GENERAL BRICK DESIGNS

Perfectly. Really, this was an easy choice. After using Eddie last year ( He saved my house) on a major job and being amazed by his expertise, quality and fair price, this was just a little icing on the cake in making the place look mint. Thanks General Brick.

I never write reviews on contractors, but felt it was important to share the positive experience we had with General Brick Design. The owner Ed Costanzo came highly recommended and delivered on everything that he promised. Ed and his crew repaired our foundation, poured a new concrete floor, and waterproofed our basement. Ed went above and beyond our expectations. His workmanship and professionalism was exceptional. Ed and his crew are extremely knowledgeable and kept us informed throughout the whole project. He also repaired and completed other work that was not part of our original estimate at his own expense. The extra work he did for us was greatly appreciated and showed that he cares and takes pride in the work he does. Ed is on the job with his crew from start to finish, very easy to get in touch with at all times. Ed and crew maintained a safe work environment and always left our basement and property clean each time they left for the day. We would highly recommend Ed and his crew for any type of masonry, foundation, and water proofing work. It's nice to know that there are good people like Ed out there that you can trust with your home.

Ed Constanza and his crew are amazing. This is the second time they resolved an issue no other contractor could manage. They were courteous, on-time, diligent. Ed explained each step of the way to me. He is not a fixer who disappears, but checks and re-checks his work through the years. He knows what he is doing and does it exceptionally well. I am lucky to have him as a resource for my home projects. Mrs, Follert, Southampton

Ed Costanza was referred to me by a neighbor who has used Ed's services several times. Ed is extremely knowledgeable and very professional. The job that I originally called Ed to do would have been ineffective and a waste of my money. Rather than proceeding with that work, as another contractor might have done, Ed advised me against it. In his inspection he found a crack in my foundation and a structural defect, which needed immediate attention; and in so doing helped me prevent a potential future disaster. Ed took the time to explain the problem, and my options, in a way a layman could understand. His workmanship is impeccable. His workers were prompt, efficient and talented. Upon seeing pavers in my front walkway (which had been installed by my builder) settling in a way that was unacceptable to Ed, he had his masons remove the blocks, level them, and reset them in a manner in which they would not shift. This was done at no cost to me. In this day and age who can honestly say that someone did extra work for nothing. I am extremely grateful to Ed and his crew for a job beyond "well done".

Ed explained the job and kept us informed as the work progressed. Ed has the experience, knowledge and ability to have completed the job in an excellent manner. I would HIGHLY recommend hiring him!!!! I intend to use Ed at General Brick for all my future masonry jobs.

We had a structural/stability/water problem with our foundation. We knew to call Ed as he had done work for us about 3 years ago. Ed Constanzo - Master Mason and structural engineer stabilized and repaired a potentially dangerous situation stemming from initial improper installation which caused severe damage to an area of our foundation. His extensive masonry experience and time served in the Army Corp of Engineers made him the only guy we would trust to tackle our problem. Ed visited the site at least a dozen times in different weather conditions to test with high tech gear and chart the findings before determining what the specific cause of the issue was. He explained the situation in detail, set out the best course of action and then proceeded to do the repair. An area of deck had to be removed, there was a 3 foot dig out, scaffolding, waterproofing, concrete underpinning etc, etc, etc.. We are very confident that this job is something we wil never have to worry about again but It's good to know that Ed's not going anywhere and that he stands behind his work for 10 years. We had a few minor and not so minor masonry issues around the house and Ed had his guys (who are an elite team if I ever saw one) take care of them for us. We highly recommend General Brick Designs - this guy is a gem.

We are in the process of a major home renovation and Ed came on board mid way through. The layout of the original patio made for a little bit of a challenge and we were looking for more than just a paver installer. From the very beginning we knew Ed was exactly what we were looking for in a true mason. He was very responsive to our initial inquiry and was prompt and professional during our first and all subsequent meetings. He was very thorough in detailing what he felt needed to be done and provided us with a detailed estimate. We discussed our respective schedules and agreed upon a start date. He required a deposited to reserve the date and to make initial material purchases. Our recent dealings with other contractors confirmed this to be standard procedure. Start was delayed a short time due to weather but Ed was great with communicating status and work began when he scheduled. Work progressed quickly as his crew has worked together for years and always seemed to know what was needed. The end product far exceeded our expectations! The patio is absolutely gorgeous and the walkway is a work of art. As an engineer myself I truly appreciate Ed's attention to detail. Every brick was precisely place and every cut was meticulously executed. If you want it done and not only want it done right but also done beautifully do not hesitate.....call Ed!

