- How to select the best Stonemason
- Inquire about work experience and memberships in professional organizations
- Make sure you are confident and at ease with whomever you select
- Ask for clarity on job specifics
- Request written itemized work quotes
- Ensure they are up to date with all building codes and permissions
- Include long term maintenance in your contract
Stonemasonry
How to select the best Stonemason
Perhaps you have seen beautiful old stone homes or churches when out and about. The craftsmanship in these architectural marvels is truly stunning. Even a stone wall or outdoor living space can be beautiful and intricately created. This type of specialty work can only be done by an experienced stonemason who has much practice in this trade.
In order to help you choose the best stonemasonry specialist for your job, we are going to share some things that are important to take note of during your search.
- Work Experience and any professional affiliations
- Make sure your feel at ease and confident with your tradesman
- Understand how they will tackle your specific job
- Get detailed quotes and payment plans
- Ask about their building code and permissions knowledge
- Agree on long term maintenance and aftercare
Taking the time to research and vet the stonemason you wish to work with is an important part of ensuring you will receive high quality and lasting work.
Inquire about work experience and memberships in professional organizations
General contractors and some landscapers and gardeners may tout that they provide stonemasonry services, but in order to ensure that your doorsteps, walls, bespoke lintels, or other stone finishings are of the best quality, you will want to hire a specialist.
When looking for a trained stonemason, you will want to seek out one who has performed many jobs similar to your inquiry. They should have a portfolio for you to examine and should not hesitate to give you references or even take you to see previous completed projects.
In addition, stonemasons can belong to the following trade organizations:
● Federation of Master Builders (FMB)
● Guild of Master Craftsmen
● Guild of Builders and Contractors
● FairTrades Association
● National Federation of Builders
Membership in any of these groups is a good indication that your stonemason takes his craft seriously. However, one should still do their research before hiring this type of tradesman, or any tradesman for that matter.
Make sure you are confident and at ease with whomever you select
The person that you select for hire should be someone you feel comfortable with from the very first contact. They should be polite on all telephone, in person and written communications. Also, they should be punctual for all meetings and work sessions. Throughout your project you should expect frequent updates. Finally, your chosen stonemason should be tidy and consistently clean up their work space.
Ask for clarity on job specifics
It is important to arm yourself with basic knowledge about the stone work that you are looking to have done. Don’t be afraid to ask those who you are considering for the job to lay out their work plan in specific detail. You don’t want to get into the middle of your project only to find that you have hired someone who is cutting corners and doing less than high quality work.
Request written itemized work quotes
Take the time to interview at least 3 stonemasons before committing to one for the work you want done. Be as specific as possible about all the details you want included in your project. Then, ask them each to write a quote for the identical items. Make sure they include labor, materials and disposal in their estimates.
Ensure they are up to date with all building codes and permissions
It is important to note that many stonemasons require special permission and permits due to local building code regulations. Larger jobs may even require a structural engineer to submit a report before the job commences. Ensuring that your chosen tradesman is familiar with all local regulations is an important pre-job step
Include long term maintenance in your contract
As with any construction project, occasionally, problems may arise after the fact. Make sure that your tradesman guarantees their workmanship and materials and will return to remedy any failures. Although informal long term maintenance agreements are common, it is always a good idea to have workmanship and materials guarantees put in writing.
We hope that these suggestions put you on your way to finding an excellent tradesman for all your stonemasonry projects.