East Dereham · Norfolk
Brick arch repairs in East Dereham
If you live in a period home in East Dereham, 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£420per arch inc VAT
- Postcodes
- NR19
- Population
- about 19,000
- Area
- Norfolk
- Pricing region
- East of England
Why does the ground in Norfolk matter for brick arch repairs?
East Dereham, Norfolk: about 19,000 residents across postcode districts NR19. We also take enquiries from nearby Norwich (16 miles), Thetford (20 miles) and King's Lynn (23 miles).
Norfolk 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. Across Norfolk, most homes are flint and brick cottages, Victorian terraces in Norwich and Great Yarmouth, and post-war bungalows.
Symptoms that point to brick arch repairs
- The centre bricks of an arch sitting lower than the rest
- A flat arch that has started to sag into a shallow curve
- Mortar falling out of the arch joints after frosty weather
Guide prices for brick arch repairs in East Dereham
Prices in East Dereham 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 |
Methods for brick arch repairs
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
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
From first photo to finished repair
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.
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.
Frequently asked questions
How much will brick arch repairs cost in East Dereham?
Guide prices for brick arch repairs in East Dereham 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 cover East Dereham?
Yes, East Dereham is covered, along with postcode districts NR19. We also cover nearby Norwich and Thetford.
Is the ground in Norfolk prone to subsidence?
Norfolk is chalk covered by glacial sands, gravels and boulder clay, with fen silts in the west and soft cliffs on the north-east coast. Boulder clay areas can shrink near trees, and historic chalk mines are recorded under parts of Norwich. 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.
Other structural repairs in East Dereham
- Extension pulling away repairs
- Subsidence insurance claim repairs
- Chimney stack repairs
- Structural surveys and crack monitoring
- Concrete repairs
Brick arch repairs near East Dereham
If bricks in an arch at your East Dereham property are loose, photograph them from a safe distance and send them over for advice.