Sposato's Masonry & Chimney Contractor

Their work was very good and they did a very good job. I liked their price and their quality of work. Their clean up was also very good.

MIke S, quoted the job and his crew came a few days later and did the work. No issues.

three times scheduled to come for estimate. 3 no call/no show, Unacceptable

I called several masons in our area to discuss the options for our brick fireplace and chimney project and to get an estimated cost. We had a 1960's wall to wall and floor to ceiling, corner, red brick with dark gray mortar, fireplace which was way too overpowering for the room size. We had removed the 12and quot; deep hearth but didnt know how to deal with the canilevered cinder block at the base which left a 4and quot; ledge jutting out below the firebox (we had hoped it was brick all the way to the floor but, alas, :-( there was block behind the hearth). Our brick chimney top and slate cap also badly needed to be repaired and secured before a good wind storm (like Hurricane Irene) blew the top off. Michael Sposato from Sposato Masonry returned my call promptly and came out to our house to discuss the project and provide an estimate (free of charge). He was very professional and humble, not at all pushy or arrogant. He listened as we described what we hoped to accomplish, assessed the work and offered some options. Once we decided on a direction, Michael described how he proposed to complete the work, the timing to complete and left us with pages of references and a detailed project cost. We received estimates from others but choose Sposato Masonry because we were comfortable with Michaels plan, his references gave us confidence that he was skilled and experienced in his trade and we thought the price was fair. The crew arrived on time as scheduled, were neat and respectful of our home. They did not mind our presence and questions as they worked and completed everything as described and on time. We were so impressed and happy with the fireplace and chimney work that we also hired them repoint our front brick steps and clean and reseal the brick face on our two story colonial. It looks amazing. They take pride in their work and are true tradesmen. We will call on Sposato Masonry again and highly recommend their work.

Rating the workmanship poses some difficulties because the categories spelled out by Angie’s List to rate the service/workmanship do not hone in on some unsatisfactory aspects of the project. I will list the pluses and minuses of the service below so the reader can formulate their own opinion. Plus: 1) somewhat prompt response to schedule an estimate 2) on-time to provide estimate 3) very competitive rate 4) volunteered that I would receive a discount (“senior discount”) 5) good workmanship and work completed in one day, as promised Minus: 1) I was told that I would be called the day before the workmen would arrive. I never received a call. This could have been a problem because the workers needed electrical power outside. If I was not at home (I was about to leave for the day when the workmen arrived so I had to cancel my plans), the workers would not have had access to electrical power. 2) the truck carrying the equipment leaked oil and left an oil spill on a recently sealed macadam driveway, directly in front of the main home entrance. This spot had to be treated by me so visitors would not track oil into my home.

Mike never called and did not come out on the day he was supposed to.

The experience went very well. Michael responded to a call for an estimate and the job was done just six days latter. Would have been done sooner, but rain pushed him back a couple of days.

3/29 and 3/30: retaining wall and back porch were demolished and the retaining wall and the base for back porch rebuilt. Debris piled in driveway to be removed the next day. When the crew arrived they asked to see a copy of the contract as they were unsure of what was required for the job, apparently they had not been adequately briefed by Mike on the job at hand. The foreman asked me what type of brick to use, I told him Mike knew that I was not familiar with brick and I had asked that it match the front stoop. In the end, the brick they used was fine, just caused a few moments of concern about the possible outcome. 4/3: The crew who worked on the concrete stamping of the basement wall arrived and did a wonderful job. The basement wall looks great! Worked quickly, created exactly what we were promised and cleaned up their area. 4/6: the remainder of the work was begun. When replacing the retaining wall, the crew pulled several large landscape boulders into the driveway (instead of pulling them into the yard) where they block the garage parking. The foreman told us that the debris from the original wall and back porch would remain in the driveway only overnight but it sat in the driveway blocking access for over a week. The day after the wall was covered with concrete , Mike called us and asked if we could pay for all the work. We pointed out that only the concrete wall and retaining wall were complete (except for replacing the displaced boulders). Mike was not aware at that point that the front stoop hadn't been touched, that the family room threshold had not been replaced, that the back porch was just roughed in and that the debris was still in the driveway. We said we would pay half if he would come with the crews the next day to supervise the work (on or about 4/6). He came with the crews and the crews worked on all the projects and appeared to complete them, except the sealing of the concrete porches and putting the boulders back in place. However, in the process the bushes flanking the front stoop were damaged. On 4/10, four days after the work on the front stoop was done, we emailed Mike and asked if we could remove the plastic covering from the front stoop. He responded to go ahead, that he'd be out to seal when the weather was good. No rain on 4/9, 4/10 or 4/11 when it was 80+ and sunny. When we removed the plastic, we discovered the mortar was not the same light grey color we expected but had been replaced with a VERY strange dark grey almost neon purple, not what we requested. There are splotches of dark grey mortar on the house, sidewalk and railings. The stoop railing posts were sealed around with a tan mortar. One post is different than the rest, it still has it's original ring. It looks bad as the other five posts now are mortared roughly at their base with tan mortar and one is not. Neither the back porch or the front stoop have been sealed. All the work on the front stoop looks sloppy and unattractive, an unprofessional job. There will be additional costs tied to using this contractor for these jobs. We have hired a landscaper to properly reset the boulders and will pay additional charges to replace the two large bushes by the front stoop. We discovered the threshold for the family room door was not installed as we had requested and no explanation was given why the change was made. We had asked for a complete slab and had given the okay to remove the door threshold and side beams as needed (as we are replacing the door). We wanted the look of a complete slab, no cuts. The threshold has been cut and concreted in with dark grey mortar. Doesn't look great and not what was requested. The only portions of the project completed to our original request were the retaining wall and the stamped concrete wall. Mike didn't have a clear idea what his crews had and hadn't completed and of how the job was progressing. He showed little concern for the movements of his crews. He asked for payment on the last day he was here with his crews, stating he was short of money. After several weeks of waiting, all jobs have been done. The stamped concrete wall has since developed a section that looks darker than the rest for whatever reason. The front porch looks much better, but the limestone has cut lines from the guys removing the mortar that was the wrong color. The driveway retaining wall looks great and the back porch has been sealed. The second go at the family room threshold looks nice.

