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20
Oct
Wilkens Masonry, A Family Company
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Wilkens Masonry, A Family Company

Wilkens was founded in 1977 as a masonry and roofing company, eventually the roofing portion was sold off and rebranded and Wilkens began concentrating its efforts solely on masonry restoration. Toronto, Hamilton and surrounding areas are filled with beautiful, old, well built homes that generally need a bit of work as the harsh winters batter their walls. There has been more than enough work to keep our family company thriving.

As The Years Go On

Throughout the past 46 years, Wilkens has evolved with the changing industry of masonry restoration. Toronto in the 80s and 90s was almost like the Wild West as far as the home renovations world went. The municipal and provincial regulations were still being solidified and there was a lot of unprofessional work being done. The Wilkens Family, though, has always tried to maintain a certain level of ethics and quality that drove them to perform their brick repair, tuckpointing, chimney rebuilds and general masonry restorative work at the highest level, maintaining standards that had yet to be written into the Ontario Building Code.

The Wilkens Team Now

While not everyone who works at Wilkens shares the same last name, it is very much a family company. Beyond the the two generations of Wilkens’ who run the office and perform the work, the full time employees have been with the team for as long as 30 years in some cases and are just as integral to the overall success as the company as anyone else. Wilkens Masonry is proud to have been so steadfast and constant over the past decades and look forward to the decades to come.

GEt in touch for a free estimate

Wilkens Masonry offers free estimates and friendly advice to anyone in the Toronto, Hamilton and surrounding areas. You can contact us here either by filling out our online form or giving us a call. You can also take a look at us one Homestars and Google to see our many glowing reviews and some photos of our work!

 

12
Sep
Get Your Masonry Work Done Before Winter!
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Get Your Masonry Work Done Before Winter!

When the weather get’s too cold, masonry restoration and repair work such as brick replacement, tuckpointing and repointing, parging and chimney repair get’s difficult to do. Unless you create an artificially heated environment, the work has to wait until there is a steadily warm forecast that allows for the mortar used in masonry restoration to properly dry and cure. If the water in masonry freezes, it interrupts the chemical process that allows it to harden.

Winter Weather

If you leave a repair too long, it can continue to deteriorate at an increased rate. It may take decades to get to a certain, manageable point and then only a matter of years to get to dire straits. When water get’s in to a partially deteriorated mortar joint, it can exponentially increase deterioration and even get behind the faces of bricks when it freezes and expands. Chimneys in particular are exposed to the worst of winter weather as they have little to no natural protection or protection from the rest of the house.

Autumn Rush

Most masonry companies have a huge influx of calls and requests for work in the weeks leading up to Christmas, and Wilkens Masonry is no exception. We are proud of being a company that people rely on, and we do our best to get to everyone before the season is over and the weather gets to be too cold. Still, it is better to call soon and line us up so that there is no question we can perform your brick and masonry restoration work.

Get in Touch!

Give us a call or request an estimate at our website. You can also check us out on Google and Homestars to peruse our glowing reviews from our many satisfied customers.

23
Aug
How To Tell If A Masonry Company Is Legit
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How To Tell If A Masonry Company Is Legit

There are many different contractors and masonry companies to choose from in the Toronto and Hamilton area. Many of them are tried and true, perform good work, and can be relied on to deliver what they promised they would. However, there are always the companies out there that will misrepresent themselves and, sometimes, will try and scam a client just looking to have some restoration done.

Online Presence

If a company has an online presence that seems to have original content and interaction with legitimate clients, it is a pretty reliable sign that they are an actual outfit who has been around for a while. On Google, you can view a company’s business profile and read their reviews. If they have recent reviews as well as reviews going back a few years at least, they have most likely been around for a while. Also, if they post often or respond to their reviews, this means that they are proud of the good work they deliver and would want to please every new client that decides to have them perform some work. At Wilkens Masonry we pride ourselves on the reviews we have garnered on websites such as Google and Homestars.

