The Project

A homeowner on Macklind Avenue noticed mortar dust collecting on the sidewalk beneath their 1923 Italian-immigrant cottage. The soft red brick was sound, but the original lime-rich mortar had eroded past the point where a simple touch-up would hold.

What We Found

The Hill's brick was fired locally and stays relatively soft. Repointing it with modern Portland cement — the default for many contractors — would trap moisture inside the brick. Over a few winters, that moisture freezes, expands, and pops the face off the brick. We see it constantly on homes that were "repaired" with the wrong mortar.

Our Approach

1. Raked out the old mortar to a consistent depth without cutting into the soft brick faces.
2. Mixed a lime-rich mortar that's softer than the brick itself, so the mortar fails before the brick ever does.
3. Color-matched the joints to The Hill's warm red-brown tone instead of leaving glaring gray lines across the facade.
4. Cleaned the coal-soot staining with a gentle, no-pressure wash that protected the fragile brick surface.

The Result

The cottage reads as original from the curb, but the joints are now weather-tight for another generation. Most importantly, the brick is still the sacrificial layer's backup — exactly how historic masonry is meant to work.

If you own a red-brick home on The Hill, the single most important question to ask any mason is: what type of mortar will you use? If the answer is off-the-shelf Portland cement, keep looking.