tuckpointing revisited?? for real this time.. I gotta get it done :P
Old Man Winter really pulled a number on my bunga this season... as we thawed out these last couple of days, we noticed the damage.
Any recos of persons you've personally used?
(please dont say crafton.. too expensive)
Thanks
Wow Guy that is a sharp stairway...With a new tuck job
and pressure wash on the limestone it will look like new.
I used Rite-Way out of Brookfield. I actually used them twice, once to move a window in the side of my house and the second time to make some minor pointing repairs around my front steps and planters. Did a very nice job and the price was fair or I'm sure I wouldn't have used them a second time.
Rite-Way Brick (Rick)
708-354-2501
Quote from: Bear on February 11, 2009, 01:05:13 PM
Wow Guy that is a sharp stairway...With a new tuck job
and pressure wash on the limestone it will look like new.
and removal of the railing (if not needed.)
Quote from: dukesdad on February 11, 2009, 01:07:59 PM
I used Rite-Way out of Brookfield. I actually used them twice, once to move a window in the side of my house and the second time to make some minor pointing repairs around my front steps and planters. Did a very nice job and the price was fair or I'm sure I wouldn't have used them a second time.
Rite-Way Brick (Rick)
708-354-2501
thank for the reco Duke.. I had them come over and give me an estimate... they made me comfortable with the description of work to be done and generally made me think that they knew what they were talking about...
work to start next week, weather permiting.. pics to follow...
Please let us know. I need some tuckpointing on the garage and the line between the face and side brick.
Quote from: Guy_on_Clinton on February 11, 2009, 12:40:23 PM
tuckpointing revisited?? for real this time.. I gotta get it done :P
Old Man Winter really pulled a number on my bunga this season... as we thawed out these last couple of days, we noticed the damage.
Any recos of persons you've personally used?
(please dont say crafton.. too expensive)
Thanks
Duke... I OWE YOU ONE..
RITEWAY DID A GREAT JOB AT A GREAT PRICE!
Does anybody have any other tuckpointing recommendations? (I don't want to hear about Crafton, I'm not interested in paying them 4-5 times more then anybody else would charge!)
I got a quote a little over a year ago from Rite Way and it was pretty good. I also saw the finished product after their job on the Berwyn Historical Society building at 14th & Grove. The condition of that building's brick was terrible before their work, and I think the finished product was a HUGE improvement. The only thing that I am not happy about with that job is that the brick has some efflorescence, which means that there is moisture somewhere behind the brick I believe.
I chose this thread to ask because after looking at GoC's before and after photos, I don't think Rite-Way did a good enough job cleaning his limestone, it could have DEFINITELY been done better. I owned a property with limestone as dirty as that and my guys cleaned it almost new with a sort of "acid" treatment and heavy duty power washing. Maybe GoC didn't insist that it be done better, maybe he was just more concerned with the popping mortar joints, I don't know. Detail like that is what I am very concerned about.
My bungalow has a unique two tone yellow brick and I want this job done right. Mortar color is very important as well as how well they "acid treat" and clean the brick. The HUGE problem with my bungalow is that inconsiderate previous owners painted my limestone. I want the paint removed and the limestone to look as close to new as possible. I could remove the paint myself, but that would be a very slow job and I would just rather pay to get the job done quickly and as attractive as possible. When I got the quote from Rite Way, he didn't leave me with confidence that he could properly remove the paint and clean the limestone. I got one of those "hmmmmmm..... we can only do our best" responses.
Any suggestions?
This photo here illustrates my two tone brick and painted lime stone. The house has NEVER been tuck pointed since it was built in 1928.
(http://i.imgur.com/tqtDt.jpg)
Riteway seems reasonably priced. I don't think their work is as good as Crafton.
I guess you need to decide between price or quality...I'd at least get Crafton in for a quote and see what they have to say.
As I mentioned above, I am not interested in Crafton. Yes, they do better work then Rite Way but they are also four times as much in some cases. Rite Way gave me a quote of $3,500 with permit to grind out and tuck point all the brick on my house (face and common) and chimney, reseal it with mortar 100%, powerwash & clean all the brick, and put a new cap on the chimney. I have been told that a similar job by Crafton runs about $15,000. I'm sorry, but that's absolutely absurd and outright highway robbery. Crafton's not the only company in the Chicago area that does good work, but I bet they are among the top few highest.
