Avalon Masonry and Construction

Avalon Masonry and Construction is a Somerville crew run by James Hearn that shows up fast, quotes on the spot, and finishes brick and stone jobs within days — and one chimney customer says it walked away from its own five-year warranty. Its Massachusetts home improvement contractor registration (#209986) is active, and BBB lists the corporation as incorporated in October 2023 with one employee. The work people describe is the everyday masonry around a house. In a September 2025 review, a homeowner had a chimney rebuilt from the roof up, capped, repointed, power-washed and sealed, with loose bricks on the stairs patched at no extra charge. Others in 2025 described a patio and walkway redone within a week of first contact, retaining walls along a driveway built in a few days, marble front steps repointed and a caving brick surface ripped out and replaced. Foundation repairs on granite and cinderblock came up in October 2024 and again in July 2026, and the same habits recur in nearly every account: James arrives within hours or days, explains the work, sticks to the quote, and the crew cleans up. Angi shows 4.9 stars from 39 ratings, 95 percent of them five-star. The exception is a chimney leak. In April 2026 a customer reported paying $2,200 for a leak repair under a contract promising a five-year warranty on water leaks; nine months later the chimney was still leaking, the company stopped responding, and after a text conversation it refused both the warranty and a refund. The owner disputed the review in a posted response. BBB grades the company C, in part for not answering one complaint on file, and Google shows 3 stars from two ratings. For steps, walkways, walls, repointing and chimney rebuilds, the customers who hired them since 2024 were consistently pleased with the speed and the finish. If the job is a chimney leak, get the warranty terms and the callback process in writing before paying.