Upper Level Masonry Maintenance

Sections of chimney or brick facades could look like this, and homeowners may have little awareness about it. This section of deteriorated mortar was discovered on the backside of a Lancaster chimney. It was an 'easy fix' that also saved the integrity of the masonry. Some bricks were so loose that they were able to be removed with little effort. Once one brick is loose and able to fall out, the process can have a domino effect.

"The Sky is Falling!"

There were five bricks at this chimney's peak that fell out when I looked at them. It was a dangerous scenario for unsuspecting passer byres. It was repaired and the problem contained. A lot of mid century homes have the same type of masonry issues: areas of failing mortar. If not taken care of this could lead to home's internal damage and major masonry issues in the future. "Is my house going to fall down?"

"Maybe"

These issues can be taken care of for cheaper than what one may think. Some homeowners may have chimney or upper-level masonry problems that they are suspicious of, but have no way of looking at them, or inspecting the suspected problems.

This cracking was discovered when repairing a brick facade in Lancaster. The brick was in terrible shape, and the homeowners were having water issues. When working from the roof to repair upper level brick mortar, I discovered large cracks in the seams between the rubber roofing and the extended brick walls. This could very well be the moisture problem. The crack pictured above ran the length of the roof and was about 3/4" wide at some points. I had a consultation with the owner, and repaired the areas to ensure a dry household.

Some chimney and masonry damage can happen from the inside out. Many oil burning chimneys have no liner and no flue, allowing the hot air traveling up the chimney to cook the mortar on it's way out- not that big of an issue...but when moisture gets into the chimney from heavy rains or snow and then soaks in or freezes the chimney's interior, the hot air meeting this masonry can cause problems. An easy, fairly cheap preventative maintenance for any chimney is a cap.

No cap

Cap!

This chimney was starting to show signs of problematic deterioration. The new homeowners had concerns of masonry maintenance. We were able to come out and diagnose certain issues and give a price to resolve the concerns before they became major problems. 

If you have questions or concerns with your home's upper level masonry or moisture problems, please don't hesitate to contact us for a quote or consultation. This type of work can be done year-round.

Contact:

 Call or Text 717 989 7133

Email armentconcrete@gmail.com