Crumbling or cracked mortar between your bricks? We find what's causing it and repoint the joints with mortar that's right for your wall.
Brick repair in Appleton, WI usually means repointing, where our crew takes out the worn mortar between your bricks and fills the joints with new mortar so they can go back to holding the wall together and keeping the weather out.
Most calls start the same way. You've noticed mortar that looks worn or cracked, maybe on a chimney or along the side of the house that takes the most weather, and you want to know whether it's serious. I'll look at it with you and tell you plainly what I see, because I'd rather do a smaller job well than sell you more than your house needs.
The price mostly comes down to how much of the wall needs new joints, how deep the old mortar has worn, and how high and hard to reach the work is. The schedule depends on the size of the job and on whether it needs a permit, which we check before starting. The estimate I write after seeing your wall sets out what we'd do and why.
A few things wear the joints in any brick wall, and the way the old mortar comes out matters almost as much as what goes back in.
Mortar joints take the brunt of the weather. Rain carries acids that slowly eat at them, water in the joints freezes and thaws, the house settles a little over the years, and dirt builds up in the gaps. None of that means the wall was built badly, and it's why joints wear out even on a well-built house.
On a small patch, a hammer and chisel take the old mortar out one joint at a time. On a large wall, a grinder or power saw is much faster, but it can chip the edges of the bricks beside the joint. Before we start, I'll tell you which we'd use on your wall and why.
Between checkups, it helps to note where cracks show up outside and roughly how many there are, then compare that with any damp spots or leaks inside. If you've seen water indoors near a cracked wall, please mention it when you call, because that's the first thing I'll want to look at.
Here's how a brick repair job goes with us, from your first call or message to the walk-through at the end, so you know what comes next at each stage.
Call (920) 454-9038 or send a message through the form, and we'll reply to set a time for me to come and look at your wall. Thank you for reaching out to us.
I look at the joints with you, check where the cracks sit and whether water is getting inside, and ask about your home's age. Then I write up an estimate that explains what we'd do and why.
If you'd like to go ahead, we take care of any permit the job needs. Our crew then removes the worn mortar and fills the joints with the mortar we chose for your wall.
Before we leave, I go over the finished joints with you and make sure the work area is cleaned up. I'll also point out anything worth keeping an eye on in the years ahead.
Not every crack needs work right away, so before I recommend anything I look at where the cracks are on your wall and whether water is getting inside. If the joints can wait, I'll tell you so and suggest what to watch for. If they can't, I'll show you the joints I'd redo and explain why each one made the list.
When the joints do need it, we ask about your home's age and use that to choose a mortar that fits the wall. The new joints have to work with the brick and the old mortar around them, not against them, and getting that choice right matters more to how the wall ages than anything else we do on the job.
Brick repair is one part of what we do. We also lay driveway pavers and handle retaining wall construction, so if either of those is on your list too, please mention it when I come out and I'll take a look while I'm there.
For most homes, the age of the house gives a strong indication of what the original mortar contains. That's usually enough for us to choose a new mortar that fits, without the added cost of testing.
A lab can analyze a sample of the original mortar and show its mix. It adds cost, so it's typically suited to historic buildings where the repair has to closely match what's already there.
We reply to every call and message within one business day to set a time for me to visit. The estimate is free, done at your home, and comes with no obligation. I'll walk the wall with you and write down what we'd do and why.
(920) 454-9038In Appleton, building permits come from the city's Inspection Division, which takes calls at (920) 832-6411, and its permit form asks for the State DC number of the contractor or the owner. Whether your repointing job needs a permit is the division's call, so we check with them before work starts, and when one is needed we pull it ourselves and keep the paperwork in order.
That DC number is the dwelling contractor credential the state certifies for contracting businesses that pull building permits on one- and two-family homes. Anyone can check a contractor's credential with the state through its public lookup, and it's a sensible thing to do before you hire someone to work on your house.
We're based in Appleton and work in the cities around it, including Grand Chute and Neenah, along with many others nearby. A good share of the calls we get are about older brick homes and chimneys where the joints have started to crumble, and we approach the work the same careful way wherever the house sits.
I started this business in 2013 after learning masonry under experienced masons around Appleton, and careful mortar work on older brick and stone homes is still what we're best known for. I come out to look at your wall myself and write the estimate. Our crew of experienced masons does the work, and I check it as it goes.
We're licensed and fully insured. A fine bricklayer isn't always a good repointer, so whoever you hire, it's fair to ask to see repointing they've done before, or to have them place a small sample on a hidden part of your wall. I'm glad to answer those questions about our own work when I come out.
Every job we take on comes with our promise, satisfaction guaranteed. If you've noticed crumbling or cracked joints, please call (920) 454-9038 or send us a message through our form, and we'll set a time for me to come out and look at the wall with you. Thank you for considering us.
If your driveway has cracked, heaved or worn thin, a paver driveway gives you a surface where single pieces can be lifted and reset instead of replacing the whole thing.
When a slope in your yard is washing out or crowding a walk or patio, a retaining wall holds the soil back and keeps it in place.
Our crew repoints brick and mortar joints in Appleton and the cities around it. The cities below each have their own page, and we work in many other cities nearby too.
Look for mortar worn back more than about a quarter inch from the brick face, joints that crumble when touched, hairline cracks in the mortar, or cracks between the brick and the mortar. You can usually spot these on a walk around the house. If you see them, I'm glad to come out and take a closer look.
Not every crack needs repair right away, because brick veneer and cavity walls, which have a space behind the outer brick, can handle some moisture from minor cracks. Repair is usually worth doing when cracks outside line up with water leaking inside and other causes of the leak have been ruled out.
New mortar needs to be as strong as the original or weaker, because a stronger mortar can make the face of the brick flake away, and that damage may be beyond repair. Before you hire anyone to repoint your walls, it's worth asking how they choose the new mortar.
Mortar joints typically last more than 25 years, depending on how exposed the wall is and the mortar used, while the brick itself can last well over 100 years. That means you can plan on redoing the joints long before the brick wears out, which is how a brick wall is meant to age.
There's no set price, because repointing cost follows the size and condition of the wall, so I give you a written estimate after seeing it. A small patch worked by hand near the ground costs far less than a whole two-story wall that needs scaffolding, and a lab test of the old mortar adds to the total.
The time on site depends mostly on how much of the wall needs new joints and which removal method suits your brick, so it varies from job to job. If the city says a permit is needed, we pull it before the crew starts. We'll talk through the timing for your wall when I come out.
Have the age of your house and a few photos of the cracked or crumbling joints ready when you call or send a message. When I come out, it helps if the walls in question are easy to reach, so I can look closely at the joints with you.
We take calls seven days a week from 6 AM to 11 PM at (920) 454-9038, or you can send the form whenever it suits you.
