of the process. Would definitely recommend!

Wonderful job of the concrete work done on my back door. They took time sanding and powerwash and new concrete level on top with sealer. As you can see before and after job was completed. They are very professional and know how to do the work properly. I highly recommend them to do your next concrete project. read more

312 Masonry - Masonry/Concrete Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

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Over Father's Day weekend there was a tornado warning and one side of my porch fell. We received quotes from several companies but went with this company. The owner explained the process, the plan of action, etc. He remained in contact, providing updates, etc. His work is so incredible my next door neighbor hired him also! read more

312 Masonry - Before - Masonry/Concrete Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

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Costs $250 for them to provide an estimate. Plenty of masons out there who won't charge to give an estimate.

Andy was responsive and great! Gave great resolution for a small residential project giving me a huge headache!! A great company to work with for concrete steps (and other jobs needing to be done the right way)!! read more

The owner came out a couple of times to provide quotes for my project as things were constantly shifting and scope was changing. He was always quick to answer his phone or get back to me, and didn't keep me hanging for an estimate. He's definitely at the top of my list when I finally figure out what my actual scope is. read more

Yeah this was the weirdest engagement interaction. I called, asked if he could do an estimate for tuckpointing concrete foundation. He asked me to send him pictures--he didn't respond. Next morning I asked if he had time to come out today to do an estimate and he sent me back a text that just said "$4,822". I said "That's a weird number...care to explain or break down at all what that entails?" He calls me and says "Yeah the number is for blasting out and tuckpointing everything." K. "Anything that goes into calculating that number?" (he literally hasn't even seen the sq footage in real life) "We've done a lot of houses." "But i mean...four thousand eight hundred and twenty two. Not 4,800. 4,822. Any way you're calculating or estimating that?" "We've done a lot of houses." ............................................................................... Ok. Anyway it's not the price at all, just the lack of service or a true thoughtful breakdown or even an attempt to walk me through the process or his crew or anything. No invoice. One word text. No thanks. read more

Andy and his team are the best! I did a big reno and they did all my brickwork. They cut openings, built walls, and even installed limestone. I highly recommend them!! read more

We had work done on a 90 year old church building. It was a series of projects including tuckpointing, replacing lintels, and rebuilding stairs. The work was perfect. Highly recommended! read more

I had Andre come out to give me an estimate I searched high and low for a good company to stop the water leak in my basement I went with this company because they had a 5 star rating plus he guaranteed that I would not get any more water in my basement well 3,550 dollars CASH later I got water again I texted him and called him numerous times sent pictures and videos of the leak he offered to come back and never showed up nor did he try to reschedule I paid him cash as he requested HUGE MISTAKE!!! I'd also like to add that he was promptly on time to receive his cash payments I was 3 minutes late getting home to meet him with the cash and he was already calling me but now since i'm getting water no response now I have to pay more money that I don't have and call someone else to try and fix my water leakage problem they don't stand behind heir work I work hard for my money and don't appreciate being treated with such disrespect they are not a water proofing company TRUST ME!!!!! read more

312 Masonry - If you look closely you'll see the water is still coming in - Masonry/Concrete Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

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Overall, we were happy with the services provided by Mason Master Shmid; we initially used them to replace all of the flashing/vents for our windows and tuckpointing. Andriy first came by for the estimate and gave a detailed explanation of all the work that needs to be done and helped find a solution within our budget. He spent close to 40 minutes walking me through all of the work that needs to be done and why. All of the other contractors we contacted didn't spend nearly as much time as Andriy spent with us. Most importantly, they offered us the most competitive pricing compared to all of the other contractors we received estimates from. The crew that did the work was professional and addressed any questions or concerns that we had throughout the project. They also graciously tacked on smaller projects (e.g. replacing exterior vent covers) while they had their scaffolding set up, saving us additional time and expenses. We will be using their services again this coming Spring when we need to update the sealing on our masonry. read more

Andriy was much appreciated. Not only did he respond right away, but he was flexible in finding a time that worked for both me and the seller's realtor. He showed up a little early to the house. He was thorough in his inspection and detailed in his explanations. I recommend him to anyone in need of a masonry job that wants the job done right. He's certainly got my business. read more

I really enjoyed working with Andy and his team for my recent masonry project (to repair chimney, replace a window lintel, tuckpointing at various places). Andy gave me honest guidance throughout. He got his crew quickly and finished the project on time. I am very happy with the quality of work and their professionalism. I highly recommend them, and of course, I will use them again in future. read more

We originally had Andy and team come to repair a lintel above a patio door. By the end, they also grinded, retucked and resealed the entire back wall of our building. They do high quality work at a reasonable price. We also had a separate project underway with a different contractor, and Andy wanted to see their proposal just to make sure they were doing things the right way. We appreciated that level of professionalism. I wouldn't hesitate to use them again, and I'd recommend them to anyone in need of masonry work. read more