Deposits For Work

This is a tricky way to gauge a company’s reliability. Some jobs that you want to have done can be pricey, and not all companies have the cash to buy the materials required and to pay their men for the duration of the job. If the job is relatively small, a good sign is that a masonry company will not need a deposit for the work to be done. Wilkens Contracting does not need a deposit for our work to be performed. We trust in our clients and we believe that having that trust will further build our reputation as a masonry contractor that clients in Toronto and Hamilton can continue to rely on.

GET IN TOUCH

Give us a call or visit our website for a free estimate!!!

27
Jul
Heddington Ave
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Wilkens Masonry and Heddington Ave

A Job Well Done – Chimney Repair and Wall Tuckpointing

My 1940s era house’s chimney and partial side wall were in bad shape. Especially. the mortar on our chimney was cracking and missing from the joints. It was a potential safety hazard. 

Two months ago, partial work was performed on the side wall, but it was very badly done by another contractor. 

Then, I contacted Wilkens Contracting Inc. Jake promptly responded back and came to review the job that I wanted done. The job involved scaffolding setup, chimney repair/tuckpointing; re-grinding down and clean out the old mortar joints and tuckpointing the side wall; parging a basement window sill, etc. I had several companies give me quotes, but I chose Jake as he came across as trustworthy, professional and a good communicator. His rate was competitive.

Jake and his team workers, Cameron and Clark were extremely competent and courteous. They did a great job tuckpointing bricks and matching the mortar to the existing colour. Communication was open and honest. The actual project was done professionally and properly, no short cuts. Every step was explained to me in detail. The team was very professional, kept me in the loop on what they were doing and were courteous and respectful of my and my neighbours’ properties! Clean up was perfect. This time I had no headache or problem with the project.

All in all, a pleasant undertaking. Professional work & excellent service. Best experience we had with trades in years. We highly recommend Wilkens Contracting Inc.!!

Thank you so much!

Check out our work here

Leave a review for Wilkens here

Give us a Call for a Free Estimate!

At Wilkens masonry, our estimates are always free. We serve the Toronto and Hamilton areas. We will come by and give you an honest assessment coupled with a fair price for the services we deliver. Also, if the scope of work is something we don’t cover, we can always point you in the right direction of a company that can service your needs.

Check us out on Homestars and Google! You can also Contact us now for a free, no-obligation consultation or call us at 416 425 8055.

06
Jul
Finding A Local Mason For Restoration Toronto
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Finding A Local Mason For Restoration Toronto

There are many ways to find a mason who you can hire to perform restoration around your home in Toronto. You can search online, you can check local forums and groups or you can ask your neighbours and friends. Most people have had to hire a masonry contractor in the past. There are a few things to look for when deciding on who to call.

Online Reviews

The more reputable masonry companies you will find online have many reviews that anyone can filter through. Look for reviews that mention the type of work you are looking to have performed. See if anyone mentions price and customer service (This is something that Wilkens prides itself on). If enough people have reviewed and the reviews seem honest then this is something to use as an informative tool.

Word Of Mouth

Your neighbours and friends are the most reliable source for recommendations when it comes to taking care of your home. These are people you can trust and people who will generally know what you want in terms of quality and experience. Also, if the work you are looking to have done is something they have already had delivered, you can look at photos or take a look in person, knowing that the photos are genuine representations of the product.

Free Estimates and friendly advice

Wilkens Masonry is well known as a company that doesn’t always try and sell you on doing restoration work. We want to chat with you and learn about your needs. Masonry repairs can be necessary and immediately needed, but they can also just be good due diligence that can be put off for now until one’s budget allows for it. Either way, we want you to be informed when making a decision on how to take care of your house. Contact us now for a FREE ESTIMATE or check us out on GOOGLE to see our reviews.

17
May
Finding The Best Brick Match
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Finding The Best Brick Match

In an ideal world, when you are renovating your home, you would be able to find the same brick used in the original construction for any changes or repairs you wanted to make to the masonry walls. Also, in this ideal world, that brick would have the same weathering and patina that comes with decades of dealing with Canadian weather. While this is not exactly possible, we are able to find many bricks that match or blend quite well with the wall.

