Yarm · North Yorkshire
Brick arch repairs in Yarm
Flat soldier arches on Yarm 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£380per arch inc VAT
- Postcodes
- TS15, TS16, TS17
- Population
- about 19,000
- Area
- North Yorkshire
- Pricing region
- Yorkshire and the Humber
What is the ground like in North Yorkshire?
Yarm (TS15, TS16, TS17) has around 19,000 residents and sits in North Yorkshire. Neighbouring towns we cover: Thornaby-on-Tees (3 miles), Stockton-on-Tees (5 miles) and Middlesbrough (7 miles).
Clay soils are found in parts of North Yorkshire. Parts of North Yorkshire lie on a former coalfield, so a coal mining search is worth checking if movement has no obvious cause. Across North Yorkshire, most homes are stone cottages, Georgian and Victorian houses in York and Harrogate, and brick terraces on Teesside.
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.
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.
Is it time for brick arch repairs? Common signs
- A flat arch that has started to sag into a shallow curve
- The centre bricks of an arch sitting lower than the rest
- A vertical crack running up from the middle of the arch
What should you budget for brick arch repairs in Yarm?
Guide prices below are for homes in Yarm, on Yorkshire and the Humber 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. | £380 – £1,150 | per arch |
| Rebuilding an arch (one side) | £855 – £1,250 | per opening |
| Rebuilding an arch (both sides) | £1,700 – £2,450 | per opening |
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
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
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
How much should I budget for brick arch repairs in Yarm?
Guide prices for brick arch repairs in Yarm start from about £380 per arch, including VAT, on Yorkshire and the Humber 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 Yarm?
Yes, Yarm is covered, along with postcode districts TS15, TS16, TS17. We also cover nearby Thornaby-on-Tees and Stockton-on-Tees.
Why do houses in North Yorkshire crack?
North Yorkshire ranges from limestone dales and moors to clays and glacial deposits in the Vale of York, with the Selby coalfield in the south and ironstone workings in Cleveland. Teesside has areas of soft and made ground. 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.
Is a dropped brick arch dangerous?
A slightly dropped arch is not usually an immediate danger, but it is no longer carrying load as it should and tends to worsen. Loose bricks that could fall, or a fast-growing crack above, need prompt attention. Do not rely on the window frame to hold it.
Related work in Yarm
- Retaining wall repairs
- Structural crack repairs
- Subsidence repairs
- Floor joist repairs
- Boundary and garden wall repairs
Brick arch repairs near Yarm
Once the brick and mortar match is agreed for your Yarm arch, we put a fixed price in writing before any work is booked.