Aldershot · Hampshire
Brick arch repairs in Aldershot
If you live in a period home in Aldershot, 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£450per arch inc VAT
- Postcodes
- GU11
- Population
- about 40,000
- Area
- Hampshire
- Pricing region
- South East
What is the ground like in Hampshire?
Aldershot (GU11) has around 40,000 residents and sits in Hampshire. If you are just outside Aldershot, we also cover Farnham (3 miles), Farnborough (3 miles) and Fleet (4 miles).
Shrinkable clay is widespread in Hampshire. Ground movement here is more often linked to soils, drains and trees than to mining. Across Hampshire, most homes are Victorian terraces in Portsmouth and Southampton, 1930s semis, and large post-war and new-build estates.
How we usually approach brick arch repairs
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 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
- The centre bricks of an arch sitting lower than the rest
Brick arch repairs prices in Aldershot
Prices in Aldershot 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.
Questions about brick arch repairs in Aldershot
How much will brick arch repairs cost in Aldershot?
Guide prices for brick arch repairs in Aldershot 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 Aldershot?
We do. Aldershot and the surrounding area are covered, including nearby Farnham and Farnborough. A free initial assessment from your photos is the first step.
Is the ground in Hampshire prone to subsidence?
Central Hampshire is chalk, while the south around Portsmouth, Southampton and the New Forest fringe and the north-east around Farnborough sit on London Clay, Reading Beds and other clays and sands. The clay areas see seasonal movement near trees. Only an investigation can say why a particular building has moved.
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.
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 Aldershot
- Floor joist repairs
- Resin injection ground stabilisation
- Structural surveys and crack monitoring
- Retaining wall repairs
- Chimney stack repairs
Brick arch repairs near Aldershot
Our guide-price tool covers arch reinforcement and rebuilds in Aldershot; add a photo and we can say which applies to yours.