Gerrards Cross · Buckinghamshire
Brick arch repairs in Gerrards Cross
Older Gerrards Cross houses often carry their window and door heads on brick arches built without any steel at all. When the centre bricks slip, the arch either needs reinforcing in place or rebuilding over a timber former.
Guide price from£450per arch inc VAT
- Postcodes
- SL9, UB9
- Population
- about 21,000
- Area
- Buckinghamshire
- Pricing region
- South East
Why does the ground in Buckinghamshire matter for brick arch repairs?
Gerrards Cross is in Buckinghamshire and takes in postcode districts SL9, UB9. About 21,000 people live there. If you are just outside Gerrards Cross, we also cover Rickmansworth (5 miles), Slough (6 miles) and Hillingdon (6 miles).
Shrinkable clay is widespread in Buckinghamshire. Ground movement here is more often linked to soils, drains and trees than to mining. Housing stock in Buckinghamshire: Market-town terraces, 1930s semis in the south, and large late-20th-century estates in Milton Keynes and Aylesbury.
What should you budget for brick arch repairs in Gerrards Cross?
Prices in Gerrards Cross 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 |
Repair options we may recommend
Reinforcing a sound arch
Where the arch has only dropped slightly and the bricks are sound, stainless helical bars are bonded into the bed joints just above it, extending well into the wall on each side. The bars turn the courses above into a reinforced band of masonry, so the arch no longer has to carry the full load. Joints are repointed to match.
Best for: Slightly dropped or cracked arches with sound bricks
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 to expect when we carry out brick arch repairs
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.
Strike the former and point
Once the mortar has cured enough, the former and props are removed. Joints are finished to match the surrounding wall, and any cracks running from the arch into the wall are repaired at the same visit.
Is it time for brick arch repairs? Common signs
- The centre bricks of an arch sitting lower than the rest
- Cracks stepping out from the arch ends into the wall
- Gaps opening between arch bricks at the top or bottom edge
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.
Your brick arch repairs questions
How much will brick arch repairs cost in Gerrards Cross?
Guide prices for brick arch repairs in Gerrards Cross 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.
Do you cover Gerrards Cross?
Yes, Gerrards Cross is covered, along with postcode districts SL9, UB9. We also cover nearby Rickmansworth and Slough.
Is the ground in Buckinghamshire prone to subsidence?
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.
What is a former in arch building?
A former, sometimes called a centre, is a temporary timber frame cut to the exact shape of the arch. It supports the bricks while the arch is laid and the mortar cures, and is removed once the arch can carry itself.
Should a brick arch be repaired with lime mortar?
On older houses built with soft bricks and lime, yes, in most cases. Lime mortar lets the wall breathe and is weaker than the brick, so any movement or frost damage happens in the joints rather than the bricks. Modern hard brickwork can take a cement-based mortar.
Other structural repairs in Gerrards Cross
- Subsidence insurance claim repairs
- Wall tie replacement
- Roof structure repairs
- Retaining wall repairs
- Chimney stack repairs
Brick arch repairs near Gerrards Cross
Send a straight-on photo of the dropped or cracked arch at your Gerrards Cross home, and we will offer a free view on whether it needs reinforcing or rebuilding.