Our Brick Facade Work Failed, Caused Water Intrusion: Masonry Insurance Claim
The Wall That Wept
My masonry company installed a beautiful brick facade on a custom home. A year later, after a rainy season, the homeowner called in a panic. Improperly installed flashing by my crew had allowed water to get behind the brickwork. The sheathing was rotten and there was a massive mold problem inside the walls. The damage was over $100,000. It was a nightmare. My “Completed Operations” liability insurance was what saved us. It paid for the entire remediation and repair, protecting my business from a catastrophic failure of my past work.
Building Walls, Building Protection: Insurance Essentials for Masons
More Than Mortar and Brick
A veteran mason once told my apprentice, “Your trowel and your level are important, but your insurance policy is the tool that keeps you in business.” He explained that while our hands build the walls, our insurance is what rebuilds them when something goes wrong. It’s the financial mortar that holds the company together after a major accident, a lawsuit, or a worksite injury. He said you can be the best mason in the world, but without a strong insurance policy, your business is built on a weak foundation.
Masonry Insurance Explained: CGL, Completed Ops, Workers Comp, Equipment
The Four Layers of Your Financial Wall
I explain our insurance policy to new hires like this: think of it as a strong wall with four essential layers. The footing is our Commercial General Liability (CGL), protecting us if we damage property. The structural block is our Completed Operations coverage, for when our work fails years later. The rebar giving it strength is our Workers’ Comp, for when a mason gets hurt. And the final capstone is our Inland Marine policy, protecting our expensive saws and mixers. Without all four layers, the wall isn’t sound.
Liability for Damage to Existing Structures During Masonry Work
The Chimney Repair That Damaged the Roof
My crew was on a roof, tuckpointing an old chimney. One of my guys accidentally dropped a heavy brick. It slid down the roof, cracking several slate tiles and smashing a skylight on its way down. The damage was over $7,000, and it had nothing to do with the chimney itself. Our General Liability policy covered the cost to repair the roof and the skylight. It was a perfect example of how easily our work can damage other parts of a client’s property.
Completed Operations: What if Your Retaining Wall Collapses Later?
The Wall That Didn’t Retain
My company built a large, engineered retaining wall for a client with a sloped yard. It looked perfect. Two years later, after a particularly wet spring, the wall failed and collapsed, sending a ton of mud and stone into the client’s swimming pool. The damage was immense. This is the classic “Completed Operations” claim. Our work failed long after we had left the job. Our liability policy was essential, paying for the massive cleanup and rebuild, and protecting us from a single, catastrophic failure.
Workers’ Comp for Masons: Lifting Injuries, Falls from Scaffolding, Silica Dust Exposure
The Block That Broke a Back
One of my strongest, most experienced masons was lifting a heavy concrete block in an awkward position. He felt a sharp pop in his lower back. It was a herniated disc that required surgery and put him out of work for four months. Our Workers’ Compensation policy was crucial. It paid 100% of his medical bills and provided him with weekly wage-replacement checks so he could still provide for his family. It’s non-negotiable insurance for a trade built on heavy lifting and physical labor.
Inland Marine Coverage for Your Mixers, Saws, Scaffolding, Tools
The Night Our Saw Went Missing
My crew left our new, $3,000 masonry wet saw and a portable mixer locked up at a job site overnight. In the morning, the locks were cut and both were gone. My general liability policy doesn’t cover my own property. My auto policy doesn’t cover tools. The only thing that saved me was my Inland Marine equipment policy. This coverage is specifically designed to protect a contractor’s tools from theft or damage, whether they’re on a job site, in a truck, or at the shop.
Commercial Auto for Transporting Heavy Materials and Crews
A Ton of Bricks, A Ton of Liability
One of my crew was driving our flatbed truck, loaded with two pallets of bricks. He had to stop short in traffic, and the car behind him couldn’t stop in time, rear-ending him. The accident wasn’t his fault, but it made me think. A personal auto policy would never cover a truck like ours, carrying thousands of pounds of material every day. We rely on our Commercial Auto policy, with its high liability limits, to protect us from the immense damage our heavy vehicles can cause.
