Structural brickwork, brick & block repairs
Steel and brick go together: nearly every beam we install ends with brickwork built back around it. We carry out the structural brickwork on our own jobs and as a service in its own right — rebuilding brick facades and elevations, replacing failed cavity wall ties, repairing brick and blockwork after subsidence, repointing, and putting cracked or bulging masonry right.
Older walls are repaired to suit their age: bricks reclaimed or matched, and lime mortar used where the original wall was built with it, so repairs blend in and the wall can still breathe.
Recent structural brickwork & repairs work
What’s included
- Brickwork rebuilt around new steels and structural openings
- Brick facades and full elevations taken down and rebuilt
- Cavity wall tie replacement — failed and rusted ties cut out, new stainless ties resin-fixed
- Brick and blockwork rebuilt after subsidence, once movement is stabilised
- Full-elevation repointing as well as structural repointing
- Brick and block repairs — cracked, spalled or frost-damaged masonry cut out and replaced
- Crack stitching with helical bars, resin-bonded into the bed joints
- Cracked and bulging wall sections taken down and rebuilt
- Structural repointing, in lime or cement mortar to match the wall
- Brick plinths for steel-framed units and buildings
- Padstones bedded and brickwork made good around bearings
- Blocking up old doorways, windows and openings
Worth knowing before you book anyone
Failed wall ties have a signature
Regular horizontal cracks in the mortar beds every five or six brick courses, and outer walls bowing outwards, usually mean the original steel ties have rusted and expanded. The fix is proven: new stainless steel ties resin-fixed through the outer leaf, the old ties isolated, and the cracked beds repointed.
After subsidence
Cracked brickwork from subsidence gets rebuilt once the cause is dealt with and movement has stopped — usually alongside your insurer and their engineer. We carry out the rebuilding, stitching and repointing to the engineer's specification.
Is the crack structural?
Hairline cracks in plaster are usually cosmetic. Stepped cracks following the mortar joints, cracks wider than a pound coin, or cracks that keep growing deserve a proper look — sometimes the fix is stitching, sometimes rebuilding, occasionally an engineer first.
Matching matters
A repair that shouts is a repair done twice. We match brick type, colour and bond, and mortar colour and joint profile, using reclaimed bricks where the wall deserves them.
Lime or cement
Pre-war walls were usually built in lime mortar, which moves and breathes. Repointing them in hard cement traps moisture and spalls the brick faces — so we repair like with like.
Structural brickwork & repairs: your questions answered
How do I know if my wall ties have failed?
Horizontal cracking along the mortar joints at regular intervals — typically every five or six courses — and bulging outer walls are the classic signs. A tie survey confirms it, and replacement stainless ties are a routine, permanent repair.
Can you repair brickwork damaged by subsidence?
Yes. Once the movement is stabilised (underpinning or drainage repairs, agreed with your insurer's engineer), we rebuild the damaged brick and blockwork, stitch stable cracks and repoint — matched to the original wall.
Are stepped cracks in brickwork serious?
Sometimes. Stepped cracks following the mortar joints can point to movement or a failed lintel. Narrow, stable cracks are often stitched with helical bars; wide or growing cracks get an engineer's opinion first. Send photos and we will tell you honestly which it is.
Can you match old bricks?
Nearly always. We source reclaimed bricks or close modern matches, and match the mortar colour and joint style, so the repair disappears into the wall.
What is crack stitching?
Stainless steel helical bars resin-bonded into slots cut along the mortar beds, tying the cracked section back together. It is quick, strong and invisible once repointed — the standard repair for stable cracks.
Do you rebuild garden and boundary walls?
Yes — leaning or collapsed garden walls, gate pillars and boundary walls are taken down and rebuilt, reusing the original bricks where they are sound.
Where we do this
Structural brickwork & repairs across Knutsford, Wilmslow, Macclesfield, Altrincham, Sale, Stockport, Didsbury & South Manchester, Stretford & Urmston, Warrington, Northwich, Chester, Crewe & Nantwich, Congleton.
Need structural brickwork & repairs?
Send photos or your engineer's drawings for a same-day budget price, or book a free survey.