ABOUT CYCLOPS MASONRY
ABOUT CYCLOPS MASONRY
We are artisans who work with brick and stone. Like the Cyclops of ancient Greek lore who were said to have created the impossible stone monuments (some that still stand today), we create breathtaking work with superior longevity, use due to using no heavy equipment, we have minimal site impact.
With our collapsible hoist, (fittingly named "The Cyclops"), we can set half-ton stones with precision, leaving scarcely a footprint behind.
BILL PARSONS
BILL PARSONS
Bill Parsons has been a Seattle mason for decades. Bill began in brick at 23, in Philadelphia, as a college student. He moonlighted in chimney repair while attending the University of Illinois, Urbana. Bill continued in chimney repair while attending graduate school in Missoula, Montana. He discovered stonework during a break taken on Orcas Island when a stonemason acquaintance needed his brick skills on a large job. Enchanted by Orcas, and by stonework, Bill stayed on. Eventually, he decamped to Seattle. While earning a Seattle name in chimneys during the '90s, Bill branched into other masonry mainly adapting, as a bricklayer, to stone -- poetry compared to prose, he will tell you.
BASILIOS NIMS
BASILIOS NIMS
Basilios Nims has dreamed of this trade ever since he was a little boy. Admiring construction sites and the Parthenon in Greece, he was overwhelmed by the beauty and permanences of this structure standing over 2000 years old.
Inspired by this ancient temple Basilios decided he wanted to create art in the form of construction that would be marveled at for generations to come. When Basilios was on a construction site at the age of 17 and met master mason, Bill Parsons, he built up the courage and asked if he could apprentice under him. At first, Bill was hesitant because of his youth but after learning that Basilios had been attending college since the age of 15, he decided the boy had potential. Since then, Basilios continues down the path of artisanal masonry apprenticing under Bill Parsons as well as one on one with world-renowned mason, Richard Rhodes, and professional bricklayer, Simon Wehrmeyer. Some might call it destiny, that for years after Basilios devoted himself to the trade, he learned that his heritage comes from a bloodline of Greek masons. Influenced by his pride, Basilios plans to raise the standards of today's masonry to that of the past.
What is Masonry?
What is Masonry?
Masonry is a building process where units – typically bricks, blocks, or stone – are laid on top of each other and joined by a bonding compound called mortar. When done well, utilizing quality materials, masonry provides a strong and durable structure. When used as a structural element, units are used whole. When masonry is used as an aesthetic design element, a thinner, front face of the unit is used. This is called a veneer.
