Addendum - June 12, 2017
Andy called me after this review and he made good on the promise that should not have been made. I am very pleased about this company's ethics and its decision to stand behind the promise. A company which paints bricks came by today and made the bricks and tuckpointing match the rest of the old chimney. Awesome job and a significant improvement. Nothing stands out like a sore thumb anymore.
This is what I was promised and this is what I got. Thank you very much Andy for making this happen. I truly appreciate your professionalism and business ethics. We need more companies like yours. Mistakes happen but fixing them is what counts.
I found this company and two others on Homestars and chose to ask for an estimate because of the number of reviews that they had. I typically do not pick companies that start with an "A" or have multiple As because those companies typically only do that to come up first on the list and that causes me to worry about their veracity and abilities.
I emailed them through Homestars and the salesperson called me back quickly and, if I recall, came the same day to give me an estimate - good responsiveness.
I decided to go with this company because the salesperson assured me that the mortar would be tinted to match the old mortar on the rest of the bricks and that I, therefore, would hardly notice that the top of the chimney had been rebuilt. He went on to explain that the masons are very adept at aging the mortar to avoid the "stand out like a sore thumb" effect that is prevalent with most rebuilds.
Under the pressure, and not having been able to get two other estimates quickly, I chose A & A. The manager called me and set up the job within a day or two.
I had them re-point and replace some bricks on the front stoop which was looking pretty shabby and was an eyesore. Another job was to fix the mess that I had made while trying to fill in a small crack on the side of the house. Brian did a good job of fixing all that up but the mortal was not aged for this either. However, considering the original look, the stoop and the side of the house are greatly improved.
James worked tirelessly all day to rebuild the top of the chimney and did a very good, conscientious job.
The reasons for the 8/10 are as follows:
1. The salesperson promised something that was not delivered - aged mortar to fit in with the old mortar. He was also pushing hard to get me to sign a contract - walked onto my property with a contract in hand before we had even met! He kept saying that I would 100% give them a 10/10 on Homestars and to be sure to write a review so here it is.
2. As I was watching the mortar mixing, I did not see any kind of aging happening so I asked the mixer about it. I described what the salesperson had said and he said they do it by mixing in sand. Didn't quite fit what I was told but I thought I would wait and see. I asked Brian twice about the finished look. He assured me that it would not stand out like a sore thumb. When the mortar was wet, it looked good but once it dried, it was vastly different from the old mortar.
I have enclosed a picture of the finished product about one month after it was done. Looks like brand-spanking, new mortar to me and it stands out just as much as the one across the street - the one that I was assured it would not look like.
The work that was done was good work but A & A should concentrate more on the work and customer satisfaction and less on promises and Homestar reviews.
If customers are happy with the work and were not mislead, they will automatically recommend the company and may even write a 10/10 review without being pressured into it.
