We're a masonry contractor based in South Bend, and our crew works in Mishawaka repointing old brick, fixing chimneys and rebuilding steps, walls and foundations. I'd rather do a repair once and do it right than come back and patch it twice.
(574) 213-0235
A lot of our Mishawaka calls come from the older neighborhoods near downtown, where brick bungalows and two-story houses have stood long enough that the mortar has worn out ahead of the brick and the chimneys have been taking water for years. Worn mortar is how it's supposed to go, since it's the softer part and meant to be replaced, but somebody has often smeared a hard patch over the joints along the way, and that's when brick faces start to crack and flake.
In the newer parts of the city the work shifts to block foundations, paver driveways, stone veneer and retaining walls out in the yard. Different houses, same habit on our end, because I look at why something failed before we fix it, and the fix has to answer the cause.
Call (574) 213-0235 or send the form, and we'll get back to you within one business day. I come out to your Mishawaka house myself, walk the job with you and write the estimate up in plain words. It's free, and there's no obligation to hire us.
(574) 213-0235Most of what we do here is careful repair on older brick, like tuckpointing and brick pointing where the joints have gone sandy, brick repair where faces have spalled, and chimney repair on stacks with loose bricks or a cracked top. On newer lots it's more often foundation block walls, retaining walls, walkways and paver driveways, and we build stone veneer, fireplaces and outdoor kitchen masonry when you want something new.
Inside city limits, the Mishawaka Building Department issues permits for work that builds, repairs or replaces structural parts of a house and inspects construction there, so on a job that needs a permit, work starts once it's issued and the inspection fits into the schedule. The city requires a license of many contractors too, so it's fair to ask anyone you're thinking of hiring for theirs. Before we start, we check with the office for your address, and when the job calls for a permit we pull it as part of the work. The price moves with how much brick or mortar has to come out, how high and hard to reach the work is, how closely new material has to match the old, and what we find behind the face once a wall is open. The schedule turns on the permit, the size of the job and those same surprises, and I'll walk it with you and write up what I see in plain words.
Mishawaka runs right up against South Bend, where we're based, so the drive is short and the houses are the same kinds we work on there and in Notre Dame. In the older blocks the lots are often tight and driveways run close to the neighbor's, so we plan where the scaffold, mixer and brick go before the first day and clean up the walk and the street when we're done.
I come out to look at the job myself and write the estimate, and then I work on the crew alongside our masons and laborers. The person who told you what your wall needs is the same one standing at it with a trowel, so nothing gets lost in between.
We're best known for repointing and chimney work on older brick, and before we fix anything I look at why it failed. If water's getting in behind a chimney top or a gutter is dumping on a wall, we tell you, because new mortar won't last over an old leak.
We're fully licensed and insured. I grew up on a farm where a fix done wrong cost more than doing it right once, and I run our jobs the same way. Your satisfaction, guaranteed. Call (574) 213-0235 or use the form to set up a visit.
If the work repairs or replaces structural parts of your house and runs over $300, the city's frequently asked questions page ties it to a building permit. Painting, tiling, landscaping and similar work are on the city's list of jobs that don't need one, and masonry repair isn't on that list. We check this for your job before any work starts.
The city requires a license of general contractors, home builders, remodelers and many trades, concrete contractors among them. To get one, a contractor passes a test at the city office with at least 70% correct, gets a $5,000 surety or permit bond and pays a $150 fee, according to the city's licensing rules, which are dated 2011. Ask whoever you're hiring to show you theirs before you sign.
You can, but the city requires a cash performance bond, a cash deposit tied to the work, for remodel work done by anyone other than a city licensed building contractor. It's $500 for a project costing between $5,000 and $8,000, and $1,000 for one over $8,000. The department also asks for details of the work on an existing house and may ask for plans.
The price comes down to how far the damage goes, and I'll write it up after I've walked your job with you. Repointing a few bad joints and rebuilding a chimney top are very different jobs, and old brick that has to be matched takes more hunting than standard brick. When a permit is needed, the city bases its cost on the total value of the project, so the permit follows the size of the job.
Mortar is meant to wear out before the brick does, so after enough years the joints go soft and sandy while the brick stays sound. Trouble starts when somebody patches over them with mortar harder than the brick, because then the brick takes the stress and its face cracks off. We grind the joints back to sound mortar and repoint with a mix softer than your brick.
Call 811 at least 48 hours before anyone digs, which is what the city advises. That one call gets all the underground lines located, and it's free. It matters for retaining walls, footings, walkways and paver driveways, where the base has to be dug out before anything goes in.
