I need a masonry contractor in Chas. area (Charleston, Teays Valley: house, to buy)

[Call me Tres]

Yes, I've Googled Yes, I've opened the phone book

I've called eight masons; four never called me back, three made appointments and never showed up, one was blessedly honest and told me that they were too busy.

Apparently the prior owners of our house had a problem with rain splashing off the roof and into the chimney. They put a cap on the top of the chimney but didn't leave enough space for moisture ventilation. Over time water got in but couldn't evaporate fast enough and the mortar got soaked and failed. When a chimney sweep put his brush up the chimney, the firebox disintegrated.

It shouldn't be a tough fix or even all that expensive, but I don't know how to do it and I don't think I can get the damper seated correctly. I'm more than happy to pay contractors because they know what they are doing and I don't.

I need to have the firebox re-bricked, the damper seated, and I want to get the right kind of cap installed.

Can any of you recommend a mason or a handy man? I am absolutely ok with paying cash for the work.

Many thanks!

[vec101]

It is soooo hard finding a handyman and contractors are usually so swamped it's hard to get them also.

Have you tried calling a place that sells woodstoves, etc. They may be able to refer someone.
Not sure what area you are in. There was/is one in CrossLanes and is/was one in Teays Valley (in the little plaza by Burger King).

Maybe check with Lowe's or Home Depot. You'll need to buy supplies, correct? They have installers for a lot of stuff - maybe also for what you need. Maybe they can at least hook you up with someone (of course, you'd need to find the right employee there to talk to - someone who knows his stuff).

[kookamus]

How about calling the mason union?

[bobbyconn]

Tres Ive got what you need. Email me at {moderator removed}: Um - no. You can't post personal phone numbers or email addresses in the room. Please use the private site mail feature. Thank you. A good friend of mine does this type of work. He has a company in Charleston. Problem solved is what its called.

[scorpy01]

I hope you get a mason who's available to do this. My husband and sons are masons and they really don't like doing repair work. Even a simple job can turn out to be much more work than they realized because some problems are hidden. When it comes to a chimney, you want to be very careful, of course, since a bad repair job can be a fire hazard.