[Bill Schwab]

I had to pass this one along. We got a job working for a retired concrete mason. He owned and operated a company in Detroit Metro area with 125 employees. They did alot pof work at Ford and GM plants, asphalt, concrete, sewer, water etc.

We got the job as a referral from a guy we have been bidding a large Redi Rock wall on. When I signed him up, I did not know what to expect the day we began, but he seemed like a good guy. His home is on coronado island about a block away from the world renowned Del Coronado hotel with stuning views of the San Diego harbor and Coronados. Coroando is theis magical place, just like Mackinac Island, filled with 5 million plus dollar homes. Some day I'm going to buy a little place there to go on weekends just to get away...dreams.....


Let me tell you, the job turned out great, he and his wife very happy, and if I did not have to pay bills, I would have done it free of charge. Our team learned so much with this guy it was amazing. The little tricks of the trade that a 64 year old guy can bring are beyond worth. We stamped a driveway, base color was Palomino, and we used Chocolate release. The pattern was formal cut slate. So, when we broomed the release off the drive, the base color was a tan, and it has dark brown in the joints and the stone impressions. We built a pond and raceway that wound down his stairs, and runs under a glass bridge on a stainless steel framework. We removed a 30' tall triangle palm, and sold it to another client for a handsome price.

Made me feel good to see the guy smile. Has anyone ever worked for a retired tradesman, scared as heck wondering if you were going to get it right? I'm telling you the wealth of knowledge we came away with was well worth the 25K the job was billed for.