Sposato's Masonry & Chimney Contractor

chimney looks great - like new.

Went great,originally supposed to be a 3 week wait to begin work. But they called 1 week after scheduling and told me they had an opening because someone cancelled. They were on time, professional , and courteous. They explained everything they were doing step by step and finsihed the job on time.

After evaluating the steps and giving a hand written estimate in the fall of 2012, I attempted to finalize the project in April(2013). After 6 phones calls, 4 voicemails(in which I stated "you have the job") and 3 personal contacts with Mike. I gave up! this guy must be rich. All 3 phone contacts ended with promises of getting a date set to look at the job one more time and then setting up the actual work.

Mike and his crew came in did the job in one day. With this rainy summer we have put the work to the test and we have had no water come into the house during these heavy rains. Mike and his crew are friendly, professional and do great work. I highly recommend them and will use them again for other masonry work when finances permit us.

Mike provided an estimate on Saturday and due to urgency did the work next day, Sunday. His crew of John, Fernando Sr. and Jr. were professional, courteous and did what appears to be a fine job. After completion of the work they were very thorough in the cleanup and left our house as if nothing had happened. Our experience with the crew was very good. Our only suggestion is for Mike to be a little more responsive to the calls which will probably help him get more business. Earlier in the year, we had tried to reach him to follow through on a quote he had provided in the winter but failed to get a response. We called many contractors again to restart the process and it was coincidence that he got called again. This time he was prompt in scheduling the work for the next day (Sunday). While work done seems to be of good quality, the price may not be lowest as we did receive one lower quote but for us timing was critical. By the way, Mike did not show any renewed alacrity with regards to picking up the check either. All in all, we recommend Spasato Construction

Mike came out and evaluated the situation. I had him replace the chimney. He replaced the back wall and the floor of the firebox, and he replaced my front flat concrete surface that I have as a porch, which was damaged during Sandy. I explained to him that I needed my chimney put on before my new roof could be installed. He did manage to squeeze me in within a two week window, and I know that he was very busy with storm damage elsewhere at the time. He had a big crew of workers working hard to install the new chimney, working both inside and outside the house. He even had the dyes and stamping to make the porch look like real brick instead of concrete, and he did stucco the chimney. He wasn't here himself during the entire job, but he did personally oversee all of the detail work to make sure it was up to his standards. As a favor to me, he put my pillars on my front porch back up, which required a total reconstruction, without charging me any extra for them. This was a full two days of work for one of his employees. He did a spectacular job, and I wanted to make sure I let others know about it.

We found Mike to be very professional to work with - responsive and prompt. He did a great job for us on our old chimney. He came when he said he would, and did the work quickly. Recently, I got in touch with him again to see if he could deliver some stone for a shed foundation, and he provided me with recommendations of suppliers, because it was the type of job he didn't need to be involved in, when a supplier could handle it directly. He told me it would be less expensive that way - very upfront and honest. He was helpful, going so far as to give me contact information for various suppliers who could help me. We would definitely use him again!

Our fireplace chimney hadn't been used in 12 years. Sposato Masonry did an inspection of the fireplace and furnace chimneys and recommended: Removing and replacing top 10 to 12 courses of bricks on one side by the crown to fix large crack. Removing and replacing top 3 rows on the other sides. Replace the crown Replace or reface severely spalled bricks with brick veneer Re-pointing of severely damaged joints Re-point furnace chimney Replace or overplay furnace chimney crown Power-wash and seal entire chimneys with 10 year penetrating sealer. We ended up choosing a different company because we needed chimney liner to make the fireplace usable and Sposato Masonry LLC doesn't install liners.

Very Expensive. Used Cement Blocks as opposed to the original brick character of chimney. Reasoning was a timing issue in which outdoors it was very cold. When finished, they did not restore the chimney to the exact original stating which was is why we paid a lot to get the same character and Quality from start to finish. They came recommended but our experience has been we did not get what we paid for, bottom line.

I'm building a house this Spring and was looking for a good contractor on Angie's List to do the foundation work, concrete masonry, perimeter drains and finish masonry (stone veneer). I came across Sposato and reached out. I spoke with Mike twice on the phone and send a bunch of emails with the architect's plans. It turns out I was using the wrong email address. Once I got the correct email address I sent the same plans over to Brian. I spoke with him twice on the phone. After the second time on the phone they said they'd send over a proposal. I got nothing. I sent another email on April 8th and never got a reply. Honestly, who has time for a company that's this non-responsive? I guess business must be good.

Called on a Friday to explain issue and they came by the next day to give estimate. They explained in detail (in terms I could understand) what caused the issue and what needed to be done to fix it as well as provided premetive measures I could take to stop it from re-occurring in the future. They not only looked at the immediate area that needed fixing but also inspected the entire outside and provided a quote for fixing everything or just the area I called them out to look at. After I received a few other quotes and everything being equal I choose them because of how detailed they where in explaining the problem to me. I called back on Tuesday to confirm moving forward with the work and they were there on Wednesday morning. Took about 2 hours to complete. They were quiet, respectful, and very professional. No mess was left and there were no signs they were even there.

