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Noted author, artist, lecturer, and legal advisor Louis Nizer once said, “A man who works with his hands is a laborer; a man who works with his hands and his brain is a craftsman; but a man who works with his hands and his brain and his heart is an artist.” Owner and Operator Jonathan Madle of Home & Hearth Masonry is the latter.
For over 18 years, award-winning Madle has specialized in all types of masonry work, including design, rebuilding, and re-engineering. “Our focus is on detail, use of top quality materials, and dedication to match existing work. This makes us one of the top masonry companies in the Greater Philadelphia region,” Madle says. His projects include masonry and walls; chimneys and fireplaces; interior masonry; walkways and patios; stucco and prefab; mortar matching and historic integrity; and condition reports and consultations. Along with being an artisan mason, he is a Certified Chimney Sweep by the Chimney Safety Institute of
America (CSIA). Madle can perform expert chimney cleaning as well as evaluations. “My main commitment is to offer quality services based on customer’s specific needs, while maintaining and enhancing standard workmanship practices.”
Madle also is proficient with a new and upcoming wood burning appliance called a masonry heater. According to the Masonry Heater Association of North America, a masonry heater allows you to heat your home with wood in a unique way. The energy efficient heater has the ability to store a large amount of heat. This means you can rapidly burn a large charge of wood without overheating your home. The heat is stored in a masonry thermal mass, and then slowly radiates into your home for the next 18 to 24 hours. “We received an award for our masonry heater and bake oven design from the Masonry Heater Association of North America,” Madle adds.
“We design, build, maintain, and restore existing stoves. Many people in the area have smokehouses with old ovens. There are walk-in fireplaces with beehive ovens attached to them. We keep the historic integrity to what the fireplaces and ovens had over 200 years ago. I know the science and art of masonry. The masonry heater work is such a specialty and on an artisan level. Although my client base is Upper Bucks County, I will travel for more specialty work.”
Last year, Jonathan Madle was a key exhibitor at the Tile Festival held at the Moravian Pottery & Tile Works in Doylestown. Madle has taken several classes at the historic site. “I am very familiar with the Mercer tiles—how they are made, the processes, the history. I made a special bake oven that I brought to the festival, which was raffled off. I plan on attending next May,” Madle explains.
Madle is working on an outdoor bake oven, which he anticipates to be completed in the spring. This Pennsylvania Dutch style bake oven will have a historic look and a heritage tile pattern that is going to tie into the local history of Bucks County. Part of the oven’s design will include hex symbols and Dutch sayings.
Over the years, Home & Hearth Masonry has done several noteworthy projects. For example, there was the restoration of a 200-plus-year-old walk-in fireplace. Madle opened up the stone and restored the structure using a historical technique that was originally used over 200 years ago. For another homeowner, Madle created a masonry heater with a bake oven. A unique aspect to this project was a concrete tile heated bench. When the fire is started in the firebox, the flue gas travels below the bench offering a gentle warmth throughout the bench. The two-foot by two-foot bench is adjacent to the fireplace. Last but not least, Madle installed a masonry stove/bake oven combination in a kitchen last winter in a farmhouse over 200 years old. “The level of craftsmanship for this project was amazing—not just in the masonry, but the blacksmith work for the door openings.” The clients were genealogists from Switzerland who wanted the design to have elements that would remind them of them ancestry. “They wanted a small fireplace below and a large bake oven directly above it. It heats their home and they can cook in it. Technology has advanced where we can increase the energy efficiency up to 80 percent. The masonry stove/bake oven combo heats their entire 2,500-square-foot home,” Madle points out.
To find out more about the artisan design of mason Jonathan Madle, you can visit him on Facebook, Instagram, or www.homeandhearthmasonry.com. If you prefer, you can call Home & Hearth Masonry at 610-844-2838.
Mary Beth Schwartz is a freelance writer who frequently contributes to regional publications.