Straight Up Masonry

I was very impressed with the professionalism exhibited by
Tony Devlin (Straight Up Masonry). Tony and his assistant
arrived on time - completed the work - cleaned up the
site and did an excellent job throughout. I would have no
hesitation in recommending Straight Up Masonry for this type
of restoration work.

Tony Devlin came by to give me an estimate on the brick work for my 100-year-old house. I had six companies come to give quotes - he was the only person who came who was actually a mason (and would be doing the work himself).

He arrived - on time - and proceeded to explain, in detail, what needed to be done. He pointed out the same problem areas as the other companies, but offered up a number of different solutions as to how they could be handled (including the price and reasons why some solutions would make more sense than others). Even before he gave me his estimate, I had decided to go with Tony.

I booked an appointment with him and noticed, a few weeks later while tearing down drywall, a crack in the basement foundation wall. I emailed him pictures and once again, he offered solutions on how to fix it. I asked if he could repair it the day he was schedule to do the external brick work and he agreed.

The day of my appointment, I pulled a last-minute change and asked him to brick in a ground-floor window instead of replacing the sill (as I had originally requested). He was extremely accommodating and left to get the extra material that was needed. He and his assistant worked all morning on the exterior of the house. When he was done, he asked me to take a look at his work to make sure I was happy.

The work was fabulous. The replacement brick and mortar was such a great match, it took me a while to find the areas he'd replaced. The new sill on the 2nd floor looked amazing - I was tempted to replace all the sills on the house (even though they don't need replacing...yet). Tony bricked in the (last-minute switch) ground-floor window, then parged over it to match the rest of the existing wall. Once again, if I had not known how it looked before, I'd have never guessed he'd done work on it. He even went to the front of the house and did some tuckpointing on areas we hadn't discussed - at no extra charge.

Tony then came into the house to fix the crack in the basement. Even though the distance from the door to the basement is 15 feet, he took off his boots, then put them back on after descending the basement stairs. While he was doing work down there, he noticed a leaking problem in another portion of the basement. He called me down so I could see the problem, explained what was wrong, and then proceeded to tell me how I could fix it.

When Tony was done his work, he gave me the bill and explained, because I was using one less sill, he was going to charge me less (even though I was the one who asked for the last-minute change and he had to run around to get new material). So, the actual billed price came in at less than the estimate.

I checked out the work areas after he'd left and everything was as clean - or cleaner - than when he'd arrived.

I am extremely impressed with Tony and his work. I would 100% recommend him to anyone who needs masonry work done. He is punctual, polite, honest, respectful and does extraordinary work. I know I will be calling Tony in the future.

We hired Tony to rebuild our crumbling chimney and he did such a terrific job that we also hired him to rebuild our large front porch and face our stairs with sandstone. We are delighted with his work! Tony was professional in every way - prompt, accurate in his estimates, reasonably priced, reliable, courteous, and a true craftsman who takes pride in his work. He went out of his way to find brick to match our discontinued brick, and to find caps for the walls and pillars to match the stone on the stairs. He cleaned up after each job and was careful not to damage the many shrubs and flowers he had to work around. Our house looks beautiful now - thanks to Tony. We will definitely hire him again the next time we need masonry work and we recommend him highly.

Although it was a small job, Tony was more then willing to come out and assess the situation and provide an estimate something that other companies were not very interested in doing. The work was well done. Tony and his helper cleaned up after themselves and left the work area very neat. I found Tony very professional and polite and easy to deal with.

Tony and his team did a great job. In and out in 2 days, very good and detailed work. would definately use tony again. He also changed existing window ledges to more solid and better looking concrete ledges. all and all great work. thanks tony!

I am very pleased with the work done by Tony and his crew. There was unexpected damage to one of the foundation walls and Tony was able to fix it properly. The front steps were refaced in flagstone and look beautiful now. Other contractors either priced the job much higher or didn't want to do the job. I am recommending Straight Up Masonry to my friends and neighbours.

Although it was a small job, Tony was the first to respond to my request for a quote. The work was scheduled to be done in July but he had an opening and was able to fit us in for June. The work was very well done and I appreciated Tony's attention to detail. I also thought that the price was very reasonable.

