Friday, November 18, 2011

Boston Brick and Stone Announces It Has Chimney Sweeps Available Five Days a Week

Announces Chimney Sweeps and the Holidays Go Together

Boston Brick Chimney Sweep with BrushLOS ANGELES-Boston Brick and Stone (http://www.bostonbrick.com), a Southern California leader in chimney inspections, chimney brick repair, brick restoration and hardscape design, today announced it now has a team to sweep and inspect chimneys available five days a week. This is in response to high demand each year from homeowners to get chimneys cleaned in November and December, in preparation for the holidays.

Using Boston Brick & Stone’s same high standards in construction and customer service, the company now offers a thorough chimney sweep and a twelve (12) point chimney inspection. Each sweep team includes a certified chimney inspector, insuring that every cleaned chimney is also a safe chimney. Heavy plastic is used to enclose the opening of the fireplace and also to cover valuable furniture and flooring before the sweep begins.

The company’s experienced inspectors will advise the home owner on chimney and fireplace safety by conducting a 12 point chimney inspection (including camera). For a more detailed explanation of what is involved in a chimney inspection, go to their website www.bostonbrick.com/services/chimneys/chimney-inspection/

Dave Laverdiere, owner of Boston Brick and Stone stated “We know how important a beautiful blazing fire is to Holiday festivities. We want to insure that every Boston Brick & Stone Customer will have a happy, merry and safe holiday season. Our expertise with Chimneys and Fireplace is available to protect our customer’s comfortable homes.”

Founded in 1993 by Don Hall and now owned by Dave Laverdiere, Boston Brick & Stone is a business that has become a trusted name in chimney inspections and hardscape design amongst Southern California homeowners and real estate agents. The company has been a featured contractor on HGTV’s “Landscaper’s Challenge” and on “Backyard Brigade.”

Located in Pasadena, Boston Brick & Stone serves all communities in Los Angeles County. For more information about Boston Brick and Stone, call 866-612-6786 (Toll-Free) or 626-296-7700 (Local). You can also visit the company’s website at www.bostonbrick.com. Masonry License (C-29); General Builder (B) #783578.<

Friday, August 12, 2011

Boston Brick and Stone Offers Free estimates for Patios and Pergolas


Announces Patios and Pergolas are an Ideal Accompaniment to Your Pool

LOS ANGELES-Boston Brick and Stone, a Southern California leader in chimney inspections, chimney brick repair, brick restoration and hardscape design, today announced it will provide free estimates for patios and pergolas.

The estimate establishes the ideal location for the patio and pergola by combining the client’s preferences and the current building codes requirements to come up with a design that is convenient to your pool and family activities. The goal is to convert your backyard into an oasis from the Los Angeles summer heat. 

The company’s experienced evaluators will also advise homeowners on establishing lines for water, electricity and gas, construction materials catering to the client’s preferences, and assistance in overall design.  For examples of patios and pergolas designed and constructed by Boston Brick & Stone, check out the gallery on their website www.bostonbrick.com.

“We can strategically place a patio under a pergola so you can put up your feet and keep an eye on the kids wearing themselves out in the pool,” says Dave Laverdiere, owner of Boston Brick and Stone. “We combine our expertise in hardscape with your desire for a comfortable home and a safe environment for your entire family when building a relaxing environment you will enjoy for many years to come.”

Founded in 1993 by Don Hall and now owned by Dave Laverdiere, Boston Brick & Stone is a business that has become a trusted name in chimney inspections and hardscape design amongst Southern California homeowners and real estate agents. The company has been a featured contractor on HGTV’s “Landscaper’s Challenge” and on “Backyard Brigade.” 

Located in Pasadena, Boston Brick & Stone serves all communities in Los Angeles County. For more information about Boston Brick and Stone, call 866-612-6786 (Toll-Free) or 626-296-7700 (Local). You can also visit the company’s website at www.bostonbrick.com. Masonry License (C-29); General Builder (B) #783578.

Tuesday, July 12, 2011

BostonBrick.com: Neighborhoods are Different

By Jo Lauricella

I have always enjoyed looking at neighborhoods and trying to figure out what makes them different from other neighborhoods. I first discovered this game in New York City. I took the subway to an area, got off and walked to the next subway stop. I got back on the subway and got off one or two stops later. Even as I climbed the stairs to the street I could feel the difference. New neighborhood, new feel, new look. I got caught up in the differences and yet how similar each neighborhood was.

I did not grow up in Los Angeles, and before I moved here I had the "Hollywood" impression of "LA LA Land". Nothing could be further from the truth. I have traveled all over Los Angeles County in my job as the Marketing Manager for Boston Brick & Stone. I get the opportunity to visit Real Estate Offices all over the County and have found an amazing diversity in neighborhoods. Just like New York City some of the diversity comes from ethnic differences, although more and more neighborhoods are ethnically and culturally blended. Yet there are still fascinating, though subtle differences.

Los Angeles has one difference from New York City, and that is the effect of earthquakes on different neighborhoods. Masonry construction in earthquake country has unique challenges and because Boston Brick & Stone specializes in Chimneys, I have had to learn a great deal about earthquakes and their effects.

