Custom masonry
Custom masonry in Topeka, laid by our own masons
Stone siding, fireplaces and firepits, indoors and out, laid by Taylor Pressgrove's crew of three and planned alongside the rest of the house.
Chapter 01
Not a new trade to this team
Our masonry page opens with a plain admission: masonry may be a new service at PDQ Construction, but it is not new to our team. The crew is led by Taylor Pressgrove, our lead mason, who has more than ten years in the trade and started right after high school. He runs a crew of three, and between them they handle stone siding, custom firepits and fireplaces, indoors and out. Because the masons work alongside our carpenters, framers and designer, the stone is planned with the house rather than added after the fact.
Good stonework is mostly what you cannot see. Veneer on a wall needs a drainage gap behind it and flashing at the base, so water that gets behind the face has a way out. A fireplace needs a footing that will not settle, a firebox built to hold heat and a flue that draws. A firepit needs ground that drains. Each of those is decided before the first stone is set, and that order is the difference between a feature that lasts and one that stains and cracks.
Stacked stone fireplace with a log rack laid by the PDQ masonry crew
Fireplaces and firepits, indoors and out
An indoor fireplace and an outdoor one are different problems. Inside, the stone has to meet the wall, the mantel and the hearth floor as if it had always been part of the room. Outside, it has to take rain, freeze and thaw, and still look right years from now. Our masons build both, and our carpenters frame the opening and the surround, so both trades work from one set of drawings instead of passing the job back and forth.
Our own project list shows the range. A stone patio wall and an outdoor fireplace sit beside a screened porch addition, three of our trades in one frame. The stone mailbox pillar that carries our sign is a small job done with the same care as a hearth. Two larger jobs on our masonry page go by name, The Limestone Family Retreat and Pillars and Poolside, and we are glad to talk you through either.
Chapter 03
What happens before and after the stone
Every PDQ project begins with an on-site meeting where we talk through your vision, needs and goals, and for masonry that meeting is also where we look at the wall, the yard or the room the stone will live in. The consultation and estimate are free. Then comes the design, the selections and a schedule, so you know what is being built, and from what, before anyone picks up a trowel.
When the last stone is set we do a final walk-through with you, and the work is backed by our satisfaction guarantee. Mike Pressgrove, who owns the company and was named NAHB National Remodeler of the Year for 2024, puts the standard simply: do a good job, do what you say you're going to do, and surround yourself with good people. Call (785) 235-1511 to book a visit in Topeka, Lawrence or Junction City.
Taylor Pressgrove leads PDQ's masonry crew of three, with more than ten years in the trade, and every job ends with a final walk-through.
Three pieces, laid and finished by the same hands
Living room hearth
Brick detail
Stone pillar
From a client of the masonry crew
“Mike, Marcus and Bobby took really good care of me. Really appreciate PDQ and their service.”