Eddie was a pleasure to work with and I plan hire him again. My project was a bit more complicated than most. I needed him to survey my property to pitch all water away from my house and in-ground pool. His engineering knowledge, problem solving skills and talented crew were able to complete the job to a high standard. I'm also an Engineer and appreciate a contractor who has the technical ability and creative design skills to create a beautiful and lasting product. Eddie gave me a guarantee which no other contractor would - it really shows his commitment to his work. As they say, a photo is worth 10,000 words... I've attached a few. Notice all the straight lines are absolutely straight and the curves are smooth - all with a slight pitch for perfect water run-off. I hope this helps similar homeowners, who take pride in the appearance of their home.

Ed takes great pride in his work. Not only is he an expert in his field, he also cares a great deal about making your property as good as if it were his own. From the moment I contacted Ed to build us a patio, he always made himself available to answer all my questions and concerns. When I was indecisive in choosing the style and color of the paver, Ed listened patiently to every word I said and helped me analyze what type of paver would be right for me. What I like most about Ed is his management style. He works alongside his crew to chart a plan for what needs to be done. He respects his employees and values their opinions. In return, his employees work diligently for him. Together, they produced a beautiful product to satisfy his customer’s demands. When I look for a contractor, honesty ranks at the top. I want a contractor who is totally honest about the work needed and the cost of the work. Ed undoubtedly meets this requirement. When you converse with Ed, you know he is not going to take advantage of you just because you are a novice about what the work entails. After working with Ed for a week, I know why he gets all the good reviews. He goes above and beyond to make sure you are happy with his work.

Owner Ed Costanzo and his longtime crew have done impeccable work for us for years. We love our fireplace and we noticed some smoke had charred up the painted brick on the top and side vents. A work colleague had used General Brick Designs before, having found them to be number one on Angie's List, highly recommended them, and gave us their number. Ed found that we could have had a fire in our house through the walls next to the fireplace, and explained exactly what had to be done to fix it, gave us the best estimate, and had the highest rating, so was hired. He and his crew repaired it expertly, and did a wonderful job cleaning up. On our chimney repair, most companies would have had to demolish the chimney and build a completely new one, but Ed's background in structural engineering with the Army Corps of Engineers and his highly skilled crew allowed them to do the necessary repair work without the need for demolition and an expensive rebuild, saving us a small fortune! The other two companies we called for estimates lacked the knowledge and skill to fix the chimney as it was, and one wanted almost $30,000 to do the job. Eek! Our next masonry repair job was rebuilding our front steps and stoop, which another company had built about 8 years before, and poorly. A lot of grout was falling apart and we called Ed and his crew without even getting another estimate. And in May of this year, we called Ed to scan our patio. Several areas had been slowly sinking for some time but an area near the coping was going to become a safety concern in the next few years. Ed's scanning tool showed voids in several areas underneath the patio and we scheduled the work for late June in coordination with our pool company. For this job, Ed and his team of masons had to remove the existing brick, sub base, and reinforced concrete underneath our patio next to our pool, digging over 5 feet down to get to the line. He also coordinated the timing of the job with our pool company's boss, so he could do his pressure test as soon as the digging was done, and not lose any time. His crew even went above and beyond and dug out the area near our pump after the pool company said they wouldn't do that in case the pump collapsed into the hole, but Ed's crew were able to do exactly that for us. It was very informative and interesting to see "what lies beneath", and very impressive to see how smoothly and swiftly all the guys worked together. When you've worked together for as long as these guys have, it's like watching a symphony perform, with everyone working in sync. They then packed the base to make sure the sub ground had no voids, back-filled, and really went above and beyond with the concrete base (thanks again, guys!!!) and then reset the brick beautifully! Not only that, but the whole crew worked really hard to finish the job a day early, which was much appreciated, although it was nice having them around, too. They were so careful with all the dirt that was dug up, and not a single flower or plant in our yard was damaged! After they swept, blew, and hosed down the patio when finished, it looked brand new and beautiful! Ed is an honest, talented, and smart Master Mason with a tightly knit crew who have worked together for many years. It shows in how well all the work just seems to flow, and most especially in the results on every job they have done for us. He always explains exactly what the problem is and how to fix it, and unlike many contractors, seems to enjoy answering questions. If we ever need more work done, we will most definitely be calling General Brick Designs because we know they will do the best job possible for us.

