Stoneworks Masonry & Landscaping

John’s work was incredible! An amazing eye for detail, clear passion and he’s so kind!

John was fantastic to work with. He started our project earlier than expected and finished very quickly. Love how our patio project turned out!

John and his crew installed a beautiful brick walkway and patio at our property in Newton. Very detailed and cleaned up at the end of every work day. Highly recommend him.

John Caruso and his Co-Workers did an amazing job repairing our front steps, consisting of veneer stones on the faces and limestone treads. They demolished the existing, and were able to salvage the existing base, reinforce it with some hydraulic cement and leveler, and then construct the new steps back exactly where the old steps were; saved my wife and I a bunch of money! I will be using Caruso Construction Corp in the future, and highly recommend them for those looking to do similar projects!!

On May 23, 2021, I contracted Mr. Caruso to do four things: 1. Install a patio 2. Put down a planting area to surround that patio 3. Construct a driveway 4. Place retaining walls around that driveway Mr. Caruso failed to do any of them correctly. He started late. He finished late. I filed Claims in Arbitration (American Arbitration Association: Charles F v J.C. Caruso Corporation, Case number: 01-22-0002-0892) against him for the first two things, and forced him to compensate me for the others after he acknowledged he had done them wrong. Let me address each item: 1.) The patio that John Caruso installed fell apart less than two weeks after he completed it, with pavers sinking into the ground and coming up along the perimeters. Do not take my word for it. Here is the email John Caruso sent after I alerted him to his mistake: THIS IS OUR FAULT...WE WILL FIX IT. It was unquestionably his fault. In addition to Mr. Caruso admitting so himself, the Claim against him was settled in my favor on September 1, 2022, for $17,850.80, including Attorneys fees, Arbitration fees, and filing costs. Mr. Caruso was awarded nothing on his baseless attempt to recover legal fees and costs. 2.) The area surrounding the patio, meant to take on plantings, was a mudhole as put down by Mr. Caruso. It could not support anyone standing or walking on it. You would sink into it if you tried. This was another item in my legal action against Mr. Caruso. It too was settled in my favor. At first, Mr. Caruso suggested that all ground-covering areas need time to firm up. When he saw that would not work, Mr. Caruso*s excuse for the ground not supporting any weight was that it had rained in the days after the installation. The Arbitrator saw no merit to his defense and dismissed it. 3.) Mr. Caruso put in a driveway that was the wrong size. He did this despite the contract clearly stating its proper measurement. Because his work was running well behind schedule, I agreed to allow Mr. Caruso to compensate me for the driveway error by enlarging the dimensions of the patio. 4.) Mr. Caruso placed one bluestone cap on top of another in one corner of the driveway*s retaining walls. He tried to convince me that this was how the job was supposed to look: You can never get it perfect. When pressed on the issue, he was forced to admit and then fix his mistake. He did not offer to do it voluntarily. In compensation for the retaining wall error, Mr. Caruso paid an independent contractor to install a small railing on my exterior front steps. The things listed above are all well documented. Here are some other things you might want to consider. The last time I saw Mr. Caruso, I informed him that I was going to file a Complaint against him. Looking to see if anyone was within earshot, he whispered, Keep up with this. See what happens. My wife and I are senior citizens; Mr. Caruso*s remark caused us to fear for our safety. If you must sue or go to Arbitration with Mr. Caruso to recoup at least some of your money, you may have to endure his use of stalling tactics to run up your legal fees to discourage you from going forward. He sent my attorney an email that read, Look forward to litigating this in court the next couple of years. But why put yourself through an unnecessary ordeal when you can hire a capable and honest contractor instead? In the end, you may recover your expenses from John Caruso. What is non-recoverable is the time you will have been forced to spend doing so.