Professionals Serendipity 
It’s no small wonder that Tamborine Mountain is becoming such a popular destination for new families to live amongst the beautiful nature and thriving community. But when you’re having your new house built, or maybe just getting through that long-overdue renovation on the family home, how can you really be sure your dream home will be brought to life? Especially that beautiful stone feature wall you’ve been wanting for years—how can you know it’ll live up to your vision? The answer: you call Joe Newman of Mountaintop Masonry. Joe has years of experience with crafting one of the world’s oldest building materials into stunning features and breathtaking design elements for any home. It’s a wealth of experience we’re lucky he’ll let us mine today.
by Kyle Hitchmough
What was your inspiration to start Mountaintop Masonry?
I had a business down the Coast called ‘Gold Coast Brick and Stone’. When I moved to the mountain, I realised the Gold Coast part was putting a lot of people off, so I thought I’d change to something more mountain-oriented to keep work here. I chose Mountaintop Masonry and I’ve been flat out ever since with lots of big stone jobs! Word of mouth is working already!
How did you get started as a stonemason?
In Wales in the UK, I did an apprenticeship in bricklaying, and then went to work for my dad for 10 years. He was a stonemason, so I did a lot of renovations of old barns. We didn’t just do the stonemasonry— we did the carpentry, roofing, plastering, rendering, flooring, the whole lot, because it’s such a small community. That’s where I got my stone experience. I moved to Australia when I was 24. I didn’t realise there would be so much work on the mountain, but it’s worked out perfectly!
For those who might not be familiar, what kinds of services do you offer?
I’ve done a lot of blockwork and brickwork, standard stuff for companies, but I much prefer doing feature work, like chimneys and fireplaces, things that look good and take a bit of craftsmanship. I also do tiling and paving but I’m trying to stick to stone mainly on the mountain because I enjoy it and it looks great. I get more job satisfaction out of it.
Is there a most popular kind of job you find you are in demand for?
I’ve done a few brick pillars around the mountain but once I got a few stonemasonry jobs, I’ve just stuck to the stone since I really enjoy it. It’s nice to create the main feature on a house! Lots of fireplaces, people do want a feature wall in the house with a stone fireplace but I’m open to doing anything that interests me masonry-wise, and I can pretty much turn my hand to anything. I like a new challenge!
Where do you source your resources from?
There’s lots of suppliers on the Gold Coast that supply stone. Eco Outdoor, Neo Rox, etcetera.
What goes into the average work day for you?
I set up my load of stones, look at the wall, and start putting them together, working out the angles. I tend to have a decent picture in my head of what I want to do. I’m dyslexic, so I think in a way that helps with picturing it in my head, since that means I’m more visual. I really enjoy it! There’s a lot of great people, I’ve got a good crew on the mountain, having gotten to know all the local tradies.
Have you noticed any particular trends in your clientele?
Great people so far, everyone’s been really friendly and nice. In terms of the types of people, it’s all different kinds. I’ve gotten to work in a lot of nice houses in really nice locations.
What’s your opinion on the Tamborine Mountain area and community?
I love it, it’s been great. Everyone’s been so welcoming and friendly, all the tradies have been great. I haven’t had one negative experience. Moving to the mountain is the best thing we’ve ever done.
What’s your favourite thing to do on the mountain?
With two kids under 3, we basically bunker down at home! We do try to get out, though, we go to some of the sights around the mountain. We go to Witches Falls Winery if we can, we’ve gone to the glow worm caves, and we’ve done a few of the trails with the kids. They get tired quick! Once they get older, we want to get out and explore more. Our main hobby is renovation and working on the house. I do a lot of work in the garden in my free time. I basically work at work and then work at home!
What do you think Mountaintop Masonry really provides to the area?
Making it look nice, adding a bit of character. Stone is one of the oldest building materials. It gives lots of houses that really old traditional look.
What do you enjoy most about doing this?
Being by myself, giving me time to think. It gives me a break from everything, it’s not too stressful. I don’t have to think about too much other than what I’m doing, and I listen to podcasts or audiobooks in my headphones all day while I work. I enjoy it! It’s relaxing, really.
What’s been your most memorable moment on the job so far?
I’ve done a job for the local vet. That one was really impressive. I had a great crew and the builder I was working for, Robert, was such a nice guy. He helped me out and gave me loads of contacts. That’s a job that stands out to me so far.
Is there anything else you’d like to go on the record?
Me and my wife also have an AirBnB we renovated called Maple Cottage. That has an Instagram. Check us out on there, we’d be happy to have you stay!
Mountaintop Masonry
TAMBORINE MOUNTAIN QLD 4272
We are always looking for new topics for our blog. If there’s something you like to see more of, send your suggestions to: social@professionalsserendipity.com.au, or email the writer at kyle.hitchmough@hotmail.com.
