Brick arch repairs in Hindley

Postcodes: WN1, WN2, WN3
Population: about 25,000
Area: Greater Manchester
Pricing region: North West

What should you know about the ground under Hindley?

With roughly 25,000 people, Hindley spans postcode districts WN1, WN2, WN3 in Greater Manchester. If you are just outside Hindley, we also cover Wigan (2 miles), Westhoughton (3 miles) and Leigh (4 miles).

Greater Manchester has a mix of ground, with clay in some places and firmer rock in others. Parts of Greater Manchester lie on a former coalfield, so a coal mining search is worth checking if movement has no obvious cause. Typical buildings in Greater Manchester: Red-brick terraces, mill-town stone terraces, inter-war semis and post-war estates.

What to expect when we carry out brick arch repairs

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.
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
A flat arch that has started to sag into a shallow curve
Cracks stepping out from the arch ends into the wall

What should you budget for brick arch repairs in Hindley?

Prices in Hindley are worked out on North West 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.

Guide prices inc VAT on North West rates. Items marked est. are our estimates.
Item	Guide price	Per
Stitching and reinforcing a sound archest.	£385 – £1,150	per arch
Rebuilding an arch (one side)	£865 – £1,250	per opening
Rebuilding an arch (both sides)	£1,750 – £2,500	per opening

Repair options we may recommend

Rebuilding over a former

A timber former is cut to the arch profile and propped under the opening. The old arch is carefully taken down, bricks cleaned for reuse, and the arch rebuilt over the former with tight joints and a properly set keystone. The former stays until the mortar is strong enough to carry the load.

Best for: Badly dropped arches or ones with loose voussoirs

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

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

What is the price of brick arch repairs in Hindley?

Guide prices for brick arch repairs in Hindley start from about £385 per arch, including VAT, on North West rates. Your fixed written price follows photos or a survey and depends on the extent of the work and access.

Do you carry out brick arch repairs in Hindley?

Yes, Hindley is covered, along with postcode districts WN1, WN2, WN3. We also cover nearby Wigan and Westhoughton.

Does the ground around Hindley cause cracking?

Greater Manchester is mostly glacial till over sandstone and mudstone, with the Lancashire coalfield beneath much of Wigan, Bolton, Salford and parts of the east. Historic mine workings, made ground and old mill sites are common. 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.

Can you match the original bricks?

Usually, because most arches are rebuilt with their own cleaned bricks, which is the best match of all. Damaged bricks are replaced with reclaimed or new bricks chosen for size, colour and texture, and the mortar is matched to the surrounding joints.

More repairs we carry out in Hindley

Brick arch repairs near Hindley

Have several dropped arches along one Hindley elevation? We can price them together and suggest the order that makes sense.