Alvarado's Masonry Construction & Remodeling

Mr Alvarado arrived at our home exactly when he said he would and finished the project in three days which is how long he said it would take. The work is amazing! We couldn't be happier with the result.

Everything went as well as I expected. Jose came out and gave me what I considered a fair extimate and so I agreed to have him do the work. He told me his schedule was full for a couple of weeks and I was okay with that. He got back to me after about a week and we agree to a saturday date the following week. Jose and his worker were at the house at 8AM as agreed and the work was done by early afternoon. They ground out quite a bit of old mortar that generated a lot of dust. They did the best they could with the clean-up and the work looked very good. A pleasure to do business with and I would hire Alvarado again.

Jose is very hard working and has a positive attitude and ensures the happiness of his costumers. However, it appears that perhaps somebody else handles a lot of his business affairs/bidding/emailing which may be what much of this review reflects. The overall product was good/passable. Not fantastic, not amazing, but definitely ok. We gave extensive description and pictures of the work we wanted done and broke the bid up into several projects. Unfortunately, one project, in the course of less than a year - doubled in price for the bid despite the same materials and design. We stated we wanted to proceed with the other projects and then get a couple of other bids for the project (stairs) that doubled in price from the first bid that was done approximately 9 months earlier. We have been waiting for a long time to get approval from the historic district and were looking forward to some of the large projects getting started and we asked him to proceed as planned. At the last minute, we got an email saying that he was going to have to withdraw his bid. We had invested a lot of our time in trying to provide information to him to proceed and it felt very disrespectful of our time to successfully work with us in the past, then give a second bid with an almost doubling of the price for a major project as a result of an "oversight" and then as a response to pull out of the bid all together. I feel sad to have to write this review so poorly but it is true and I would want other Angie's List users to know this. Jose does have great reviews and that is why we chose him. I imagine he's done a great job with those other reviews but perhaps is getting too busy know to manage his affairs effectively. Or perhaps it was just his business partner (wife?) who was managing the bid and the email correspondence? Who knows - I do wish him well and that he will learn from this unethical and unprofessional faux pas.

He was very good. He came out pretty quick. He is a very nice person, prompt, did what we asked him to do and he got it done in a timely manner and he cleaned up all his areas. He did a good job. He is very good, very fair.

Alvarado Masonry Construction and Remodeling had the expertise it took to get this large job done and done right! The company's professionalism and technical skills coupled with the speed of completion make this a company that excels above all others. Mr. Alvarado strives to provide the best product and customer service possible. He and his staff are responsive and personable. I definitely trusted him and his company as a contractor. I was able to get a hold of him by phone easily, which allowed for great two-way communication with us throughout the project. With such a large and expensive project, it took quite some time before I made the decision to use Alvarado's Masonry Construction and Remodeling. Using their company was the absolute best decision I could have made. The house looks great. He used quality materials and exceeded my expectations. He provides a warranty for his work. Again, as soon the job began, I knew I had made the right decision. It was evident that the crew, managed by Mr. Alvarado, knew their stuff which put my mind at ease knowing that the job would be done right. I would highly recommend anyone needing work done on their home to choose this company. I cannot express how happy we are with the end product. The house and other features look amazing!

My main complaint was that I tried 3 times to get a receipt and couldn't. For most homeowners this might not be a problem, but for landlords/businessmen, this is how we prove deductions to IRS. Furthermore, I believe he wanted be to keep the check blank, so it will be even harder to prove my tax deduction. It was also difficult to communicate. He didn't get that as a landlord I just wanted a quick, cheap fix or I would just discontinue use of the fireplace. On the positive side, he seems to be a really really nice guy that would go out of his way to help anyone!

Patched the cracks n a fireplace insert.

Jose Alvarado and his crew did a BEAUTIFUL job on my flagstone patio. Rest assured, he is the hardest working contractor you may ever see, and will get your masonry work done and it will look great!