1921-built brick 2-flat, the main task was lintel replacement and step-crack repair on the front face, with some general tuck-pointing maintenance, mostly to the parapet wall. After 4 estimates went with the highest. Previously Shmid had done another admirable job on our street for a neighbor. Shmid performed the most thorough assessment of our job and was very patient with listening to my many questions. A generous schedule of 3 payments was offered: deposit, lintel replacement milestone, and job completion. Work started promptly 2 days after signing & deposit. Very hard-working professional crew, of 3 most days. The crew missed 1 day of work in the 2 1/2 week job, due to rain. As is normal, some minor unanticipated issues arose and were addressed, but there were NO hassles about cost over-runs. No issues of matching new to old mortar color since they ground out ALL the old face brick mortar. The post-job site clean-up was excellent. I'm very sure the costs more than added to the curb appeal and building value and the lintels are good for another century or so. read more

It has taken me a while to write this review but I did not want to rush writing it. Andriy and his crew were excellent. They kept me informed every step of the process. If there were any issues I could call Andriy and he would take care of it immediately. He did a full face lift on my 1800's landmark brownstone. He did a wonderful job keeping everything to the original design and finding brick and masonry that matched the original design. The price was very reasonable for the quality of the work done. I highly recommend especially if you have an old landmark building in need of mason reconstruction. Andriy is very knowledgeable. Great work can not recommend enough. read more

Mason Master Shmid was fantastic. I needed help with two chimneys that were badly in need of some tuckpointing and additional brickwork. Andriy came out and had a quote for me immediately and were able to start work shortly after. And when my time table got pushed up and I needed work to complete by the weekend, he was able to make it happen. And during the project I was sent photo updates of the work and all my questions were answered. The communication was phenomenal. I feel lucky to have found this company and plan on using them for future projects. read more

This review is long over due, but I needed to write it because so many of us in the city are in need of quality and affordable sealant and masonry needs here in Chicago and I wish there had been more out there when we went through the process; afterall, you're shelling out a lot of money to maintain your property. Mason Master Shmid should be included in your quotes because you'll want to use this company when you're weighing the "professional" assessments. We've used Andriy, the owner, for several projects involving masonry and even leaking in other non-masonry areas (desparate). He is extremely professional, honest, trustworthy, hard-working, and prompt. We started working with him the summer of 2013 when our then 6-year old 4-flat began "waterfalling" in all three units. That was my first intro into the split-faced brick debacle, where the new buildings are often built with them without adequately "water proofing" them, or informing buyers of the added expense required, resulting in some bricks soaking up the water. After researching building sealants and calling around for quotes, our condo association agreed on Mason Master Shmid, which was competitive, yet not outrageous (it was a very fair price). Andriy was super prompt in returning my call and coming over to view the problem not just on the outside, but touring the insides of all 3 units to adequately assess the damage and the likely cause/fix (also giving us confidence he cares about our individual concerns). He trouble-shooted what he could fix and what he could not address, speaking to his integrity and area of expertise. Andriy was able to address the leaking issue immediately which worked, as well as seal/patch our building once our rainy spring/early summer finally dried up. He gave us a general timeframe for when he could begin the sealing process and since weather is unpredictable, he stayed in contact regularly until the building dried up enough from the rains. He and his crew were extremely professional, they did their work, scaffolding and all, and cleaned up afterwards. To show how awesome his work is, this picture was taken the week before Labor Day 2014 when we had extremely heavy rains. Our building is on the left without any water stains; the adjoining building on the right didn't seal. Notice their split-faced brick is a sponge, soaking it up with showing the major water spots. The building two over from us on the far right used a different contractor and paid about the same (less square footage and less masonry work), and unfortunately, you can see their building is still showing water absorption in a few areas. Our sealant is supposed to last at least 10 years I believe. It's always a gamble knowing who to trust here in the city without paying too much for the popular "big" top-rated guy. After seeing some reviews of his work, meeting with Andriy, and having our neighbors also meet him to reinforce that my gut to trust him was right (and spend OUR money as effectively as possible), we went with him. As with many contractors in Chicago, he has an accent, but please don't let that dissuade you. He's above board, honest, extremely hard-working, and runs his own business, which I prefer to support as long as they are licensed and bonded, trustworthy, seemingly honest, and gets the job done. He ticks all the boxes. We have used Andriy since for several jobs, and will continue to use him for additional masonry jobs our building is sadly needing in only 8 years of its existence. I trust him with our garage door opener and to come into our place with my two kids. If you want a fair price and solid work and am ethical person, I recommend you call him. read more

312 Masonry - Our sealed building on the left, compared to our neighbor's unsealed building on the right after heavy rain (built together). - Masonry/Concrete Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

