Universal Masonry Construction

Revdex.com: I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID [redacted] , and have determined that this does not resolve my complaint For your reference, details of the offer I reviewed appear below While the offer of a reduced invoice is a favorable option in the right direct in order to conclude the workmanship issue at my home I would like to have a credit of what it will cost to remove the limestone pieces and have them set to the correct pitch and center Obviously there are workmanship errors that will be unable to be corrected without complete demolition Once I receive the confirmation from the National Masonry Organization that my home is weather proofed correctly I would like to settle the matter with a payment that would be closer to a three to four hundred dollar credit Regards, [redacted]

The estimated time from acceptance of contract and deposit is to weeks weather permitting, this year's rainfall amounts have been above amounts therefore the customers project was delayed due to weather At time of visit for the estimate, the homeowners already had removed
existing brick veneer off of structure, repaired all rotten wood and applied vapor barrier prior to universal masonry arriving,therefore we treated this job as described in our description as installation of brick veneer with installation of self adhesive air barrier onto brick ledge , installation of weep rope and installation of wall ties to adhere veneer onto structureUniversal masonry at no time offered or included flashing between top of brick wall and under existing siding that was removed by homeowners prior to commencementUniversal masonry was paid in full with a check from homeowners and asked to wait to deposit for two business days, on post dated check date the customer called and placed a stop payment on check, I David ***, owner of universal masonry returned to project location and was met by homeowners brother in law who stated that there was no flashing installed on top of wall and under siding, I informed him that that is a siding issue and was removed prior to our start and not in our job description I informed him that the stone sills would have to be removed to allow for installation which we could do at an additional cost but the homeowners or other hired contractors should of installed prior to our installation and that is not something we work withMr*** then opened garage showing the flashing that was removed from original veneer and asked why we didn't install, I told him once again we do not work with siding and we had no knowledge that was in his garage even if we didRegarding limestone sill that was broken, the replacement piece is the same " Indiana rockface limestone " from same supplier as original order, I offered to remove existing caulk that homeowners were not happy with and replace sill that was not centered by 1/4" but they declined after insulting me personally about my children and threatened me by saying they were going to tell everyone what a horrible contractor we are and how we will be put out of businessOur company prides itself in customer service and quality and that is why we offered to fix sill and redo caulking, the homeowners started a project that they were acting as the general contractor and once they realized the flashing for the siding should have been installed back before the brick wall was then now are looking to blame universal masonry We have done hundreds of jobs for large commercial projects, cellular tower structures, municipality, goverment, waste water treatment centers and numerous builders so obviously we care about our workI will repair garage sill and either remove or redo caulking, but we do not work with siding and we came into this project mid swing only hired to install a brick veneer which customer received and was obviously happy with if the paid check in full, therefore if final payment is made we will correct these issues and if not our council shall file a motion to lien property per wisconsin lien lawThankyou

The homeowners acted as general contractor, hiring independent subcontractors, universal masonry has satisfied all portions of contract which were to install a brick veneer, did not include vapor barrier, did not include flashing, 1/inch void is standard air insulation to allow moisture to evacuate from behind wallUniversal masonry will accept $for final payment, reducing original balance owed of $This will allow homeowners enough to sub contract another mason contractor to finish items that they feel did not meet there expectations but still fall into industry standards with allowance If customers do not wish to accept, universal masonry has retained council for further assistance. Thank you

Revdex.com:
I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID [redacted], and have determined that this does not resolve my complaint.  For your reference, details of the offer I reviewed appear below.
While the offer of a reduced invoice is a favorable option in the right direct in order to conclude the workmanship issue at my home I would like to have a credit of what it will cost to remove the 3 limestone pieces and have them set to the correct pitch and center.  Obviously there are workmanship errors that will be unable to be corrected without complete demolition.  Once I receive the confirmation from the National Masonry Organization that my home is weather proofed correctly I would like to settle the matter with a payment that would be closer to a three to four hundred dollar credit.
Regards,
[redacted]

We had Universal Masonry come out and give a quote to us for tuckpointing and repairing the brick on our house. After a few other estimates, we called and gave them the job, but they never called back to set anything up. After FIVE days, we called them and left messages. My husband even emailed them. Still no response. About a week later, the wife answered the phone and said she had been sick for a few days, but we could not understand why someone else didn't call us back. She told me that she would have her husband call me. It wasn't until 3 or 4 days later that he returned the call. I started explaining to him that we were willing to give a deposit up front, but we needed a contract to sign. He hung the phone up on me. At first, I thought we got disconnected and he'd call back. When he didn't within a few hours, I tried calling him, but there was no answer. I again tried calling over the next few days into the weekend and still no answer. For being a professional business with an A+ rating, I am shocked and disgusted beyond disbelief that a company with such a good record did this to us. We did go with another business who has an A rating and who got the job done to our complete satisfaction. In fact, they were cheaper and actually did more than what they quoted us and followed through on getting the job done as promised. Universal Masonry, on the other hand, was rude and did not return phone calls nor follow through with the work. VERY DISAPPOINTING!

