Masonry near you

Water is the main enemy of masonry. It comes from rain driven against the wall, overflowing gutters and leaky downspouts, snow piled against the base, failed sills and parapet caps, and moisture wicking up from the ground. Once inside the brick or the joints, it freezes and thaws again and again over a Canadian winter, and each cycle opens cracks a little further. Walls that were insulated from the inside without regard for how they dry can stay colder and wetter, which adds to the risk.

Mortar is meant to be the weaker, sacrificial part of a wall. Older brick and stone were usually laid in soft lime-based mortar that tolerates a little movement and lets moisture escape through the joints. Repointing that wall with a hard, cement-rich modern mortar reverses the roles: water and stress end up in the brick, whose faces can break off along the new joints. A careful mason looks at the existing mortar, sometimes has a sample analyzed, and chooses a mix that is compatible in strength, porosity, colour and texture, then matches the width and profile of the original joints.

For heritage work, the reference in Canada is the Standards and Guidelines for the Conservation of Historic Places in Canada, administered by Parks Canada and developed through a federal, provincial and territorial collaboration as the benchmark for conservation practice. It includes guidance specific to masonry and is a useful read for owners of older brick and stone buildings. Ask a mason which heritage buildings they have worked on and how they select repair mortars.

Most wall repairs above the ground floor require scaffolding or a lift, fall protection and a crew used to working at height, especially on the tall brick facades of plexes. Setting up and securing that equipment is part of the mason's job, not something to rent for a weekend.

Cutting out mortar and brick with grinders and saws raises fine dust that contains crystalline silica. The Canadian Centre for Occupational Health and Safety warns that breathing this dust can seriously damage the lungs and lists crystalline silica as a known cause of lung cancer. Expect the crew to use dust-extracting or water-fed tools, respiratory protection and tarps, and keep windows closed and children and pets away from the work area.

In Quebec, a masonry contractor needs an RBQ licence with the right subclass: 4.1 for masonry structures, or 4.2 for non-structural masonry, marble and ceramics. Look the licence up in the RBQ's registry before you sign.

Like-for-like repairs and repointing often need no permit, but rebuilding a wall, changing openings or altering a facade usually does, and heritage status adds another layer. In Quebec, the government's page on heritage work explains that classified properties and sites need authorization from the Ministry of Culture before they are altered, restored or repaired, while controls on cited properties and sites are the responsibility of municipalities. Elsewhere in Canada, heritage designations are handled under provincial laws and municipal by-laws, so ask your city whether your home is designated or sits in a heritage district before choosing materials.

Most masonry damage can be slowed by controlling water before it reaches the wall. A walk around the house each spring, looking up at parapets, sills and joints with binoculars, catches problems while repairs are still small.