Comparing Masonry Insurance Quotes: Tuckpointing vs. New Construction Risks
The Repairman and the Builder
I specialize in masonry repair and tuckpointing. My liability premium is about $4,000 a year. My friend, who is a commercial mason building structural block walls for warehouses, pays over $50,000 a year. The difference is the scale of risk. If my work fails, a few bricks might fall. If his wall fails, the entire building could collapse, causing millions in damage and potential loss of life. Insurance premiums are a direct reflection of the worst-case scenario.
Does Your Policy Cover Damage from Scaffolding Collapse?
The Scaffolding and the Smashed Sunroom
My crew was working on a brick facade three stories up. A section of our scaffolding, which was improperly erected, failed and collapsed. It fell onto the homeowner’s glass sunroom below, completely destroying it. The damage was over $40,000. Our General Liability policy covered the claim. It was a terrifying reminder of the immense potential for damage that our temporary work structures represent, and the critical importance of having insurance to back them up.
Filing a Claim When Your Masonry Work is Blamed for Leaks or Failures
The Leak That Wasn’t Our Fault
A homeowner called, convinced that the new stone veneer we installed on his house was causing a leak in his basement. I knew my crew’s work was watertight, so I was skeptical. I reported the potential claim to my insurer. They hired a waterproofing expert who investigated and discovered the leak was actually coming from a clogged, underground French drain, completely unrelated to our work. My insurer paid the expert’s fee, and his report proved our innocence and got us off the hook.
My Crew Dropped Bricks, Damaging Client’s Driveway: Insurance Claim
The Pallet and the Pavement
My crew was unloading a pallet of bricks from our truck. The pallet strap broke, and half a ton of bricks came crashing down onto the client’s new paver driveway, cracking several of the pavers. It was a simple, costly accident. I immediately called our insurance agent. Our General Liability policy is designed for exactly this kind of thing. It paid a hardscaping company to come in and replace the damaged section of the driveway, making the client whole again.
Meeting GC Insurance Requirements for Masonry Subcontractors
The Price of Admission to the Big Job
My masonry company won a big subcontract to do the block work for a new retail building. I was thrilled until I saw the General Contractor’s insurance requirements. I had to carry a $2 million liability limit, list the GC as an “additional insured,” and provide a waiver of subrogation. My current policy didn’t meet those standards. I had to call my agent and pay to upgrade my coverage. It’s the price of admission. To work on big commercial jobs, you have to have big commercial insurance.
Protecting Your Business from Structural Defect Lawsuits
When the Wall is the Problem
As a mason, you build the bones of a building. If a painter’s work fails, the paint peels. If your work fails, the building can collapse. The risk of being sued for a structural defect is the most serious threat to your business. Your “Completed Operations” coverage is the only shield strong enough to defend you. It’s the policy that pays for lawyers, engineers, and massive settlements when your work from years ago is blamed for a catastrophic structural failure today.
How Weather (Freezing Temps) Impacts Masonry Work and Insurance Risks
The Freeze That Ruined the Mortar
My crew rushed to finish a brick patio in late fall. The temperature dropped below freezing that night, before the new mortar had fully cured. The water in the mortar froze, expanded, and ruined the integrity of the joints. The following spring, the mortar was crumbling. This is a business risk. But if that crumbling mortar had led to a wall collapsing and injuring someone a year later, it would have become a massive liability claim, all stemming from not respecting the weather.
Coverage for Using Specialized Equipment (Lifts, Grout Pumps)
New Equipment, Higher Premium
My masonry business invested in a new grout pump and a hydraulic lift to take on bigger, multi-story jobs. The first call I made was to my insurance agent. He told me that adding this heavy, specialized equipment increased our risk profile. The potential for a serious accident or property damage was now higher. Our premium went up, but it was necessary. The policy has to accurately reflect the risks of the work you actually do and the equipment you actually use.
What if Your Work Stains Adjacent Surfaces (Mortar Smears)?