Basically it seems that at the local level, it is between Rite-Way and Stanislaw Guzik. I just got a quote from Crafton, Rite-Way and Guzik and there's a big difference in the price and the proposed type of work.
Does anyone have pics/addresses for Guzik's work?
Nazerac, could you share what Crafton's quote was? Were the numbers that I heard in line? Just for the hell of it I called Jack from Crafton last night and he's coming Thursday to give me a quote. I hate wasting peoples time, as well as my own, but I did it to finally put this Crafton suggestion to rest. If someone in Berwyn gets a quote of $3,500 from a company like Rite Way and a $15,000 quote from Crafton, and they choose Crafton, either they are very uninformed or they have money to piss away. If they live in Berwyn I will go ahead and assume the reason is the former.
I don't know who Stanlislaw Guzik is. What was his quote? Could you share his contact info? If you don't want to share these quotes publicly could you PM them to me? It would really help because I need to get this done now and hope to have someone chosen by the end of the week.
By the way, a few years back I met another masonry guy from Brookfield named Tony Krivak. I liked what he had to say back then so I called him as well as Rick at Rite Way last night. Neither of them have gotten back to me yet but I am sure they will soon. Tony's number is 708-287-2444
Nazerac, thanks for the great info via pm.
I have Guzik and Riteway coming over tomorrow. Guzik is going to give me an estimate and Rick from Rite Way is going to come over just to go over the estimate he gave me on 2/7/2011. He already told me that the price stays the same which is cool. Jack from Crafton is coming over Thursday. I hope to have Tony Krivak come over soon as well and then I will post all the results here. When the actual job is being done I will post all the before and in process pictures here and make this a good reference for someone who is looking for a full break down on price and the process and techniques that the winning company uses to do a full tuck pointing job on a Berwyn bungalow.
Holy shit........my brain is so fuckin fried over this job. I had three in depth estimates and discussions with Rite Way, Sanlislaw Guzik, and Jack from Crafton. I don't think I will even be able to type this whole thing out because it's so complicated. Forget about price for a minute. To give you an idea what happened, Jack is in another galaxy and Rick from Rite Way is on the other end of that as far as their methods and ideas of how this job needs to be handled. In short, Rick is a butcher and Jack is a brain surgeon. To find something in the middle is going to be impossible. To be honest with you, I am thinking that I just may do nothing.
try us.
I can tell you from experience. Stanislaw Guzik, and Tony Krivak, have both been around a long time and I have never, one time heard of any bad experience about either one of the. The only time I did was when a relative of a competitor was trying to plug their relative. Both men are time tested, and extremely professional.
Quote from: tony la on March 09, 2012, 01:55:32 PM
I can tell you from experience. Stanislaw Guzik, and Tony Krivak, have both been around a long time and I have never, one time heard of any bad experience about either one of the. The only time I did was when a relative of a competitor was trying to plug their relative. Both men are time tested, and extremely professional.
Well you just heard your first complaint. Tony Krivak hasn't returned my calls after a week. That's pretty unprofessional.
Guzik on the other hand, he has done some amazing work in my opinion. I will explain when I get more time.
Pretty common for local subcontractors. Many of them are superior at their trade but not real good at the communication end, especially the old timers. Fortunatly for SG his work is so good many people will wait until he has time to call them back. My opinion Tony Krivak is just as good.
Still working on this total debacle. There is a lot to report that I will eventually write about. For now I really need to remove the paint from my limestone because NO ONE seems to want to do it (with the exception of Jack at Crafton for a very pretty penny). I tried it myself this past weekend with an expensive chemical and a power washer and it was a disaster. It was a messy job that was a LOT of work with little or nothing to show for it. I am desperately looking for someone that will do this job somewhat reasonably. I will report back when I progress further.
By the way, Tony Krivak called me back yesterday, exactly THREE weeks from when I first called him. He told me he doesn't do any work in Berwyn. He said it isn't worth it paying fees to the city and dealing with them.
