Havant · Hampshire
Brick arch repairs in Havant
Before repairing a brick arch at a Havant 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£450per arch inc VAT
- Postcodes
- PO9
- Population
- about 46,000
- Area
- Hampshire
- Pricing region
- South East
How do local ground conditions affect brick arch repairs in Havant?
Havant, Hampshire: about 46,000 residents across postcode districts PO9. If you are just outside Havant, we also cover Emsworth (2 miles), Waterlooville (3 miles) and Hayling Island (5 miles).
Hampshire is one of the parts of the UK where clay soils are most likely to move with the seasons. Ground movement here is more often linked to soils, drains and trees than to mining. What you mostly find across Hampshire: Victorian terraces in Portsmouth and Southampton, 1930s semis, and large post-war and new-build estates.
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
What to expect when we carry out brick arch repairs
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.
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.
Is it time for brick arch repairs? Common signs
- A vertical crack running up from the middle of the arch
- The centre bricks of an arch sitting lower than the rest
- Gaps opening between arch bricks at the top or bottom edge
What should you budget for brick arch repairs in Havant?
Guide prices below are for homes in Havant, on South East 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. | £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.
Your brick arch repairs questions
What is the price of brick arch repairs in Havant?
Guide prices for brick arch repairs in Havant 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 carry out brick arch repairs in Havant?
We do. Havant and the surrounding area are covered, including nearby Emsworth and Waterlooville. A free initial assessment from your photos is the first step.
Does the ground around Havant cause cracking?
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.
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.
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 Havant
- Retaining wall repairs
- Floor joist repairs
- Gable end wall repairs
- Subsidence insurance claim repairs
- Resin injection ground stabilisation
Brick arch repairs near Havant
Our guide-price tool covers arch reinforcement and rebuilds in Havant; add a photo and we can say which applies to yours.