Stern's Masonry

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We have a new construction home that we "finished" in July of last year.  We had numerous problems during the build, so to save some money on overrunning budgets my husband and I decided to install the stone veneer ourselves both inside and outside the house.  This included all the exterior wainscoting, four columns on the porch, and two floor-to-ceiling interior fireplaces.  We started off well, but after finishing over half the work we (quite frankly) ran out of steam!  With four large exterior columns and a very tall fireplace (15 feet) remaining, we called Jake at Stern's Masonry in January based on the excellent recommendations here on Angie's List. <br> <br>Jake called back very quickly and came out to provide a quote within a few days.  He was very professional, recognized how much work we had already done, and was conscientious to the fact that the new work needed to blend with the old (ours...not so professional!) as much as possible.  We received his quote back with 24 hours, and while we felt the quoted price was reasonable, we unfortunately couldn't afford to get started until we'd saved up for a bit.  Jake was very understanding and said "give me a call when you're ready".  So in mid-March, we were happy to call him back for the job.  Although the company was working other jobs, they fit us in and his installer (Tony) got started a couple of weeks later. <br> <br>Over the course of about two weeks, Tony and Jake smoothed the basecoats we had started, installed the veneer on four outside columns, put on stone caps to the top of the columns, demo'd our "half job" on the 15-foot tall interior fireplace, and reinstalled the veneer and hearthstones on the fireplace.  They had the skills (and scaffolding!) to get it done well.  Throughout the work, both Tony and Jake were respectful to our house and cleaned up after each day of work to limit the impact.  Jake also made sure that the work we had already done looked good before he was finished.  He cleaned the exterior veneer we had already installed to make sure the colors matched up, did some professional patching around cutouts like the hose bib and exterior outlets that we weren't that skilled to do, "straightened" a few of our more problem stones, touched up the paint on our firebox when it was needed, and even used a little leftover mortar to patch some holes he noticed in our driveway (the result of one of our many "problems" during build). <br> <br>So here's our recommendation:  call Stern's.  And if you need to save up the money first, do it!  Worth. Every. Penny. <br>

Home inspection revealed water damage to our brick chimney.  I was concerned about possible damage to my metal roof during a repair job. Jake Stern gave me a reasonable estimate and described the precautions he would take to protect my metal roof.  He and the crew showed up on time, installed scaffolding, covered the roof with blankets and plywood, tore the chimney down to the roof line, hauled away all the old brick, and rebuilt the chimney back it back to its original height with new brick. The replacement brick matches the old brick perfectly. They also also installed new shoulder caps lower down on the chimney.  The crew cleaned up after the job and left the yard and garden in perfect condition.  I'm very happy with the work and would hire them again. <br />

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Very professional.  Jake and his crew cared very much about my concerns about the job.  They worked efficiently with excellent workmanship. While some may think the cost a bit high, you get what you pay for.  I have no concerns about the durability of the finished product and would recommend them to anyone needing new work or repair of existing. <br />

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Jake Stern and Family were very professional and responsive.  They worked me into their schedule and since I had a deadline for a house closing, worked extra hard to ensure it got done to support my short time flow.  I appreciate the work they did, and their quick responsiveness and would definitely use them in the future. <br />

Jake and team did a magnificent job!  Our house looks brand new.  They were here on time every day (except when it froze ) and were professional and hard-working.   They left everything clean - including the windows.   They were also a lot of fun!  I  highly recommend Stern's Masonry and would not hesitate to use them again. <br />

It is with great pleasure that we offer our review regarding the work that was performed by Jake Stern, Mason and his crew.  Our project began as a ?simple? rebuild of our 30 year old gas fireplaces, two of which involved upgrading the gas <br /> inserts and refacing the original fireplaces and adding hearths and mantels.  <br /> In our investigation, we discovered that one of the fireplaces contained a very large old hybrid wood stove/fireplace system that <br /> required special skills to remove before the new system could safely be put in place.  Our search for a competent skilled mason took us several months of interviews, and we learned very few had knowledge of or expertise with this old system.  We finally found Jake, a third generation mason, who both knew the system and how to safely remove it.  <br /> Jake is a true artisan.   He chose each individual stone, built two new beautiful fireplaces and installed new hearths and mantles.   During the construction, Jake?s team laid out floor covering over our hardwood floors and carpeting and created <br /> the minimum amount of dust in our house.   The results were magnificent and we now realize the whole project was <br /> well worth the effort. <br /> We cannot emphasize how wonderful Jake and his crew were and how well they worked.  Jake and his team take great pride in their work as they well should.  We would recommend them without hesitation for your masonry work and we will definitely use their skills on projects we have identified for the future. <br /> <br />

