Wednesbury · West Midlands
Brick arch repairs in Wednesbury
Rebuilding an arch in Wednesbury is a precise job: a former cut to the exact curve, tight joints and a keystone set at the right height. Done well, the new arch looks as though it was always there.
Guide price from£400per arch inc VAT
- Postcodes
- B71, DY4, WS10
- Population
- about 20,000
- Area
- West Midlands
- Pricing region
- West Midlands
What should you know about the ground under Wednesbury?
Postcode districts B71, DY4, WS10 cover Wednesbury, a West Midlands town of about 20,000 people. We also take enquiries from nearby Tipton (2 miles), West Bromwich (3 miles) and Willenhall (3 miles).
West Midlands has a mix of ground, with clay in some places and firmer rock in others. Parts of West Midlands lie on a former coalfield, so a coal mining search is worth checking if movement has no obvious cause. What you mostly find across West Midlands: Victorian terraces, inter-war semis, Black Country industrial housing and large post-war estates.
Brick arch repairs prices in Wednesbury
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 |
How we usually approach 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
What happens during brick arch repairs, step by step?
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.
What to look for before calling about brick arch repairs
- Mortar falling out of the arch joints after frosty weather
- Gaps opening between arch bricks at the top or bottom edge
- A flat arch that has started to sag into a shallow curve
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.
Questions about brick arch repairs in Wednesbury
How much should I budget for brick arch repairs in Wednesbury?
Guide prices for brick arch repairs in Wednesbury 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.
Can you survey a property in Wednesbury?
Yes. We take enquiries from across Wednesbury, including B71, DY4, WS10, and from nearby places such as Tipton and West Bromwich. Send photos for a free initial view and we will tell you what happens next.
Why do houses in West Midlands crack?
The West Midlands is mostly Mercia Mudstone and glacial till, with the South Staffordshire coalfield under much of the Black Country, where shallow coal and limestone workings are recorded around Dudley, Tipton and Walsall. 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 Wednesbury
- Subsidence repairs
- Bowing wall repairs
- Boundary and garden wall repairs
- Lintel replacement
- Resin injection ground stabilisation
Brick arch repairs near Wednesbury
Our guide-price tool covers arch reinforcement and rebuilds in Wednesbury; add a photo and we can say which applies to yours.