Brick repair in Wilmington NC - sound mortar joints that help keep water out
Crumbling mortar, open joints or cracks running through your brick? We fix what's failing so your wall sheds water and looks right again.
- Services
- 16
- Service areas
- 12
Ask us to look at your brick
I'll ask your house's age, since it tells me what mortar your wall likely has.
Request an estimateDo my crumbling mortar joints need brick repair?
Brick repair in Wilmington, NC usually comes down to the mortar, so we cut out the joints that have cracked, crumbled or washed out and pack in new mortar that helps keep water out of your wall.
Most folks call after they spot sand on the ground under a wall, a joint they can push a key into or a crack stepping up through the mortar, and the first thing I'll do is point at that spot and show you what's going on behind it. The price mostly turns on how many joints have failed, how high we have to work and how tricky your old mortar is to match. The schedule turns on that same count, on the weather, since fresh mortar doesn't want a hard rain on it, and on whether a historic review comes into it. I walk the job with you and put the estimate in writing, so you have your own number before anyone picks up a tool. If the whole front of the house is showing years of wear, masonry restoration may make more sense than patching one wall at a time.
How we handle brick repair, start to finish
First I figure out how your wall is built, because a solid brick wall and a brick veneer deal with water differently, so the same crack can mean different things on each. Then I walk the wall with you and point out the joints that have actually failed, so you can see exactly what we're fixing. Our crew cuts the old mortar out to an even depth so the new mortar has something to grip, packs the fresh mortar in and tools each joint to match the ones around it. We brush the wall down as we go so mortar doesn't set on the brick face, and we clean up and haul off the debris before we leave.
Brick repair often turns up other work around the house. If the ground has been washing against the bottom of your wall, a retaining wall can hold that slope back, and if you're redoing the front of the house anyway, driveway pavers can tie the drive in with your brick.
What Wilmington asks for on brick repair
In Wilmington, permits come from the New Hanover County Department of Permits & Inspections, which handles alterations and remodeling for the city. The city's permit list names that kind of work and not brick repair, so it doesn't settle whether repointing your wall needs a permit, and the county office is the place to ask. Older brick homes can bring a second question, because the City of Wilmington requires a certificate of appropriateness, a design approval, for exterior alterations to properties in its local historic districts and historic overlays. For minor work, the city's historic preservation planner may approve changes directly, which helps smaller projects get done. Applications go through COAST, the county's permitting portal, or in person at 230 Government Center Drive, Suite 170, and we help you get the paperwork together before work starts.
We're based in Wilmington and work across the cities around it, including the ones on this site and plenty more. The brick jobs I see most are older houses with soft, worn mortar and newer homes with a brick veneer over a framed wall, so I check which one I'm looking at before anything else, and we do the same careful joint work on jobs in Leland and Porters Neck.
Why call us for brick repair
I'm the one who comes out
I look at your wall myself at the estimate, and I'm on site with our crew of masons while the work gets done. The person who pointed at the bad joints is the one watching them get redone.
Running our own crew since 2021
I spent years as another mason's right hand before starting this business in 2021, running the crew on everything from chimneys to garden walls. Careful mortar work on older brick is what we're best known for.
Licensed in NC, insured on every job
We're fully licensed and insured, which matters when a crew is working up against your house. In North Carolina, the general contractor licensing board has a classification for residential construction that covers masonry work.
Historic district check up front
Wilmington has local historic districts, so at the estimate I tell you which office handles your address and whether a historic review could come into it. That way you know what you're waiting on before we cut a single joint.
- Phone
- (910) 218-9550
- Hours
- Mon–Sun: 6 AM–11 PM
- Location
- Wilmington, NC 28403
On this job the part that counts is the mortar you can't see once it's done. Send us photos of the damaged joints and your house's rough age, or call (910) 218-9550, and I'll come take a look.
Get a written brick repair estimate at your house
Send the form and we'll get back to you within one business day to set a time. I'll come out, walk your wall with you and put the estimate in writing. It's free, and there's no obligation to go ahead.
- Phone
- (910) 218-9550
- Location
- Wilmington, NC 28403
- Hours
- Mon–Sun: 6 AM–11 PM
- Credentials
- Fully licensed and insured.
Frequently asked questions
How do I know my mortar needs repair?
Your joints need repointing when the mortar has worn back more than 1/4 inch, crumbles, has holes or gaps, shows hairline cracks or has cracked away from the edge of the brick. Repointing takes a lot of hand work, and original joints in good shape do better than new ones, so a careful job only redoes the joints that have actually failed. A photo of the worst spot is a good place to start.
How much does brick repair cost in Wilmington, NC?
Across the US, brick repair usually costs about $210 to $260 per brick, which is a national starting range and not a quote for your house. On your wall the cost moves with how many joints have failed, how high we have to work and how hard your mortar is to match. Your own number comes from the written estimate after I've walked the wall with you.
Which mortar will you use on my older home?
One that's no stronger than the mortar already in your wall. New mortar should be equal to or lower in compressive strength, the crushing force it can take, because a stronger mix can cause spalling, where the face of the brick flakes off. Houses from the early 1900s or older need extra care here, since their original mortars are far weaker than modern ones, and because sand color and cement type change the look of new mortar, you can ask for a sample in a hidden spot to check the match.
How long does brick repair last?
Mortar joints typically last more than 25 years, while the bricks themselves may well go past 100. How long yours hold depends on how much weather that wall takes and the mortar used, so it's normal to need joint repair long before the bricks wear out.
Does a cracked mortar joint need to be fixed right away?
Not always, because cavity walls and brick veneer walls can handle the extra moisture a minor crack lets in. Water coming through cracks is a bigger problem on a barrier or mass wall, which is solid brick with no gap behind the outer layer. That's why I check how your wall is built before calling any crack urgent.
What is the best way to remove old mortar without damaging the brick?
Hand tools like a hammer and chisel suit small areas, while power tools work faster on large areas but can damage the bricks next to the joint. The right choice depends on how much of the wall needs work, and I'll tell you at the estimate which way we'd go and why.
Other work homeowners pair with brick repair
Driveway pavers
When the driveway out front is cracked or sinking, pavers give you a surface that suits your brick and can be lifted and reset in sections later.
Retaining wall construction
If a slope is creeping toward your house or an old garden wall is leaning, we can build a retaining wall on a solid base with drainage behind it.