Wigan · Greater Manchester
Brick arch repairs in Wigan
Before repairing a brick arch at a Wigan property, we check what sits behind it. A rotting timber lintel on the inner face is a frequent hidden cause, and fixing only the visible arch would leave the real problem in place.
Guide price from£385per arch inc VAT
- Postcodes
- WN1, WN3, WN5
- Population
- about 180,000
- Area
- Greater Manchester
- Pricing region
- North West
Is Greater Manchester prone to ground movement?
With roughly 180,000 people, Wigan spans postcode districts WN1, WN3, WN5 in Greater Manchester. If you are just outside Wigan, we also cover Hindley (2 miles), Ashton-in-Makerfield (4 miles) and Westhoughton (5 miles).
Parts of Greater Manchester have clay that can shrink near trees in dry spells. 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.
Which repair method suits a home in Wigan?
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
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
What happens when we carry out brick arch repairs in Wigan?
Look at the arch closely
Straight-on photos of the arch and the wall either side show us how far it has dropped, whether the bricks are sound and whether the cause seems to be the arch itself or the wall around it.
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.
Signs you may need brick arch repairs
- Gaps opening between arch bricks at the top or bottom edge
- A flat arch that has started to sag into a shallow curve
- Cracks stepping out from the arch ends into the wall
How much will brick arch repairs cost in Wigan?
Guide prices below are for homes in Wigan, on North West rates and including VAT. A survey or good photos let us turn them into a fixed written price.
| 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.
Brick arch repairs in Wigan: questions and answers
What is the price of brick arch repairs in Wigan?
Guide prices for brick arch repairs in Wigan 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 Wigan?
Yes. We take enquiries from across Wigan, including WN1, WN3, WN5, and from nearby places such as Hindley and Ashton-in-Makerfield. Send photos for a free initial view and we will tell you what happens next.
Does the ground around Wigan 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.
Why has the middle of my brick arch dropped?
The centre of an arch usually drops because the bricks have lost their wedge, either because the wall at the sides has moved or the mortar has worn away. A rotting timber hidden behind the arch is another common cause. The keystone slipping is the visible result.
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.
More repairs we carry out in Wigan
- Lintel replacement
- Mining subsidence repairs
- Underpinning
- Bay window subsidence repairs
- Chimney stack repairs
Brick arch repairs near Wigan
Our guide-price tool covers arch reinforcement and rebuilds in Wigan; add a photo and we can say which applies to yours.