Thats too bad you could get Krivak to do the job,you wouldnt be sorry.I had heard nothing but raves on his work,so I called him.He looked at my house after 2 other estimates.1 guy told me 3k,the other 7k...quite a big differance.Tony said save your money,you're good for another 15 or 20 years. And FYI...most of his advertising is by word of mouth. He really is a top notch guy. And no I am not related to him.
What does that say about our wonderful building department?
I checked out this site to see who was recommended and went with Riteway. They did a great job very reasonably. The workers are very skilled. The owners delivered on what they promised but there were management issues that made me wonder before the work started. So don't let "Rick, the butcher" scare you if you are considering using them. They are not great clerically but have excellent craftsman working for them. They did the job within a week of when I signed the contract and I had my balusters partially rebuilt, mortar ground out and fully tuck-pointed and limestone caps power washed. They started on Friday and finished the caulking along the steps on Monday. I would highly recommend them.
Quote from: catspajamas on April 11, 2012, 06:15:32 PM
I checked out this site to see who was recommended and went with Riteway. They did a great job very reasonably. The workers are very skilled. The owners delivered on what they promised but there were management issues that made me wonder before the work started. So don't let "Rick, the butcher" scare you if you are considering using them. They are not great clerically but have excellent craftsman working for them. They did the job within a week of when I signed the contract and I had my balusters partially rebuilt, mortar ground out and fully tuck-pointed and limestone caps power washed. They started on Friday and finished the caulking along the steps on Monday. I would highly recommend them.
Do you happen to live on Oak Park Ave? I stopped by and talked with Rick and John last Friday at a job they were working.
Brian
"Rick the Butcher"? I'm a few credit hours short of my J.D., but that sounds borderline actionable to me.
I worked for Ricky and Johnny when they started their company 20 years ago. I labored for them as I was searching in vain for an accounting job that I thought I was entitled to since I just graduated from De Paul U.
These guys probably taught me more about business and customer relations than any of my textbooks did. And at the same time taught me how to tuckpoint and lay brick. You know why they took time to teach me? Despite the fact that they knew I would probably not be around too long? Because they care about their craft and they love to impart their knowledge on others. Even though I was just "mixing mud" and cleaning up the jobsite, they wanted us to know here/why/how we're doing this. Not just "shovel that crap up". They were/are leaders and pros. I can still 'point common brick and plaster pretty well even now.
Yes, I'm obviously biased. I know these guys, as well as some of their current employees, to this day. I have recommended them to my friends, neighbors, anyone.
When I was an employee, and on the rare occasion that something wasn't up to the client's satisfaction, Ricky was either on his way there the next morning, or had us running out there to fix the (minor) problem immediately.
I can go on when Johnny had me hold him with a rope so he could hang off a chimney to point the top outside coarse of a chimney.
These guys are pros.
For the record I don't think Rick is a "butcher," I was just not able to clarify my comment. That was the characterization of some of his methods that was made by another contractor when I described what Rick's process was as quoted to me. That contractor is basically an artist and felt that "grinding" out mortar joints using the same size bit when there are different size gaps in the mortar joints results in butchering bricks by trimming down the edges of those bricks. I feel that Rick is good for certain jobs just like the artist I describe is better for others. For example, Rick's work on the Berwyn Historical Society building at 1401 S. Grove was very good for what he had to work with. That building had a very shoddy "tuck pointing" job that was done by an amateur at some point where the mortar was just slapped over the edges of the bricks. In that case grinding was absolutely necessary in my opinion.
As far as my job is concerned, it's finished and the result is stunning in my opinion. I don't feel like writing a novel detailing the process so I will quickly sum it up. I went with Stanislaw Guzik who basically blew away and exceeded my expectations which is VERY hard to do, trust me. For the record, he was ONE THIRD the price of Crafton. If you want your job done RIGHT by people that are old world European craftsman and are not holding you up with a gun on the price, call Stanislaw Guzik at 708-415-6007. Stop by and check my house out in person because the pictures do NOT do it justice in my opinion. I am not kidding, I can't count the compliments by neighbors, passers by, etc., since this job has been done. Here are a few before and after shots.
