Get matched with top brick or stone siding: installers or completely replacers in Menomonee Falls, WI

"My job was reconstruction of a large home chimney after a section of its field stone cladding crashed to the ground. The field stone cladding on the chimney is part of a 70 year old house that is field stone, plaster, and cypress wood paneling—a large “English cottage. This hard-working chimney vents not only the heating system but three large wood-burning fireplaces. It’s original construction, like the rest of the house, was to the highest standard as we learned when we finally got a look at the chimney’s interior tile which had been assumed in four work quotes to need replacing but was found to be in perfect condition (being twice as thick as tile generally used in construction today). While it was important to identify the underlying problem and repair it, I was a nervous wreck thinking about the importance of a superb cosmetic result if the integrity of a beautiful house were to be maintained. In addition to diagnostic error about the source of the moisture that was damaging the field stone, four contractors insisted that the only way to rebuild the chimney was to take it down and rebuild it from scratch. Only Tony was comfortable with the option of retaining the sturdy sections of the fieldstone (with new tuck pointing) and, using the old stones and re-grinding mortar to restore the rest. My idea was that preserving existing stone work would maximize the match of the chimney to the facade of the house. I can imagine, however, that contractors feared that a two-part chimney would not match to itself —which would be worse than a chimney that did not match to the house. That Tony was calm about technical challenges was part of what inspired my confidence in his expertise- and he happily delivered on it. T In contrast to Tony’s precise, pragmatic, (and frugal) approach, I felt other quotes were overly speculative, imprecise and cost-adding. I see two aspects to this: Pragmatic sequencing of work. We tackled the masonry repair first which had no drawbacks and had two advantages. It reduced the potential that further sections of the cladding might collapse —including potential harm of falling rocks (large and heavy). The rocks had already damaged shingles and the oak railings of a sun deck—and could endanger humans. Once Tony’s scaffolding was up and the condition of the chimney could be visually investigated, he worked collaboratively with a heating contractor (who does chimney linings) to diagnosis the problem— which was exterior not a problem with the lining. 2) Confidence in skill adequate to the cosmetic goal. I cynically suspect that doing everything (as in new construction) indicates either lack of confidence or, perhaps, motivation, to be parsimonious. Working with Tony was aa pleasure. He kept me apprised daily of progress. The work proceeded without any interruptions except for bad weather days. Each day I enjoyed close-up photos. I was particularly fascinated to see the reconstructed chimney before the last mortaring. In the end, I got the chimney I hoped for— the chimney is itself coherent (old and “new”) and blends well with the house. There is a new concrete cap on the chimney that overhangs slightly to protect against moisture. On Tony’s business letterhead *used for his quote and his invoice) is a logo that is hard to see except when enlarged on a monitor. I laughed because inset into the logo is a field stone chimney such as my job called for. Perfect. I’m wondering if buyers get their own customized stationary! I enthusiastically recommend this contractor for the easy jobs—and for the hard ones and to serve both high standards and value for money. P.S. (The expense of the service that I entered to this form does not included a reduction using an Angie's coupon"

"THIS WAS THE MOST ETHICAL COMPANY I HAVE EVER DEALT WITH. THE WORK WAS TOP QUALITY, THE WORKERS WERE ALL RELIABLE AND HARD WORKING, AND THE ESTIMATE WAS $2,000 LOWER THAN MY OTHER BIDS. THEY HELPED ME PICK THE COLOR AND QUALITY OF SHINGLE THAT MET MY NEEDS AND COMPLIMENTED THE COLOR OF MY FIELD STONE HOUSE. I COULDN'T BE MORE SATISFIED. PATTIE ANDERSON IN MILWAUKEE, WI"

"Great. Complete tear up and replace"

"The work done was excellent I strongly recommend this company for concrete work to be done."

"Generally well overall. Unfortunately, the weather (early spring) put off the date for the final paving over the outside drain tile. There was also an area along the basement wall for which they didn't install the seepage material (no explanation why). The team broke one basement window, reported to the manager that I had approved replacing ALL the windows with glass block ($200 each for 5 windows). I explained that I had not spoken with them at all, and I'd be willing to replace the ONE broken window. They replaced two. At no extra charge to me. I felt as though it was my responsibility to nag (when will you be able to finish? what's going on with the outdoor work?), when that should be the priority of the business... keeping me informed about what's going on. Finally, when moving appliances, they destroyed my washing machine (cracked a cement part so it couldn't be repaired). I wasn't aware this had occurred until after the fact. I complained but have had no response. Despite the carelessness and unresponsiveness, that basement is dry as a bone. Can't complain on that note. I marked that I would hire again... slightly unsure about that. I'd like to think there's a perfect company out there that would contact me up-front about when work stops or will continue, or when they break something. Otherwise, the foundation work + sump pump install was superb."

"We’ve worked with JJB Home Improvements (Jeff) on a number of projects at our home since 2006; totaling more than $20K of work. They were always prompt, and we were always satisfied with their work. I contracted again with JJBHI (Joe) last summer of 2019 to remove & replace 2 insert windows with screens, and the replacement of some beveled cedar siding. Without our knowledge, JJBHI substituted a different vendor for our windows, and they did not provide screens like we had asked for and paid for. I ended up having to locate the supplier, and purchased the screens myself this past July/2020. The majority of the siding work was done in the dark with “flood lights”, and a very small section of the siding was overlooked (see image below, 2 courses above top of left window). I made numerous attempts via emails and phone calls this past Dec./2019 with JJBHI regarding the above, with no response to date. I also made two written requests via USPS, asking JJBHI to reimburse us for the screens, but have not received a response from Jeff or Joe. I would classify this as JJBHI being “penny wise and dollar foolish”; especially since I have more work to do, the screens X2 were only $80 – COST, and “word of mouth can be your best and worst form of advertising”. Sadly, and mistakenly: 1) I gave JJBHI a 60% down payment, waited more than 3 months for them to show up, and 2) I didn’t retain 3% - 5% of my final payment because I had worked with JJBHI (JEFF) in the past, I didn’t think it was necessary, and I trusted them – BIG MISTAKE."

"Excellent work taking out old cement between large stones on landing and steps and reapplying cement.  They also tuck pointed the whole stairway structure which is quite large.  They did this over three days, were on time and reliable.
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"I received a much better bid from All Trowel Masonry than from the other recommended contractor. The work was scheduled and completed on a timely basis. After observing the set-up of the job, I felt confident in the professionalism of the contractor. I am very pleased with end result, and the site was left cleaned-up."

"Brandon was very responsive and his crew was punctual and easy to work with. They inspected the roof found the issue and repaired it all in the same visit. It has rained quite a bit since the repair and no leaks."

"Great, professional technician patched cracks that had seeped for quite some time.  No seepage in over 2 years since the work was done.  Well worth the investment.
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