Crumbling mortar, loose or flaking brick, or a crack you keep watching? We fix what's failing and the reason it failed.
Brick repair in Antioch means fixing worn mortar joints and damaged bricks on your walls, chimneys, steps and planters so they keep water out and stay solid. Most of the time it comes down to new mortar, new brick, or some of both.
Repointing, which a lot of people call tuckpointing, means we cut the worn mortar out of the joints and pack in fresh mortar. It handles small cracks and loose, sandy joints well. When the face of a brick is flaking off, what masons call spalling, or a crack runs deep into the wall, new brick is usually the better long-term fix. The amount of damage decides whether you're paying for mortar or for brick.
Fresh mortar won't fix everything. A cracked cap on top of the wall, failed flashing where brick meets a roof, brick that's soaked through or a crack that's structural each needs its own repair outside routine repointing. A quote for repointing alone leaves those problems in the wall, so when you compare quotes, ask how each one will be handled.
The price moves with how much wall needs work, whether it's mortar alone or new brick too, how high we have to reach and whether a cap or flashing is part of it. The schedule turns on matching your brick, any permit the job needs and dry weather so the mortar can set. After I look at it, the written estimate spells out what we'll do and what we won't.
A few details on your wall change the mortar that goes in, how the old mortar comes out and where we look for water. Here's what I check before we start.
If your house has historic brick, the mortar matters as much as the work. Preservation guidance generally recommends against masonry cements on historic buildings, because that high-strength mortar can damage older brick. On a newer house this is mostly background. On an old one, ask any mason which mortar they plan to use before work starts.
On historic brick, cutting joints out with hand chisels takes more labor but carries the least risk of damage. Power saws on thin joints almost always chip the brick edges, and you can't undo that. If your brick is old, it's fair to ask how the old mortar will be removed.
A white bloom on brand-new brickwork is usually just the wall drying out. When that powder, called efflorescence, keeps showing up years later, it's likely a sign water is getting into the wall and staying there. So we look for where it's getting in before we touch the joints.
From the first call to the final walk-through, you deal with me. Here's how a brick repair goes with us, step by step.
Call (925) 503-1025 or fill out the form. Tell us whether it's a wall, a chimney or a planter, and send a few photos if you can. Most of the time it's me who gets back to you.
I come out and check the joints, the bricks, and the cap and flashing up top, then tell you what I see. After that I send a written estimate that says what we'll do and what we won't.
If you go ahead and the job needs a permit, we pull it and line up the inspections. I'm on site while our crew cuts out joints, sets new brick and closes off wherever water was getting in.
When we're done, we walk the wall with you so you can see each repaired spot. We clean up the mortar dust and broken brick, and I'll tell you what to watch for as the new mortar cures.
Some walls just need new mortar and some need new brick, and I'll point out which is which on your wall. I'd rather tell you the joints are the only problem than sell you a rebuild you don't need. I'd also rather fix why something failed than patch over it, so if water is getting in at a cap or flashing, we deal with that as part of the job.
Brick work often sits next to other masonry, and the same problems show up there. If a brick wall is leaning because it's holding back soil, new mortar won't stop it, and that's really a job for retaining wall construction, where the wall is built to drain. Brick borders and steps along a drive often tie into driveway pavers, so if your repair touches the drive, I'll look at both while I'm out.
Fixing only the worst joints costs less now, but new mortar can look different next to the old. Repointing a whole face costs more and looks even. If most joints are still hard, I'll usually suggest spot repair.
When bricks have to come out, we can find a close new match or use reclaimed brick of similar age. On an older wall, reclaimed brick usually blends in better, so that's where I'd start, even if it takes longer to find.
Send the form with where the damage is and a few photos, and you'll hear back within one business day, most of the time from me. I'll set a time to come out and look at your brick myself. The estimate is free and done on site, with no pressure to book.
(925) 503-1025In Antioch, building permits go through the city, and you can apply through the city's online permit portal. I don't assume a brick repair needs a permit or that it doesn't. Before work starts, we check with the city's Building Division, which answers questions about what a specific project has to submit at (925) 779-7065. If a permit is needed, we pull it and line up the inspections.
Antioch's code also requires site plan and design review for exterior remodeling of an existing building. Single-family homes in the RB, RR, RTR, R-4 and R-6 zoning districts are exempt. If your property sits in another district, exterior brick work could go through that review, so we sort that out with the city before we start.
On jobs around Antioch we mostly see brick planters, garden walls, steps and chimneys on homes, where the mortar has gone sandy or a cap has been letting water in for years. We do the same work in the cities around us, from Concord and Walnut Creek out to Brentwood and Rio Vista. If you're not sure we cover your address, call and ask.
I started out mixing mortar and hauling block for a small crew, long before anyone let me lay a brick, and I learned the trade from people who'd been at it for decades. I opened this business in Antioch in 2023, so we've been at it three years. I come out to look at every job myself, and I'm on site with our crew when the work gets done.
I'll tell you straight what your brick needs, even when the truth is a smaller job than you expected. We're licensed and insured. Satisfaction guaranteed on every job. If you'd like me to take a look, call (925) 503-1025 or send the form with a few photos of the damage.
If a garden wall or raised bed is bowing under the soil behind it, a new wall built with drainage holds where patched joints won't.
When the drive beside your brick steps or borders is cracked or sunken, pavers give you a surface that can be lifted and reset instead of torn out.
We're based in Antioch and repair brick in the cities around it, including the ones below. If you don't see yours, call and ask.
Brick repair across the US usually costs about $20 to $40 per square foot, based on national cost figures. Where your job lands depends on what I find, like whether it's mortar only or new brick, and whether a cap or flashing needs fixing. After I see it, you get a written estimate for your wall.
Brick and stone walls and chimneys normally need repointing every 20 to 30 years as general upkeep. That makes it routine maintenance you can plan for, not a one-time fix. If your mortar is much younger than that and already crumbling, something else is usually going on, often water getting in at a cap or flashing.
Usually, yes. The state contractor board requires a license even for work under $1,000 when the job needs any permit or uses hired workers. Most brick repairs take a crew, so a small job done by anyone with helpers generally falls under that rule.
Not always. Sealing only makes sense on some jobs, and how water gets into the wall and how it dries out should be checked first, because a coating can trap moisture inside the brick. If your wall is soaking up water, fixing where it gets in usually matters more than what goes on the surface.
Know where the damage is, whether it's a wall, a chimney or a planter, and snap a few photos when you call or fill out the form. If you can, move plants or stored things away from the base of the wall so I can see where the brick meets the ground.
Call (925) 503-1025 or send the form with a few photos, and I'll know what I'm looking at before I come out.