Excellent job. Used scaffeling to protect workers. Were prompt and did job exactly as promised.

Left message shortly before Christmas. Never called me back. Have only gotten through to voicemail since then.

After a few false starts as a result of miscommunications, we settled on a start date for the work. The workers came out to the house a bit late but got right to work. The roof chimney needed repair as well as waterproofing, the chimney in the attic needed to be repointed, and the fireplace firebox, needed to be repointed. Mike, the owner had come to my house to give the estimate, and though his price was higher than the other companies we looked at, Mike made sure to assure me that all the work I needed would be done by his masons. (Another company had told me to do the attic chimney repairs myself to save money) along with the fact that I felt that his reputation on Angie's list was worth the extra $$. In short, the work was worth the money. The chimney on the roof and the attic chimney were repaired to my satisfaction, and water sealed. The real test was the firebox however. The brick was in very tough shape. Mike's masons repaired and replaced firebrick as needed and breathed new life into my fireplace. I was very impressed. My ONLY complaint was that the workers did not use tarps when they did the firebox repairs! It would seem that this would be a fairly obvious precaution, but when asked to use a tarp by my wife who was home, they said they did not have one. This led to a layer of stone dust covering my living room floor and parts of my dining room. Not the end of the world, as I cleaned it up, but I was disappointed. Mike dropped by the house after the job to check on the work, and I regretfully forgot to mention the tarp issue, but like I said it was not a huge deal. Over all, however, the work was done well, and I have had several compliments on the new fireplace brick.

Mr. Sposato was a very nice person when he came out to give us an estimate on July 14, 2012. We looked through his work and agreed he would perform the job the same day and he left with a $300 deposit. He mentioned he was busy but in approx 3 weeks he should be out to the house. I waited approx. 5 weeks before I reached out to Mr. Sposato again and he assured me they didn't forget and that in 2-3 weeks the work would be done. Again I waited approx 4 weeks and wasn't getting any call backs. Finally I get a call after leaving an upset message from a Brian. After I explained everything to Brian he was going to search for my folder and call me back or have Mr. Sposato call me back within 24 hours. A week later I called to cancel the job because no body was getting back to me. Brian basically called me a liar saying he called multiple times and left me multiple messages. I asked him what the phone number was and it was my correct cell phone number. He then had another gentleman call me saying he does the schedules and that I was next and I shouldn't cancel now. I asked him when he would come out and he said Monday October 1st. I let a week go by and called to cancel after I never heard from anyone again. After that I still haven't heard anything. Don't be fooled.

They were terrific; they were great. They were very professional. Their pricing was great. They showed a willingness to make sure the job was perfect. They came back once to improve something they had done before. They did a perfect job. We would absolutely use them again.

Called Mike on August 23 - picked up the phone right away, agreed to meet Saturday Aug 25 to see the job, and he called back as promised on Friday Aug. 24 to confirm the time he would be by on Saturday. Refreshing when other companies, including the top rated chimney repair company to come up in my area on Angies was repeatedly called over three weeks, promises made to get back to me unfulfilled. Mike came by on Saturday as promised (he called to advise he was running late), got up on the roof with me and very carefully examined the situation and described what needed to be done. I was happy to have an obviously competent mason (by what he explained, his certifications and specific references offered) to do the job and contracted with him that day, to get the job in sometime in September. Surprise, his crew (a double crew) showed up the following Monday the 27th, worked hard, and finished the job from scaffolding to cleanup in one day, whereas Mike thought it would take 2.5 days originally. I called Mike on Monday to express my surprise and he explained he decided to fit this in before a couple other larger jobs started. Bigger surprise was when Mike called me on Thursday to advise he would reduce the price of the job from the $4,000 quoted to $3,500, since he got in and out in one day and his cost was less then he thought. The work looks very good and I've rated Mike an and quot;Aand quot; on quality, though I'll just comment that the new courses of brick kind of stand out from the older brick - brighter red - I had hoped they would match more closely using the artificially and quot;agedand quot; bricks Mike had promised. Spoke to Mike who assures me they will weather in and look the same as the others in a couple months. Mike is an honest and forthright guy and I highly recommend him - I'm sure if I have any issues or questions going forward he'll take care of it.

