Masonry contractor in Decatur, IL - repointing and repair for older brick homes
Artisan Springfield Concrete and Masonry is a masonry contractor working in Decatur, IL. We repoint and repair brick on older homes, fix chimneys and build retaining walls and walkways that look like they belong to the house.
Brick homes and yards across Decatur
Decatur has a lot of brick, especially on the older blocks around Central Park downtown and out through the historic West End near Fairview Park. Those houses have chimneys, brick porches and foundations that a few owners have patched over the years, and that history is usually the first thing I look for. Farther out, the houses are newer, and the calls lean toward retaining walls, walks and block work in the yard.
It's a lot like what we see at home in Springfield, so the job here usually comes down to matching what's already on the house: the brick color, the joint width and a mortar that won't fight the old brick.
What to know before masonry work starts in Decatur
Inside the city limits, the City of Decatur's Building Inspections division issues permits, and when your job needs one, it has to be in hand before we start, so it sets the first date on the calendar. The city says a contractor doing permit work has to be licensed and registered with its Building Department and can only pull a permit while that license is in good standing, so check that with the city before you hire anyone, us included. I check with the office for your address before we start, and if the job needs a permit, we take care of the paperwork. The price turns on the size of the job, how much brick or mortar is actually bad once we get into it, how hard your old brick is to match and how easy the wall is to reach.
Decatur is a straight run east of Springfield on I-72, so getting our crew and materials over is routine, and the drive usually isn't what sets the schedule. The permit and the size of the job are. We do the same work in Taylorville and Lincoln, where the older houses need the same care with soft brick and matched mortar.
Services in Decatur, IL
Tuckpointing
Older Decatur brick often has joints gone sandy or patched with hard gray mortar. Our tuckpointing grinds out the bad joints and refills them to match.
Chimney repair
Chimneys on older Decatur houses often loosen first because nobody looks up there until a brick falls. We repoint, recap or rebuild the top, whichever it needs.
Brick repair
Porch and step brick on the older homes here often cracks or flakes. We cut out the bad pieces and set matched brick in their place.
Masonry restoration
West End houses often carry decades of patches in mismatched brick and mortar. We undo the worst and bring the wall back to one look.
Retaining wall construction
Sloped yards on the newer edges of the city lose soil when nothing holds the grade. We build retaining walls on a packed, drained base to hold it.
Walkway construction
Front walks on older Decatur houses often heave or sink where roots and old bases gave out. We dig out, rebuild the base and lay a new walk.
What Decatur's older houses ask of their brick
On the older houses, most of the trouble starts where water gets in and nobody's looked in years. A cracked chimney cap, a gutter dumping on a porch wall or a stoop pulling away from the house lets water into the brick, and the mortar goes soft around it. Before we fix the brick, I find where the water's coming from, because new mortar won't last long if the water keeps coming.
On the newer lots, the calls are about the yard: a slope washing out, a walk settling, a block wall starting to lean. Most of that traces back to a thin or wet base, so that's where we start, digging down to firm ground before anything gets built on top.
Get a free estimate for your Decatur masonry job
Send the form and we'll get back to you within one business day to set a time. I come out to your Decatur house myself, look the job over, tell you what I see and write up a free estimate, and you're under no obligation to go ahead.
How a Decatur job goes
Call us or send the form
Call (217) 210-0722 or use the form, and we'll set a time for me to come to your house. It helps if you're home so you can show me what's been bothering you.
I come out and look
I look the job over, tell you what I see and write up the estimate, so you know what the work involves and what it costs before you decide anything. If it's a smaller job than you expected or one that can wait, I'll say so.
We check permits, then build
We check what the city asks for at your address, set a date, and our crew does the work with me right alongside them. If the job has a city inspection, requests made before 4 p.m. the day before are usually scheduled for the next day, depending on the inspector and a route set by where your house is.
We walk it with you
Before we pack up, I walk the finished work with you so you can see it and ask about anything. We clean up and haul off our debris.
Decatur masonry questions answered
Do I need a permit for a retaining wall in Decatur, IL?
You do if the wall is taller than 4 feet, because the city puts retaining walls over that height on its permit list. For a shorter wall, I still check with the city for your address before we dig, and if a permit is needed, we handle it.
How do I find out if tuckpointing or chimney work needs a permit in Decatur?
Ask the city's Building Inspections office at 217-424-2787 before work starts, because the city's permit list names roofing, decks, exterior siding and other work but doesn't settle where tuckpointing or chimney repair falls. The city asks owners to check with it when in doubt, so that's what I do before every Decatur job. If your lot sits in a floodplain, the city lists work there as needing a permit too.
What happens if masonry work starts without a permit in Decatur?
The city issues a stop work order, and the job sits until the right permit is pulled. If no permit follows, a notice of non-compliance is filed against the property with the city or the Macon County Clerk and Recorder, and that puts a lien on your house. That's why we check before we start, not after.
How much does masonry repair cost in Decatur, IL?
There's no honest number until I've seen the wall, because on Decatur's older houses the price turns mostly on how much of the mortar or brick is really bad. Hunting down brick that isn't made anymore, working high on a chimney and a permit fee when the job needs one all add to it, while a repair caught at a few joints stays small. The free estimate gives you the actual figure.
What is the best way to fix crumbling mortar on an old brick house in Decatur?
Grind the bad joints out to sound mortar and repoint them with a mix softer than the brick, so the mortar wears first instead of the brick. Smearing new mortar over old joints or using a hard modern mix is what ruins a lot of older walls. If only a few joints are gone, I'll tell you to fix those and leave the rest.
Do you work in Decatur if you're based in Springfield?
Yes, Decatur is one of the cities we work in from our base in Springfield. We're licensed and insured, I come out to look at every job and write the estimate myself, and I'm on the job working alongside our crew, same as at home.
Get your Decatur masonry looked at
Loose mortar and cracked brick usually cost less to fix early than after water gets behind them, so call (217) 210-0722 or send the form.
