Crumbling or cracked mortar joints on an older brick home, renewed with the right mortar so the original brick stays in place.
Masonry restoration in Appleton, WI usually centers on repointing, where we rake the worn mortar out of the joints in your brick or stone walls and pack in new mortar, so the joints are sound again and the original brick stays where it is.
Most calls start with something you can see from the yard or the porch, such as mortar that crumbles under a fingernail, joints that have worn back behind the brick face, or a crack that steps up through the joints. On an older house, that usually means the mortar has done its job and needs renewing while the brick around it still has plenty of life.
The price moves with how much wall needs new joints, how deep the old mortar has to come out, how high we have to work, and how many bricks are cracked past saving. The schedule turns on the weather and on whether the job needs a permit, which we check before we start. My written estimate lays out what we'd do on your walls and why.
We're based in Appleton and do this work across the cities around it, including Grand Chute, Neenah, Menasha, Kaukauna and Oshkosh, along with many others nearby. Whatever the city, the question I start with is the same, which is what your particular walls need and what they don't.
Before I recommend anything, I want to know why the joints failed and how much of the wall really needs work. These are the things I check when I walk a house with you.
Mortar wears out with age, but a section far worse than the rest usually has water getting to it, from a gutter that overflows, a downspout emptying against the wall or soil sloping toward the house. If we repoint without fixing the cause, the new joints wear out early, so I point it out on the estimate.
Joints rarely fail evenly. The side that takes the weather or sits under a roof valley often needs full repointing while another side only needs a few repairs, so I mark which areas need work now and which can wait, instead of pricing every wall the same.
New mortar should look like it belongs, so I look at the color of the old joints, the sand in them and the shape the original masons tooled into each joint. Matching those keeps a repaired wall from looking patched, which matters most on the front of an older home.
From the first call to the last walk-through, you'll deal with me and our crew. Here's how a restoration job usually runs, one step at a time.
Call (920) 454-9038 or use the form, and tell us what you've noticed on your walls. We'll get back to you to set a time for me to come out and look.
I walk the house with you, point out the joints and bricks that need attention, and look for what's causing the damage. Then I write up an estimate that explains what we'd do and why.
If you'd like to go ahead, we check with the local office and take care of any permit the job needs. Our crew does the work, and I check it as it goes.
Before we leave, I go over the finished walls with you so you can see the new joints up close and ask anything you like. We clean up the work area as part of the job.
Restoring an older home, to my mind, means keeping as much of the original brick as we can and renewing the joints around it. Old brick has a color and wear you can't buy new, so we replace only the units that are cracked through or flaking badly, and we look for close-matching brick when we do.
We clean gently and don't blast the surface, because blasting strips the hard outer face off old brick and leaves it to soak up water. Any cleaning that uses water gets planned for a stretch with no frost in the forecast, since water left in the wall can freeze and damage the very brick we're working to save.
Some restoration jobs lead to new work. If the firebox inside is past saving, we also handle fireplace installation, and where an addition or a plain foundation wall needs a new face, stone veneer installation can be chosen to sit well beside the old masonry. I'll tell you plainly when a repair will do and when new work makes sense.
If one side is failing and the rest is holding, we can repoint that side now and leave the others for later. It keeps the cost down, and it's usually what I'd suggest.
Doing a full wall in one go gives joints that match from end to end, which is worth it on the front of the house. It costs more now but avoids a patchwork look.
We reply within one business day to set a time for me to come out and look at your walls. The estimate is free and done at your home, with no obligation, and I write down exactly what we'd do and why.
(920) 454-9038In Appleton, building permits go through the City of Appleton Inspection Division. Whether repointing your house needs one is the city's call, so we ask the office before work starts, and when a job does need a permit, we pull it ourselves and keep the paperwork in order.
Wisconsin also ties permits to the contractor. Under the state's code, no one can get a building permit for a one- or two-family home without meeting its requirements, apart from the exceptions it lists, and the state's Department of Safety and Professional Services offers Dwelling Contractor certification to the owner, partner or chief executive of a business that pulls those permits. When you compare crews, it's fair to ask who holds that certification.
Around Appleton and in cities such as Neenah and Kaukauna, many of our restoration calls come from owners of older brick homes and chimneys whose joints have worn back while the brick still looks sound. The work is the same wherever the house is.
I spent my first working years at a desk, and I left to build things that would still be standing long after I'd finished. I learned masonry under experienced masons around Appleton and started this business in 2013. Careful mortar work on older brick and stone homes is what we're best known for.
I come out to look at your house 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, and we stand behind the work with satisfaction guaranteed.
If your walls need less than you feared, I'll say so, because I'd rather do a smaller job well than sell more than the house needs. Thank you for considering us. To have me look at your walls, call (920) 454-9038 or send us a message.
When a restoration reaches the chimney and the firebox inside is cracked or worn past repair, a new fireplace can be built to suit the room and the house.
If you're adding on to an older house or refacing a plain foundation, stone veneer gives the new wall a face that sits comfortably beside the original masonry.
We're based in Appleton and restore older masonry in the cities around it. Find your city below. If it isn't listed, please call anyway, because we work in many others nearby.
Your walls are due when the mortar has worn back more than a quarter inch from the brick face, is crumbling, or has hairline cracks or gaps, according to one masonry trade group's guide. The same guide adds brick that's cracked along with the joints. You can walk the house and look for each of these before you call.
Mortar lasts roughly 25 to 50 years, while brick lasts about 100 years or more, according to the same trade group. That gap means an older brick home usually needs its joints redone, sometimes more than once, while the original brick is still sound.
The new mortar should be weaker than the brick, because mortar that's harder than the brick makes the brick faces spall, or flake off. Preservation guidance says lime mortar, which is soft, porous and shifts little as temperatures change, is a good choice for historic buildings. I'll tell you which mortar I'd use on your walls and why.
Someone with real repointing experience, not just general masonry skill. Long-standing advice from the brick industry says tuck pointing should be done only by a qualified, experienced tuck pointer, and it notes that an excellent mason or bricklayer may not be a good tuck pointer. When you compare crews, ask how much of their work is mortar work on older walls.
You can check it on the state's public LicensE lookup, which the Department of Safety and Professional Services runs. Anyone can use it to see the status of a person's credential, so it's worth a few minutes before you sign a contract with any crew.
Your cost depends mostly on how much wall needs repointing and how hard it is to reach. Upper walls and chimneys need scaffolding, and matching an unusual old mortar color or replacing many cracked bricks adds time. I price your walls after seeing them in person, and the estimate explains each part.
Mostly clear the way. Moving patio furniture, grills and planters a few feet from the walls, and trimming plants that lean on the brick, gives the crew room to work and keeps dust off your things. Keep nearby windows closed, and let us know where we can park and set up.
Call (920) 454-9038 or use the form, and if you can, include a few photos of the worn or cracked joints and the year your house was built, so I arrive with a good idea of the mortar it likely needs.
