Astoria Masonry Contractor
Masonry Contractor in Astoria, Queens
Brick, block and stone repaired and rebuilt on Astoria houses and apartment buildings, including lintels, chimneys, parapets and the walls around small yards.
- Lintels, parapets and chimneys
- Garden, yard and retaining walls
- Free on site estimate in writing
What Masonry Repairs Do Astoria Buildings Need?
Astoria buildings most often need lintels and window heads repaired, parapets and chimneys rebuilt, bulging brick reset and yard and retaining walls stabilized. The causes are water, rusting steel and age, and the damage shows as cracks, leaning and bricks pushing out of the wall.
The neighborhood is built mostly of brick. Attached and semi detached two family houses line the side streets, and pre war walk ups and elevator buildings stand along the avenues. Every one has masonry that has been in the weather for many decades.
Steel lintels over windows and doors are a classic weak spot. When water reaches them, they rust and expand, and the brick above them cracks and lifts. You see it as a stair step crack running up from a corner of the window.
- Cracked brick over windows
- Leaning parapets
- Chimneys with loose bricks
- Yard walls that lean or crack
Yard walls come in as well. Small rear yards often have a low brick or block wall along the property line, and freeze and thaw loosens them.
Apartment buildings add larger scale problems, such as bulging facade sections, loose coping and damaged sills. A survey from the ground and the roof tells us where the work is.
Brick Cracking Above a Window?
Send us a photo. We will tell you if a lintel is the cause.
How We Fix It
How Do We Repair a Rusted Lintel?
We open the wall above the opening, remove the failed brick, treat or replace the steel lintel and rebuild the brick with matching material and mortar. The new lintel is protected from water so rust does not come back. Skipping the steel and patching the crack only delays the failure.
The size of the job depends on the opening. A small window head is a modest repair, while a wide storefront opening carries more load and needs more care and often engineering.
Shoring holds the wall while the steel is out. We set it before we cut anything, so the brick above stays put.
Brick matching is part of the work. We look for a close match in color and size, and we lay the courses to follow the original pattern.
Wide openings, such as old storefronts, may need an engineer to size the new steel. We say so early, since it affects both the schedule and the permit.
Do Astoria Masonry Repairs Need Permits or Inspections?
Some do. Structural repairs, parapet rebuilds and work on taller buildings can need Department of Buildings permits, and buildings above six stories fall under the facade inspection program, Local Law 11. Confirm the current rules with the city. We tell you what we expect the job to need.
Repairs that restore what already exists, such as pointing or replacing a few bricks, are simpler than rebuilding a wall. Work on a sidewalk shed or a public right of way follows city rules of its own.
There is no historic district in Astoria that we can confirm, so landmark approval is not the usual issue here. If your building has a special designation, tell us and we will look into it.
Where an engineer is needed, we work with the design and build to it.
If you are buying or selling, a masonry report from us helps show what has been done and what is left to do.
How Much Does Masonry Work Cost in Astoria?
Cost depends on the size of the repair, the material, how much must be rebuilt, the access equipment and any permits. A single lintel and a full parapet are very different projects. We give a written price after a free visit.
Scaffold and lifts are a large part of the cost on taller buildings. Put simply, the higher the work, the more it takes to reach it.
Ask us to list each item, so you can see what is repair and what is prevention.
Small repairs done early often avoid large rebuilds later, and that is the main way owners keep costs down.
Can a Leaning Yard Wall Be Saved?
It depends on how far it has moved and why. A wall that leans slightly because of a weak cap may only need rebuilding of the top. A wall that has lost its footing or is pushed by water behind it needs to be taken down and rebuilt on solid ground.
We look at drainage first. Water trapped behind a wall builds pressure, and weep holes and gravel behind the wall relieve it.
Neighbors matter on a shared boundary. We can help you talk through what is needed before the work starts.
A wall over a certain height or one that holds back soil may need an engineer. We tell you when that applies.
Where a wall is shared with a neighbor, we suggest putting the plan in writing between owners before the work begins.
Why Us
Why Astoria Owners Call Us
25+ years of experience
We have worked on brick and stone for decades.
Licensed and insured
Construction, injury and workers compensation insurance.
Clear scopes
Each repair is listed and priced on its own.
Nearby
Masonry Near Astoria
We also do masonry work in the neighborhoods around Astoria.
FAQ
Astoria Masonry Questions
Often a rusting steel lintel. Rust expands and pushes the brick out and up. The repair means replacing or protecting the steel and rebuilding the brick above it.
Yes. We remove loose and leaning sections, rebuild with matching brick and finish the top with proper coping so water runs off. Permits may apply, and we explain them.
Yes. We check the crown, the joints and the flashing, then repoint or rebuild as needed. Some chimney work involves scaffold or a lift.
We match as closely as materials allow. We show samples first, since perfect matches are not always possible.
Yes. We visit, look at the work and give a written price at no cost. Call (718) 468-8803 to book.
Free on site estimate
Get Your Astoria Masonry Repaired
A site visit, a written scope and a crew that matches your brick.
Contact
Request Your Astoria Masonry Quote
Describe the wall and where it stands. Photos from a couple of angles help.
- 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.