Tuckpointing and brick replacement was required for a 100-year old house. After having read the reviews on several companies on Homestars, I narrowed my list to include Straight Up Masonry. Previous experience with contractors had taught me that if they deemed the job to be small, they would avoid it by coming up with some excuse or by charging a high price. What caught my attention about Straight Up Masonry was that several reviewers had indicated Tony Devlin did not share this attitude.

Earlier, I had contacted a contractor who had replaced the bricks of a neighbour’s garage. He forgot about our appointment and when he finally showed up to examine the house, he decided not to give an estimate. Instead, he said he would charge by the hour. I didn’t bother to inquire about his rate.

I contacted the other masonry companies along with Straight Up Masonry. Tony Devlin arrived as scheduled and proceeded to tell me the scope of the work involved. He answered any questions I had, was helpful, polite, respectful, forthcoming, and honest. If bricks did not need to be replaced, I was informed of this. His recommendations did not deviate much from the recommendations of the other masonry contractors.

However, there were several aspects that did set Tony Devlin apart from the other masonries that I had interviewed earlier. There were two bricks that sat right above the cement porch that needed to be replaced. I was told they could not be replaced because these bricks were structural. Removal would cause the bricks above to tumble down.

When I about inquired about these two bricks, Tony said they were not structural and could be replaced. Replacement of these bricks was trickier and would require more time and effort. Tony in fact, replaced these bricks and at no extra charge.

I was interested in having the exposed side one of the back portion of the house refinished with brick. One contractor told me it was unnecessary while the other quoted a steep price. Unlike the other contractors, Tony took the time to examine the structure and provide an explanation as to the consequences of proceeding with the project. There was insufficient room to accommodate the depth of the brick. The end result would have been obstruction of the window on the other wall. As a result of his knowledgeable, invaluable and honest advice, I did not proceed with the project.

Tony emailed an estimate within a short time. His price was very competitive. The work was scheduled for late October 2010 but due to weather delays on his other job followed by the onset of winter conditions, I contacted Tony to ask for a postponement of the work until Spring 2011. He was agreeable and I was reassured the quote would not change.

In early March 2011, I was contacted and the work was scheduled for the first week of April. About 2 weeks before the work was to proceed, I contacted Tony to request the work be postponed until the end of April due to winter conditions. He was very accommodating and flexible.

He kept me up-to-date on exactly when the work was going to proceed and completion time. He arrived on time with his crew and reviewed what work was to be done. He brought brick samples that I could choose from. Two of the samples matched the original brick of the house exceptionally well (reddish/brown colour).

About 10 years ago, the chimney was crumbling and had to be rebuilt. When I asked to have the colour of the new brick match the house, I was told it was not possible since they no longer made this brick colour due to the age of the house. I believed that contractor. The chimney was rebuilt with this orangey colour brick. When I saw the rebuilt chimney, I was completely dissatisfied because he did not rebuild the chimney back to original height as agreed upon. Instead of the original 3.5 to 4 foot height, the newly rebuilt chimney was only 1 foot high and I was expected to accept it. After a prolong argument and failed attempts to cajole me into accepting the end product, he finally agreed to rebuild it to the height that we had agreed upon.

After having dealt with Tony, I regret not having known about Straight Up Masonry 10 years ago. Tony was extremely easy to work with and he delivered as promised. The simple act of being able to match the brick to the original brick work and delivering as promised demonstrates his knowledge, conscientiousness, his professionalism, competence, and his pride for his craft.

Tony completed the work as discussed in a timely fashion. His work was exceptionally good. The job site was left clean. There were no surprises except for Tony replacing some additional bricks and cleaning the eaves trough for me at NO extra charge. Since I thought the downspout could be clogged, I asked if he would test it by pouring water down it. He delivered.

Past experience with other contractors had been one where they would always agree to do something. However, I found that it was just to placate me or to just land the job because at the very end when I asked if they performed the task, they had “forgotten” followed with “it wasn’t necessary any way". Tony’s actions further demonstrate his level of conscientiousness and trustworthiness. He keeps his word.

Overall, I am quite pleased with his work and would be happy to recommend him to any family or friends.

Tony at Straight up Masonry was always prompt and professional in replying to inquiries. He came for an estimate on our job, soon after we spoke. Our repairs were done well and in a timely fashion. Upon completion, the surroundings were left tidy. The price for the work was competitive and the people involved were a pleasure to deal with.