Masonry Contractor in Fordham Heights, Bronx

What Masonry Problems Come With a Hillside in Fordham Heights?

Retaining walls and stair walls carry the biggest load. Fordham Heights slopes down toward the Harlem River, and the walls that hold back soil and support steps work against gravity and water every day. When they lean, crack or shed stones, they need repair soon.

The area has pre war apartment buildings and walk ups, plus a few older houses, near West Fordham Road, University Avenue and Sedgwick Avenue. Many sit on terraced lots with walls between levels.

• Retaining walls leaning outward
• Stones or bricks missing from stair walls
• Cracks that run through a wall
• Parapets loose at the roofline
• Lintels rusting above openings
• Bulging brick on tall downhill facades

Water is the usual cause. Soil behind a wall fills with rain, pushes outward and, without drainage, eventually moves the wall. The weep holes and gravel behind older walls often clog or never existed.

A leaning retaining wall is not a cosmetic problem, and it should not wait through another winter.

Walk the wall once a season and look at the top edge. A line that was straight and now bows, a coping stone that has slid, or a crack that follows the mortar joints all tell you the wall is moving. Take dated photos and send them with your request.

On tall downhill facades, bulging brick can fall into the yard or onto the walk below. If you see brick that sticks out from the wall plane, keep people away from that spot until we inspect it.