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Mason Master Shmid was the fifth outfit that I called looking to do major repair work on my 100+ year old home. All of the others were quoting outrageous prices, if they were even doing that. One well known local outfit took my deposit last year and never showed up. Mason Master Shmid quoted me a fair price, took care of dealing with the city for the building permit, handled the Landmarks historical people and got the job done and saved my Wicker Park historical home. read more

Andiry and his team were fantastic. We had a split-faced block building that needed to be sealed. Andiry came out, made his assessment and provided us multiple options to choose from. The product we chose was a 15 yr warranty sealant called Dry Treat. Andiry is an accredited applicator (necessary for the warranty to be valid). His team set up scaffolding and tuckpointed the entire building (four stories), power washed it, then applied the sealant. His team was nice and very conscious of our neighbors and their property. His price was in line with the market and we couldn't be happier with the result. read more

I've had a great experience with Andriy. He was very quick to come by and check out my issues. We walked around the house (130 years old) and he consulted me on all the issues he saw and things to look out for in the future. We have engaged him to do a few things, one of which is complete and a few more this winter and next year. His team tore out crumbling brick from our roof and rebuilt the entire parapet wall so the roofers could replace the roof. If you've ever tried coordinating multiple contractors for a single job you'll understand how awesome it is that Andriy contacted and worked with the roofer directly to coordinate timing, what needed to be done and who was doing what. EXCELLENT! He also found a water pouch in our roof and ran to get tools and drained and repatched it within a few hours so we didn't get more damage before the roof was replaced. He's very personable and cared about my happiness and the best results. I'd recommend him and his team every day for any masonry work you need. Specializes in masonry, but is very knowledgeable about all things construction. read more

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I hired Mason Master Schmid again over the Summer. This time to do Masonry work at our new house. We were moving floor height inside the house and needed the exterior doors to be re-sized ad re-framed. Prior to hiring MMS, we (my contractor, Designer and me) had tossed around many ideas so that the cost could be minimized while accomplishing our goals. When we had Andrei over, he was very frank with the wisdom in some of these ideas and recommended that we do it the right way. Although we spent a little bit more than we planned, we could not be more pleased with the results! He took great care in matching the bricks (he somehow sourced somewhat older bricks to match the color) and his workmanship was excellent. Hi timeliness and responsiveness (as I mentioned in my earlier review as well), is really something that is commendable. I would recommend him for Masonry work without a second thought! read more

We hired Andriy and his crew to tuckpoint our entire 3-flat in West Rogers Park - a big job! From the initial consultation until the last bit of scaffolding was removed, everything went smoothly. The initial consultation was thorough, and Andriy was very prompt in providing us with a competitive bid. The workmanship was very good, although there were a few times when we had to stay on top of the work and point out areas that needed to be returned to, but these were minor and always addressed. The only hiccup came early in the multi-week project when Andriy went out of town for about a week. During this time, we felt there was some breakdown in communication. But the steadiness and reliability of his crew minimized the problems. Overall, we were very happy with the work and have recommended him to neighbors also in need of masonry work. read more

My experience with this company was great! It was a job well done. Andriy and his people worked fast and efficiently, and I would recommend this company for anyone. Their response was quick and the prices were very reasonable for the job. Thank you very much. L. K. Skokie, Ill. read more

We had to break a concrete wall between the kitchen and living room. We had called few people and ask for estimate, Finally choosing Andrea. The reason i gave him 5 stars are 1. He was prompt and on time 2. He gave the estimate then and there, nothing like will mail tomorrow with estimate. He gave his price and was enthusiastic toward the work. 3. When we confirmed his appointment he came in and did the work in 1 day. He brought in 2 other people and completed the work.This was not a big deal at that time but now when we deal with other people his communication stands out. It was very clear and prompt 4. Eventhough we didnt use the people he gave but he gave reference for the drywall and stone cutter. 5.His price was fair.(cash) read more

Andre was the best. We have not actually hired him to do the work yet, but we will. He came to our newly purchased home today and went over every detail of the brick exterior explaining to us in depth what need to be done and the anticipated cost. He gave us options, showed us shortcuts other contractors had made, and clearly knew his stuff. He also was able to give us referrals to other contractors we needed for inside the home. When it comes time to redo our brickwork, he is the only one we will call. read more

Our experience with Andriy and his team was excellent. We have hired several contractors to work on various projects for our 80+ year old home, and Andriy's team was one of the best. They masterfully tuckpointed our entire brick home and beautifully rebuilt two chimneys. When we changed course and decided to rebuild our new chimneys out of stone rather than brick, Andriy and his talented masons didn't skip a beat. The gorgeous end product was well worth the change, and neighbors and friends have commented on the exceptional work many times. I highly recommend contracting with Andriy because he is warm, funny, easy to work with and offers a competitive price. His masons are truly talented. They clean up the work site every night, which is often no small feat, especially for large projects like ours. The collaboration was good, and I always felt that the team wanted our house to look just as great as we did in the end. Definitely give Andriy a call if you have any masonry, concrete or stonework needs! read more