I could not have been more pleased with Eddie's work. Upon removal of my front steps, he discovered cracks in my foundation that he suspected were caused by a damaged footing. He performed additional excavation and was able to verify his initial suspicion. This was a situation where Eddie's training and experience as a structural engineer averted what would have been a disaster down the road. As he pointed out, most contractors without an engineering background, would have simply pumped some concrete into the cracks in the foundation and installed new steps. This would have led at some point to a collapse of my foundation. After diligently discovering and identifying the full extent of this previously unknown problem, Eddie went to great lengths to explain to me what the appropriate remedy would be and what additional costs would be necessary. He broke down the additional cost in detail and it was clear that I was getting a fair price on absolutely critical additional work. Equally impressive was Eddie's rescheduling of his work crews to bring on two crews so that the work could be done in the originally agreed to time frame. Not surprisingly, in addition to the quality of the work, the finished product could not have more pleasing to the eye. In every respect, General Brick was top notch: Quality of work. Reasonable price. Punctuality. Crystal clear communication. An unconditional warranty. Highly skilled crew. Timely completion. Eddie is the gold standard by which I will judge other contractors. I cannot recommend this company strongly enough.

Ed's work is awesome. His staff worked hard and coordinated well with each other. The result was exactly what we had hoped for. We have used Ed in the past and we're very happy with his work and professionalism. He knows his craft, is helpful and knowledgeable in many areas so you are able to achieve what you envision.

Owner Ed Costanzo is the best contractor we ever dealt with. Honest, reasonable and reliable. His crew are hard professional workers. They removed a 50 year old 4 feet concrete retaining wall & replaced it with a beautiful brick one. They did an outstanding job. Thanks Ed. We love the wall!!!!!!

I did a lot of work on my home , many contractors and I would have trusted Eddie with my wallet. He is the most honest, hard working, true to his word man I have met to this day. I wish he he did everything as this went so smoothly , his quality of work was unreal and his price was fair. I am thrilled.

It is extremely rare to see a company with over 10 Angie's List Reviews and only grades of A's. I know this because my Insurance Company falls into that same category. It takes incredibly hard work, the utmost competence, the deepest caring about each customer, & living up to your word exactly. When you see a company with grades like this, I would think most people would think, "Can't Be." Well rest assured, General Brick is for real and I consider myself a very tough grader. The owner Ed Costanzo reminded me, in regards to Masonry, of my wife's Cancer Dr at Sloan Kettering (he's their head orthopedic surgeon) Eddie first heard of what we were hoping for. Then he listened to all of our concerns. He diagnosed problems, that we were clueless to, on other parts of our home. Things that in the future, could have been extremely dangerous and cost 3xs as much to fix if we waited. He told us of an alternative that many Masons would do that he wouldn't consider. Ed also gave us 3 other options (all which he would give his standard 10 year guarantee on). Before moving on, I completely checked out everything I was told along with the complete background of "General Brick". After agreeing on a job that included 4xs as much work as we originally thought was needed, at a price 2xs over our budget, the fun began. General Bricks crew of 6 (and Ed, who was almost constantly overseeing everything) were totally unusual compared to today's norm. These guys were the hardest working artists I've ever seen. Their dispositions were wonderful for 8 straight days. Always getting along and working as a finely tuned machine. After the job was finished, Ed guaranteed he'd be back and take care of anything he thought might not be perfect. He continues to back up his word and I am very particular. I never gave anyone straight A's on Angie's List until now. General Brick fully deserves it, and I will recommend them to others with no hesitation. It's like going back to a time when true competence and hard work, was the norm.

couldn't have been better ed constanso is the best look no further when it comes to masonary remodeling

Eddie and his crew were quick, clean, courteous, and able to keenly understand what we wanted in our fireplace update. The work was exacting and showed tremendous craftsmanship in the final details.

