Bedworth · Warwickshire
Brick arch repairs in Bedworth
If you live in a period home in Bedworth, 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£400per arch inc VAT
- Postcodes
- CV12
- Population
- about 31,000
- Area
- Warwickshire
- Pricing region
- West Midlands
How do local ground conditions affect brick arch repairs in Bedworth?
Bedworth is in Warwickshire and takes in postcode districts CV12. About 31,000 people live there. Nearby places we cover include Nuneaton (3 miles), Coventry (5 miles) and Hinckley (6 miles).
Warwickshire has a mix of ground, with clay in some places and firmer rock in others. Parts of Warwickshire lie on a former coalfield, so a coal mining search is worth checking if movement has no obvious cause. What you mostly find across Warwickshire: Regency houses in Leamington Spa, timber-framed buildings in Stratford and Warwick, and brick terraces and estates in the north.
Symptoms that point to brick arch repairs
- A vertical crack running up from the middle of the arch
- Gaps opening between arch bricks at the top or bottom edge
- Cracks stepping out from the arch ends into the wall
Guide prices for brick arch repairs in Bedworth
These are guide prices for Bedworth, using West Midlands rates and including VAT. Your written quote follows photos or a survey, and is fixed once the repair is specified.
| Item | Guide price | Per |
|---|---|---|
| Stitching and reinforcing a sound archest. | £400 – £1,200 | per arch |
| Rebuilding an arch (one side) | £900 – £1,300 | per opening |
| Rebuilding an arch (both sides) | £1,800 – £2,600 | per opening |
Methods for brick arch repairs
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
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
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.
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.
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 Bedworth?
Guide prices for brick arch repairs in Bedworth start from about £400 per arch, including VAT, on West Midlands rates. Your fixed written price follows photos or a survey and depends on the extent of the work and access.
Do you cover Bedworth?
Yes. We take enquiries from across Bedworth, including CV12, and from nearby places such as Nuneaton and Coventry. Send photos for a free initial view and we will tell you what happens next.
Is the ground in Warwickshire prone to subsidence?
Much of Warwickshire is Mercia Mudstone and Lias clay, with the Warwickshire coalfield under Nuneaton and Bedworth in the north. Clay soils near trees can shrink in dry summers. Only an investigation can say why a particular building has moved.
Can you match the original bricks?
Usually, because most arches are rebuilt with their own cleaned bricks, which is the best match of all. Damaged bricks are replaced with reclaimed or new bricks chosen for size, colour and texture, and the mortar is matched to the surrounding joints.
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 Bedworth
- Mining subsidence repairs
- Extension pulling away repairs
- Boundary and garden wall repairs
- Structural crack repairs
- Retaining wall repairs
Brick arch repairs near Bedworth
If bricks in an arch at your Bedworth property are loose, photograph them from a safe distance and send them over for advice.