A masonry site should show finished work by type, with close-ups of the joints, explain the materials, say plainly when you repair and when you rebuild, list the area served, and describe how estimates work.

What the site is actually for

Nobody hires a stonemason from a paragraph. A homeowner with a crumbling chimney or a bulging garden wall wants to see work like theirs, done well, before picking up the phone.

They also want to know whether their job is a repair or a rebuild, roughly what it involves, and whether you work in their town.

Builders, designers and property managers ask the same questions, with more detail and less patience.

The site's job is to answer them in photographs first and words second, then make it easy to ask for an estimate.

Photographs by type of work

The last deserves a gallery of its own. A repair where the new mortar matches the old in colour and texture is among the hardest things in the trade to do well, and a photograph proves you can.

Close enough to see the joints

Masonry is judged on details a wide shot cannot show: even joints, straight courses, clean edges, stones that fit without slivers of filler.

For each project, take one wide photograph for context and two or three close-ups of the work itself, in daylight, without filters.

Label each with the type of work, the material and the town, such as basalt retaining wall, North Vancouver. Visitors look for jobs like their own.

Where you can, photograph work in progress too: the footing, the drainage behind a wall, the flue liner inside a rebuilt chimney. It shows what the finished surface hides.

The materials, explained plainly

Homeowners rarely know the difference between natural stone, manufactured stone veneer and concrete block, or why it matters.

A page that explains each in a few sentences, with a photograph and an honest note on cost and lifespan, saves a long conversation on site.

Mortar deserves a paragraph. Older brick often needs a softer, lime-based mortar, because modern cement mortar can be harder than the brick and cause its face to crack and flake away.

A contractor who explains that is visibly one who knows the work.

Repair or rebuild

The question on most homeowners' minds is whether the job can be repaired or has to be rebuilt, since the difference in price is large.

Explain how you decide. Cracked mortar joints can usually be repointed, which means cutting out the old mortar and packing in new.

A leaning chimney, or bricks that crumble at a touch, usually means rebuilding, at least from the roofline up. A bulging retaining wall often needs rebuilding with proper drainage behind it.

On the coast, owners of older houses also ask about brick chimneys and earthquakes. Say what you offer: reinforcing, rebuilding, or taking a chimney down below the roofline.

A worked example

A two-person stonework company on Vancouver Island had a site with a home page, a contact form, and a slideshow of forty unlabelled photographs.

Chimneys, walls and fireplaces were mixed together, and none said what the job had been or where.

The owner's evenings went on calls about poured concrete driveways and stucco, neither of which the company does, and on visits to chimneys whose real problem was the roof.

The rebuilt site grouped the photographs into galleries by type, each labelled with material and town, with close-ups beside every wide shot.

A chimney page explained repointing, crowns and rebuilds, and said plainly that flashing and roofing go to a roofer the company works with.

A short list of work the company does not take on went onto the services page, so a visitor wanting a concrete driveway learns that from the site rather than from a phone call.

The area you cover

List the towns and neighbourhoods you work in as plain text, on a dedicated page and in the footer.

Masonry is heavy work to move: stone, scaffolding and a mixer all have to travel. If you go further for larger jobs, say so, along with any minimum.

Make sure your Google My Business listing shows the same area, set up as a service-area business if customers do not visit your yard.

How estimates work

Most masonry cannot be priced without a visit, and homeowners do not always know that. Say how estimates work before they ask.

Explain whether the visit is free, how long it takes, and when the written estimate arrives. Say what it includes: scaffolding, permits, removal of old material, cleanup.

Ask for photographs with the request. A few phone pictures let you decide whether a visit is needed and bring the right person to it.

Taller retaining walls often need an engineer's design and a building permit, depending on the municipality. Say whether you can arrange both.

Seasons, insurance and the wait

Fresh mortar must not freeze before it cures, so many contractors limit exterior work in the coldest weeks. Say how you handle winter, and which jobs suit it.

Say how far ahead you are booked, and update it monthly. People will wait for a stonemason they trust; they will not wait on a form that never got a reply.

Mention insurance, workers' compensation coverage and any warranty on workmanship, in plain words. A wall or chimney is heavy, permanent and close to the house, and careful customers ask.

The counter-case

Not every masonry business needs all of this at once.

A mason working mainly for builders and landscapers sells on reliability and references, so a short list of projects and contacts may matter more than a large gallery.

A company that only repairs chimneys needs one excellent chimney page more than six galleries.

But a homeowner choosing someone to rebuild the wall in front of their house will judge by what they see. Show finished work by type, close up, and explain the rest plainly.

What to build first

  1. Sort your photographs by type of work.
  2. Take close-ups on every job this season.
  3. Label each one with material and town.
  4. Write the repair or rebuild page.
  5. Explain your materials in plain words.
  6. Describe the estimate visit step by step.
  7. List the towns you cover.

Step four answers the question behind most calls. A homeowner who understands why a chimney needs rebuilding rather than repointing arrives at the estimate expecting the right kind of number.

The same approach for a trade with a very different season is covered in what an irrigation and sprinkler company website needs.

Frequently asked questions

What should a masonry website show first?

Finished work grouped by type, such as chimneys, walls, patios and fireplaces, with close-ups of the joints, so visitors can find work like their own.

Why do close-up photographs matter?

Masonry is judged on details a wide shot hides: even joints, straight courses and stones that fit. A close-up beside each wide shot shows the craft.

Should the site explain materials?

Yes. A few sentences each on natural stone, manufactured veneer and block, with notes on cost and lifespan, save long conversations, and a note on lime mortar shows expertise.

How should repair versus rebuild be explained?

Say how you decide. Cracked joints can usually be repointed; leaning chimneys and bulging walls usually need rebuilding, a wall often with better drainage behind it.

Can masonry be priced from photographs?

Rarely in full, but photos sent with the request help decide whether a visit is needed and who should attend. Say what the written estimate will include.

Does a mason working for builders need this?

Less of it. Builders buy on reliability and references, so a short project list and contacts may matter more than a large residential gallery.

West Coast Media Solutions Inc. provides web design, web development, hosting, digital marketing, and business consulting to organisations across Canada, drawing on more than twenty-five years in the field.

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