James Ryan Masonry

05/30/2026

Get yourself a Heat Kit Masonry Heater 🔥

HeatKit masonry heaters combine centuries-old heating tradition with beautiful masonry craftsmanship, delivering comfortable radiant warmth that lasts for hours.

Optional bake ovens and heated benches make each installation uniquely yours.

The Core of Masonry Heat
HeatKit.ca

05/28/2026

This poolside hardscape repair project presented many challenges, which is usually the case whenever you're dealing with somebody else's previous work. The ultimate goal was to level off the paving bricks, which had sunk badly, making the entire surface uneven and extremely dangerous to walk on. In the end, I ended up having to pull up, clean off, hammer down, and level off every single brick individually, plus I had to move and realign all of the garden blocks, which in itself, was quite labour intensive. Capped if all off with polymeric sand to lock it into place, and now it's as good as new.

05/27/2026

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HeatKit masonry heater core kits—Canadian-made, high-performance core systems engineered for clean combustion, lasting radiant heat, and timeless craftsmanship.

04/29/2026

Here I am receiving an award at the MHA Wildacres Retreat from President, Chris Springer, where I won 3rd place in the Design/Build Contest for Masonry Brick Ovens. Considering the competition, I definitely feel blessed and honoured. 🙏 Thank you, Jesus.

04/29/2026

Group photo of the Masonry Heater Association of North America "Class of 2026" located at Wildacres Retreat in Little Switzerland, North Carolina. I am extremely grateful for this talented group of masons, builders and artists from all over the world.

Thank you
.and.waves .asf .degiglio and so many other amazing people!! God Bless you all!

04/25/2026

Small repair on this old brick building. The bricks were deteriorated from water damage, and the brick ties were practically nonexistent. The couple of spikes I did find, were all rusted and rotted out. Funny enough, I recently picked up a book for $1 from the thrift store on restoring old homes (masonry), and that's where I found the idea of using rigid metal brackets to hold the bricks in place and support the load while working at the bottom of a wall. Nothing cracked or shifted during the demolition process, and the results turned out great. I was able to get the job done in just a few hours. 👍

04/18/2026

More pictures from last week at the annual Wildacres Retreat in North Carolina where a hundred MHA members all gathered together, built wood-fired brick ovens and masonry heaters all week long, then on the Friday night, partied like it was 1999. The energy of this place was like nowhere else on earth, and I feel truly blessed for the friendships that I have made these past couple of years. 🙏

04/17/2026

Last week, I had the distinct pleasure of once again attending the annual gathering at , where over 100 members learned how to build really cool brick ovens and extremely efficient masonry heaters. This one, in particular, was the heater I worked on for most of the week and is known simply as a Double Bell Heater. 🔔 🔔

Thank you Jim Schalles and Kelli Feather of for sharing your knowledge and expertise with us all.