Mike's crew completed the job in the exact steps and time frame promised in the contract. His crews were very polite and left the work area clean. The crews were also very careful to close the gate to our yard after moving supplies in and out. We've had other contractors who left the gate open allowing our pets to wander out. Only complaint was the stamped pattern was not pattern we had chose.

The the workers did a great job, all friendly and were very conscience about keeping the property clean while they did their work. The only problem I had was waiting till they started the job. no problem using them again.

The outdoor sidewalk/driveway work was fine. Took one day to finish. No issue, other than a 4-week delay from the anticipated date. The indoor basement floor work, however, was problematic from a time delay and the work itself. First problem: Delay in doing the work. The work was scheduled for mid-September 2010. When I didn't hear from Mike, I called him on Friday September 17. He promised he would be there next week. No one came. I called Mike again at the end of September. He gave me the excuse that the truck broke down (which was the second time a contractor had given me that excuse during the year). Finally, I heard from Mike at 8:30pm on Sunday night October 17, 2010 - they're coming the next day. I finished getting the basement ready. They came, but only did the outdoor work, which they completed that day. They didn't do the basement work. I was happy with the outdoor work, but very disappointed that the basement work was not done at that time. So it took them 6 weeks to get to the outdoor work from the signing of the proposal, and 4 weeks from when work was supposed to be started. When I didn't hear from Mike regarding the basement for another 2 weeks, I called him on Friday November 5, 2010, and told him if it was not finished in 2 weeks, I'm canceling. I wanted it done before the holidays. Mike said he would be there on Monday November 8, 2010. He came and the basement floor and other indoor work were completed by November 15, 2010 - 2 months after the projected start date. The floor was grinded on November 8, stained the next day, sealed on November 15 along with repairing the flaking areas of the foundation walls I was very unhappy about the overall delay - it was very unprofessional, not responsive and untimely. Unsatisfactory performance this time than on the 2 earlier occasions. he should have been upfront when the proposal was being discussed that he wouldn't get to it until later in the year. If I knew that there would be such a delay, I would have instead simply painted the floor and purchased an area rug - cheaper and easier. Second Problem: Mike didn't use the product that was set forth in the contract. The grinding of the floor was done first. No problem with that aspect. The second day, Mike stained the floor and called me down late in the afternoon to look at it. Put it this way - it didn't "wow" me. I wasn't unhappy, but it didn't meet my expectations. The color didn't look like the ones chosen. And there was no separate dark gray border color - it was all done the same. The stain had to dry over the next 2 days. During that time I went into the garage where Mike had placed his stuff to look at the products. I discovered he didn't use any Miracoat stain; instead, Mike used Behr Stain, which is sold at Home Depot. He mixed a black stain with a white stain in a spray bottle to come up with gray stain. Now, I was upset. I would never have proceeded with the job if Mike told me he was going to use cheap Behr stain rather than Miracoat. I would have painted the floor instead. I don't know whether Mike forgot about what was to be done, or Mike inadvertently lost or misplaced the paperwork detailing what was to be done, or Mike deliberately engaged in a "bait-and-switch" charging me a higher price but using an inferior product than the one agreed upon in the proposal. I spoke to him about it over the phone and in person. I told him to bring the brochure because I wanted to check the color and at least make sure that it was close to the ones I had selected. At least the gray was "in the range" of what color I had chosen. About the floor, Mike said "It'll grow on you." Mike finished sealing the floor on Monday November 15, which allowed me to paint the basement the day after Thanksgiving and I was finally done down there. I'm not unhappy with the floor's outcome; the floor doesn't look bad. But it's just not what I thought I would be getting or expected per the product, colors and application. I'm somewhat disappointed. I'm also sorry that I didn't ask for a reduction in price - frankly, I just wanted the basement to be finished ASAP; it was dragging out too long and I didn't want to waste any more time and effort down there.

