Chimney and masonry contractor software, shown on a fictional chimney and masonry company

Open the demo and you are inside Sootwick Chimney & Masonry, a fictional chimney and masonry company running the real product: click anything, nothing changes.

See pricing — it's public · Why SelfConstruct

What works today for a masonry company, and what is not available yet

The demo's welcome card says the same. The names, people, jobs and prices in this demo are illustrative.

The masonry jobs in the demo

Each with what its estimate covers and how it is billed:

• Halvorsen sweep and Level 2 inspection — Sweep two flues and a Level 2 inspection (Time & Materials)
  Schedule: Sweep both flues → Level 2 inspection and camera scan.
  Daily log: “Level 2 report: both flues swept, light creosote. Crown: maintenance, hairline cracks at the north corner. Cap, damper, smoke chamber and firebox: OK. Report and photo notes sent to the owner the same day.”
• Castellanos stainless liner install — Insulated stainless liner for the fireplace insert (Fixed Price)
  Schedule: Sweep and remove the cracked clay tiles → Run the liner, top plate and cap → Camera check and walkthrough.
  Daily log: “Liner install record: pulled the cracked clay tiles, ran 30 ft of insulated 6 inch stainless, set the top plate and cap and connected the insert. The camera check after the install showed a clean run. Serial and lot written on the liner warranty registration.”
• Renner crown rebuild and cap — New crown, custom stainless cap and waterproofing (Fixed Price)
  Job notes: Park on the street; the driveway is shared.
• Ploverhythe Row tuckpointing, front wall — Repoint the front wall and replace broken brick (Fixed Price)
  Job notes: Weather-dependent start; the board gets notice before the scaffold goes up.
  Schedule: Set the scaffold → Grind and repoint the front wall → Replace broken brick and wash down → Walkthrough with the board.
  Daily log: “Walked the front wall with the board: about 640 sq ft of failed joints and 24 broken bricks. Took a mortar sample for the color match.”
• Pell real-estate chimney inspection, 22 Sparrowgrass Court — Level 2 inspection for a home sale (Time & Materials)
  Job notes: Bill to the buyer's agent; paid at closing. Lockbox on the side door.
  Schedule: Real-estate Level 2 inspection.
  Daily log: “Level 2 for a home sale. Liner, firebox and damper: OK. Flashing: repair needed on the back side. Report and photo notes sent the same day to the buyer, both agents and the home inspector.”
• Oduya chimney rebuild above the roofline — Full rebuild above the roofline with a new liner, crown and cap (Fixed Price)
  Schedule: Building permit → Scaffold and roof protection → Tear down to the roofline → Rebuild above the roofline → New crown, liner and cap → Roofer tie-in and flashing.
  Daily log: “Measured the chimney: loose brick from the roofline up, a broken crown and cracked clay tiles. Sent the repair proposal with options, a partial rebuild or a full rebuild above the roofline with a new liner; the owners chose the full rebuild.”

Walk through one masonry job: Renner crown rebuild and cap

Its schedule, in order:

1. Roof protection and teardown of the old crown
2. Form and pour the new crown
3. Set the stainless cap and seal
4. Waterproofing, camera check and walkthrough

Change orders on this job: “Replace 8 spalled bricks below the crown”.

Purchase orders on this job: “Crown mix, mortar and matching brick, Renner”; “Custom stainless multi-flue cap, Renner”.

To-dos on this job: “Photograph the new crown before the cap goes on”.

From its daily log:

• Protected the roof and tore the old crown off down to the top course. Eight spalled bricks under it; the owner approved CO-1 on site. Bricks replaced; ready to form the crown. Weather: Clear, cold morning.

A masonry proposal in the demo: Stainless liner for the wood stove

Sootwick Chimney & Masonry sent it to a lead. The scope reads:

Remove the cracked clay tiles, run an insulated 6 inch stainless liner from the stove to the top of the chimney, set the top plate and cap, connect the stove and check the whole run with the camera.

The notes on that lead:

• Smoke smell when the stove runs; booked a Level 2 inspection
• Level 2: cracked clay tiles in the stove flue, rated hazard. Advised not to use the stove until it is relined
• Sent the repair proposal with two options: a stainless liner, or cast-in-place relining

Other masonry leads in the demo

• Sweep and Level 1 inspection: Wants both fireplaces swept before the first cold snap
• Sweeps and inspections, 18 units: Board asked for a price per flue for every unit before the heating season
• Stone veneer repair, front porch: Loose stones on both porch columns after the freeze and thaw; Measured both columns; about 60 sq ft of veneer to reset

What goes on a masonry estimate in the demo

From Sootwick Chimney & Masonry's price list, without the prices:

• Chimney sweep, first flue
• Chimney sweep, each additional flue
• Smoke chamber cleaning
• Level 1 inspection
• Level 2 inspection with camera scan
• Level 2 inspection, real-estate transfer (rush)
• Single-flue cap, stainless
• Multi-flue cap, custom stainless
• Top-sealing damper
• Crown repair coat
• Crown rebuild
• Stainless liner, 6 inch
• Liner insulation
• Liner kit, top plate, cap and tee
• Tuckpointing, medium
• Brick replacement
• Teardown to the roofline
• Rebuild above the roofline
• Step and counter flashing
• Chimney waterproofing
• Scaffold rental, per day
• Roof protection and cleanup
• Debris haul-off
• Building permit
• Roofer tie-in

Masonry cost codes in the demo

Sootwick Chimney & Masonry's own cost codes:

• General conditions & mobilization
• Permits & fees
• Access & fall protection (ladders, anchors, scaffold, lift)
• Site protection & cleanup
• Sweeping & cleaning
• Inspection & camera scan
• Teardown & demolition
• Brick & block masonry
• Stone & veneer
• Tuckpointing & repointing
• Crowns & chase covers
• Caps, dampers & spark arrestors
• Flue liners & relining
• Firebox & smoke chamber (refractory)
• Flashing & crickets
• Waterproofing & sealers
• Hearth appliances (inserts, stoves, gas logs)
• Steps, stoops & flatwork masonry
• Lintels & steel
• Masonry cleaning & efflorescence
• Roofing tie-in (sub)
• Chase framing & carpentry (sub)
• Equipment rental
• Dumpster & disposal
• Supervision
• Warranty & callbacks
• Contingency

Questions about SelfConstruct for masonry work

Is there a masonry version of SelfConstruct?

Not as a separate product. Sootwick Chimney & Masonry opens with the business type “Chimney & masonry”, so its menus are set for that trade. In a customer's company today, the menus are the same whatever the trade.

Can a masonry job be fixed price or time and materials?

Both are in the demo: Sootwick Chimney & Masonry's “Castellanos stainless liner install” is a fixed-price job, and “Halvorsen sweep and Level 2 inspection” is billed time and materials.

Does SelfConstruct have “Your trade's forms and readings” for masonry companies yet?

Not yet. It is on the list the demo's welcome card shows under “Not available yet for your trade”.

See it working right now

Pricing is published on the site: $299/mo per company before sales tax, unlimited users, 50 GB of storage included.

Book a walkthrough · Construction Software by Trade

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