Bricks, Masonry, Asphalt and Concrete - Cracks in brick siding and concrete wall - who to call?

We have some brick siding that appear to be a decorative facade to our house; the brick siding goes up about five feet from the ground. There is a long crack in the brick siding and some of the bricks appear to be in the beginning stages of crumbling. Also, there are cracks in the stucco/concrete siding, which appear to be above the basement window wells. So I am dealing with both a brick and a concrete issue, but don't know if it is structural or not. We had a home inspector tell us that it was not structural, but I'm still suspicious. The question I have is who do I call to come out to do this kind of repair work? Is it a mason or a concrete company or who? Thanks.

A true mason does concrete work as well. A brick facade can sag and crack if it wasn't constructed to be supported properly, like on a lintel. Whether or not that's your situation, I can't say. Have a few mason's come out to review/estimate the repair. Their thoughts and solutions may give you enough insight as to the situation. Of course a structural engineer can tell you what's going on for sure, but they aint cheap.

I also suggest you look very carefully for signs of water infiltration or damage in the area. That will give you indication into possible severity as well.

Good luck! :thumbup:

Thanks for the response of who to call...very helpful. Another question...if the cracks in the concrete/stucco prove to be structural, what does a repair entail for that? Can you give me any rough idea of cost to fix that problem? Yes, I know that the cost will depend on the extent of damage, but I am just looking for a ballpark figure, such as tens of thousands of dollars or a lesser amount. Also, it's winter and I live in the northern US. Can masonry repair be done in temperatures in the 30s and 40s? Thanks.

If it's structural there can be a number of things from a sagging foundation (unlikely) to a missing or sagging lintel (probably not) to insect damage, to simply settling juuuuust enough over time.

Yes cost is a big unknown... I doubt (but can't really say) your talking about more than the thousands. Often the entire brick facade needs rebuilding and not just the damage area.

Again, get some masons over there. They're probably waiting for the spring season to kick in and then they'll be hard to get. Some masonry can be done in cold weather and a better price may be negotiated now, but see what they say.

Good luck! :thumbup: