Row House Masonry
Masonry in South Slope, Brooklyn
Facade repairs, rusted lintels, areaway walls and garden walls rebuilt for the row houses and walk ups between 4th Avenue and Prospect Park.
- Brick, stone and block work
- Lintels, areaway walls and chimneys
- Free visit and a written price
What Masonry Problems Do South Slope Buildings Face?
Older brick and frame row houses and walk ups here mainly suffer from water. It rusts steel lintels, washes out mortar, cracks stone trim and undermines the low walls around areaways and front gardens. Left alone, each of those problems moves from a small repair to a rebuild.
South Slope has good tree cover, sloping blocks and a lot of buildings that have been standing a long time. Masonry lasts for generations, but only if the water keeps out. When a gutter overflows or a cap stone goes missing, the wall behind begins to take on moisture, and the damage builds slowly.
- Cracks over windows and doors from rusting lintels
- Bowing or leaning areaway and yard walls
- Missing or loose wall caps and coping
- Bulges in a facade where bricks have moved
- Chimney stacks that lean or lose bricks
- Stone trim that has cracked or eroded
The masonry that faces the street is what neighbors see, and it is also what the city can inspect. Fixing it well protects the building and the value of the property.
Cracks Over Your Windows or a Leaning Wall?
Send photos and a few details. Send photos and a few details and we will tell you where we would start.
How Do You Repair or Rebuild Masonry Walls?
We start by finding why the wall failed, then repair only what needs it. Small areas are repointed or patched. Failed sections are taken down and rebuilt with matching brick or stone, proper ties, flashing and weep paths. Rusted lintels are replaced and the masonry above is rebuilt.
Diagnosis is most of the craft. A leaning areaway wall may have lost its footing, or it may be pushed by wet soil behind it. A cracked facade may show settling, or it may be a rusted lintel. The fix for each is different, and guessing wrong wastes money.
When we rebuild, we work in stages. Sections are supported, removed and replaced so the rest of the wall stays stable. Bricks are laid in the original pattern, and joints are tooled to match. On a row house front, that means the repair should read as part of the wall.
Material matching deserves patience. Old brick varies in color, size and hardness, and a new brick set into an old wall can look like a patch for years. We source replacements that fit the wall, and where an exact match is not possible we tell you and show you options before we order.
If the wall holds back soil, we plan drainage behind it. A retaining wall without a way for water to escape will eventually push out again.
Facades and Lintels
What Happens When a Lintel Rusts
Every window and door opening in a brick wall has a beam above it. In many older buildings that beam is steel. When water reaches it, the steel rusts and swells, pushing the brick above outward and breaking the joints in a stair step pattern.
You can spot it from the sidewalk. A horizontal crack that runs past the corners of a window, bricks that stick out over the top of an opening or a window that has begun to bind are common signs. The repair requires opening the wall, replacing the steel and rebuilding the brick above it with new flashing.
Gutters, downspouts and flashing often sit at the root of a lintel problem. A downspout that discharges against a wall keeps that spot wet for years. When we replace the steel, we look at how water reaches it and suggest the small fixes that keep the new lintel dry.
Many South Slope walk ups and row houses have windows at every floor, so a facade may have several lintels at different stages of decay. We inspect them together and price the work as one job.
What Approvals Apply to Masonry Work in South Slope?
It depends on the job. Repairs limited to private property may need no sidewalk permit, but structural work, retaining walls and facade work can require Department of Buildings permits. Historic districts and landmarked buildings add Landmarks review. Buildings taller than six stories fall under facade inspection rules.
We cannot confirm a historic district for South Slope, but an individual landmark could still be in your block. Check before you change a facade, and confirm current rules with the city.
Garden walls and areaway walls on private property are often the simplest place to begin. They are easy to inspect, they show trouble early and repairs there can be done without a scaffold. If yours is leaning, take a photo from the same spot every month, and you will see quickly whether it is moving.
Bring us your engineer's report if you have one. If you do not, we tell you when a wall calls for one. That is common with bowing walls, retaining walls and any masonry that carries a load.
Scaffolds and sidewalk sheds have their own rules, and we plan for them when they apply. The written price lists any permits and setup we expect so there are no surprises later.
Why Us
Why South Slope Owners Use Us for Masonry
25+ years of experience
We have rebuilt brick and stone on many older buildings and know how they age.
Licensed and insured
We carry construction, injury and workers compensation insurance, and we handle permits.
The cause, not just the crack
We explain why a wall failed so the repair does not need repeating.
Nearby
Masonry Contractor Near South Slope
We take masonry jobs in the neighborhoods around South Slope too.
FAQ
South Slope Masonry Questions
Repointing renews the mortar joints in a sound wall. Masonry repair is wider: rebuilding bricks, replacing lintels, resetting stone and rebuilding walls. Many jobs mix both.
Yes. We take down the failed section, check the footing and drainage, and rebuild with matching brick or block. Walls that hold back soil get drainage behind them.
Look for cracks running past the corners of a window, bricks bulging out over an opening or a window that sticks. Rust stains are another sign.
Yes. We repair and reset stone trim and coping and discuss replacement when a piece is too far gone.
A small wall repair can be a few days. Lintels and larger rebuilds take longer. A schedule is attached to the written price.
Yes. Call (718) 468-8803 and we will inspect your South Slope masonry for free and quote the work in writing.
Free on site estimate
Rebuild What Failed in South Slope
Diagnosis first, a written price second, then careful work.
Contact
Describe Your South Slope Masonry Job
Say what kind of building it is and what you see on the wall. Photos of cracks or leaning sections help us plan.
- 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.