Brick Pointing
Brick pointing for houses, garages and chimneys around Pittsburgh. We cut the failed mortar out of the joints and repoint them with mortar matched to the wall.
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Our Services
Davis Demolition and Masonry is a masonry contractor in Pittsburgh, PA. We work in brick, block and stone on houses and small commercial buildings. Most of what we do is brick pointing and repair on old brick and block walls. We work the city and about 40 miles around it.
The masonry line runs wider than pointing. We do chimneys, stucco, retaining walls, small concrete work and foundation walls. Even so, pointing and brick repair are still the bulk of it. Call or text (412) 720-1866 and we will come look at the job.
Tell us about the job. We will call or text you back.
Pittsburgh is built out of brick, block and stone, and most of it is old. The median home in the city was built in 1942. Close to half of all housing units here went up in 1939 or earlier. Those walls are still doing their job, but the mortar in them is not.
Winter is what wears them down. Pittsburgh normally gets about 113 nights a year at or below freezing. Water soaks into an open joint, freezes, and pushes the joint wider. Do that for enough winters and the mortar washes out and the face of the brick starts to break off.
The ground is the other half of it. The city sits on steep hills, and retaining walls hold up yards, drives and streets all over town. The city's own demolition rules flag parcels that are landslide prone, steep slope or undermined by old coal workings. Walls on that kind of ground move.
Brick pointing and brick repair are the core of the work. We cut the failed mortar out of the joints and pack them with new mortar matched to the wall. Where brick is cracked, spalled or loose, we cut it out and set new brick in its place. Whole sections of wall can be rebuilt the same way.
Chimney repair and removal is the next piece. We repoint stacks, rebuild them from the roofline up, and build new chimneys. We also take chimneys down in part or in full. Sweeping, liners and flue inspections are a different trade and belong to a certified chimney sweep.
We build and rebuild retaining walls of every type, including the ones made out of wooden railroad ties. Stucco work covers patching, re-stucco and parging on block and stone. Small concrete work means sidewalks, walks, patios and small pads. We have built outdoor kitchens as well.
A lot of masonry repair starts with taking something apart. A wall that has failed. A chimney that is coming loose. A porch or a slab that has broken up. The old work has to come out before the new work goes in.
We have been in the demolition business since 2001, so that half is our own work. We run an excavator, skid steers and air jackhammers, and we haul the material off ourselves. The same company takes the old masonry down and builds it back, instead of two outfits working around each other.
That shows up most on foundation repair and waterproofing. The wall has to be dug out along the outside before it can be parged and coated. It is the same on a failed retaining wall that has to come out first. When the work is done, the debris goes with us and the site is left clean.
We look at the job and give you a price before any work starts, across Pittsburgh, the South Hills, the eastern suburbs and about 40 miles around.
(412) 720-1866From the first call to a clean site at the end, here is how it goes.
Call or text (412) 720-1866, or send the form. Tell us what is coming down and where it sits.
We come out and go over what is being removed, what it is built of and the access. You get a price before any work starts.
We go over what your municipality requires and who handles each step. Utility shutoffs, One Call marking and any asbestos survey happen before demolition starts.
The teardown or the masonry repair gets done. We keep you posted during the job and handle added scope as it comes up.
Construction and demolition debris is loaded out and hauled away. On a teardown the lot can be graded, topsoiled and seeded.
Common questions about masonry contractor across Pittsburgh, the South Hills, the eastern suburbs and about 40 miles around. If yours is not here, call and ask.
Brick pointing for houses, garages and chimneys around Pittsburgh. We cut the failed mortar out of the joints and repoint them with mortar matched to the wall.
Learn More
Brick repair on houses, garages and small commercial buildings around Pittsburgh. We cut out spalled, cracked and loose brick, set matching brick in its place, and rebuild wall sections, piers and steps.
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We build and rebuild retaining walls in block, brick, stone, poured concrete and timber, including railroad ties. When a wall has failed, the tear out and the rebuild stay with one company.
Learn MoreDemolition is the main line of work at Davis Demolition and Masonry. Houses, garages, sheds, interior gut outs, concrete and commercial interiors are the everyday jobs.
We hold the City of Pittsburgh general contractor license the city requires for demolition permits. We are an EPA Lead-Safe Certified Firm and a registered Pennsylvania home improvement contractor.
A building background sits behind the demolition work. On an interior job that decides what comes out and what gets left standing.
A failed wall or chimney can come down and go back up with the same company. Debris leaves with us, and the site is left clean at the end.
Tell us what is coming down, what it is built of and where it sits. Call or text (412) 720-1866, or send the form with what you need taken down.
Tell us about the job. We will call or text you back.