We're a masonry contractor based in South Bend, IN, and we repair brick, chimneys and mortar joints on homes in Notre Dame. Call (574) 213-0235 and tell me what you're seeing.
(574) 213-0235
Most of our work in Notre Dame is in the neighborhoods around campus, where many of the houses are older brick with chimneys, front steps and walks that have been patched more than once over the years. I like that work, because it's the kind I learned on, and it pays to slow down and find out why a joint failed before anyone fills it.
The calls we get here are usually mortar washing out of the joints, a chimney that's started to lean or shed brick, or a walk that's heaved. Most come from owners who want the house to look like it always did, not like somebody patched it in a hurry.
We reply to every call and form within one business day. I come out to your Notre Dame house myself, walk the job with you and write the estimate in plain words, free and with no pressure or obligation. If you'd rather talk first, call (574) 213-0235.
(574) 213-0235Most calls here are for tuckpointing, where we grind out worn mortar and pack in new mortar matched to the old, along with chimney and brick repair on older homes. We also build walkways, retaining walls and outdoor kitchen masonry, and you'll find every service we offer below.
The permit question here starts with the St. Joseph County/South Bend Building Department, which covers the City of South Bend and the unincorporated parts of St. Joseph County, and as a general rule a 5-digit address falls in the unincorporated county. Where the department covers your address, the permit has to be in hand before work starts, so I check which office covers your house before we set a date, and when the job calls for a permit we pull it as part of the job. Every contractor and subcontractor working there has to be registered or licensed with the department, so that's worth asking any mason who bids your job.
Around campus we plan deliveries and debris pickup around game days and big university events, because the roads near the university fill up and a load of brick can't sit in traffic. What moves the price is how much mortar or brick has really failed, how high we have to work, how hard the old brick and mortar are to match and what we find once a wall is opened, while the schedule turns mostly on the permit and on getting the right material. We do the same work in South Bend and Granger, and your estimate puts your own job's details in writing.
I come out to look at the job, walk it with you and write the estimate in plain words, so you know what we're doing and why. I also work on the crew beside our masons and laborers, so the person who looked at your house is there doing the work.
Older brick usually wants a softer mortar than new brick does, so we match the mortar to the wall instead of using whatever's on the truck. I grew up on a farm where a patch done wrong cost more than doing it right once, and we work that way.
We're fully licensed and insured, so the work on your house is covered from the first day to the cleanup. Your satisfaction, guaranteed. When you're ready to talk about your Notre Dame house, call (574) 213-0235 or use the form above.
Plan on one if the Building Department covers your address, because it requires a permit in advance for work in the areas it serves, and its renovation permit covers masonry and chimneys. If work goes ahead without a required permit, the permit fees are tripled as a penalty, and any other penalties still stand. When your job calls for a permit, we pull it as part of the job.
Yes, if you own and live in a single-family home, once you sign an affidavit with the Building Department and show the proof it asks for. Small jobs like resetting a few pavers are fair game for a handy owner. If the job turns out to be more than you want to take on, I'm glad to come look at it.
I give you a written price after walking the job, because the cost turns on the repair your wall really needs, not on a rate per brick. A chimney that only needs its joints repointed costs far less than one that has to be rebuilt above the roofline, and the estimate tells you which one you have. The estimate is free and done on site.
Call or send the form before anything starts, so we can check which office covers your address and line up any permit first. If your house is in a historic district or is a designated landmark, you contact the Historical Preservation Commission before the permit application goes in, and we help you reach it. After that we set a start date around the permit and the material.
Mostly age and water, because mortar is meant to wear out before the brick does, and water that gets into the joints works them loose over the years. If the joints are recessed, sandy or soft enough to scrape with a key, it's time to look at repointing. Catching it then usually saves bricks from needing to be replaced.