The chimney work looked fine from the outside. When we first used the fireplace after their service, they had compromised the working of the flue, causing the smoke to backup into the house. They had to be called back to remedy the situation. It obviously wasn't done correctly the first time. They should have tested the mechanism. They had full access to do so and did not, necessitating the 2nd visit. The bricks on the front porch were cleaned, and a sealant applied. It was done correctly it seems on the side of the porch, where the bricks are vertical. The top, hence the most visible, has a cloudy finish that they assured me would either wash off, or they would correct it. It hasn't, and they didn't. They haven't come back, after many repeated calls. We'll never see them again ... thankfully. Finally, we sent a registered letter to them with enclosed photos of the problem areas. Even that had no effect, other than their acknowledging the receipt. So, I think I've covered all bases. On 8/9/12, Mr. Sposato evidently read my initial review, which I have upgraded in this current rating. Mr. Sposato said he was unaware of the problem because his former secretary, whom he says he has fired, did not pass the information on to him. Since I had stopped calling, he assumed the job was done. I said when we got no response, we stopped calling. He is a good fellow, and came and rectified the situation with the front porch bricks. Now they look fine. If he maintains a tighter control on his employees, he should do fine.

After registering my complaint, I received a phone call from Mike who apologied for what happened. I understand that a small business can have issues with their employees and as a result fail to perform the way the owner expects. I was willing to give him another chance and he offered that the work could be done soon and without my presence which I agreed to. As it turned out I had to be at home for another contractor so I was able to witness the work and I must say that it was done very professionally and was completed the same day. Also, they did a small repair on a step that had loosened and power washed and cleaned up the area where they were working. By the way, my understanding from Mike is that the person in and quot;the officeand quot; that got this off on the wrong track is no longer there so communications should be better. My advice though is that you talk to Mike directly if you have any problems and I am confident that, like me, he will take care of it to your satisfaction.

This is why I joined Angie's List. These workers came at 7:30am and worked constantly (and quietly) until dark for 2 days. My 50-year-old chimneys look brand new. The chimney crowns are actually beautiful. Sposato masons are true craftsmen.

Called them 1st time to get an estimate on chimney repair and left message. (Yes, I'm serious about getting the work done and saw their excellent rating, they did have an advantage...) Since they didn't return my call the next business day, I called a 2nd time, and spoke live this time with Amy (very pleasant) and made an appointment (#1) for them to come by. When appointment #1 time slot over, called them and learned they were just about to call me to reschedule - So we rescheduled (appointment #2) for Wed. April 4, 6:00-6:30. Again, no show, and no call. My parents taught me to be careful of people who don't keep there commitments, especially when they haven't yet earned your business. Credibility. I'm puzzled why this company currently has such high marks. I have chimney repair, firebox repair, and re-pour garage slab to do, AND, I'm in a position to refer them a good deal of business - yet they seem less than interested. Perception usually lags reality. Stay tuned.

Mike started the job on schedule but decided to work through the weekend to take advantage of a period of fair weather. Unlike other contractors, Mike's philosphy is to finish a job once started and not have several jobs going at the same time which invariably delays completion for everyone. As a result, he completed the job in about a third of the time it would have taken most others to do. One significant aspect about this job is that it was all coordinated over the phone as i live in Colorado and the house is in New Jersey. This required a contractor that i could trust and Mike Sposato immediately gained my confidence. I wasn't dissapointed. I was extremely pleased with Mike's work, his professionalism and the results and highly recommend Sposato Construction LLC.

Our retaining wall was damaged by a falling tree from Hurricane Irene. Mike, Anthony and team gave us what was truly the highest estimate of any of the companies we spoke with, but also the most thorough. They were both able to point out things that were wrong with the original wall to begin with, things that would not be up to code today. For this reason, we felt most comfortable with Sposato, and chose them, even though it was at a higher cost. The entire wall had to be taken down and rebuilt. They worked with us to try and save some of the masonry, but because of how the original builder put the wall up, they were not salvageable. We were grateful for the care they tried to take to help us out there.The original wall was not built with correct drainage. This was added, and looks spectacular. During construction, Anthony realized that we might be able to slightly change the design of the wall with no extra cost. He showed me his idea, and we moved forward. We love the new look much more than the old one! Due to Hurricane Irene, they were understandably busy. However, we had a lengthy pre-planned trip at the end of December that would last through the new year and into Spring. Jessica, Mike and Anthony worked with us to get us into the schedule before we left so that the wall would not be left un-repaired through snow fall. The guys arrived promptly each day, and when the job was done, they even power-washed the driveway to clear off any debris. We were very pleased with every aspect of the job.

They were excellent. They price they charged was reasonable. They took a while to get to my home, but finished the job within two days. I will definitely use them again if needed.

While the tech was running late due to car trouble, he kept us informed and arrived within a newly established timeframe that same day. He took a look indoors and out and determined that we hadn't pulled the chain to the flue completely shut. (yes, embarassing, we know) While he could have created lots of expensive 'problems' for our chimney and fireplace, what I appreciate most is that he told us up front our oversight and was on his way. We are happily using our fireplace daily and would call Sposato if needed based on the honesty and integrity of the representative.