Justin Epstein Masonry

A homeowner writing in January 2025 interviewed four contractors about replacing a pea stone driveway. Justin Epstein was the only one who mentioned having Dig Safe survey the property first. That detail — the thing a mason does before anyone touches the ground — runs through nine years of write-ups about this Marblehead shop. Justin Epstein Masonry is stone, brick and paver work: patios, driveways, walkways, front steps, retaining walls, outdoor kitchens and fireplaces, plus restoration and repointing. The company says Justin Epstein started it in 2007 with one mason and now runs a crew with foremen assigned per job. Its Massachusetts home improvement contractor registration is active and held in the company's own name, and it is an Authorized Unilock contractor. BBB has accredited it since August 2015 and grades it A+. Retaining walls come up more than anything else. In a June 2023 review, a Marblehead homeowner described a collapsed wall rebuilt quickly and looking like a piece of art; a February 2015 customer described nine collapsed walls on one property rebuilt using dry-set and wet mortar as each wall's function required, followed by granite slab stairs, 120-plus feet of reclaimed granite curbing for drainage, and a reset brick patio. A February 2015 reviewer described a four-foot perimeter wall around an excavated back yard. Restoration is the other thread. A January 2021 customer described two 111-year-old chimneys leaking into top-floor ceilings, rebuilt with broken bricks replaced and the mortar colour-matched to the 1909 original so the work would not read as new on an antique house. In July 2026 a homeowner said the same colour-matching care went into a stone wall repair done in 91-degree heat. Drainage and water get named repeatedly, which matters on this coast. An April 2022 customer described a concrete yard that pitched toward the house, rebuilt as a patio with an underground drainage system carrying downspout and runoff water out to the yard. The 2015 reviewer with the nine walls said that when flooding later damaged a wall and a rock staircase, Justin came out in the rain to watch the water move before planning the fix. Pricing reads as fair rather than cheap. A March 2023 customer with a complicated ledge-built terrace said several quotes came in at similar prices and Justin was the one who gave them confidence. A 2015 reviewer said he did not bury them in change-order surcharges when the scope shifted. Several customers across the years mention accurate estimates and on-budget completion. Two things to know before calling. Nearly every written account is five stars, and 12 of them date from 2015 — so a good part of this record is a decade old, even though 2025 and 2026 reviews continue the same pattern. And the company's own tenure figures do not line up: its site says founded 2007 and elsewhere claims 20 years, its Houzz page says over 15, and BBB records a business start of 2009. Ask directly. If you have a failing retaining wall, a chimney or brick facade that needs repointing on an older house, or a driveway or patio where water is the real problem, this is a specialist worth calling. Note that masonry is not remodeling: for a whole-house project you would still need a general contractor. Confirm the registration and insurance, and ask how drainage is being handled before the first stone goes down.