(The photos are pretty large but you can click on them to enlarge)
(http://i.imgur.com/6G3xr.jpg)
(http://i.imgur.com/KaWLT.jpg)
(http://i.imgur.com/wu9Lm.jpg)
(http://i.imgur.com/xbYER.jpg)
(http://i.imgur.com/6FOFR.jpg)
(http://i.imgur.com/aWYwy.jpg)
(http://i.imgur.com/oEa89.jpg)
(http://i.imgur.com/8ay0a.jpg)
(http://i.imgur.com/KSBEG.jpg)
(http://i.imgur.com/s6t7y.jpg)
Placed an offer on your house back in 2002.
After Guzik started the job I found out that he did two other houses on my block. The addresses of those houses are 6940 and 6948 W. 30th Place. You can check those out as well. What really sold me is when he gave me two other addresses of buildings that he did. Those were the two buildings that were rehabbed and converted into condos by Mike Adams several years back, both of which were discussed on BTF. The one is the large apartment building at the SW corner of 32nd & Harlem and the other is the large building on the north side of the 6700 block of W. 21st St. The latter is the one where they cut down some trees to make diagonal parking which was controversial at the time.
Quote from: Robert Pauly on April 26, 2012, 02:45:35 PM
Placed an offer on your house back in 2002.
Probably for a LOT less then what I bought it for.......uhhhgggg.... :-\
I think it was in the $225 range.
Quote from: Robert Pauly on April 26, 2012, 03:10:48 PM
I think it was in the $225 range.
You ended up with a GREAT place. Mine ain't so bad either, just paid to much is all. Oh well. The more I do to improve it the better I like it. It's a great location and I have great neighbors.
Your house was more finished than mine, and was closer to Emerson - it was the nicest bungalow we had seen to that point. I think it sold to a nice couple from Minnesota - he might have been a teacher - they had a Golden Retriever.
Quote from: Robert Pauly on April 26, 2012, 03:20:32 PM
Your house was more finished than mine, and was closer to Emerson - it was the nicest bungalow we had seen to that point. I think it sold to a nice couple from Minnesota - he might have been a teacher - they had a Golden Retriever.
You are absolutely right about the previous owners. She was an administrator at U of I which is why they had to move.
I did more things to improve this house since I got it then I can count. What initially sold me was the original features such as windows, woodwork, built ins, unique textured plaster walls and coved dining room ceiling, most of which I have either restored or cleaned up pretty nicely. The other huge selling feature was the proximity to Proksa Park.
Quote from: berwynguy on April 26, 2012, 02:54:14 PM
After Guzik started the job I found out that he did two other houses on my block. The addresses of those houses are 6940 and 6948 W. 30th Place. You can check those out as well. What really sold me is when he gave me two other addresses of buildings that he did. Those were the two buildings that were rehabbed and converted into condos by Mike Adams several years back, both of which were discussed on BTF. The one is the large apartment building at the SW corner of 32nd & Harlem and the other is the large building on the north side of the 6700 block of W. 21st St. The latter is the one where they cut down some trees to make diagonal parking which was controversial at the time.
I need to make a correction here. The building that Guzik did on 32nd & Harlem was the one on the S.E. corner. The building on the Berwyn side.
"Do you happen to live on Oak Park Ave? I stopped by and talked with Rick and John last Friday at a job they were working.
Brian"
Hi Brian, Yes I live on Oak Park Ave. That was probably my house you saw them at. 2600 block. My tuckpointing came out great.
Dear Berwynguy, Sorry for the misrepresentation:
"So don't let "Rick, the butcher" scare you if you are considering using them."
When I used this term for Rick, I was replying to the post just above mine. It doesn't seem to be there anymore and I do not think Rick is a butcher. I had a little trouble with wrong contract delivery, recommendations of past jobs with wrong addresses. No deposit required on jobs in my cost range per contract requiring a deposit. Just stuff to make you wonder. But what I hoped to be saying was these guys were great and I would use them again and highly recommend them. Sorry if it was misunderstood. I'm glad you found them decent to work for.