We could not be happier with the work that Ed and his team performed for us. From the moment that we met him for the estimate we knew he was the man for the job. Ed was extremely knowledgeable and made sure that we understood all details of the job. We had a 2 part job, the first was the design and construction of a new front stoop and walkway. He took the time listen to our ideas and also gave us his input to make improvements to our original plans. He really had a good eye as to what would look best for our home. He explained in detail every step of the process. The second part of the job was to rebuild our 20 year old brick patio. We encountered some minor problems which changed the original design plan but Ed took the time to explain what was happening and worked with us to minimize the extra cost. In the end we could not have been any happier in the result and would definitely recommend Ed and his team to anyone needing brick work. His workers were polite, professional, neat and courteous. Always arrived on time and worked very hard.

Work was completed on-time and on budget. Even with the problems that came up the crew just fixed them and moved on. No fuss, instead a very professional group that was eager to do something correctly. To make it even more challenging we were 9652 miles away and 16 hour time difference. I would not normally trust a contractor to be left alone without coming to the site a lot but we could not avoid the trip. It worked out perfectly without a hitch. I plan it to do even more work with Eddie and his crews very soon, much bigger challenge this go around.

It went great and they did an amazing job. Finished in 2 days, on time, professional and neat. Ed helped to design the fireplace and he couldnt have done a better job. I would highly reccomend them.

We could not have asked for a more professional, talented, and thorough group of masons to complete this job. It completely exceeded our expectations. Ed came to our home, gave a detailed estimate, sat down with us to plan, and took care of every detail along the way until the last paver was down. He is organized, thoughtful, and had a great eye for what looked best for our home. He was on site everyday to check in on the work of his talented masons. We never felt like he was rushing or needed to be elsewhere- his entire focus is on the job at hand. When some plants had to be removed to make room for the patio, Ed and the masons asked us where to place them and we requested that they be placed on the shade garden at the other end of the yard. Days later, we were pleasantly surprised to see that they had not only carefully moved them to the shade garden, but they had replanted all of them to ensure that they'd stay alive! This is certainly not the level of service you get from everyone. Ed and his fellow masons' work is certainly a work of art! The precision and attention to every detail were evident every step of the way. We could not be more pleased with the finished product.

I am the type of person that does my own work on my house because I do not trust others to take the same care as I would on my own home. The jobs I needed done (basement waterproofing, patio pavers, and reinforcing my cracked gunite pool) where out of my league so I was forced to call in a contractor. Ed is a true professional, he alleviated all our fears, and took the time as if my home was his. That meant the world to my wife and I. He took care, listened to our concerns, and was only focused on getting my job done right. Oscar and the crew are highly skilled, very friendly, and conscious. Ed is the best contractor you can hire and as you can see from all the positive reviews, he truly cares and loves what he does. This is rare to find these days and he is one of those people that would do masonry work regardless if he got paid for it or not. Do not hesitate the hire him and his crew.

We had Eddie install new footings put on house to stabilize the foundation, waterproofed the basement walls to stop moisture leak and did some beautiful exterior stone work. We are currently looking forward to having him come back for even more work. We prefer to wait on his schedule then have anyone else come to the property.

The owner Ed and his team of master stonemasons did an outstanding job of transforming our backyard into an amazing outdoor retreat. From the beautiful patio and fire pit to the truly unique outdoor kitchen. They went above and beyond what we expected. The job was finished ahead of schedule. We couldn't be happier with Ed and his crew for a job well done. We would highly recommend General Brick Designs for all your mason needs. We will be using them for any future projects.

I was looking for someone to tear down an existing deck and replace with a paver patio including steps and a fire pit with surrounding seating. I called General Brick for an estimate after having many people recommend them and seeing the great reviews on Angie's list. I met with Ed, the owner, and he took the time to go over each detail of the job and answer any questions I had. I decided to use General Brick for my new patio. Ed and his crew did not disappoint! Ed updated me each day with the progress of the patio. He was available anytime I had any questions. Six days later I had a beautiful new patio. It was better than what I had hoped for. Eddie is a master mason with 36 years experience. His crew are all skilled masons. He stands behind his work with one of the best guarantees in the business. I will only use General Brick for any Masonry work in the future.