Home owners doing brick work on their homes can hire a mason. Many states do not require a license for masonry contractors, Thus, it is even more important for home owners to know how to select reliable and professional masonry contractors on their own.
First, anyone seeking to get contract construction work done should first find out if there is a state license requirement for masonry workers in that state where the house work or construction will take place. In many cases, there is not such a specific requirement. However, some states have a masonry license requirement. For example, California masons need a license to lay brick and related activities in the state.
Generally speaking, a license requirement means that the person you contract with must have a license. It is certainly possible that he could have helpers who are not licensed, as that is a normal way of doing business in the construction industry.
If the state does have such a requirement, you always have the right to demand evidence of such a masonry license. If the contractor does not provide it, that is a major red flag. It is best to stay away from unlicensed contractors in states like California.
On the other hand, existence of a license at least means that the masonry contractor at least showed enough financial responsibility and knowledge of the masonry craft at some point in the past to earn a license.
Now, in cases where no license is required, you want to be careful of roving construction workers who offer cheap masonry contracts. These are sometimes scam artists that go from place to place to collect enough money up front to scam the home owner and abscond with the money before the work is done.
In states where no license is required, it is important to pick local masonry contractors who have references. You should be able to personally inspect previous work done by that mason. If no such work exists, go with a different contractor.
Now, in some cases, you will have a construction contract with a general contractor or something similar who will hire the mason and other specialists to do the work. In that case, the same rules are going to apply. You need someone with a track record of successfully managing construction contracts that include masonry work.
Make sure you discuss with the general contractor the need to hire experienced and reliable masons and other subcontractors. This is the way to ensure that all aspects of the construction – not just the masonry work – will be performed by competent and professional contractors. You should also have in the contract the right to demand a different subcontractor for certain portions of the construction work.