Financing for the pour — not a gimmick

Aim for spring through fall — mortar requires temperatures above freezing to cure properly. Demand spikes after winter damage becomes visible, so schedules book up quickly. Contact us early in the season to secure your preferred dates. For winter emergencies, we can provide temporary stabilization, but major repairs wait for warmer weather.

In most cases, yes. We remove the compromised bricks and install matching replacements, so you don't have to rebuild an entire wall for a few spalled units. If a larger section has failed, we'll be upfront about it and explain why. You'll always receive an honest evaluation, not an inflated scope of work.

It's the concrete cap on top of your chimney. Cracks in the crown allow water to enter directly, and a single freeze-thaw cycle can severely damage the interior masonry. Rebuilding a crown is far less costly than rebuilding the chimney stack. We rebuild crowns with a proper overhang, seal the flashing, and install a cap.

Our primary focus is residential work — that's our specialty. We sometimes accept small commercial jobs like storefronts or two-flats when our schedule permits. For large-scale commercial projects, we'll be direct: that's not our focus, and we can recommend a contractor better suited for that scale.

We serve Buffalo Grove and the broader Chicago's northwest suburbs. If you live in the suburbs, chances are we've already worked on your block or a similar one. Unsure if you're within our service area? Give us a call — if you're outside our range, we'll tell you straight out instead of wasting your time.

Repointing involves removing deteriorated mortar and filling the joints with fresh mortar. Tuckpointing is more about aesthetics, adding a fine decorative bead over the mortar. Around Chicago's northwest suburbs, though, these terms often get used interchangeably. The key takeaway: if your joints are failing, you need new mortar, and we'll give you an honest assessment of which service your masonry requires.

Costs vary based on the extent of the damage, the height of the work area, and whether moisture has infiltrated behind the brickwork. Minor repairs might cost a few hundred dollars; entire wall restorations will be more. We provide written package scope after the site visits so you have the exact figure before any work begins.

For many houses, the work takes two to four days. Rebuilding a chimney could require a full week. We stick to our schedule, work efficiently through the day, and avoid unnecessary delays. Inclement weather might force us to reschedule, but we'll communicate any changes to you immediately.

Absolutely. We analyze your existing mortar for color, aggregate, and consistency, then custom-mix a match. We'll apply a test patch and let it cure so you can approve the color before we proceed. Poor color matching is a clear indicator of substandard work, which we don't deliver.

That's called spalling. Moisture seeps into the brick, freezes, and forces the outer layer to break away. Buffalo Grove winters accelerate this damage, and it will continue to worsen — one compromised brick can lead to several more. The solution is to replace the damaged bricks and address the source of the water intrusion.