F & M MASONRY CONSTRUCTION INC.

Fantastic. I am 93 and this company did what they said they would and showed up when they said they would and did quality work. They also did some tuckpointing and helped my home get ready for the winter. My son in law took a look at the work and was very happy to see the quality of the job.

Very well. They do nice work--efficient, responsive, high quality.

quickly with a minimum of work done on site as all of the material had been measured and cut to size before it was delivered the final fitting together started on the day as promised and finished on the day promised .the work was done before the flowerbeds opened And all of the scrubs were protected by being wrapped by the craftsmen

F&M Construction completely rebuild my patio foundation and reset the "dryset" blue stone to perfection. They also rebuild my front entrance and walkway. I respect and appreciate Mario's expertise and knowledge of the proper way to construct masonry to last the "test of time" (and the elements). He is professional, efficient, fair, works hard to leave the construction site as clean as possible and to add value to ensure you walk away feeling like it was a "win/win" experience. I highly recommend F&M Masonry.

Mario and his crew were outstanding. They had to remove and replace all grout as well as defective pieces of bluestone. They had to cut and reset all bluestone on the edge of the front stoop. They had to reface and re-grout the entire stoop. They also had to reset bluestone in the island area walkway. Some of the stones were of different thicknesses and they replaced broken ones using thicker slabs and reset same so that the finished walkway was level. When the project was completed they did an excellent job cleaning the residue from the driveway. Mario addressed all our concerns in a timely manner. He was onsite for much of the project and when I needed him to inspect something or replace a defective stone he was on top of the situation within an hour. He is a consummate professional who cares about the quality of his work.

Mario and his team did a super job. I had hired multiple contractors prior to F&M and no one had been successful in fixing the problem. We had water seeping through the bluestone tiles and deteriorating the bricks beneath. We had to replace bricks many times over the last few years. Mario knew what was needed to create a solid seal and so far so good! I would highly recommend F&M Masonry.

After a lot of research, pricing and checking references, we chose Mario and F&M Masonry to rebuild our front landing and steps. We could not be happier with the result. Mario is extremely professional and really knows his stuff. He made sure we understood there were several ways to handle our issues and was clear why he was recommending to do it his way. Our front steps were literally peeling away from our landing. Additionally, the pavers that had been inappropriately used as surface material by a previous owner were constantly coming loose. The old landing had also been built partially covering two outlets, making them inaccessible. The big unknown was whether it was just the steps that were a problem or the entire landing. The result was many bids coming in ridiculously high as contractors assumed they'd have to rebuild the entire landing in addition to the steps. Mario, however, took the time to remove enough old material to see that the problem was just the steps. In rebuilding the step, F&M took the corrects steps of anchoring their newly poured steps to the landing using rebar and other appropriate materials. He made sure to explain each step of the process. As he put it, "your steps will be here long after we are all gone!" Another example of the attention to detail was that Manny himself was on site almost the entire time, and, he personally designed the pattern of the bluestone ahead of time on paper, then again with the bluestone to get our approval before they were cemented into place. While F&M was neither the least expensive nor the most expensive option, I was most concerned about the job being done correctly. While certainly not a bargain, relative to other bids and given the high level of attention to doing the job correctly, I found the price to be "good". My only very minor complaint is that some of the mortar between the bluestone "spilled" onto the stone and looks a bit sloppy in places. There was also cement splatter on our front door (I've since repainted the door). I called and he is supposed to be sending someone out to try and clean up the mortar on the landing. It's minor but is the one negative to an otherwise perfect job. Overall, I would highly recommend Manny and F&M for your hardscape work. The end result is a gorgeous front landing and steps which we've been getting many compliments on. Our needing to repair our stairs was the result of a previous owner going for the cheapest option, but not the correct one, in building the steps. With F&M Masonry, your job will be done correctly and on time. We could really tell how much Manny cares about his work and you will appreciate having someone who gives such personal attention. It was a pleasure to work with Manny.

Mario and Company made the whole process a pleasure. He was prompt with the first visit, prompt with the estimate, and prompt with the construction. He stayed onsite overseeing the work, asking questions of us, making suggestions, etc. The result is beautiful! Furthermore, his men left our yard and driveway pristine.

Terrific work. Efficient, high quality work.

Mario and his crew did an excellent job. Made our front bluestone walk and front door patio look like new. Price was fair, work was excellent and Mario does a good job of communicating when he will show up. Completed on time. Could not recommend F & M Masonry more highly.

Excellent work. Also performed tuck-point work to chimneys at the same time. We made one change to the design of the front door stoop layout and it was accomplished with complete understanding and no additional cost. Mario and his workers were terrific.

Price was very fair to start with and even better when Mario graciously decided not to charge us for the rounded corners I asked for at the end. It was a pleasure to work with Mario but more importantly, it was gratufying to find that he is extremely professional and a man of his word. His whole crew was excellent. The whole job was well done, completed on time and every member of that crew was extremely polite and very neat. I highly recommend Mario and his company

I would grade them an A all over and I will have them after this.

All of Mario's workers worked very hard and and were punctual and did quality work in 4 full days. They were very good about cleaning up after themselves and Mario the owner was always there everyday to make sure they were on task.

I had a number of bids for this project and, typically, the results spanned the spectrum of work and cost. They ranged from overly elaborate and expensive to cosmetic patch jobs. Mario assessed the job, pointed out exactly what the problem was and explained in detail what he would do to correct it. The repairs were done in a timely and professional manner and included measures that would prevent future problems of this nature. If the original construction had utilized these methods there would have been no need of repair in the first place. I wouldn't hesitate to use F&M for any future masonry construction or repair.