I was very pleased with their work. If I was not satisified with something along the way they would correct it imediatlly. They began the job ahead of schedual. Any delays could be atributed to weather. I did not shop the price because I thought it was reasonable and I liked Mike Sposato who seemed like a fine knowledgable young man. There is another project I plan on using them for this spring.

Mike was very professional. He completed the work in a timely manor and cleaned up the job site thoroughly before leaving. We will be sure to use him for our next masonry project.

Sposato submitted a permit with the town and started working on it for 2 days. They cleaned up neatly after completion. Their workers were friendly. Upon town's approval, they were paid in full.

Mike was very nice. I was unable to return his phone calls the first few times. He kept trying until he recieved a call. Hey was able to be at my house to look at the job in less then one hour. Job took longer then planed due to weather but they kept us updated along the way

Sposato did a great job repairing some cracks in the actual bricks on the front of our house. Their estimate was not the cheapest, but they were worth the extra money as the mason was on time, and actually waited patiently for other workers to finish other areas of the house before starting. The cracks are fixed and the mason blended the color to match the rest of the house.

Our front and back stone walkways were in very poor condition with some stones missing, broken or dislodged. The front steps were crumbling, and the back porch was in poor condition. They came promptly and gave us an estimate. There was some delay before they were available to do the work, but once they came, they completed the work promptly within a few days. We are very happy with the appearance of all of the work that they did, especially the front steps, which look great.

MIKE AND HIS CREW WAS VERY POLITE and RESPECTFUL. THEY SHOWED ON TIME AND WORKED FROM 10 AM TO 9:30 PM. IT TOOK 3 DAYS FOR THE STEPS TO BE INSTALLED AND APPROX 5 HOURS TO REINSTALL THE RAILINGS WHICH WAS INSTALLED A WEEK AFTER THE STEPS WERE INSTALLED. THE STEPS TURNED OUT TO BE VERY NICE, VERY DIFFERENT. FROM WHAT I EXPECTED. ALL I CAN SAID IS, "MIKE HAS TALENT" I HIGHLY RECOMMEND HIM. HE'S A CONTRACTOR WHO WANT TO PLEASE HIS CUSTOMERS. TOTAL JOB $4200.00 HE TOOK OFF $100.00

It was good. It was decent. I haven't compared the price with anyone else. They gave the estimate to me right away. It took him two weeks to come out.

Work was started and finished in a timely manner. When owner came at the completion of the job, a trouble spot was pointed out and fixed the next morning. A new damper was installed and was not yet adjusted. When that is completed my grade for responsiveness will increase to a B. The workers worked from morning until evening and were neat about their work. All of the holes, or spots where concrete was missing, in the chimney were filled and the entire chimney was waterproofed. Mike was very pleasant and knowledgeable about the work that needed to be completed.

The men came on time, and worked diligently all day each day. All in all the work was well done. When I asked for them to change one part of the patio edge, they were very accommodating, and wanted the customer (us) to be happy. I would recommend them to do any masonry job.

They came out right away. I believe the job was done by another company. i was not happy with the job. I called the owner. He appologized and had his guys come out, take them down totally and start over. The second time they came out great. Its nice to see that people stand behind their work. I trust them now after this incident and would use them again.

I requested an estimate for repairing the outdoor front steps on our house. The contractor set up an appointment to give me an estimate, then re-scheduled. He never came or called me again.

Workers came on time and worked non-stop all day. They were very professional. I couldn't be more pleased with the results. I would recommend this company to anyone.

I would highly recommend Sposato Masonry. Mike returned my initial phone call the same day and was able to arrange an appointment to visit for a free estimate within 48 hours. He is not only clearly proud of his company (took it over from his Dad), but also knowledgeable about new industry trends/techniques/products gained through professional education...as well as committment to his craft. After examining our chimney, he gave me several options for repair; surprisingly starting with the least expensive...which we opted for. Although he had already provided me with a referral discount from a local chimney sweep (also on Angie's List), he did honor the Angie's List coupon as well. A crew of 4 reported about a half-hour late (at 9am), but only took a 1/2 hr lunch; staying until past 6:30pm to get the job done in a single day. The crew leader (Donald) was very pleasant, patient and professional. They constructed a scaffolding and did a great job (first demolishing..then) re-constructing the top portion of our chimney and replacing about 10 missing/chipped bricks in the balance of structure. The talented masons in the crew were able to preserve the flashing on the roof near the chimney; saving an additional visit from our roofer. They may be a little more expensive than other providers, but they were responsive and very reliable. They completely cleaned up and hauled away any materials or mess....leaving us a solid chimney.