Sunbury-on-Thames · Surrey
Brick arch repairs in Sunbury-on-Thames
Older Sunbury-on-Thames houses often carry their window and door heads on brick arches built without any steel at all. When the centre bricks slip, the arch either needs reinforcing in place or rebuilding over a timber former.
Guide price from£450per arch inc VAT
- Postcodes
- KT12, TW16, TW17
- Population
- about 28,000
- Area
- Surrey
- Pricing region
- South East
What should you know about the ground under Sunbury-on-Thames?
We cover Sunbury-on-Thames and its postcode districts KT12, TW16, TW17, part of Surrey, with a population of roughly 28,000. If you are just outside Sunbury-on-Thames, we also cover Ashford (3 miles), Weybridge (3 miles) and East Molesey (3 miles).
Much of Surrey sits on clay that shrinks in dry summers and swells in wet winters. Ground movement here is more often linked to soils, drains and trees than to mining. Housing stock in Surrey: Victorian and Edwardian villas, 1930s semis and detached houses in the commuter towns, and post-war estates.
How much will brick arch repairs cost in Sunbury-on-Thames?
Guide prices below are for homes in Sunbury-on-Thames, on South East 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. | £450 – £1,350 | per arch |
| Rebuilding an arch (one side) | £1,000 – £1,450 | per opening |
| Rebuilding an arch (both sides) | £2,000 – £2,900 | per opening |
Which repair method suits a home in Sunbury-on-Thames?
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
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
What happens when we carry out brick arch repairs in Sunbury-on-Thames?
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.
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
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 Sunbury-on-Thames: questions and answers
How much will brick arch repairs cost in Sunbury-on-Thames?
Guide prices for brick arch repairs in Sunbury-on-Thames start from about £450 per arch, including VAT, on South East rates. Your fixed written price follows photos or a survey and depends on the extent of the work and access.
Do you cover Sunbury-on-Thames?
Yes, Sunbury-on-Thames is covered, along with postcode districts KT12, TW16, TW17. We also cover nearby Ashford and Weybridge.
Is the ground in Surrey prone to subsidence?
North Surrey sits on London Clay, the south on Weald Clay, with chalk along the North Downs and sands in the west. Large gardens with mature trees on clay make seasonal subsidence a familiar problem. 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.
Can a dropped arch be repaired without rebuilding it?
Yes, if the drop is small and the brickwork is in good condition. Bars bonded into the joints above can take the load off the arch and hold it in place. If the bricks are loose or the arch has dropped badly, rebuilding is the more reliable repair.
Other structural repairs in Sunbury-on-Thames
Brick arch repairs near Sunbury-on-Thames
If bricks in an arch at your Sunbury-on-Thames property are loose, photograph them from a safe distance and send them over for advice.