Nuneaton · Warwickshire
Brick arch repairs in Nuneaton
Older Nuneaton 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£400per arch inc VAT
- Postcodes
- CV10, CV11
- Population
- about 89,000
- Area
- Warwickshire
- Pricing region
- West Midlands
Why does the ground in Warwickshire matter for brick arch repairs?
Nuneaton is in Warwickshire and takes in postcode districts CV10, CV11. About 89,000 people live there. We also take enquiries from nearby Bedworth (3 miles), Hinckley (4 miles) and Earl Shilton (7 miles).
Parts of Warwickshire have clay that can shrink near trees in dry spells. Parts of Warwickshire lie on a former coalfield, so a coal mining search is worth checking if movement has no obvious cause. Typical buildings in Warwickshire: Regency houses in Leamington Spa, timber-framed buildings in Stratford and Warwick, and brick terraces and estates in the north.
Is it time for brick arch repairs? Common signs
- A flat arch that has started to sag into a shallow curve
- A vertical crack running up from the middle of the arch
- The centre bricks of an arch sitting lower than the rest
What should you budget for brick arch repairs in Nuneaton?
The ranges below reflect typical West Midlands costs for brick arch repairs, including VAT. Scaffold, access and making good can push a job to the top of the range.
| 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 |
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
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.
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.
Your brick arch repairs questions
How much will brick arch repairs cost in Nuneaton?
Guide prices for brick arch repairs in Nuneaton 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 Nuneaton?
Yes. We take enquiries from across Nuneaton, including CV10, CV11, and from nearby places such as Bedworth and Hinckley. 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.
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 Nuneaton
- Mining subsidence repairs
- Bay window subsidence repairs
- Underpinning
- Concrete repairs
- Subsidence repairs
Brick arch repairs near Nuneaton
Once the brick and mortar match is agreed for your Nuneaton arch, we put a fixed price in writing before any work is booked.