St Albans · Hertfordshire
Brick arch repairs in St Albans
Before repairing a brick arch at a St Albans 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£420per arch inc VAT
- Postcodes
- AL1, AL2
- Population
- about 85,000
- Area
- Hertfordshire
- Pricing region
- East of England
Is Hertfordshire prone to ground movement?
St Albans, Hertfordshire: about 85,000 residents across postcode districts AL1, AL2. Nearby, we also cover Harpenden (5 miles), Hatfield (5 miles) and Hemel Hempstead (5 miles).
Hertfordshire 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 Hertfordshire: garden-city houses in Letchworth and Welwyn, 1930s semis, Victorian terraces and post-war new-town estates.
How much will brick arch repairs cost in St Albans?
Prices in St Albans are worked out on East of England 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. | £420 – £1,250 | per arch |
| Rebuilding an arch (one side) | £945 – £1,350 | per opening |
| Rebuilding an arch (both sides) | £1,900 – £2,750 | per opening |
Which repair method suits a home in St Albans?
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 when we carry out brick arch repairs in St Albans?
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.
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.
Signs you may need brick arch repairs
- Cracks stepping out from the arch ends into the wall
- A flat arch that has started to sag into a shallow curve
- Gaps opening between arch bricks at the top or bottom edge
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 St Albans: questions and answers
What is the price of brick arch repairs in St Albans?
Guide prices for brick arch repairs in St Albans start from about £420 per arch, including VAT, on East of England 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 St Albans?
Yes, St Albans is covered, along with postcode districts AL1, AL2. We also cover nearby Harpenden and Hatfield.
Does the ground around St Albans cause cracking?
South Hertfordshire around Watford, Borehamwood and Potters Bar is London Clay, while the north and west are chalk with clay-with-flints and the east has boulder clay. The clay areas are prone to seasonal subsidence near trees. 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.
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 St Albans
- Chimney stack repairs
- Extension pulling away repairs
- Subsidence insurance claim repairs
- Gable end wall repairs
- Bowing wall repairs
Brick arch repairs near St Albans
Have several dropped arches along one St Albans elevation? We can price them together and suggest the order that makes sense.