tuckpointing revisited?? for real this time.. I gotta get it done :P

[Guy_on_Clinton]

tuckpointing revisited?? for real this time.. I gotta get it done

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

[Bear]

Wow Guy that is a sharp stairway...With a new tuck job
and pressure wash on the limestone it will look like new.

[dukesdad]

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

[Nazerac]

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.)

[Guy_on_Clinton]

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...

[Nazerac]

Please let us know.  I need some tuckpointing on the garage and the line between the face and side brick.

[Guy_on_Clinton]

tuckpointing revisited?? for real this time.. I gotta get it done

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!

[berwynguy]

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?

[berwynguy]

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. 

[OakParkSpartan]

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. 

[berwynguy]

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.

[Nazerac]

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?

[berwynguy]

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

[berwynguy]

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. 

[berwynguy]

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. 

[Nazerac]

try us.

[tony la]

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.

[berwynguy]

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.

[tony la]

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.   

[berwynguy]

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.