Ben the Mason

I had moisture coming into my house from the chimney. To the point where when it rained hard, you could see drips of water running down the brick. I cannot recommend Ben and his son Leo highly enough. From start to finish, their service exceeded all expectations. First and foremost, honesty regarding cost was a reassuring from the start. In an industry where costs can skyrocket, they provided a solution that was both effective and budget-friendly. He assessed the problem and offered different solutions and while he could have provided the most expensive solution he didn't. He simply explained the problem and said it can be fixed a few ways and candidly said which one was cheapest, and gave me a price on the spot. Also during the work there was no "Well we saw this, so now we need to do that and that'll cost more." He kept his word and the price he said to me on my roof is what I paid. Ben was also incredibly personable and took the time to explain every aspect of the chimney repair process. As someone who isn't well-versed in masonry, I truly appreciated their expertise and willingness to educate me on what went wrong and how they were going to fix it. It's was clear he had years of experience in his field. I had another quote and he just assessed it from the outside. I told Ben the problem and he looked at evidence on the inside, went into the attic and then the roof, and based on that was able to correctly figure out what was going on. Communication was seamless. They promptly responded to my initial inquiry via email and maintained clear and consistent communication throughout the entire process. This level of professionalism is hard to come by these days. What truly set them apart was their efficiency. After scheduling the appointment, they showed up bright and early the next morning, ready to tackle the job. I contacted him Wednesday afternoon. He showed up the next day at noon to assess the project, and he was done and packed up by 9:30 the next morning. If you're in need of masonry services, look no further than Ben the Mason. His affordability, personable approach, expertise, and efficiency make him a clear choice. I will use his services again in the future. Thank you for a job exceptionally well done!

We recently bought an older house in Cambridge. Brought in a structural engineer to assess the place since there were signs of water in the basement and the floors were somewhat uneven. Engineer noted that the columns supporting the main beams were sinking into the thin concrete floor because they were not installed with proper footings, and that the foundation needed repointing. We were worried. We had a choice between some larger masonry companies and Ben, and we're very glad we chose Ben. He and his sons did all the work themselves, which is great because they clearly take great pride in their work and in their family business workers at larger company probably wouldn't care as much. Ben clearly explained what he was doing and how it would strongly support the house, and his obvious experience and knowledge gave us confidence. They dug down 4 feet and put in new, very secure footings and some additional columns, some of which were in very difficult positions due to existing plumbing; but Ben was able to get around all the obstacles. And the repointing looks great. It was a pleasure working with Ben and our house will be well supported for many, many years to come.

Ben is adorable and his work is great. We were looking to put our homes in Medford MA and Acton MA on the market. Other masons I contacted were unresponsive, unavailable, or unreliable. Eventually I emailed Ben and he called me the very next morning. He had a foreign accent that took some getting used to, but he was friendly and clearly knowledgeable. He gave me a quote for repairing a full story of exterior stairs at the Medford home based on my photos I provided. He started the work that same day and finished it the next day. He even did a little repair to the adjacent wall at no extra charge. And it all looked great. So I gave him photos of the crumbling stairs with peeling paint and the crumbling base of my chimney at my Acton home. He gave me a quote I liked and I had him come out the next day. He did all the work in one day and it all looks great! I've attached before and after photos. He was considerate, communicative, reliable, and courteous. He explained the issues and the work to me in terms I could understand. When I need any sort of masonry work done in the future, I will only contact Ben. Period.

When we called Ben to give us a quote on placing a walkway in front of our home, he showed up on time as promised. Gave us a reasonably priced quote. He gave us a start date, showed up and did a fantastic job. We couldn't be more pleased with his workmanship, his respectful attitude and beautiful results. Ben not only did our walkway, but when we found out that our chimney was damaged, we called him and he was here within a few hours to evaluate the situation. He was here shortly thereafter to removed all the broken bricks, and mortar that was previously placed there a few years ago by someone else. It was a lot worse than we thought. It rained severely for the next day, but when it subsided he was there diligently working. He performed in such a manner that it amazed us. He's one of the most hard working men we've ever met. i now feel comfortable to use my wood stove and know that my chimney is functioning great.

September 2023: I just had Ben the Mason complete a second job for me -- repair of a stone wall that another contractor had improperly constructed. Like my first experience with Ben and his son last year, I can't say enough good things about this contractor. Great communication, honest, meticulous/high quality work, fair pricing, and just overall an easy experience. I would give 10 stars to this business if I could. 2022: Ben and son, Lawrence, offer everything you want in a good contractor: responsive, honest, good communication, fair, and quality work. I called Ben this morning about a large crack I'd just noticed in my chimney. He offered to come by this evening. He suggested an affordable solution that kept me from having to rebuild the entire chimney and they promptly completed the work. Ben has decades of experience and was a nice guy too. I highly recommend.