Aylesbury · Buckinghamshire
Brick arch repairs in Aylesbury
Flat soldier arches on Aylesbury houses tend to sag once a hidden bar rusts or an old window frame is replaced. Reinforcing them with stainless bars in the joints above is often enough, without taking the arch down.
Guide price from£450per arch inc VAT
- Postcodes
- HP19, HP20, HP21
- Population
- about 75,000
- Area
- Buckinghamshire
- Pricing region
- South East
What should you know about the ground under Aylesbury?
We cover Aylesbury and its postcode districts HP19, HP20, HP21, part of Buckinghamshire, with a population of roughly 75,000. If you are just outside Aylesbury, we also cover Leighton Buzzard (10 miles), Berkhamsted (11 miles) and Chesham (12 miles).
Buckinghamshire is one of the parts of the UK where clay soils are most likely to move with the seasons. Ground movement here is more often linked to soils, drains and trees than to mining. Typical buildings in Buckinghamshire: Market-town terraces, 1930s semis in the south, and large late-20th-century estates in Milton Keynes and Aylesbury.
Which repair method suits a home in Aylesbury?
Lime mortar repairs
On older houses built in soft brick and lime, the arch is rebuilt or repointed in a lime mortar matched to the original. Lime lets moisture escape and moves slightly with the wall, so it protects the bricks rather than forcing damage into them, as hard cement mortar can.
Best for: Pre-1919 houses and soft historic brick
Rebuilding both faces
Where the arch shows inside as well as outside, or a rotten timber behind it has also failed, both faces are rebuilt. The inner timber is replaced with a suitable lintel, and the outer arch is reformed in front. The two are worked in sequence so the wall is supported throughout.
Best for: Arches with a failed timber or inner face
What happens when we carry out brick arch repairs in Aylesbury?
Choose reinforce or rebuild
We recommend reinforcement where the arch is sound and only slightly displaced, and a rebuild where it has dropped badly or bricks are loose. If the wall beside the opening is moving, that is dealt with first.
Support the opening
Props carry the brickwork above, and for a rebuild a former is made to the exact profile of the arch. The window or door frame is protected so it is not asked to carry any load.
Repair the arch
Bars are bonded into the joints above a sound arch, or the arch is taken down and relaid over the former using the original bricks where possible, with matched replacements for any that are damaged.
Signs you may need brick arch repairs
- A flat arch that has started to sag into a shallow curve
- Mortar falling out of the arch joints after frosty weather
- Cracks stepping out from the arch ends into the wall
How much will brick arch repairs cost in Aylesbury?
Prices in Aylesbury are worked out on South East rates. They include VAT and are a starting point: access, the extent of the damage and whether an engineer or building control is involved all move the figure.
| Item | Guide price | Per |
|---|---|---|
| Stitching and reinforcing a sound archest. | £450 – £1,350 | per arch |
| Rebuilding an arch (one side) | £1,000 – £1,450 | per opening |
| Rebuilding an arch (both sides) | £2,000 – £2,900 | per opening |
Rules for brick arch repairs in England
Like-for-like repairs such as crack stitching and repointing do not usually need building control approval in England, but anything that changes or strengthens the structure, such as underpinning or rebuilding a wall, does. If the work touches a party wall, the Party Wall etc. Act 1996 may apply.
Brick arch repairs in Aylesbury: questions and answers
How much should I budget for brick arch repairs in Aylesbury?
Guide prices for brick arch repairs in Aylesbury start from about £450 per arch, including VAT, on South East rates. Your fixed written price follows photos or a survey and depends on the extent of the work and access.
Can you survey a property in Aylesbury?
We do. Aylesbury and the surrounding area are covered, including nearby Leighton Buzzard and Berkhamsted. A free initial assessment from your photos is the first step.
Why do houses in Buckinghamshire crack?
The Chilterns are chalk with clay-with-flints on the tops, while the Vale of Aylesbury and Milton Keynes sit on Gault, Kimmeridge and Oxford Clays and glacial till. The vale clays are prone to seasonal shrinkage near trees. Only an investigation can say why a particular building has moved.
Do flat brick arches need a lintel?
Many flat soldier arches were built with a hidden steel bar or timber behind, because they have little true arch action. When repairing one, we check what is supporting it and, where needed, reinforce it with bars or add suitable support behind.
Can a dropped arch be repaired without rebuilding it?
Yes, if the drop is small and the brickwork is in good condition. Bars bonded into the joints above can take the load off the arch and hold it in place. If the bricks are loose or the arch has dropped badly, rebuilding is the more reliable repair.
Related work in Aylesbury
- Bay window subsidence repairs
- Retaining wall repairs
- Boundary and garden wall repairs
- Subsidence insurance claim repairs
- Resin injection ground stabilisation
Brick arch repairs near Aylesbury
Request a written, no-obligation price for arch repairs in Aylesbury; every arch is itemised, along with any work needed on the inside face.