Review: Universal Masonary sent an estimate on 4/30/2015 for masonry services on the front of my home. I sent the required $500 deposit to his address on 5/5/2015. The masonry estimate and work were to be completed within 3 weeks.

The work to date is not complete (6/17/15) as I believe the work is not complete to general industry standards. During the weeks that a should have taken 1 to 3 days the "flashing" was forgotten because of lack of coordination between management and employees. After speaking to other professional masonry providers this step needs to be completed in order to adhere the brick to my house siding. The flashing needed to be added prior to adding the lime stone onto the top. Also, one of the lime stone pieces is not centered onto the brick and another piece is a different color as the original piece was dropped by the employees and broken.

Mr. [redacted] explained that he lost money on this job and it should not have taken so long and he fired 2 of the 3 employees that worked on our home.

The owners of this company, David [redacted], disagrees and stated his contract (we have none? only as estimate) includes bricks not securing them to my home, and flashing and caulking were not part of the price.

I have a difficult time believing this contractor actually is a member of the Revdex.com by his unprofessional behavior toward myself and my family.

I do not believe I should pay the remainder of the estimate until this issue is resolved as I can take the remainder of the funds and hire another contractor to actually finish the job. He is insisting this is how he bids his job and we should have made it more clear to him and he would have said her wasn't a carpenter? I believe he should finish the job to make it have a professional appearance or no longer contact me for funds and I will hire another mason for dismantle of the bricks and complete the job correctly.Desired Settlement: I would either like him to give us in writing the job will be finished with flashing and centering of the one limestone brick and caulk as necessary and with a professional outcome. My second option is I would like to not pay the remainder of the balance and hire a mason that can dismantle to work to date and make the necessary adjustments to make the front of my home look professional. His resolution as to he will move one piece of limestone and take the caulk off he himself put on my home and "re-do" it.

Business

Response:

The estimated time from acceptance of contract and deposit is 3 to 5 weeks weather permitting, this year's rainfall amounts have been above normal amounts therefore the customers project was delayed due to weather. At time of visit for the estimate, the homeowners already had removed existing brick veneer off of structure, repaired all rotten wood and applied vapor barrier prior to universal masonry arriving,therefore we treated this job as described in our description as installation of brick veneer with installation of self adhesive air barrier onto brick ledge , installation of weep rope and installation of wall ties to adhere veneer onto structure. Universal masonry at no time offered or included flashing between top of brick wall and under existing siding that was removed by homeowners prior to commencement. Universal masonry was paid in full with a check from homeowners and asked to wait to deposit for two business days, on post dated check date the customer called and placed a stop payment on check, I David [redacted], owner of universal masonry returned to project location and was met by homeowners brother in law who stated that there was no flashing installed on top of wall and under siding, I informed him that that is a siding issue and was removed prior to our start and not in our job description. I informed him that the stone sills would have to be removed to allow for installation which we could do at an additional cost but the homeowners or other hired contractors should of installed prior to our installation and that is not something we work with. Mr. [redacted] then opened garage showing the flashing that was removed from original veneer and asked why we didn't install, I told him once again we do not work with siding and we had no knowledge that was in his garage even if we did. Regarding limestone sill that was broken, the replacement piece is the same " Indiana rockface limestone " from same supplier as original order, I offered to remove existing caulk that homeowners were not happy with and replace sill that was not centered by 1/4" but they declined after insulting me personally about my children and threatened me by saying they were going to tell everyone what a horrible contractor we are and how we will be put out of business. Our company prides itself in customer service and quality and that is why we offered to fix sill and redo caulking, the homeowners started a project that they were acting as the general contractor and once they realized the flashing for the siding should have been installed back before the brick wall was then now are looking to blame universal masonry. We have done hundreds of jobs for large commercial projects, cellular tower structures, municipality, goverment, waste water treatment centers and numerous builders so obviously we care about our work. I will repair garage sill and either remove or redo caulking, but we do not work with siding and we came into this project mid swing only hired to install a brick veneer which customer received and was obviously happy with if the paid check in full, therefore if final payment is made we will correct these issues and if not our council shall file a motion to lien property per wisconsin lien law. Thankyou

Business

Response:

The homeowners acted as general contractor, hiring independent subcontractors, universal masonry has satisfied all portions of contract which were to install a brick veneer, did not include vapor barrier, did not include flashing, 1/2 inch void is standard air insulation to allow moisture to evacuate from behind wall. Universal masonry will accept $1100 for final payment, reducing original balance owed of $1275. This will allow homeowners enough to sub contract another mason contractor to finish items that they feel did not meet there expectations but still fall into industry standards with allowance . If customers do not wish to accept, universal masonry has retained council for further assistance. Thank you