Posted: 7/18/2011 9:35:19 AM EDT
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I know nothing about masonry except there are bricks and cement involved...
Anyways, this past weekend I "bumped" my truck into the bricks on the side of my garage. I now have a 3' x 3' section of partially caved in bricks. This section isn;t load bearing and the bricks are decorative for the most part. What's the best way of getting this fixed? will a general contractor do the job or should I look somewhere else? Also what questions should I ask so I don't get screwed? What're your thoughts about the cost? I would think labor would be the biggest cost. |
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Quoted:
What's the best way of getting this fixed? will a general contractor do the job or should I look somewhere else? Also what questions should I ask so I don't get screwed? What're your thoughts about the cost? I would think labor would be the biggest cost. forget a general contractor –– find a local mason, there are a ton of them around. pick an older portugese, irish, or italian guy. it will take him longer to mix up the mortar than to set those bricks back in place. done right, and with a little tinting in the mortar, you won't be able to tell where the repair was done. any mason (look for the thoroughly calloused hands) will be able to do this job with his eyes closed. for a 3x3 area the guy us going to charge you mainly to come out and do it. time-wise, it's nothing to set that few bricks, on the order of 15 minutes with wet mortar and a 4' wood frame level. depending on where you live, it's going to run you $50 to $200. the cheapest way to do this would be to look for a mason's dump (flat truck with sand and gravel in the back) already working in your neighborhood. stop by and ask for the guy with the accent. tell him what you have, ask him if he can take 30 minutes over lunch and fix up your wall. by the way, fix the wall before winter when water gets behind the other bricks then freezes. the expansion of ice behind the wall is the beginning of the end for brick facing. while the mason is there, have him look for places that water may be getting in along the crown of the decorative face. an ounce of prevention = a pound of cure. ar-jedi |