The Essential Laws of Masons Explained
A Guide to Masonry Repairs
A lot of home owners fear that masonry repair would be a costly job. Masonry is the structure that is built using mortar such as brick, block, stucco, stone, and others. There can be damage to masonry in our homes due to natural disasters or structural issues. If there is a major structural issue in your home then you will usually see cracks on your masonry exterior. Only a structural engineer can determine if the crack is a sign of structural damage in your home. Depending on the size of your home and your location, you can be charged by a structural engineer a fee amounting of hundreds of dollars.
New or old bricks homes usually have different types of brick repairs needed. The signs to look for that will indicate the need for brick repair are hairline cracks, broken bricks, cracked mortar, and separation of bricks. It is recommended to contact a structural engineering since most of these repairs are due to structural issues. What the structural engineer will do is to determine if the home foundation has issues. If it is confirmed that your home has settling issues, then piers are needed to be set. If your foundation settles, cracks, or separates, piers are needed to raise and level your home structure. When the piers are installed you may call a masonry contractor to help you with the brick repair.
Masons find stone repairs more challenging than brick repair. Since natural stone is sturdier than brick, it is not easy to damage it. It is important to plan to repair natural stone damage since the consequences can be more serious. Damage to natural stone masonry is similar to bricks since you can know it if you find hairline cracks, cracked stones, cracked mortar, and separation of the stone wall.
Cracked blocks, hairline cracks or any type of departure indicates damage in a block wall, which are not really common in most parts of the United States. It is important that these damages are immediately fixed. Unlike stone and brick, block material holds a lot of weight since they are used to support existing structures. If it is not fixed immediately then it can lead to further damage of the home.
One materials that is common is some parts of the country is stucco. You can find contractors that specialize on stucco. Stucco repairs are not as dangerous as brick, stone, or block repairs because stucco does not support any type of structure. Stucco repair is needed if you start seeing cracks on your exterior walls.
Always seek professional help when dealing with any type of home repair. If you are looking for a masonry contractor, make sure they are qualified for your type of repair and always ask for warranty information.