H. Dzwil Masonry LLC — Local services in Philadelphia

Henry worked in my house for a total of four months+ during which he completed three large scale projects. The first project was twofold. First ,he repointed my over 100 yr old garage and reinforced the walls and steep roof structures. Second, he graded my back yard behind the garage, installed a water diversion system and leveled the ground to accommodate a large planting area, which he built using massive granite pieces. He also installed access steps made of the same material and a walkway to the flower bed area. He installed an outdoor faucet to tend the garden and lights to illuminate both the walkway as well as the planting bed, the garage structure and a beautiful large tree. Henry was professional and an artist in his craft. He dug deep below the garage structure to add the water diversion pipes and brought them to the front of the garage. He installed a metal beam to support the back wall of the garage and made a large pebble channel all around the garage above the pipes to further promote the diversion of water away from the garage walls. He rebuilt an existing retaining wall and added blue stone top to match the patio in my other back yard. He also built a custom fire pit in my existing patio. Inside the garage, he added wood beams to the steep roof and repointed everything using top quality materials. When we first met, I gave him a list of what I wanted and allowed him to come up with ideas in terms of materials and style. We ended up unable to use the material I had originally selected but I loved what he used and it looks and functions perfectly well. Henry worked with me until we reached a price I was comfortable with. The quality of his work is unparalleled plus he loves what he does. As opposed to other masonry contractors, Henry does the bulk of the work himself. I was so pleased with his first job, I contracted him when my sewer pipe broke. Henry dug the entire basement floor and the outside yard all the way to the street. He brought in a plumber to change the broken sewer pipe. Henry was creative in finding ways to bring in the large amounts of stone and cement required to lay a 4" cement floor. He met radon standards and secured the necessary permits. While he was completing this job, I was working with a construction contractor remodeling the inside of the home. Henry worked exceedingly well with the other contractor and was instrumental in determining the best way to proceed while minimizing the stopping time of the indoor remodel. Again, being so happy with Henry and his work, I contracted with him to redesign and build a completely new entrance to my house. This project was very large and required great design. Here, once more, Henry proved to be an artist. His design achieved exactly what I was looking for and it took two months to complete. His crew is wonderful and the level of detail, aesthetics, function and curb appeal is amazing. He even added a column to the access steps area of the flower bed behind the garage so as to tie it in with the front entrance of the house. While he was completing this project other issues requiring masonry came up pertaining the remodeling of the house. Henry stepped in and solved this issues being accommodating and considerate of time sensitivity. In the four + months Henry worked in my home I grew to know him as a person. He is kind and I love the way he treats his workers. I miss him. I wholeheartedly recommend Henry for your masonry needs. He will be my mason for anything else I may need in the future. I am not technically adroit but will try to post some before and...

I recently had the opportunity to work with Henry Dzwill of Henry Dzwill Masonry to repair and restore the front porch of my 100+ year-old home — and I can honestly say, this was one of the best contractor experiences I’ve had.

One of the original porch columns had started pulling away from the house due to a previous sewer line replacement that disrupted the foundation beneath it. This was not a cosmetic fix — it required someone with deep knowledge, old-school skill, and a whole lot of care. From the moment I contacted Henry, he was incredibly responsive and professional, answering calls and questions quickly, clearly, and with real concern for doing the job right.

When he showed up, I could immediately tell that he loves his craft. Henry is a true artisan — you can feel the pride he takes in his work. His attention to detail, his ability to assess complex structural issues, and his deep understanding of historic homes gave me so much peace of mind.

As the project unfolded, we uncovered an unexpected issue: layers of old concrete and rebar beneath the porch, and false brick walls with no real foundation. Henry took it all in stride. He calmly and confidently developed solutions that preserved the integrity of the home while enhancing its strength. He replaced the original wooden porch pillars with beautifully-crafted fiberglass ones that look timeless and solid. And with incredible skill, he restored the original wrought iron railings to mint condition — they’re now one of the standout features of my home.

But it didn’t stop there. While working on the porch, Henry also took care of the stone basement stairwell wall of the house, which had deteriorated over time. He repointed it with precision and care, matching the original style while ensuring its durability. Now it looks clean, solid, and beautifully restored — a perfect reflection of his workmanship.

From beginning to end, Henry brought unmatched skill, professionalism, and heart to this project. He showed up, stayed in communication, solved every challenge with grace, and made my home safer and more beautiful than I imagined.

If you're looking for someone who will treat your home like their own — someone who’s responsive, detailed, skilled, and genuinely passionate — Henry Dzwill is the mason you want. He didn’t just restore my porch — he restored my confidence in quality craftsmanship.

I would definitely call him back for any future...

During the Spring and Summer Henry and his crew did a major renovation of my back yard, which also contains a 90-year old garage that had more than a few critical structural and masonry issues. He and his crew were highly respectful, knowledgeable, and professional every day they were here, and Henry's attention to detail is immaculate. He gave us many great and creative ideas when we were kind of stuck on a few scenarios, and clearly knows what the client wants and needs. He also knows his stuff on the proper, oldschool ways of restoring old stone and brick houses. I know a guy who loves his job when I see one!

As it was a long project with a lot of unforeseen (but still expected) issues with the old property, some errors and unforeseen issues came up, but he was highly cordial about fixing and coming up with remedies as problems appeared and was very respectful of budgetary restrictions.

Some of the work he engaged in over several months were: Clearing a heavily overgrown yard of all weeds and spoils using both heavy machinery and manual labor. Straightening and Reinforcing (with star bolts) the sagging back wall of the garage. Creating necessary drainage around the garage (which is purposefully sunk halfway into the incline of a hill) with a beautiful riverstone drainage pit and a proper drainage line. Created a new natural stone walkway around the yard using our creative vision, and a few twists of his own Replaced a 80+ year old sunken concrete patio from scratch. Rebuilt a long-gone stone retaining wall around a garden bed Built a new natural stone retaining wall in back of back yard Rebuilt natural stone retaining walls for cellar stairs Added stone accents and custom cut a rounded step stone into the back entrance. Repaired numerous brick defects and sags in the back wall of the house and the side of the garage, including a steel beam above a window in the latter. Cleaned and pointed his work. Even the old brick looked new. Added flashing and weatherproofing to top of garage. Carefully removed and relocated two small trees.

I will most certainly be using him for my brick and stone projects...