Taunton · Somerset
Brick arch repairs in Taunton
Flat soldier arches on Taunton 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£410per arch inc VAT
- Postcodes
- TA1
- Population
- about 65,000
- Area
- Somerset
- Pricing region
- South West
Why does the ground in Somerset matter for brick arch repairs?
Taunton, Somerset: about 65,000 residents across postcode districts TA1. We also take enquiries from nearby Bridgwater (9 miles), Burnham-on-Sea (16 miles) and Tiverton (19 miles).
Somerset has a mix of ground, with clay in some places and firmer rock in others. Parts of Somerset lie on a former coalfield, so a coal mining search is worth checking if movement has no obvious cause. Housing stock in Somerset: Bath stone Georgian terraces, Victorian houses in Taunton and Weston-super-Mare, and post-war estates.
Which repair method suits a home in Taunton?
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
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
What happens when we carry out brick arch repairs in Taunton?
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.
Signs you may need brick arch repairs
- A flat arch that has started to sag into a shallow curve
- Cracks stepping out from the arch ends into the wall
- Mortar falling out of the arch joints after frosty weather
How much will brick arch repairs cost in Taunton?
Guide prices below are for homes in Taunton, on South West 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. | £410 – £1,250 | per arch |
| Rebuilding an arch (one side) | £925 – £1,350 | per opening |
| Rebuilding an arch (both sides) | £1,850 – £2,700 | 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 Taunton: questions and answers
How much should I budget for brick arch repairs in Taunton?
Guide prices for brick arch repairs in Taunton start from about £410 per arch, including VAT, on South West 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 Taunton?
Yes, Taunton is covered, along with postcode districts TA1. We also cover nearby Bridgwater and Burnham-on-Sea.
Why do houses in Somerset crack?
Somerset mixes Lias clays, Mercia Mudstone, limestone hills and the peat and alluvium of the Levels around Bridgwater, which can settle. The former Somerset coalfield around Radstock and Midsomer Norton left recorded workings. 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.
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 Taunton
- Boundary and garden wall repairs
- Subsidence insurance claim repairs
- Wall tie replacement
- Concrete repairs
- Floor joist repairs
Brick arch repairs near Taunton
Our guide-price tool covers arch reinforcement and rebuilds in Taunton; add a photo and we can say which applies to yours.