Flaking chimney brick replaced by our team in Lake Pickett

Spalled brick, cracked brick and worn joints are different jobs

A brick whose face has flaked off, a brick cracked through its body and a mortar joint that has eroded around sound brick each call for different work. Homeowners often see them together and call it all crumbling.

We separate them during the inspection. Spalled and cracked units are candidates for replacement, while worn joints around sound brick are usually a repointing question. Keeping those apart in the estimate means you pay for the work each area needs, and it makes clear which lines belong to spalling brick repair and which do not.

Stone chimneys are a different repair

Natural or manufactured stone behaves differently from fired clay brick, and the BIA brick guidance on mortar and replacement is written for brick. A stone face needs its own assessment.

If your chimney is stone or stone veneer, we inspect it under our stone chimney repair service instead. Where a chimney mixes brick and stone, we list the brick units and the stone work separately so each follows the right approach.

Working around clay and concrete roof tiles

Roof tiles can crack under a careless step or a dropped brick. When a chimney rises through a tile roof, the path to it and the staging area around it need planning.

We choose where to walk and set materials with the tiles in mind. If a tile has to be lifted to reach the lower courses of the chimney, we explain that in the estimate. Roof repairs outside the chimney are not part of the brick scope, and we say so up front.

Questions to ask before approving brick replacement

A good estimate answers these questions in writing. If one is missing, ask before you approve the work, whoever is quoting it.

• How many units will be replaced, and how were they chosen?
• What is thought to be causing the damage, and is it addressed?
• Which brick will be used, and how close will the match be?
• Which mortar type and color approach will be used?
• How will extra damaged units found during removal be handled?
• What cleanup and protection of the roof and yard are included?