I hired Mason Master Schmid to repair and replace some bricks in my basement that were deteriorating. Andriy was courteous and professional. He inspected areas that needed repair and gave me a reasonable quote. He sent his crew the next day and they got to work right away. They fixed the problem and even cleaned up the mess. I will definitely use Andriy in the future and would recommend him to anyone who needs masonry work. read more

Andriy did great work for me. I was about to put my apartment on the market when, out of nowhere, my roof started leaking and it damaged my ceiling. An acquaintance recommended Andriy - I called him, left a voicemail and he responded within the hour. The next day (a Sunday), he was at my place diagnosing the problem. To fix it, he had to tear down my roof deck (which had been improperly built and was causing the leaking), fix the roof, rebuild the deck and fix my ceiling. He started work the next day and got all of it done within 3 days, all for a very reasonable price. I've dealt with many contractors in my day, and nearly every one of them was flaky, or didn't return phone calls, or otherwise did not do quality work or deliver on their promises. Andriy is the polar opposite. He does great work and quickly, and most important, he does what he says he will do. I highly recommend him. read more

A good company to work with. Andy and Matt came out and gave a thorough overview of what need to be done and more importantly what did not need to be done. Greatly appreciated Andy's very honest and straight forward approach. They were a pleasure to work with and we will be using them on a number of projects we have on the to do list. read more

Appreciate Andy and Matt's assistance with evaluating what work needed to be done on the exterior of a home we are purchasing. They were extremely helpful and provided a clear explanation of what needs to be done and why. I also am thankful for Matt's quick follow up! read more

Andriy and his team we're prompt, professional, and skilled. Whoever did the original brick work on our house was awful. They used the wrong mortar throughout and poorly plastered over large areas of the wall. Andriy's team rebuilt the parts of the wall that were falling apart and replaced the mortar. Their work looks fantastic. Our walls went from being an embarrassment to looking brand new. Brick work is not cheap; we got several quotes and Andriy was on par with all of them. What set him apart were a bunch of things. First and foremost, they offered the best warranty of their work (6 years) of anyone. We liked that they stood behind their work. Second, his quote was thorough and he was very knowledgeable. Third, they were available to start the project reasonably quickly. And last, we had seen them doing work at 4 other major jobs in the neighborhood, and the came well recommended by those other clients. These guys worked hard and cleaned up after themselves very thoroughly. I fully recommend them. read more

I can't really rate them because I did not use them, and I didn't use them because I didn't want to pay $250 for a quote. No one else charges for quotes... I thought it was weird. read more

There's something to be said about excellent customer service. My husband and I had an offer on a home that had a very long list of shotty work and the inspection report was a disaster. We were in the middle of negotiations and a friend recommended I call an expert about the split block. In a panic I called Andriy and he was kind enough to go look at the masonry on the home. His feedback saved us from buying a lemon! We are newlyweds and are using all our savings on the down payment therefore have to be wise about our home choice. We are extremely grateful for his time and expertise. We absolutely recommend Mason Master Schmid to our friends and family and we will gladly do business with him once we find our dream home read more

We literally had the exact same experience as bt. Andiry and his team really were fantastic. We also have a split-faced block building that we needed sealed. Andiry responded to our request and gave us several options which were very competitively priced. His team set up scaffolding, power washed, tuck-pointed, sealed and caulked. Over the 2 weeks that we were trying to get the work done the weather was cold and raining so they could not start the work. The team came out in the bad weather and set up the scaffolding so once the weather broke they could start immediately. Andiry stayed in contact throughout. The team was so accommodating. Once I realized that the scaffolding was blocking the front door and I could not remove a piece of furniture they quickly took it down and then put it back up as soon as I have the piece out. They did such a great job that we recommended them to our next door neighbor and the neighbor directly behind our house. They both hired him after they saw what a good job he did. We couldn't be happier with the service, the value and the result. read more

Our building was incurring water damage on the insides of our units. Firm was fast to respond to our inquiry and set up an inspection of our building with an ensuing bid. Once hired, the firm got to work quickly and efficiently, even coming out some days when it was raining. The building asked for a different caulk to be used after not liking the the look of the work, Andy and company were accommodating and once again made the repairs quickly. Very happy with the work of the company. read more

We live in a 125 year old 4 story building and Andy and his crew did an amazing job. They are careful, fastidious and have a good work ethic. Our building looks new again. I highly recommend this company. read more