Gravesend Masonry Contractor
Masonry in Gravesend, Brooklyn
Brick, block and stone repair and rebuilding for Gravesend houses and apartment buildings, from lintels and chimneys to yard walls and retaining walls.
- Walls, lintels and chimneys repaired
- Rebuilding where repair will not hold
- Written price after a free visit
What Masonry Problems Do Gravesend Buildings Have?
Water, rusting steel lintels, aging chimneys, settling yard walls and failed parapets or copings on apartment buildings. The neighborhood has plenty of brick, and brick construction always brings a maintenance schedule of repairs that come due as the buildings age.
Gravesend is a south Brooklyn neighborhood of attached and semi detached two family brick houses, detached homes and apartment buildings. Many of those buildings have steel lintels above the windows and doors, brick chimneys and low masonry walls around the yards.
Steel that rusts inside masonry swells and pushes the brick apart. A stepped crack over a window is the classic sign, and it should be checked before the brick loosens.
- Stepped cracks over windows and doors
- Loose brick at chimney tops
- Leaning or cracked yard walls
- Failed coping on low walls
- Bulging brick on a wall face
- Spalling block on garage walls
Apartment buildings along Kings Highway and McDonald Avenue add parapets, entrance canopies and stair walls to the list.
Cracks Over a Window or a Leaning Wall?
Send a photo and the address. We will visit and tell you what it needs.
How We Fix It
How Do We Decide Between Repair and Rebuild?
Movement decides it. A wall that is plumb and stable with local damage is repaired. A wall that leans, bulges, has a failed lintel or shows cracks that keep growing is rebuilt. Patching a wall that is still moving wastes money.
A bulging brick face means the outer layer has separated from what is behind it. Repointing cannot fix that, so the section is taken down and laid again with proper ties.
Yard walls fail from below. If the base settles or water gets behind the wall, it moves as one piece. We rebuild the footing, add drainage behind the wall and lay it back plumb.
For chimneys, we take down loose sections and rebuild them, then check the crown and flashing. A chimney that is no longer used can be discussed as well.
| Problem | What we do |
|---|---|
| Cracked brick over a window | Replace the lintel and rebuild the brick above it |
| Loose chimney brick | Take down and rebuild the failed section |
| Leaning yard wall | Rebuild on a firm base with drainage |
| Bulging wall face | Rebuild the section with new ties |
| Failed wall cap | Replace it so water sheds off the wall |
What Materials Do You Work With?
Brick, concrete block and stone. We repair and build facade walls, chimneys, parapets, lintels, sills, garden walls, planters and retaining walls, and we finish block with parging or coatings. The choice depends on what is already there and what the wall needs to do.
For a brick house, we match the brick as closely as we can. Old brick can be softer than new, and we choose mortar that suits it. For block walls in a yard or at a garage, parging or a coating protects the block from water.
Stone gets used for steps, caps and low walls. It looks good and lasts when the drainage is right.
What Permits Apply to Masonry in Gravesend?
Small repairs often need none, while structural work, retaining walls and facade repairs can need Department of Buildings permits. Buildings taller than six stories fall under the facade inspection rules of Local Law 11. Confirm current requirements with the city before work begins.
Scaffolds and sheds over the sidewalk can need permits, and pedestrian protection is required. We tell you at the visit which parts of your job may trigger a filing and we file the permits for the work we do.
Landmark rules can apply to individual landmarked buildings. Ask the city if your building is one.
How Does Drainage Affect Walls in Gravesend?
Water behind a wall pushes and freezes. A wall without drainage acts as a dam, and the pressure eventually moves it. Good work includes a firm base, weep holes, gravel backing where soil is held and a cap that sheds water off the top.
Most of Gravesend is inland and drains reasonably well, though the southern edge near Coney Island Creek is low. On those blocks, wet ground is more likely to load a wall. We look at where the water comes from, since a downspout emptying beside a wall can undo a good rebuild.
If damp is also a problem inside the house, see our basement waterproofing in Gravesend for the interior side.
Can You Handle Masonry Around Driveways and Garages?
Yes. Many Gravesend lots have garages and driveways with block walls, piers or retaining walls beside them. Those walls hold up the grade, frame the garage and take the impact of turning cars, so they get damaged more often than a garden wall.
A block wall at the end of a driveway may crack where a car has bumped it, or lean where the soil behind it has pushed. We repair the wall, and if the slab in front of it has failed, we can price both together. See driveway repair in Gravesend for the concrete side.
How Long Do Masonry Jobs Take?
A lintel or short wall repair takes days. A chimney, a parapet or a full wall rebuild takes longer, and permits and weather affect the dates. Sidewalk related permits usually take two to three business days. We give you a schedule with the written price.
We tell you up front if a job needs staging, a permit or an engineer, since each adds time.
Why Us
Why Gravesend Owners Call Us
Brick, block and stone
One crew handles all three, so you do not need to coordinate trades.
Licensed and insured
Construction, injury and workers compensation insurance are in place.
Clear scope
Repair or rebuild is spelled out in the written estimate.
Nearby
Masonry Near Gravesend
We also do masonry work in the neighborhoods around Gravesend.
FAQ
Gravesend Masonry Questions
Yes. We support the brick, remove the old steel, install a new lintel and rebuild the masonry above it. Larger openings may need engineer input.
Usually not. A wall that leans has moved off its base, so the sound fix is to take it down and rebuild it on a firm footing with drainage.
Yes. We work with brick, block and stone and finish block with parging or coatings.
Sometimes. Structural work, taller retaining walls and some facade repairs may. We tell you at the visit.
Yes. We visit and give a written price at no cost. Call (718) 468-8803 to set a time.
Repeated cracks mean movement or water. Patching does not cure either, so we find the cause first.
Free on site estimate
Get Your Gravesend Masonry Done
A visit, an honest opinion and a written price.
Contact
Request Your Gravesend Masonry Quote
Describe the wall, chimney or lintel and where you see damage. Photos and your address help us prepare.
- Call us(718) 468-8803
- HoursMon to Sat, 9:00 AM to 6:00 PM
- Free on site estimate with a written price
- Licensed and insured, 25+ years in business
- We handle DOT sidewalk permits
- Serving Manhattan, Brooklyn, Queens and the Bronx
Get Your Free Estimate
Takes about a minute. No cost and no obligation.