Jose Alvarado was contacted from Angie's List because of their A rating and specialization in masonry work. He responded immediately, came out to listen to our ideas and provide us with an estimate. There were several stone & brick selections provided and even given names and addresses of local Stone/Brick companies to review for additional choices to use. Prior to selection of stone and brick combination, designs were reviewed and agreed upon. Once we chose our colors of (stone & brick), the crew begin work on Monday 12/3/2013. It was amazing to see the actual progress each day, it was like seeing a Master Artist/Mason shape his Art ! The crew cleaned up each day after their work. All members of the team were very professional, courteous and respectful! Jose was on site at all times with his team. The job was completed in 3-4 days. The results were more than we expected! It was remarkable! The stone and brick work totally enhanced the home and property, being lead by an outstanding 2 planter mailbox. We recommend to anyone to use the services of Alvarado Masonry because Jose takes a personal interest in what you want and the craftsmanship of the work performed!! Thanks Jose, you will always be our favorite Masonry Guru!

Jose and his helper arrived at 8:30 a.m. and had finished the entire project by that afternoon, including cleanup. He is unusually polite and extremely neat and tidy. His work is superb! Thank you for listing him for the rest of us who search for good work.

The man did arrive on his scheduled day on time to provide me with an estimate. His estimate was very high for both areas and I did not choose to use this contractor.

And wanted to return for more measurements for assurance of an accurate price quote.

The cost was as quoted. Jose was very pleasant and professional. The workers were polite and worked hard. The job was done in the time quoted. The mini wall around the deck looks great with my wood deck color. Well done! The slab looks professional too. I was very happy with the work done.

We had them repair some brick flower beds that were in the front of our house. It had shifted so the grout between the bricks had broken so he just fixed all of that. I had it done shortly after thanksgiving because my boyfriend was there so he was there whenever that service was done. He did good work, it didn't take him too long, he was in and out quickly, and he was punctual. He did what I asked him to, I was happy with the price and the work that he did.

I am unsatisfied with the quality of work because over 6 months later, and I can still see where the repairs were made. The repaired mortar is much darker than the mortar on the rest of the house. I see it every time I leave and come back to the house. I originally got an estimate of $400. for all of the repairs needed to the brickwork around the house, or so I thought. On the day of the repairs, I was told that the coupon would cover only part of the repairs, that I needed to pay more for all of them. I could not tell if the story was changing or if I misunderstood in the first place, since he did not speak English very well, and often had to have his wife translate. He did fix a few areas where the bricks were loose, and the mortar seems to be holding up, but it is the wrong color and the color makes the repaired areas stick out from the rest of the house.

As this was an expensive job I solicited 5 separate bids for this work. Alvarado's came in on the lower cost end of the bids. What appealed to me about his bid was that without any prompting from me his plan was to go with the thick cement walkway first and then follow up with the placement of the flagstone. All of the other bidders wanted to throw down a minimal amount of cement and work up from there. Another in town mason I trusted but was unable to bid this work told me this was the only way to go. Because of the extremely sandy soil here in my town of La Vernia, TX anything less than 3.5 inches of cement as the base would eventually leave me with a washed out cracked surface. Jose and his crew were nothing short of professional from the start to the finish of the job. He started exactly when he said he would and finished a week later exactly when he said he would. His crew was polite and professional. They cleaned up nicely after the completion of the job. I could not be happier with how this job turned out! It looks absolutely beautiful!! I would use Alvarado's without hesitation for work in the future and have already recommended them to a couple of my friends needing masonry work.

Jose was great! He came over to give me an estimate on the repairs I needed and tested out our gas fireplace--which he discovered was working fine but was tricky to light. He showed me how to light it and then checked out the outdoor kitchen where the wall surrounding a steel cabinet door was crumbling, causing the door and its frame to fall out. Also, the gas valve to the BBQ grill was so far back in the cabinet that one had to crawl halfway inside to turn it. He estimated $400 for the job and I thought that was reasonable. Jose originally planned to install and extend the gas line to our BBQ grill on Tuesday, Sept 22nd and then schedule another date to fix the crumbling wall in our outdoor kitchen, but then he called on Tuesday to cancel and reschedule for the following day. On Wednesday, he arrived in the afternoon and immediately got to work to extend the gas line and valve so that I could easily reach it and fixed the wall surrounding the cabinet door. The morter matched the existing one perfectly and he fastened the frame of the cabinet securely to the opening with masonry screws. He then swept and cleaned the area, leaving everything looking brand new. I was pleasantly surprised that he did both repairs on the same afternoon, because I was expecting only half the job from what he'd said initially. After finishing, I asked Jose to show me again how to light the fireplace, because my attempts hadn't worked. He good naturedly said he would and showed me again, this time shining a flashlight into the area with the controls so that I could see what he was doing more clearly. He made sure that I could turn it on before he left. Ultimately, I felt that the $400 charge for the repairs and the 2 fireplace lighting lessons were a great deal!