Quote from: berwynguy on April 26, 2012, 02:42:16 PM
For the record I don't think Rick is a "butcher," I was just not able to clarify my comment. That was the characterization of some of his methods that was made by another contractor when I described what Rick's process was as quoted to me. That contractor is basically an artist and felt that "grinding" out mortar joints using the same size bit when there are different size gaps in the mortar joints results in butchering bricks by trimming down the edges of those bricks. I feel that Rick is good for certain jobs just like the artist I describe is better for others. For example, Rick's work on the Berwyn Historical Society building at 1401 S. Grove was very good for what he had to work with. That building had a very shoddy "tuck pointing" job that was done by an amateur at some point where the mortar was just slapped over the edges of the bricks. In that case grinding was absolutely necessary in my opinion.
As far as my job is concerned, it's finished and the result is stunning in my opinion. I don't feel like writing a novel detailing the process so I will quickly sum it up. I went with Stanislaw Guzik who basically blew away and exceeded my expectations which is VERY hard to do, trust me. For the record, he was ONE THIRD the price of Crafton. If you want your job done RIGHT by people that are old world European craftsman and are not holding you up with a gun on the price, call Stanislaw Guzik at 708-415-6007. Stop by and check my house out in person because the pictures do NOT do it justice in my opinion. I am not kidding, I can't count the compliments by neighbors, passers by, etc., since this job has been done. Here are a few before and after shots.
(The photos are pretty large but you can click on them to enlarge)
(http://i.imgur.com/6G3xr.jpg)
(http://i.imgur.com/KaWLT.jpg)
(http://i.imgur.com/wu9Lm.jpg)
(http://i.imgur.com/xbYER.jpg)
(http://i.imgur.com/6FOFR.jpg)
(http://i.imgur.com/aWYwy.jpg)
(http://i.imgur.com/oEa89.jpg)
(http://i.imgur.com/8ay0a.jpg)
(http://i.imgur.com/KSBEG.jpg)
(http://i.imgur.com/s6t7y.jpg)
Your house looks great! How much did they end up charging you? I need some work done.
I sent you a PM.
Quote from: berwynguy on April 26, 2012, 02:42:16 PM
For the record I don't think Rick is a "butcher," I was just not able to clarify my comment. That was the characterization of some of his methods that was made by another contractor when I described what Rick's process was as quoted to me. That contractor is basically an artist and felt that "grinding" out mortar joints using the same size bit when there are different size gaps in the mortar joints results in butchering bricks by trimming down the edges of those bricks. I feel that Rick is good for certain jobs just like the artist I describe is better for others. For example, Rick's work on the Berwyn Historical Society building at 1401 S. Grove was very good for what he had to work with. That building had a very shoddy "tuck pointing" job that was done by an amateur at some point where the mortar was just slapped over the edges of the bricks. In that case grinding was absolutely necessary in my opinion.
As far as my job is concerned, it's finished and the result is stunning in my opinion. I don't feel like writing a novel detailing the process so I will quickly sum it up. I went with Stanislaw Guzik who basically blew away and exceeded my expectations which is VERY hard to do, trust me. For the record, he was ONE THIRD the price of Crafton. If you want your job done RIGHT by people that are old world European craftsman and are not holding you up with a gun on the price, call Stanislaw Guzik at 708-415-6007. Stop by and check my house out in person because the pictures do NOT do it justice in my opinion. I am not kidding, I can't count the compliments by neighbors, passers by, etc., since this job has been done. Here are a few before and after shots.
(The photos are pretty large but you can click on them to enlarge)
(http://i.imgur.com/6G3xr.jpg)
(http://i.imgur.com/KaWLT.jpg)
(http://i.imgur.com/wu9Lm.jpg)
(http://i.imgur.com/xbYER.jpg)
(http://i.imgur.com/6FOFR.jpg)
(http://i.imgur.com/aWYwy.jpg)
(http://i.imgur.com/oEa89.jpg)
(http://i.imgur.com/8ay0a.jpg)
(http://i.imgur.com/KSBEG.jpg)
(http://i.imgur.com/s6t7y.jpg)
How did they get the paint off the limestone? I have been working on mine for years and it still looks really bad. Did they break down the price? How much for the limestone stripping, please?
Due to his bad behavior, and repeated requests to change it, berwynguy cannot reply as he has been banned.