Brick repointing and replacement

The back of my house needs to be repointed and some of the crumbling brick needs to be repaired or replaced. I am concerned about selecting a vendor that knows what he/she is doing. The mortar mix has to be correct (some spots there is none, yeah none). There is also some kind of thin painted cement that is chipping very badly (it is on the entire surface top to bottom). This is a 3 story house on a standard lot (20×100),over 100 years old. Can anyone recommend a vendor that they had an excellent experience with that can take care of this.Can you give me a ballpark cost range. One vendor indicated that he would power wash the brick, then repoint the brick, replacing the brick where necessary. He did not mention anything about repairing the cornice – that needs to be done as well. Is a DOB permit required to do thiswork? Thank you in advance for your assistance.

aqueenlee

in Brownstoner Renovation 11 years and 11 months ago

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hill34 | 11 years and 9 months ago

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wyckoff and cupolacoffee are correct. finding good masons are difficult and expensive. I would follow landmarks guidelines regarding re-pointing (mortar mix) and power washing (water pressure). Even if you are not in landmarks area, their guidelines are very helpful. Find a contractor that has done (and approved) work in landmarks buildings. I cannot remember the contractor’s name but they removed paint and re-pointed the corner house on Lafayette & Washington Aves. It is a landmark building and the house look beautiful. Might be worth it to check it out and knock on their doors.

TracyT | 11 years and 11 months ago

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Beware of powerwashing. I know it can severely damage brownstone (Ia neighbor’s house is permanently pock-marked by power-washing), and I’m no expert, but I wonder if that could be true of old brick.

cupolacoffee | 11 years and 11 months ago

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Echoing wyckoff, beware the shills replying to forum posts. When hiring a contractor for masonry, make sure you look at work that’s at least a year old and make sure you talk to the owners about how it’s standing up. The Historic Districts Council used to recommend certain contractors. We used Edson for impeccable (but not inexpensive) brownstone work after very disappointing results from our contractor’s subs. Edson: (718) 768-3476
Other companies to consider:
Preserv, Inc. – http://www.preservinc.com/
and Yates: http://www.yatesrestoration.com/

wyckoff | 11 years and 11 months ago

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The shill posts on this site are getting out of control.   OP – Finding a good mason is difficult – most are hacks and don’t know sht about restoring old brick – they just slap some cement mortar in between the bricks and run.  Cement mortar will break your bricks through a couple of freeze thaw cycles.  The good guys are not cheap, and going with the low quote on a job like this is definitely a huge mistake.  Brownstone Authority is excellent, but he’s not cheap.   Re permits, you will likely need full scaffolding to do the job right, and that requires a permit, but a good mason will arrange that for you.  Just keep in mind the scaffolding is generally not part of the masonry quote.  You should check the archives for other references.  Most of the guys who have replied to your post thus far are shills.

superdee01 | 11 years and 11 months ago

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Hi aqueenlee, I know of a vendor who can help you out with your project his name is Dan and he is licensed he is very affordable and reliable he also offers free estimates you can try giving him a call he can be reached at 718 485-1044  Good Luck.

eliasbstuy | 11 years and 11 months ago

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I would suggest you give call to Millad, who did my back wall acid power wash and repoint the brick with some old brick replaement. His company also did my front stoop brownstone with original details back. We were happy with his work, and will call him in near future. His information is 718-669-8305\. Good fella

mousta | 11 years and 11 months ago

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Give Doha a call at 718-937-3642\. He’ll at a minimum give you an honest assessment of what needs to be done. His work is great. I’ve been using him for various projects for years.