It worked out excellent in every way. Their workmanship was excellent. We continue to get praises and compliments about the project. He provided seal-coating for the lime stone at no additional charge. He was very generous.

The work was done very professionally. It was finished on time and on budget.

I would highly recommend F&M Masonry. Our bluestone front steps were falling apart and in need repair. After talking to Mario we realized the steps were not installed properly the first time. We also wanted to expand our bluestone patio. We thought we knew what we wanted but Mario offered a much better suggestion. Mario showed us several pictures of their work and took the time to explain the what we needed and why. Our front steps look better than before and we LOVE our patio. Mario and team were very professional. I would not hesitate to contact F&M Masonry to talk to them about your project.

Mario was FANTASTIC and all the employees exceeded our expectations. The work was done extremely well. We would use F & M again!

Did an excellant job, would use again in a heartbeat

I contacted three contractors for initial design consultation and proposals. Mario responded promptly and spent a considerable amount of time personally walking my drive with me, listening to my ideas and needs, and providing his expertise. His written proposal arrived promptly. When I left a query on his voicemail, he returned to my home to again discuss the proposal. He was amenable to supervising his recommended asphalt company and took full responsibility for the project. He also suggested removing the sunken walkway and replacing it, adding a border to coordinate with the drive. From start to finish, I could not be more pleased. It was a joy to work with someone who takes such pride in his work and reputation and his employees seem to follow the same work ethic. I watched them, unsupervised by Mario, work diligently throughout the day, measuring and cutting each block individually to fit the curvature of the drive. They took their time and the end result was well worth it. My husband was away for most of the project but after seeing photos of Mario's other work on his website, requested that we change out our stoop to bluestone. It is beautiful. Mario and his employees treated me professionally throughout the project; my ideas and concerns were taken seriously and he never rushed through a conversation, making certain I was consulted over every detail. Although we were initially concerned about the overall cost of the drive (after all it is a driveway), all three estimates came in closely the same and with Mario's design and quality of work, the overall enhancement to the front of our home was more than well worth it. We would gladly work with Mario again and cannot recommend him highly enough to anyone considering any type of work that requires his expertise.

I have never been more satisfied in my life. Its all I talk about at work. I just stare at my patio and marvel at the beauty and solid construction. Additionally Mario's employees are very skilled at their work and seem to have the same work ethic as Mario. They are very very polite, and also want to make sure that the customer is satisfied. I told Mario that he should be proud of his crew... they are top notch. Since I last saw Mario, I have recommend his services to at least 5 friends and I plan to continue every chance I get. I feel so fortunate to have found him. Please feel free to contact me and I would be glad to answer any of your questions about Mario!!!!

The chimney was damaged by a tree limb during a storm. My insurance company sent over a masonry company who rebuilt the chimney. It was not done properly, including leaving out the flue piping. His price was about $800 less than the insurance company's mason and he did install a flue. We met Mario through an ad in the local paper. He rebuilt the chimney with a flue and properly dyed mortar. He also cut brick so that the chimney was a consistent size. New brick is slightly smaller. I am in the construction business and a mason contractor that I know described the chimney as "beautiful" last year. Mario also replaced the sidewalks. He installed blue stone on the front walk and also covered the concrete steps with blue stone. The work has held up well and still looks great 10 years later. The latest project was in October of this year. (2014). His crew tuck pointed and repair masonry as necessary. My house was built in 1926 and has very narrow mortar joints that hold up very well. His crew ground out 3/4" of bad joint and repointed with properly died mortar to march the existing mortar. Mario is tremendous craftsmen who takes great pride in his projects. I have one more project that I am contemplating which is to replace my driveway. Mario will complete that project. I highly recommend Mario for any project you have in mind.

This work was part of a big remodel and addition project at our home in Lake Forest. My contractor recommended F&M Masonry along with several other landscapers to talk too. I remembered what a wonderful job F&M did rebuilding our chimney 15 years ago. What stuck in my mind all these years was that after the chimney was done, Mario, the owner, noticed a large bluestone was loose on my front porch and insisted upon fixing that also before leaving. (at no cost) I still got several estimates for this newest project but Mario came through with an extremely competitive price and I already knew I could count on him to do a good job. He has been working now for three weeks and I am just thrilled with how everything turned out. We did a lot of planning as we went and he was so patient in working out all the details with me. He made recommendations but was willing to listen carefully to what I wanted. Every inch of the project was carefully thought out. Grading the site was very difficult as our house is built in a very hilly area. Last week it rained very hard and I was amazed at how well he was able to regrade the area. The water ran off perfectly off the patio and away from house. You can't even notice but Mario built in a gentle slope on the two sides of the patio and then another pitch so it all runs aways from the house and down a hill. He was here on site every day and closely supervised all the work. His crew was also friendly and polite. We added a few details as the project went along and Mario was very fair in adding in these extras to the cost of the project. Unlike the other sub-contractors he showed up every day until the work was completed. He was by far the best sub-contractor on the remodeling project. With so much going on at the house it got pretty crazy and it was reassuring to have someone to rely upon. I am looking forward to having Mario come back in a few years when we re-do our driveway and front patio. It is a hilly winding drive and I will definitely need his expertise.

THEY NEVER TOOK DOWN THE MOLD FOR THE CHIMNEY TOP