Brick Sizes

There are many different sizes of brick that are found throughout the world. When considering the size of a brick, you need to think of all three dimensions. The height and length of the brick face, of course, but also the depth of the brick. In Ontario, we have many brick sizes, but the most commonly found brick in older homes is the Ontario sized brick. This is the brick of the Annex, High Park, Leaside and many more old Toronto neighbourhoods. Other common brick sizes are: Metric Modular, CSR and Jumbo. The latter two are mostly found in newer homes.

Brick Faces

The next thing to consider for a brick match, is the face. You are looking at two things: colour and texture. Most homes in Toronto and the surrounding areas have bricks that are either red, orange, or yellow. With age, we have to add in the shade of the brick, darker versions of the aforementioned three colours. At most masonry suppliers, you can find these bricks in various shades of all three. While there are times when you can find an almost exact match, you may have to settle for something that, upon close inspection, will show that a repair has been done.

Give us a Call for a Free Estimate!

At Wilkens, our estimates are always free. We work in the Toronto and Hamilton as well as the in between areas. We will drop by and give you an honest estimate coupled with a fair price for the services we deliver. Also, if the type of work is something we don’t cover, we can always point you in the right direction of a company that can service your needs.

Take a look on Homestars and Google! You can Contact us  for a free consultation or give us a call at 416 425 8055.

 

03
May
The Masonry Season Well Under Way!
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The Masonry Season Well Under Way!

Every year, the question we ask at Wilkens Masonry is: when can we get back to work!? The main barrier we face in the masonry repair and restoration industry is the weather. For larger jobs, we can avoid the cold and wet weather of the winter months by closing jobs in with a series of tarps and scaffolding and then install job site heaters. For smaller repair jobs, the cost would be too high. So, we find ourselves waking up in March and April, and checking the weather before we even have our first cup of coffee.

This year though, we’ve had a streak of good luck! The masonry season has begun and we are off and running. The weather turned in our favour at the beginning of April and we are finally able to get to all of our wonderful customers who have been waiting for Mother Nature to play ball! We are so happy to be back at it and can’t wait for the weather to get warmer and warmer.

What To Look For On My House

Now that the weather has stabilized, it is a good time to take a walk around your home and look for signs of brick, mortar and other forms of masonry deterioration. Look for discolourations that show where water has saturated the wall. Identify areas where the brick and mortar appear to be softer or seem to be flaking off. These are spots on the wall that are being effected by the weather and, while the cause of the deterioration needs to be addressed, reinforcing the masonry is a good idea.

Honesty And Ethics With Your Quote

The trades and restoration, with masonry as no exception, are home to all types of people and companies. When dealing with any company, you should always trust your feelings with the person who is trying to sell you on having them perform your work. There are many outfits that can do good work, but they aren’t always  a pleasure to deal with. At Wilkens, we aim to show you that honesty and ethics in the world of masonry are not forgotten concepts or simply a banner to add to your website’s homepage. These are two ideas that are at our very core and philosophy as a company. You can learn more about us here

Give us a Call for a Free Estimate!

At Wilkens masonry, our estimates are always free. We serve the Toronto and Hamilton areas. We will come by and give you an honest assessment coupled with a fair price for the services we deliver. Also, if the scope of work is something we don’t cover, we can always point you in the right direction of a company that can service your needs.

Check us out on Homestars and Google! You can also Contact us now for a free, no-obligation consultation or call us at 416 425 8055.

 

03
May
O’Connor Drive
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Wilkens Masonry and O’Connor Dr

I Hired Wilkens to partially teardown a chimney that was in a bad state of repair that was becoming a safety concern. Wilkens showed great professionalism and customer care from the first phone call with Jake. He visited the same day to review and in detail chatted about our options. This helped us understand fully what to expect. Jake provided a quote the next day ($2990), Other chimney contractors provided a quote which was slightly higher than Wilkens. We had already decided to go with Wilkens because of there customer care and good reviews.
I was then contacted by Frank to arrange a day for the work. Frank and Mike showed up on tine and explained what was going to happen, they worked all day and kept us up to date on the progress and completed the job on time and cleaned up the jobsite. Very professional. After the job was complete we noticed the top of the shorter chimney did not have a drip edge as the work order had said prepare the chimney for complete demolition. We contacted Wilkens and straight away was contacted by Jake saying he would return the following day to install the drip edge. He did this plus also opened up the back of the chimney to remove some brick debris that had fallen down the chimney onto the gas fire casing, This was not part of the quote and no additional charge was expected. This showed to us that Wilkens and Jake were not happy until the customer was completely satisfied even though they were not responsible for the debris. The chimney looks great and is now safe. Also great follow up from Wilkens making sure everything was good. I 100% recommend Wilkens for any work on your chimney, Very Professional, great customer service but most of all great work.
Steve, Google Review

Leave a review for Wilkens here

Give us a Call for a Free Estimate!

