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MAKING THE CUT — Mark Torrey is seen here on a job cutting bricks to be used in a home project. Torrey has returned to the area, bringing his masonry skills with him.
By Gloria Austin
Staff Writer
In 1980, Mark Torrey left Houlton and ventured to Alaska to live “his dream.” A few months ago, he returned to the Shiretown in hopes of fitting his trade into the area alongside other craftsmen in the same field.
“I got involved in masonry in Alaska,” he said.
In 1987, Torrey and his wife left Alaska because the bottom fell out of the economy much like today’s system, relocating to Portland.
“That’s where the work was,” Torrey said. “I tried for several years to get out of the Portland area. I wanted to either come back to Houlton or go back to Alaska. It took quite a bit of time, but eventually we worked our way back up to here.”
Torrey’s interest in masonry was peaked when he watched Ronnie Suitter do a job for his parents when he was a kid.
“It fascinated me and was something I thought I wanted to do,” Torrey explained.
Torrey followed his career path to Alaska to a newly opened trade school where he was among its first students. After completing his schooling, Torrey went into commercial masonry while in Alaska. When he settled in Portland, he furthered his trade with the residential side of masonry, as well.
“I pretty much do anything,” he said.
Mark Torrey He has designed and completed fireplaces, chimneys, walkways, some foundation work as well as masonry heaters.
“I have done concrete work, but I am getting too old for that,” smiled Torrey.
The masonry heater, according to Torrey, is either constructed of brick, block or stone and it is a device for heating a home.
“It burns extremely hot,” he said. “You fire it twice a day typically. What it does is heat up the masonry and after the fire goes out, it just pulsates heat for hours.”
These type of heaters are used as a homeowner’s primary heat source and even though they are expensive, it gets a homeowner away from fossil fuels.
“They are mostly geared toward new construction with the air tightness,” Torrey said. “But, I did put one in an 1850s farmhouse as a primary heat source. So, they work. They are not for everyone and I would recommend a back-up heat source of some sort.”
Though they are expensive to install, if you put in a traditional hot-water system, you have the cost of putting the furnace in and then each year a homeowner is at the mercy of fuel prices.
“These last for the rest of your life,” said Torrey. “And you are dependent only upon wood. Customers are happy, but again, it will be a niche market.”
Alongside his masonry, Torrey is also a licensed burner technician, as he worked for Dead River Company seasonally.
“It was a good fit for me masonry-wise,” Torrey explained. “I am going to try and incorporate both [masonry and heating] to make a living here.”
Realizing there are other masons in the area, Torrey respects their work.
“I know there are some talented masons in this town because I have seen their work,” he said. “There are so many things I can do in the masonry trade, I think there is probably a market for it. I’d like to think there is room for another guy. I will fit in wherever I can.”
Knowing it takes time to build a business, Torrey has been down that road before when he arrived in southern Maine.
“Initially, I couldn’t give my work away because no one knows you,” he explained. “And then it becomes word-of-mouth and it grows by itself.”
Understanding the “independent-spirit” of northern Maine people, Torrey recognizes he is dealing with a much smaller market than in Portland.
“People will try and do certain things for themselves and I understand that to save them money,” he said. “There are certain things in a trowel-trade that a customer can’t do for themselves.”
In the industry, customers are presented with a “going rate” depending on what the project consists of in material and labor.
Contributed photograph
HEAT — Mark Torrey built a masonry heater, which burns extremely hot and after the fire goes out, it just pulsates heat for hours, for a customer.
“What I have done, probably to my own detriment, I like homeowner input,” said Torrey. “Input from customers is probably the biggest thing I enjoy about the trade. I don’t try to push anything on anybody. I make recommendations and the homeowner will throw something back.”
Torrey basically works with brick, but will introduce cobblestone and granite to the area if customers want it.
“There are a lot of different brick in southern Maine that you don’t get here,” he said. “Probably due primarily to the demand, as there is a much greater demand and diversity in clientele.”
Torrey has been asked to work as far south as the Carolinas and he has even gone back to Alaska to take on a job and he has been as far north as Island Falls, all while he lived in Portland.
“I have been all over the place,” he said. “For whatever reason [people have flown him to job sites] which is kind of interesting.”
Torrey is leaving a good job market, as far as from “an affluent point of view,” he said. “But, the economy is hard down there, as well. It is that much harder up here and I do understand that. But, it was worth it to me to come back and try to make a go of it. I was ready.”
A 1978 Houlton High School graduate, Torrey is enjoying being back home.
“I love Houlton,” he said. “It has always been a magnet. Of course growing up here, I grew up in the outdoors and Portland is a rat race and I wanted to get away from that.”
When Torrey gets north of Bangor on Interstate-95, he said, “it’s a huge sigh of relief.”
As far as his jobs, Torrey wants to be known by his quality workmanship and for being reasonably priced.
“I was exposed to a lot of different aspects of the masonry trade,” he explained. “I worked for a lot of different people so you get different techniques and ideas that will benefit me and have benefited me.”
Torrey is looking forward to a slower pace of life.
“Houlton is kind of the center of the universe as far as I am concerned,” he said. “It’s a neat town. I like the character of Houlton, I really hope it doesn’t change. It hasn’t changed a lot since I was a kid. I drive the same roads and see the same people. It’s really nice.”