Jose came on time, as scheduled for the initial appointment. He went over everything with me and listened so that he got all of the details of what we were looking for. He came back to meet with my husband and ensure that we had eveything done before we signed his contract. He arrived on time with his workers and cleaned up every evening before his left, Our project took about 5 days, just as he projected. Due to weather, his team came early and stayed late on a couple of days to ensure they finished ontime. We had to make a couple of changes and he was very flexible and very easy to work with. We highly recommend and hope to use him again.

very nice guy - responsive and used what materials I asked him to use. When I saw something not to my liking, called him back and he came right out and fixed it!

Called Alvarado's for a appointment to bid the work. The gentleman arrived early for our appointment. Walking around pointing out what work I wanted done, he told me right on the spot what each thing would cost me. They showed up at their scheduled time. On the inside work - extra care was taken to keep our house clean which is much appreciated. The work was completed in a few hours. At work myself, they were gone before I arrivied home. Walking around the house, I was impressed how good the work turned out. Not only had Alvarado's did what we had agreed upon, they went well beyond that point, patching several areas on their own accord. Good company - I would use them again - I would recomend them to my friends.

After arriving on time, they set about there work in a very efficient manner. They thoroughly cleaned out the old mortar, color matched and replaced the mortar. They cleaned up the site afterward, and literally left without a trace other than a perfect job, well done.

Jose and his team did a great job. I found him here on Angie's List and I can vouch for all of the positive reviews. They were here at 7:00 a.m. each day during the project, finished on time and the end product looks great. The price was reasonable, and they had a good attitude, cleaned up each day, and the end product looks great. I gave Jose my design and had the stone delivered, and he built it exactly as I had drawn it. No regrets.

This was a messy, complex and expensive job, but it went well. The demolition was an after thought -- we brought Mr. Alvarado in to make the brick repairs, and he agreed to have his crew do the demolition down to the studs. Price for the demolition was reasonable -- especially given the amount of trash that needed to be carted away. Grinding the paint off two large brick walls left the surface smooth -- I probably should have asked about grinding out the mortar, so that the wall looked more natural. But there are no regrets as I much prefer the appearance of the natural unpainted brick to the painted brick. It was a messy, dusty job but the crew did it quickly and efficiently, and did a pretty good job of cleaning up their mess (though the dust did get everywhere). Special kudos to the crew for even coming during the afternoon on the day San Antonio received near-record rainfall. And the repaired chimney didn't leak during that rainstorm, nor has it leaked since. They did a good job.

We were very concerned about the integrity and appearance of the exterior of our house. Large cracks had developed throughout numerous brick and the mortar all around our house. Originally we thought we had structural damage to our foundation but a structural engineer told us that it was normal settling to be expected in a 20+ year old house. Regardless the large cracks still posed a problem as water and insects could easily get in. I got 4 bids from various Mason contractors and decided on Alvarado's Masonry. Their bid was not the cheapest but it was the most detaied and thorough. The other contractors apparently were giving us a lower price for a lot less work. I found Luis to be very honest, detail oriented, and attentive to my concerns. I was also concerned with how close a match the brick would be to the original as they no longer made it. It looks great. All work was done very promptly once I gave him the OK to proceed. My next door neighbor must have been impressed because when they finished our work they went next door to do a project for him. I would not hessitate to recommend Alavarado Masonry to anyone. Very pleased!!!

Juan Luis Alvarado was very prompt and professional when coming over to give us an estimate (the same day that I called). We were pleased with his customer service and honesty from the start. They were able to begin the project the same week, they arrived when promised which was about 7am and worked steadily with a lunch break until around 5pm. This project was completed in 4 days. They cleaned up after each day and kept us informed as the project progressed. He recommended an alternative to our original plan which saved us thousands of dollars. He was always there working with and supervising his crew.Their workmanship was excellent and easily met our expectations. I highly recommend this company and will gladly use them in the future. We have already made arrangements for them to begin another project.