Stonehenge Masonry

Masonry & Bricklaying
Ottawa ON K1S 1M5
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HomeStars  >  Chimney Build & Repair in Ottawa  >  Stonehenge Masonry  >  Chimney Rebuild and Preservation of Flagstone Walkway
Megan in Vancouver
Megan in Vancouver
1 review Ottawa, ON
1/10

Chimney Rebuild and Preservation of Flagstone Walkway

I first contacted Stonehenge in May 2023 to patch mortar on my flagstone (aesthetics) and rebuild my chimney. After several crew delays, the work commenced on October 2 and took 4 days (most days the workers left at 2pm). On October 9, I contacted Stonehenge to tell them I was unhappy with the work due to the following:
FLAGSTONE:
- A large stone had been removed in the flagstone and replaced with another of a very different color, and the mortar was of a very different color than that of the other areas
- The main areas I expected attention to be given to were not patched, leaving cracks in several areas and crumbling mortar
CHIMNEY
- The chimney stones were of inconsistent color with the top bricks light grey and the bottom bricks of varying colors (the company used red bricks which were painted with a color wash).

Dan, the owner came to review the work on October 20th and offered to reduce the cost of the chimney and personally patch the mortar on the flagstone with darker mortar. He further informed that mortar is impossible to match and chimney bricks dont come in colors that could match the house. He had agreed to adjust the chimney rebuild to cost and come to fix the mortar the week of October 30th (he says he left it with me whether to take the rebuild at cost or have color improvements done- I dispute this). After this I heard nothing for a month.

On November 22nd, I found water behind and around my furnace- which was running down from the door to the ash pit in the basement. After some online research, I deduced that this was very likely due to an improperly sealed chimney. I called Stonehenge and sent photos. The following day, Dan called back. The first thing he said was that I hadn't paid for the job. Although I have issues with the quality of the work, this is by far my biggest issue. Having not heard from the company for over a month, and having no revised invoice to pay, I hadn't made payment. The last thing I expected when being called back about an urgent issue (water in basement) was to be accused of non-payment. I was then told that the water could be from anything and could have been a long-standing issue (i did have some old markings on the wall but never had water from my ash pit in the 7 years I have lived in the house). He then suggested I wait a month and see if it happened again.

After some heated discussion, Dan came the following day. He found that there were gaps around the metal vent cap because the vent cap is circular and the flue opening is square (see photos). He then patched the gaps with caulking (as well as areas he identified where there were 'pea sized holes' or 'screw ends were missing'). When asked why a square vent cap wasn't used on a square flue opening, he informed me that this isn't covered - they only cover the masonry.

Ultimately I was given a discount on the total cost, but i have still paid over $6k for a chimney with inconsistent color and what I worry could have future water penetration, as well as a walkway that needs even more repair than when the work was started (cracks remain, and I will likely pay someone to adjust the mortar color). I was also forced to take time off work for the basement issue and lost a significant amount of sleep.

All of the photos attached were taken after the work was done.

Approximate cost of services:
$7,000.00
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