Masonry questions, answered

Yes. Call or text photos for a first look, then we'll come out, take a look and give you a price at no charge.

Chicago and the suburbs, roughly a 30-mile area around the southwest suburbs. That includes Oak Lawn, Evergreen Park, the Palos area, Orland Park, Tinley Park, Joliet, Naperville, Downers Grove and the city of Chicago. If you're not sure, call or text and ask.

Yes. WJC Construction is licensed and insured.

Yes, and it helps. Text photos to 708-704-8665 and we'll give you an idea of what the job involves. We still look in person before giving a final price.

Spring through fall. Mortar needs temperatures above about 40°F while it cures, so most masonry work around Chicago runs April through November. Urgent repairs can be done whenever the weather allows.

Small repairs often take a day or two. Tuckpointing a whole house or rebuilding a chimney usually takes several days to a couple of weeks, depending on size and weather.

Done right, new mortar joints usually last 25 years or more. Chimneys, parapet walls and the side of the house that takes the most weather wear out first.

Not always. Mortar usually fails first on chimneys, the weather side of the house and spots under gutters or downspouts. We'll tell you which walls need it now and which can wait.

We match the color and joint style of your existing mortar as closely as we can. New mortar can look a little different for the first few weeks while it cures.

Spring through fall. Mortar needs temperatures above about 40°F while it cures, so most tuckpointing around Chicago happens from April through November.

By the square footage of wall, how deep the joints need to be cut, and how hard the wall is to reach. A two-story wall or a chimney needs more setup. We give you a free estimate after we look at it.

If the brick is solid and the chimney is straight, tuckpointing and a new crown usually do it. If bricks are loose, badly flaking or the chimney leans, the part above the roof usually gets taken down and rebuilt.

That's efflorescence, salt carried out of the masonry by water. It means water is moving through the chimney, often through a cracked crown or open joints. Fixing where the water gets in matters more than cleaning the stain.

Many chimney leaks come from the crown, open mortar joints or failed flashing. We repair the masonry. If the flashing is the problem, we'll point it out so your roofer can take care of it.

Many villages require one. We check with your village's building department before we start.

We get as close as we can. Chicago-area homes are built with a wide range of brick, from salmon and red common brick on older homes to buff, red and brown face brick on newer ones. Some older brick isn't made anymore, so we look for the closest match in size, color and texture.

Yes. Brick and block steps take a beating from salt and freeze-thaw. We rebuild them on a solid base and cap them so water runs off instead of soaking in.

Yes, including storefront brick repair, tuckpointing and block walls on smaller commercial buildings. Call to talk through the job.

Usually because the gravel base under them was too thin or wasn't compacted. We dig out, rebuild the base and compact it in layers before resetting the pavers.

Both work well. Natural stone costs more and weighs more, and it lasts as long as the house. Manufactured stone veneer is lighter, less expensive and comes in many styles. We can go over the options for your home.

Yes. We remove the cracked sill, set a new one at the right pitch so water runs off, and point the joints around it.

Most leaning walls were built without enough drainage. Water builds up behind the wall and pushes it out, especially after freeze-thaw. A rebuild with gravel backfill and a drain pipe fixes the cause.

Walls taller than about 3 to 4 feet usually need engineering, reinforcement grid and often a permit. We'll tell you what your wall needs before we start.

Yes. We build outdoor fireplaces, outdoor kitchens and grill islands in brick and stone. You can see some of them on our Projects page.

Yes. We build fire pits in block, brick or stone, sized for your yard.

It means part of the wall has moved. Thin cracks that aren't growing are often from old settling and can be fixed with tuckpointing. Wide cracks, cracks that keep growing, or bricks that are pushed out of line need a closer look.

A lintel is the steel angle that holds up the brick over a window or door. When water gets to it, it rusts, and rust takes up more space than the steel did. That pushes the brick up and out and cracks the wall at the corners of the opening.

Filling it without fixing the cause usually means it opens again. We find out why it cracked first.

Washing removes the salt on the surface. If water keeps moving through the wall, the white staining can come back, so we'll point out where the water is getting in.

Yes, if the pressure is too high. Too much pressure cuts into mortar joints and strips the hard outer face off brick. We match the pressure to the surface and test first.