Earthquakes shake, grind, heave and shift the ground. It is the geology of the ground affected by the quake which in turn affects the building sitting on that ground. This means that some neighborhoods are affected and others just a block away are not. There was a 4.5 quake in Chino a couple of years ago. A two or three square block area had a lot of chimney damage; the rest of the area was virtually undamaged.

Gallery-chim

If you are an Angelino, take a walk through a neighborhood and look up. Do you see chimneys with mushroom chimney caps on them? If you do that is a sure sign the chimney has been rebuilt since the Northridge Earthquake. If you are seeing a lot of these mushroom caps, chances are the neighborhood was hit hard by an earthquake. If a home in that neighborhood does not have a mushroom chimney cap there are three possibilities: first the chimney is not damaged (unlikely), or the chimney had a full reinforced masonry rebuild that allows for a variety of chimney caps, or the chimney is broken and has never been rebuilt.

I still play the neighborhood game every time I visit New York City. As I am now a true
Angelino, visiting the Big Apple as I walk and look at the tall buildings, I often think, "thank goodness this Island is not seismically active!" 

 

Tuesday, May 31, 2011

Two Ton Elephants

by Jo Lauricella

I was chatting with a couple of realtors this morning at an Association meeting.  I commented that it seems that so many of the problems we are all having are under cover.  Sometimes I feel like we each are living with at least one 2 ton elephant sitting in our homes and offices that we simply chose to ignore and walk around. I am tired of it!


I am ready to try something different.  I am convinced that the only way we will all come out of this mess is to dig ourselves out.  But we do not have to do it alone.  I called a few of the successful realtors in the area and asked them what sets them apart, why they are successful?  Here is what they said:

  1. Referrals are the key. This must be in constant development and constant updating. I hate it when I call a customer and find out they used someone else because they did not know we provided that exact service.
  2. Follow up is vital. Jim Rohn, motivational speaker says that 80% of all sales happen after the fifth contact. That is a lot of persistence.
  3. Knowing exactly what the customer wants and getting exactly what they want.

 

Many years ago someone told me that sales was a numbers game. If you call enough people you will close deals. Jim Rohn calls it the law of averages. For every X number of people you call you get a sale. If X is 10, then the law of averages is 10 to 1. If you want 10 sales, you have to call 100 people. Someone else may have an average of 10 to 2. That just means they are a better sales person. Mr. Rohn says if someone wants to get better, just make more calls and work at getting better. 


Grant Cardone talks about making a list of objections, and working out a response to each objection. Then try out the new responses. Some will work, some won’t. Keep the ones that work and try different responses on the rest. Don’t worry about losing the sale, if you don’t have a workable response you are not going to get the sale anyway! He says, “Hey, you have nothing to lose and you could make a sale”
The members of the Boston Brick & Stone, Inc. team know that we are only as strong as the Realtors we support. We will do whatever we can to help. I will post this blog in the Agent Services Corner of our website. I invite all who read this blog to comment and add your suggestions. I will post your suggestions on our website. 


Together we can help each other climb out of this crazy economic situation. We can continue to ignore the elephants, or march all our elephants out of our homes and offices and take charge of our future.


Jo Lauricella is Marketing Director for Boston Brick and Stone, a Pasadena, CA based company that does chimney inspections, chimney repair, chimney construction, chimney replacement, and landscape design and installation.

Friday, May 27, 2011

Boston Brick and Stone Re-Defining Daycation


Meeting the needs of Realtors and Home buyers

LOS ANGELES-Boston Brick and Stone (http://www.bostonbrick.com), a Southern California leader in chimney inspections, chimney brick repair, brick restoration and landscape and hardscape design, announces simple outdoor solutions to improve your next Daycation.

Boston Brick & Stone offers a list of simple outdoor improvements on their new Twitter site. As the economy begins to recover, many people are taking one day off for an adventure, a Daycation. Boston Brick & Stone wants to help extend that Daycation by suggesting affordable improvements in outdoor living to extend that Daycation to a TwoDaycation or a Weekendcation.

Dave Laverdiere, owner of Boston Brick and Stone, stated “Our team works very hard during the week and looks forward to our time at home. Because of our expertise in improving out door living, we pooled each of our successful affordable outdoor improvements that upgrade our home time to Daycations and beyond. See our suggestions on Twitter, DacationatHome.”

Founded in 1993 by Don Hall and now owned and operated by Dave Laverdiere, Boston Brick & Stone is a business that has become a trusted name in chimney inspections and hardscape design amongst Southern California homeowners and real estate agents. The company has been a featured contractor on HGTV’s “Landscaper’s Challenge” and on “Backyard Brigade.”

Located in Pasadena, Boston Brick & Stone serves all communities in Los Angeles County. For more information about Boston Brick and Stone, call 866-612-6786 (Toll-Free) or 626-296-7700 (Local). You can also visit the company’s website at www.bostonbrick.com. Masonry License (C-29); General Builder (B) #783578.