Westhoughton · Greater Manchester
Brick arch repairs in Westhoughton
If you live in a period home in Westhoughton, the arches over your windows were probably laid in lime mortar. Rebuilding them in lime, with the original bricks cleaned and reused, keeps the wall breathing and the repair hard to spot.
Guide price from£385per arch inc VAT
- Postcodes
- BL5
- Population
- about 26,000
- Area
- Greater Manchester
- Pricing region
- North West
Is Greater Manchester prone to ground movement?
With roughly 26,000 people, Westhoughton spans postcode districts BL5 in Greater Manchester. Nearby, we also cover Hindley (3 miles), Tyldesley (3 miles) and Leigh (4 miles).
Clay soils are found in parts of Greater Manchester. Parts of Greater Manchester lie on a former coalfield, so a coal mining search is worth checking if movement has no obvious cause. What you mostly find across Greater Manchester: red-brick terraces, mill-town stone terraces, inter-war semis and post-war estates.
How we usually approach brick arch repairs
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 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
What happens during brick arch repairs, step by step?
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.
What to look for before calling about brick arch repairs
- Cracks stepping out from the arch ends into the wall
- Gaps opening between arch bricks at the top or bottom edge
- A flat arch that has started to sag into a shallow curve
Brick arch repairs prices in Westhoughton
The ranges below reflect typical North West costs for brick arch repairs, including VAT. Scaffold, access and making good can push a job to the top of the range.
| 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 |
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.
Questions about brick arch repairs in Westhoughton
How much will brick arch repairs cost in Westhoughton?
Guide prices for brick arch repairs in Westhoughton 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 cover Westhoughton?
We do. Westhoughton and the surrounding area are covered, including nearby Hindley and Tyldesley. A free initial assessment from your photos is the first step.
Is the ground in Greater Manchester prone to subsidence?
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.
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.
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 Westhoughton
- Structural surveys and crack monitoring
- Subsidence insurance claim repairs
- Extension pulling away repairs
- Boundary and garden wall repairs
- Mining subsidence repairs
Brick arch repairs near Westhoughton
Our guide-price tool covers arch reinforcement and rebuilds in Westhoughton; add a photo and we can say which applies to yours.