Worksop · Nottinghamshire
Brick arch repairs in Worksop
If you live in a period home in Worksop, 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£390per arch inc VAT
- Postcodes
- S80, S81
- Population
- about 45,000
- Area
- Nottinghamshire
- Pricing region
- East Midlands
Why does the ground in Nottinghamshire matter for brick arch repairs?
Worksop, Nottinghamshire: about 45,000 residents across postcode districts S80, S81. If you are just outside Worksop, we also cover Dinnington (5 miles), Retford (8 miles) and Maltby (9 miles).
Nottinghamshire has a mix of ground, with clay in some places and firmer rock in others. Parts of Nottinghamshire lie on a former coalfield, so a coal mining search is worth checking if movement has no obvious cause. Typical buildings in Nottinghamshire: Brick terraces in former colliery towns, Victorian villas in Nottingham, and inter-war and post-war semis.
Symptoms that point to brick arch repairs
- The centre bricks of an arch sitting lower than the rest
- Gaps opening between arch bricks at the top or bottom edge
- Mortar falling out of the arch joints after frosty weather
Guide prices for brick arch repairs in Worksop
Guide prices below are for homes in Worksop, 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 |
Methods for brick arch repairs
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
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
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.
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 Worksop?
Guide prices for brick arch repairs in Worksop 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.
Do you cover Worksop?
Yes, Worksop is covered, along with postcode districts S80, S81. We also cover nearby Dinnington and Retford.
Is the ground in Nottinghamshire prone to subsidence?
West Nottinghamshire around Mansfield, Hucknall and Kirkby-in-Ashfield is on the Coal Measures with a long mining history, while Nottingham sits on sandstone with Mercia Mudstone clay to the south and east. 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.
Do flat brick arches need a lintel?
Many flat soldier arches were built with a hidden steel bar or timber behind, because they have little true arch action. When repairing one, we check what is supporting it and, where needed, reinforce it with bars or add suitable support behind.
Other structural repairs in Worksop
- Resin injection ground stabilisation
- Chimney stack repairs
- Bowing wall repairs
- Roof structure repairs
- Floor joist repairs
Brick arch repairs near Worksop
Once the brick and mortar match is agreed for your Worksop arch, we put a fixed price in writing before any work is booked.