We're a masonry contractor based in South Bend, IN, and we repair brick, mortar joints, block foundations and chimneys on Dunlap homes. We also build new walls, walkways and pavers when you need them.
(574) 213-0235
Most of Dunlap was destroyed by the 1965 Palm Sunday tornadoes, so a lot of the houses I walk around here went up in the years after, with brick fronts, block foundations and chimneys that are now old enough to want attention. That's younger than the century-old brick we see in South Bend, but fifty-some northern Indiana winters is plenty of time for mortar to wear out and for a block wall to crack.
The first thing I look for is where the water goes, because water is usually what starts the trouble. A downspout emptying against the foundation or a cracked chimney cap will undo a good repair, so I'd rather fix the cause along with the brick than patch the brick and leave the cause alone.
We reply to every call and message within one business day. I'll set a time to come out to Dunlap, walk the job with you and write the estimate up in plain words, free and with no obligation.
(574) 213-0235On Dunlap houses the work is mostly repair: repointing worn mortar joints before water gets behind the brick, rebuilding chimney tops that have taken decades of freeze and thaw, and fixing cracked block foundations. We also build new, from concrete block walls and retaining walls to walkways, driveway pavers and outdoor kitchens, and every service we offer is listed below.
Dunlap is part of Elkhart County rather than a city of its own, and Elkhart County Planning & Development is the county office that issues building permits for one- and two-family homes. Before work starts we check with the office that covers your address, and when a job calls for a permit we pull it as part of the job, so any review time goes into the schedule at the start instead of stalling the work halfway. If your project brings in other trades, like a sink or lights in an outdoor kitchen, Indiana makes it unlawful to work as a plumbing contractor without a state license, and the county licenses electrical contractors and lets you verify one through that same office.
What moves the price here is mostly what the wall turns out to need: how many bricks or blocks have to be replaced instead of repointed, how high we have to work on a chimney, and how closely the new mortar has to match the old in color and strength. The schedule turns on that same opening-up, on any permit review, and on weather, since fresh mortar shouldn't freeze before it cures, and your estimate lays all of that out for your own job. We're based in South Bend and do the same work in Elkhart and Nappanee, so Dunlap sits right in the ground we cover.
I come out to Dunlap, walk the job with you and write the estimate myself in plain words, so you know what's wrong and why. Then I work on the crew alongside our masons and laborers, so the person who described the work is there doing it.
I grew up on a farm, where a patch done wrong cost more than doing it right once. So we look for why the brick failed, use mortar suited to your wall, and fix the cause along with the damage instead of covering it up.
I learned masonry under an experienced mason around South Bend before starting this business in 2023, and we're fully licensed and insured. Your satisfaction, guaranteed. Call (574) 213-0235 or send the form, and I'll come take a look.
The price comes from what I find on your house, and you get it written out before any work starts. Repointing sound brick costs less than replacing broken brick, and a chimney that has to be rebuilt above the roofline costs more than one that only needs a new crown and joints. Catching mortar while it's just worn usually costs less than waiting until bricks start to loosen. Call (574) 213-0235 and I'll come look.
Plan mortar work for spring through fall when you can, because fresh mortar has to cure without freezing. If a chimney or wall is letting water in going into winter, we can often make it tight enough to get through the cold and do the full repair once it warms up. Getting on the schedule early in the season gives you the most room.
Water and freeze-thaw cause most crumbling mortar, because water soaks into the joints and expands when it freezes, opening them a little more each winter. Mortar is meant to be the softer part of the wall and wear first, which is why we repoint with a mix suited to your brick. Hard mortar or caulk smeared over the joints can make the brick faces crack and flake off instead.
Indiana's residential code covers one- and two-family homes across the state, Dunlap included. It's based on the national model code for one- and two-family dwellings, so the rules for a wall, chimney or foundation here are the same as in South Bend. We plan our work to it.
They can, if your lot sits in a floodway or a mapped flood hazard area. Under Indiana law, walls, fill or digging in a floodway need state approval first, applied for through the DNR Division of Water, and the state counts a floodway on any stream draining more than a square mile upstream. In a flood hazard area, a home needs flood protection below the regulatory flood level plus 2 feet, and that also applies to a repair costing at least half the house's value, not counting the land. If your lot is near a creek or the river, we look at that before we plan the work.
