Brick repair in Tampa FL - sound joints and solid bricks that keep water out
Cracked joints, crumbling mortar or a flaking brick? We fix what's actually wrong, with mortar matched to your wall, and tell you what can wait.
Does my cracked brick need repair, or can it wait?
Brick repair in Tampa means repointing cracked or crumbling mortar joints and replacing bricks that are broken or flaking badly, so water stops getting into your wall through the damaged spots.
Most calls start with something you can see. It might be a crack running through the joints, mortar that crumbles when you rub it, or a brick with its face flaking off. The price turns on how many joints need cutting out, how many bricks need replacing, how close a match we can find and how hard the wall is to reach. The schedule turns on whether your house needs historic review first and whether something else has to be fixed before the mortar work, and I'll give you your own figure in a written estimate after I've seen the wall. Hillsborough County says masonry work that needs a permit calls for a state-licensed contractor, so ask that of anyone you call. If the real trouble is a garden wall pushing over and not the brick itself, retaining wall construction may be the job you need.
Why homeowners call us for brick repair
You deal with the same person from the first look to the final walk-through, and you get a repair sized to what's actually wrong with your wall.
I come out myself
I look at your wall in person, write the estimate myself and then work on site with my crew.
In business since 2013
I learned masonry beside my father, and we're best known for mortar and brick repair on older homes.
Licensed and insured on every job
We're licensed and insured, and you're welcome to see the paperwork before we start work on your house.
A straight answer on cracks
I'll tell you whether a crack needs work now or can be watched, so you're not paying for a repair that can wait.
Repairs sized to the problem
If your wall needs a few joints, that's the job, and if something bigger is going on I'll say so on the spot.
The brick repair jobs we usually do
The right fix depends on what failed and why, so I look at the joints, the bricks and where the water's coming from before suggesting any of these.
Talk to us about brick repair
Call (813) 471-5857 or send photos of the cracked joints, and mention whether your house is in a historic district.
Why Tampa homeowners trust Cornerstone with brick repair
Before I talk about mortar, I find out why the wall cracked or washed out, because new joints won't last if water keeps pouring down the same spot. Preservation guidance says a failing downspout has to be replaced, and any other drainage problem repaired, before the mortar work starts, so if I see one, that comes first.
Repointing is its own skill, and industry guidance notes that a fine bricklayer isn't always good at it, so ask any mason, us included, about their past repointing work. We match the new joints to the color and texture of the old, and the job is backed by our satisfaction guarantee.
Brick repair questions we hear
How do I know if the mortar in my brick wall needs repair?
Crumbling mortar, joints with gaps in them, hairline cracks and mortar worn back deeper than 1/4 inch are the signs a 2005 trade guide lists as needing repointing. A 2017 trade note adds that cracked mortar may not need fixing right away, because cavity and veneer walls, the kind with an air space behind the outer brick, can handle a little extra moisture from minor cracks. So a hairline crack is something to have looked at, not an emergency.
Can new mortar damage old brick?
Yes, if it's stronger than the mortar already in the wall. New repointing mortar has to be equal to or lower in strength than the original, because a harder mix puts more stress where brick meets mortar and can damage the face of the brick. Ask any mason how their mix compares with your old mortar, and I'll tell you what I'd use and why.
How much does brick repair cost in Tampa?
Brick and stone repair in Tampa usually costs about $500 to $2,000 per project, and that's the going range in the area, not our price. Where your job lands comes down to the size of the repair and the wall, which is why I give you a written estimate after I've seen it.
Do I need a permit to repair brick on my house in Tampa?
The City of Tampa's building office can tell you for your job, at 813-274-3100, Option 1. When a job does need a permit, we pull it, handle the paperwork with whichever office covers your address and line up the inspections.
How do I apply for historic district approval for brick repair in Tampa?
You apply through the city, which takes Certificate of Appropriateness applications for exterior repairs and lets you submit and track them online at aca.tampagov.net. In Hyde Park, Seminole Heights and Tampa Heights, the Architectural Review Commission reviews the work using the city's design guidelines as a general guide, and in Ybor City the Barrio Latino Commission does the same. Tell me at the estimate if your house is in one of these districts so we can plan around the review.
How long does repointed mortar last?
Mortar joints typically last more than 25 years, while the bricks themselves can go well past 100. How long yours lasts depends on how exposed the wall is and the mortar used, so plan on the joints needing work at some point in the wall's life even when the brick is fine.
What happens when you call about brick repair in Tampa?
Every job is planned around your wall and your schedule, and you talk to the same person from the first call to the final walk-through.
You call
You call, I pick up, and we set a time that suits you for me to come out and look at the wall.
I walk the wall
I walk the job with you, check the joints and bricks, and tell you right there what I'd do and why.
Written estimate
I follow up with a written estimate for the work we talked about, so you can look it over and decide in your own time.
Work and walk-through
Once you say go, we take care of the permit if there is one, my crew and I do the work, and I walk the finished job with you.
Brick repair in Tampa and the cities around it
We're based in Tampa and repair brick in the cities around it, from Brandon to St. Petersburg, on older brick homes and newer houses with brick trim alike. Pick your city below, or call if yours isn't listed.
Get a brick repair estimate from Cornerstone
Our phone is answered from early morning until 11 PM every day, so call (813) 471-5857 or send the form whenever it suits you.