The Mortar and the Limestone
We were tuckpointing a historic brick building with beautiful, ornate limestone window sills. Despite our best efforts, some wet mortar smeared on the porous limestone. We tried to clean it, but it left a permanent stain. The building owner was furious. The cost to have a stone restoration specialist come in and professionally clean the sills was over $4,000. Our General Liability policy covered the cost under property damage, saving us from an expensive aesthetic mistake.
Insuring Stone Setting, Tile Work, or Concrete Aspects of Masonry
The $10,000 Marble Slab
My company, which mostly does block work, took on a job installing massive, single-slab marble panels in a luxury hotel lobby. Each panel was worth $10,000. My agent warned me that my standard policy might not be enough. If we dropped and broke one of those panels, the claim would be huge. We had to add a special rider called an “installation floater” to cover the value of the high-cost materials while we were working with them.
Protecting Materials Stored On-Site from Theft or Weather Damage
The Bricks That Vanished
We had several pallets of expensive, custom-blended bricks delivered to a job site on a Friday for a Monday start. We came in Monday morning to find two of the pallets completely gone. Someone had come over the weekend with a forklift and stolen them. Our liability policy doesn’t cover theft of our materials. What we needed was a Builder’s Risk policy or an Inland Marine policy, which can cover your materials and equipment from theft or damage before they are installed.
Masonry Insurance: Solid Protection for Your Contracting Business
The Mortar That Holds It All Together
As a mason, you know that mortar is the humble but essential ingredient that gives a wall its strength. It binds individual bricks into a solid, unified structure. Your insurance program is the financial mortar for your business. It’s what binds together your crew, your equipment, and your work, giving your company the strength to withstand the immense pressures of accidents, injuries, and lawsuits. Without that strong, protective mortar, your business is just a loose pile of bricks.
Understanding Exclusions Related to Subsidence or Earth Movement
The Crack That Wasn’t Our Fault
A client called, angry that the brick staircase we built a year ago now had a large crack in it. He blamed our work. We filed a potential claim with our insurer. They sent an engineer, who determined that the crack was caused by “subsidence”—the ground underneath the staircase had settled and sunk. Our General Liability policy, like most, has a standard exclusion for damage caused by earth movement. The report proved the failure wasn’t our fault, but it was a lesson that we’re not covered for everything.
Deductibles for Property Damage or Completed Operations Claims
Paying the First $1,000
My crew was building a block wall and accidentally backed our truck into the client’s fence, causing $3,000 in damage. I filed a claim with our General Liability insurer. A week later, I got a check for $2,000. I was confused, so I called my agent. He reminded me that our policy has a $1,000 deductible per claim. This means we are responsible for paying the first $1,000 of any claim out of our own pocket. It’s the amount of risk we agree to assume ourselves.
Liability for Silica Dust Exposure to Workers or Third Parties? (Pollution Concern?)
The Dust Cloud and the Angry Neighbor
We were doing a large job cutting concrete blocks, which created a huge cloud of silica dust. The dust drifted over to the neighboring property, coating their cars and patio furniture. The neighbor threatened to sue us for the cleanup costs and for potential health hazards. My General Liability policy had a broad “pollution exclusion,” and the insurer was hesitant to cover it. It was a wake-up call that we needed a specific, limited pollution liability policy to cover the risks from the dust our work creates.
What if Improper Mortar Mix Leads to Failure Down the Road?
The Wrong Recipe for Mortar, The Right Recipe for a Lawsuit
On a hot, busy day, my crew mixed some mortar with too much water to make it easier to work with. A year later, that same wall was failing. The weakened mortar was crumbling and the bricks were becoming loose. This is a classic “Completed Operations” claim. Our faulty workmanship (the improper mix) led to property damage (the failing wall) long after we left the job. Our liability insurance is designed to protect us from exactly these kinds of long-tail claims.
Masonry Insurance: Cementing Your Business’s Future
Your Financial Foundation
As a mason, you know that everything depends on a solid foundation. You can’t build a strong wall on soft ground. Your insurance program is the financial foundation of your business. It’s the solid, dependable base that supports everything you build. It provides the strength to handle the weight of a catastrophic lawsuit and the stability to endure the shock of a serious accident. With a solid insurance foundation, you can confidently build your business for the future.