At Wilkens masonry, our estimates are always free. We serve the Toronto and Hamilton areas. We will come by and give you an honest assessment coupled with a fair price for the services we deliver. Also, if the scope of work is something we don’t cover, we can always point you in the right direction of a company that can service your needs.

Check us out on Homestars and Google! You can also Contact us now for a free, no-obligation consultation or call us at 416 425 8055.

08
Mar
Brick Repair Hamilton
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Brick Repair Hamilton

Wilkens Masonry wants everyone to know that we have expanded our services to Hamilton, Ontario and surrounding areas. Hamilton is a city that has been booming for quite some time now. It is filled with countless beautiful, old homes that often are in need of basic masonry repairs from tuckpointing, brick replacement, parging, chimney repairs and chimney rebuilds. So far, over the past couple of years, we have been more than pleased with the warm reception from the community of Hamilton. It never ceases to amaze us as to how generous and kind the people of this city are and we look forward to the decades of service will will offer.

What Part’s Of Hamilton Do We Serve?

Wilkens Masonry’s Hamilton office is in the Stinson area, however we service all parts of Hamilton. So far, most of our customers have been in the older part of the city (Rosedale, Corktown, Durand and Downtown Hamilton) as these areas generally have the oldest homes that have been putting up with rough Canadian weather for over 100 years. As the years go on, and the homes in Hamilton’s outer areas continue to age, we will be more than happy to help keep them in tip top shape!

Give Us A Call For A Free Estimate!

At Wilkens masonry, our estimates are always free. We serve the Toronto and Hamilton areas. We will come by and give you an honest assessment coupled with a fair price for the services we deliver. Also, if the scope of work is something we don’t cover, we can always point you in the right direction of a company that can service your needs.

Check us out on Homestars and Google! You can also Contact us now for a free, no-obligation consultation or call us at 416 425 8055.

23
Feb
Small Masonry Repairs Toronto And Hamilton
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Small Masonry Repairs Toronto And Hamilton

There is no shortage of masonry restoration companies in Toronto and Hamilton. Masonry is an age old trade, people have been laying bricks as long as homes have been properly made. However, many companies seek larger, longer jobs to keep them busy for greater periods of time. It is a fair need as many companies have larger crews that they want to keep busy. It is because of this that not every company though, unlike Wilkens, will perform small repairs.

Big Repairs vs Small Repairs

Many people are on the hunt for a masonry contractor that can help them with a quick fix. Not everyone has it within their budget to hire a company to do a full rebuild of a chimney, or replace hundreds of bricks. Not everyone has the luxury of restoring their masonry to its former glory. This means that small repairs are something sought after.

The nature of the industry, however, is that some contractors won’t even come and take a look when they hear that all you need is a few holes filled or a few bricks replaced. Wilkens Masonry is known as a leader in the small repairs part of masonry. Our trained masons can be in an out in a few hours and we can do it for a fair price that won’t break your budget. A few holes tuckpointed, some spalling bricks replaced, a small section of your foundation parged or your chimney repaired rather than fully rebuilt, we are your guys.

For the record though, while we are more than happy to come out for the small things, we will also come out for the bigger jobs.

Give Us A Call For A Free Estimate!

At Wilkens masonry, our estimates are always free. We serve the Toronto and Hamilton areas. We will come by and give you an honest assessment coupled with a fair price for the services we deliver. Also, if the scope of work is something we don’t cover, we can always point you in the right direction of a company that can service your needs.

Check us out on Homestars and Google! You can also Contact us now for a free, no-obligation consultation or call us at 416 425 8055.

 

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