Lincoln · Lincolnshire
Brick arch repairs in Lincoln
Flat soldier arches on Lincoln houses tend to sag once a hidden bar rusts or an old window frame is replaced. Reinforcing them with stainless bars in the joints above is often enough, without taking the arch down.
Guide price from£390per arch inc VAT
- Postcodes
- LN6
- Population
- about 100,000
- Area
- Lincolnshire
- Pricing region
- East Midlands
How do local ground conditions affect brick arch repairs in Lincoln?
Postcode districts LN6 cover Lincoln, a Lincolnshire town of about 100,000 people. Nearby, we also cover Gainsborough (14 miles), Newark-on-Trent (16 miles) and Sleaford (17 miles).
Lincolnshire has a mix of ground, with clay in some places and firmer rock in others. Ground movement here is more often linked to soils, drains and trees than to mining. Typical buildings in Lincolnshire: Victorian terraces in Lincoln and Grimsby, fenland brick houses, seaside bungalows and post-war estates.
Which repair method suits a home in Lincoln?
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 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 happens when we carry out brick arch repairs in Lincoln?
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.
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.
Signs you may need brick arch repairs
- A vertical crack running up from the middle of the arch
- A flat arch that has started to sag into a shallow curve
- Gaps opening between arch bricks at the top or bottom edge
How much will brick arch repairs cost in Lincoln?
Guide prices below are for homes in Lincoln, on East Midlands 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. | £390 – £1,200 | per arch |
| Rebuilding an arch (one side) | £880 – £1,250 | per opening |
| Rebuilding an arch (both sides) | £1,750 – £2,550 | 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 Lincoln: questions and answers
How much should I budget for brick arch repairs in Lincoln?
Guide prices for brick arch repairs in Lincoln start from about £390 per arch, including VAT, on East Midlands rates. Your fixed written price follows photos or a survey and depends on the extent of the work and access.
Can you survey a property in Lincoln?
Yes, Lincoln is covered, along with postcode districts LN6. We also cover nearby Gainsborough and Newark-on-Trent.
Why do houses in Lincolnshire crack?
Lincolnshire has Lias, Oxford and Kimmeridge clays on the vales, chalk on the Wolds and soft silts and peat in the fens around Boston and Spalding. Fen ground and clay can both settle or shrink in dry years. Only an investigation can say why a particular building has moved.
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.
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.
Related work in Lincoln
Brick arch repairs near Lincoln
Send a straight-on photo of the dropped or cracked arch at your Lincoln home, and we will offer a free view on whether it needs reinforcing or rebuilding.