How to start a masonry and hardscape business

Landscapers and concrete contractors often turn down walls and pavers. Tell them you exist.

Many states license contractors who build or repair masonry, often above a dollar amount, and some have a separate home improvement registration. Retaining walls over a set height can need a permit and an engineer's design in many towns. Our general contractor licensing guide shows how each state treats contractor work.

OSHA's silica standard for construction lets employers either follow the dust controls in Table 1 of the standard or measure their workers' exposure and choose their own controls. Either way, covered construction employers must keep a written exposure control plan and name a competent person to carry it out. Wet cutting and saws with vacuums are the usual answer for brick, block and pavers.

On chimney and wall work up high, OSHA says fall protection is required at six feet in construction.

The SBA lists the launch steps in this order: pick a location, choose a structure, choose a name, register, get federal and state tax ID numbers, apply for licenses and permits, open a business bank account, and get insurance. For a masonry and hardscape business working out of a truck, the location is usually your home address and the area you will serve.

• Structure. A sole proprietorship is the simplest. An LLC keeps the business separate on paper. Ask an accountant which fits your state and your plans.
• Tax ID. The IRS gives out an employer identification number (EIN) online, and says you never have to pay a fee for one. Websites that charge for an EIN are not the IRS.
• Self-employment tax. The IRS lists the self-employment tax rate as 15.3%: 12.4% for Social Security and 2.9% for Medicare. Income tax comes on top, so set money aside from every job.
• Bank account. Open it before the first payment lands, so every dollar in and out is easy to find at tax time.

Your name goes on the truck, the invoices, the Google profile and the yard signs, so pick it once. The free masonry and hardscape name generator gives 36 ideas for your town and style, each with a domain idea, and lists the checks to run before you commit: your state's business name search, a federal trademark search and the domain itself.

The SBA describes general liability insurance as cover for financial loss from bodily injury, property damage, medical expenses and defending lawsuits. It says businesses with employees are required to carry workers' compensation, unemployment and disability insurance, and some states ask for more.

Mason claims are falling bricks, a cracked foundation blamed on a wall, and damage from trucks and skid steers on lawns and driveways. Ask your agent about general liability with completed work, commercial auto, equipment cover for saws and compactors, and workers' compensation once you hire.

No total here on purpose. What you spend depends on what you already own, new or used, and how much work you plan to take on. Price your own list with a local supplier, then put the numbers in the startup cost table of the free business plan generator, which adds them up for you.

• Trowels, jointers, levels, string lines and a mortar mixer
• Masonry and paver saws with water or vacuum dust control
• Plate compactor, wheelbarrows and hand tampers
• Scaffold or a lift for walls and chimneys
• A truck and trailer for block, pavers and gravel

Repair work can start with hand tools and a saw. Hardscape needs a compactor and often a skid steer or mini excavator, which many masons rent by the day until the work is steady.

Price hardscape from the dig, base, material and crew days, then check the square foot number. Price repair by the square foot with a minimum. Our guide to pricing masonry work walks through a paver patio, and the free concrete block calculator and brick repointing cost calculator do the math. The labor rate calculator sets your hourly cost.

• The neighbors. A new patio gets looked at. Koira mails the homes nearby the morning after.
• Landscapers and concrete contractors. They get asked for walls and pavers they do not build.
• Chimney sweeps and home inspectors. They find the cracked crowns and bad joints.
• Your Google profile and site. Photos of finished patios and walls sell the next one. Koira builds the site.

Take a deposit at signing so the pallet order is covered, and bill the balance when the job is done with pay at the door. Offer pay over time on bigger patios. Ask for the review while the patio is new.

The first hire is usually a laborer who can mix, haul and clean up, so you lay more per day. Read how masons run on Koira.