Masonry restoration in San Leandro, CA - sound joints and brick that dries out

Brick repointing across the US usually costs about $400 to $2,500 per 100 square feet of wall. That's a national range, not our price, and it covers the repointing itself. Your own figure comes from the written estimate after I measure the wall.

Choose a mortar that lets moisture move out of the wall and evaporate, because mortar that traps it ends up damaging the brick itself. For historic buildings, national preservation guidance calls lime mortar a good choice since it's soft, porous and changes little as temperatures swing. We match the mortar to your brick instead of grabbing whatever's in the truck.

Use the gentlest method that gets it clean, because water at high pressure, like power washing, is very abrasive and can easily etch marble and other soft stones. If your house has soft stone, plan on cleaning at lower pressure. We clean that way, and only once the joints are sound, as covered above.

Water is usually behind it, soaking the wall from a leaky gutter, a cracked cap or a downspout dumping where it shouldn't. The other usual suspect is an old patch in hard cement, which tends to make the brick around it worse. That's why I look for the cause before I touch the joints.

San Leandro issues building permits only to a California-licensed contractor or the property owner. Applications go through the city's Permit Center, which also takes questions about current building codes and what plans need to show. If your job needs a permit, we handle it, as the steps below lay out.

Yes, whenever the job needs a building permit, uses employee labor or costs $1,000 or more in total labor and materials. That rule comes from California's Contractors State License Board, which licenses anyone who builds or alters structures in the state. It's fair to ask which license class a contractor holds, since the board's C-29 Masonry class covers brick, block, stone, terra cotta and fire brick.