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<p>We had called over 5 masonry guys only 2 called me back and only Jake came out the next day to give me a bid. He was so friendly and honest. We hired him to do the job and he started right away. Showed up on time ready to work. (the day after new years) Wow do they ever work. I could not believe how fast they got the rocks on. Jake and his crew are very hard workers and very friendly! I had told him I really like the red rocks and mix of color and rocks put in close together. He went through the rocks to make sure there was a lot of mixed color on each pillar and the columns look like they are all rock...They are not finished yet so I will keep you posted. But for now WOW!! They are great!! I would recommend them to anyone who is looking for Great masonry work.. I have already told all my friends and family about Stern's Masonry.. Thanks Jake and crew Great Job!!  :-)<br /> <br /> UPDATE: Okay I am back to write a review now that Stern's Masonry finished my job. They even finished a few days early!! The crew is so nice, friendly and hard working. They showed up everyday on time ready to work. Jake is meticulous about his work. They would cleaned up every day before they left. I wouldn't have known they were even at my house except for the new rock on my pillars. My River Rocks looks GREAT!! I would post a picture but I don't see a way to do that on Angie's List. Yes we are planning on using Stern's Masonry again. In fact we are going to have them come back in the spring... If you need a Great Masonry Guy call Jake he is the best!! Thanks again Jake we will see you in the spring :-) </p>

This job was handled meticulously by Jake and his team. They communicated well before, during and after the job and made sure the materials were exactly as we wanted. There were a number of last minute design changes and Jake and his son helped us through all of them without adding cost or delaying the schedule....fantastic team...I will have them back to do another larger fireplace as soon as we can....great guy and extremely trustworthy...what all contractors should be...we have had problems with others in the past so believe me, there is hope out there when you work with guys like Jake, Josh and Ryan.

Everything Jake Stern did was to perfection and to my satisfaction.  All areas of repair look original to the home.  See before and after pictures. <br />

I thought they got it quickly and they were available fast.  They did the job without going over aboard.  They just did what is needed to be done and they didn't come out with twenty thousand other suggestions.  They just did what we asked them to do because the house is for resale. 

Jake and his wife were on time to start the work, set up scaffolding and performed in a very professional manner.  Because I don't know much about this kind of work, Ileft it to his expertise.  I've not tested the fireplace as I had problems with the damper,but he said the draw was good and the only problem was that the chimney was socold as it had not been used in several years and using it a few times would correctany problems with draw.Although a permit was not required, the city inspector still came out to look the jobover at the outset, and stated that in his opinion, Jake was a professional who knewwhat he was doing.Jake also does tile work and I had planned to hire him to work on a bathroom.

We purchased a fireplace insert and before installation we wanted to change the facing of the fireplace.  Jake came to our home to give us a bid.  When he walked in he knew the name of the stone we had on our fireplace and gave us suggestions on material that would be architecturally appropriate for our home.  The other job was replace concrete caps, tuck point areas as needed, clean and treat with moss remover, and seal chimneys with masonry sealer from roof level up.  He also inspected the counter flashing but it did not need repair.  He even cleaned up the stone planter at no extra charge.  Who knew it could look so good!  We would recommend Stern's Masonry, Jake and his crew were all fabulous.  They made sure our home and outside were clean and everything picked up everyday.   Jake was very knowledgeable and meticulous in completing both jobs.  He was extremely helpful and reliable.  The finished job to our new stone fireplace is absolutely beautiful and we get so many compliments about both jobs.  We will definitely have Jake come out again and repair the cracked brick on our home and two more stone planters.

Jake was on time and on budget. The crew left a clean job site everyday. The project was completed in a timely manner. I've received nothing but compliments about our new front porch. I'd hire Jake again for additional masonry work. I recommend Jake to all friends and family. Jake is easy to work with and he is an artist when working with brick.

He was very good and a very nice man in general. He rebuilt the chimney from the roof up. He's meticulous and has been in the family business all his life. When he was done it had settled and a few cracks formed. He came back out and filled in and sealed the cracks. Everything is good now.

Stern's Masonry did an excellent job for us. We are absolutely delighted with the results. The finished work is a beautiful addition to our home.  <br /> The contractor was always on time, extremely reliable and very helpful through all phases of the work.  <br /> We are so pleased with the results that we have asked Stern's Masonry to construct our driveway entrance pillars and property sign.  <br /> We would recommend Stern's Masonry to anyone looking for a reliable, helpful, experienced and very professional contractor.