Cowboys Masonry

This was the last of at least a dozen jobs this contractor has done for me over the past eight or nine years. A bit pricey, but outstanding, historically correct restorations and repairs. Color matches mortar, finds matches to old brick. Matched new chimney to others in historic neighborhood in style and brick color.

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showed up every day as scheduled on time

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I recently purchased a large historic home built in 1927 in Avondale and needed repairs and restoration to the entire brick and stone exterior. I heard about Michael "Cowboy" Terry and Cowboy's Masonry from Riverside/ Avondale Preservation's "Craftsman List" and hired him to do the repairs after interviewing a number of other masons. Cowboy is a second-generation professional mason and I was impressed with his knowledge and his passion for restoration and for high-quality brickwork. It was important to me that the repairs blend well with the rest of the home and Cowboy assured me he would match it well. I also had a number of lintels (metal brackets that support the brick above doors and windows) that were rusting and sagging and needed repair/replacement. Cowboy quickly secured the necessary permits from the Jacksonville Historic Preservation Department and got to work. He took extra time at the start of the job to try several mortar mixes in order to get one that best matched the existing mortar, and reworked several sections multiple times until he was personally satisfied with the result. He started on the back of the house so he would be sure of the color and technique before he got to the more visible portions of the house. Cowboy worked with a small crew of 2-3 others and in most cases he was personally on the job supervising and doing the more complex parts of the work himself. Cowboy worked his way around the house and I was very pleased with the quality of work. He was meticulous in his work and made sure his team was keeping up with his personal high standards. He did his best to avoid damaging our landscaping, he cleaned up the job site each day, and he and his team were very polite. He and I would talk every morning about where the job stood, what was to be done that day, and to review any comments I had on the previous day's work. He had often already noted the items I pointed out and always worked them to my satisfaction (and I am admittedly very picky). Cowboy treated this job like he was repairing his own home. While this job was in progress I discovered that the previous homeowners had inexplicably drilled large holes through the front and back of one of the chimneys in order to run wiring for a flat panel TV. The firebox was also crumbling and the fireplace overall was unusable. Cowboy gave me a separate quote to repair the chimney and replace the firebox, which he completed with modern fireproof materials that still blend well with the antique marble mantel. He also completed repairs to several brick arches that were not part of the original proposal but I agreed should be done. The job was originally estimated at a month in duration but ended up taking ten weeks. The timeline was extended largely due to the unusually rainy summer this year (which washed out many days) but also due to the addition of the extra repairs and the general complexity of the job. The weather delays and extra time created extra costs for Cowboy but he did not change his price to me for the original scope, and he did not appear to rush the work or cut corners to make up time. Even at the end he was pointing out additional details he wanted to finish before the job was complete in his eyes. I appreciated his commitment to quality ? and I was so happy with the outcome that I paid Cowboy a bonus for the extra time and care he took to do the job right. I don't think I have ever done that before for a contractor! Knowing how much time and effort went into the job I feel I got very good value for what I paid. I am thrilled with the final outcome of this job, and I admire the work each time I drive up to the house. I love working with people who have pride in and passion for what they do for a living. Cowboy is one of those people and I highly recommend him! I would definitely use him again.

I told the worker what we wanted, told us that it wouldn't be a problem. He got back with me at a later date, took measurements and gave me the pricing. He was actually done in about 3 weeks. Stuff that would have been dangerous when you might walk was cleaned up. Among all the companies that I contacted, he's the only one that responded to my call. He built a nice set of steps from the building to the outside which I was planning on doing. He didn't have to do that for us but for the price, he did it.

As usual, his work was meticulous and professional. He knows how to preserve old brick and block. He is the "go to" mason for the historic structures in Riverside and has done work for many people in the area. His prices are sometimes a little higher than others, but the work is of far higher quality. The difference is visible. He is a second or third generation mason and has a lifetime of experience.

DO NOT USE COWBOY'S MASONRY! I'll give him the benefit of the doubt that his work is probably good, but I explained to him on multiple occasions that I would not pay more than twice what a general contractor quoted me for him to do the job. He handled the situation by calling me multiple times a week for over a month; I guess he just thought that somehow he could convince me to let him rip me off. The harassment didn't stop there. Once I awarded the job to someone else, he went to the historical commission and city code office and implied that no one could build the wall correctly except him. He also went by the job site 3 times while my contractor was working on the wall and insulted them. Finally, this morning, he left me a message saying that he "Thanks God for other masons like the one I hired, because they show him just how good his work is." He said the contractor I'm using is doing it wrongly, even though I've had his work validated by an engineer and by the city. Don't call Cowboy unless you want to grossly overpay, or be harassed.

We built our house 13 years ago and there was a shortage of good bricklayers and our builder had his tile man do the brick work. The job looked great at first but over the years joints cracked out because they were too thin and would fill with water, moss, dirt and grass. The area became slippery and unsitely. We've had several people out to inspect and give us estimates. However, they never got back to us or wanted to take out the existing bricks and lay pavers. We have a victorian house and these bricks were perfect for our home. Cowboy came out and promised to save our bricks. Because the bricks had very little seams between them he had to ground out each brick in order to fill with mortar. He then acid washed the area and did another final clean-up. This man is truly a craftsman. We were so happy with his work that he is coming back to help with another concrete project. Thanks Angie, this was a great find. If I hadn't joined your service, I would be staring at this project for another year.

Cowboy masonary did a wonderful job. He showed up on time and provided a product of outstanding quality. I would hire he for any masonary work that I needed in the future.

The end result was excellent. He kept me informed and did a very good job.

Cowboy works precisely and with great skill. He works clean and leaves everything cleaned up. He has become the "go-to" guy for historic homes in the Riverside and Avondale Historic District in Jacksonville. He knows the old homes and can remove paint from block and brick to restore it to it's original look. He takes great pride in his work and is well known in the area.