True brick structures (i.e., buildings constructed without the use of any concrete blocks or veneers) should last hundreds and hundreds of years if properly maintained. Given the legendary quality of true brick construction, most prevalent during the 19th century and first half of the 20th century, most of our clients willingly pay a premium for these structures and are very interested in learning how to maintain them.
It takes many decades of neglect (benign or otherwise) to make a true masonry structure look as deteriorated as the one at right. This century-old brick foundation wall could have been saved by grinding & tuckpointing the mortar joints between the bricks when they first started to crack apart years ago. Ignoring the need for minimal maintenance has allowed wind-driven rain, sleet, and snow to infiltrate deep into the brick wall. When all of that moisture inside the wall freezes and expands repeatedly during the winter months, it breaks apart the mortar (and eventually the bricks) allowing the moisture to infiltrate even more deeply into the brick wall.
The face of nearly every brick in this wall has spalled (i.e., fallen off) and you can see pieces of the bricks have collected on the ground. Once bricks lose their face, they are much more porous and will absorb wind-driven rain, sleet and snow more deeply into the wall — which leads to accelerated deterioration of the adjacent masonry.
It appears that a handyman did try to patch this wall at one time with a sloppily applied coat of gray mortar. You can see that the same mortar was used to patch over the faces of some of the worst bricks, too. Had AAA-1 Masonry & Tuckpointing been called out some years earlier, the brick faces might still have been intact and the required work may have involved only mortar restoration (i.e., grinding and tuckpointing). In our business, preventative maintenance can preserve a masonry wall for a long time and for much less money than full-blown brick replacement, as is needed here.
True brick construction requires much less regular maintenance than new brick-and-block construction or trendy split-face block walls, but it does require some maintenance. If you call us out before your beautiful true masonry walls deteriorate to this point, then the scope of work required will be much less… and so will the cost.
Be safe out there!
Post: Masons Are Like Farmers
Friday June 13, 2014
Here crew chief Mirek gives a thumbs-up as he waits out a sudden rain shower on our project in River Forest.
Like farmers, masons spend most of their long workdays during the season outdoors and in the elements. We grind out mortar joints when it is cloudy and the mercury is in the 40s. We replace bricks when it is windy and in the 80s. We seal masonry walls when the sun is beating down on us, and we wash masonry walls when it is drizzling on our heads. We are passionate about what we do and the services we offer, and a little bit of weather doesn't prevent our seasoned crews from showcasing our talents. Be it brick, limestone, terra cotta or concrete block, we look forward to assisting you with your next masonry restoration project. Click here to get started.
Post: Look Up!
Wednesday May 28, 2014
Everywhere you look in our great city there is evidence of extraordinary masonry craftsmanship from a bygone era…but sometimes you need to look closely to find it.
This is a photo of the third floor of what at first appeared to me to be a rather nondescript commercial building located on the 4600 block of North Broadway in the Uptown neighborhood of Chicago. The moment I spotted this upper floor detail, I leapt out of the car and photographed the image. What a beauty!
The full view of this brick, stone and terra cotta facade is obstructed by a multitude of elevated train tracks and a modern first-story commercial awning not in keeping with the period or elegance of the building.
Among the facade's show-stopping features is this gorgeous terra cotta medallion centered between the top-floor window head and the limestone watertable. It measures about four feet in diameter and its tight, organic design and stunning complexity is Sullivaneque in every respect. The creamy yellow bricks flanking the medallion are also quite lovely, and their glowing radiance appears to emanate from deep within — that's due to the mineral composition of the clay bricks and the gases used in the kilns to fire them. (Many of the heavy metals in the bricks and the gases used in the kilns were banned as a result of the passage of the Clean Air Act of 1970.)
Next time you're passing an older part of town, look up and revel in our city's historical (and irreplaceable) building stock.
For over 60 years, AAA-1 Masonry & Tuckpointing has lovingly restored brick, stone and terra cotta buildings of historical significance. If you've got a beauty like this one (or a diamond in the rough), give us a call.
Post: Bring Your Child to Work Day
Thursday April 24, 2014
My buttons are bursting. Today I had the privilege of taking my 7-year-old daughter to work. This was a school sanctioned event, and parents were encouraged to take their child to work and show them how their day is spent providing for their families and contributing to a productive society.
Excited at the prospect of wearing her pink AAA-1 Masonry company sweatshirt, a pair of pink corduroys, and a matching pink headband, Charlotte's first stop with me was in Bucktown on Chicago's northwest side where we assessed the condition of the masonry on a 100-year-old single family home. Charlotte was in charge of documenting all of cracks in the mortar with my camera and writing down all of the colors she saw in the bricks. (Being a 100-year-old building, even the more pedestrian Chicago common bricks ranged in color from beige to brown to black to pink to purple, sometimes all in the same brick.)
After our appointment, we went to visit one of the crews working on a beautiful six-story terra cotta building in Hyde Park on Chicago's south side. We arrived just as the men were taking their mid-morning break so we gathered everyone together for a group photo. The men resumed their grinding and tuckpointing and lintel replacement, and all of this activity really fascinated Charlotte…until she noticed an ant colony a few feet away and we went to explore that.
From Hyde Park we drove to the bank to deposit the payroll for the week, and Charlotte made her first deposit to the passbook savings account I opened up for her shortly after her birth. Responsible money management is an important part of running a business, and we discussed the advantages of depositing her future weekly allowance money in an FDIC-insured bank versus keeping it in her bunny bank at home.
From the bank we drove to the office where I drafted customer proposals, and Charlotte worked on coloring activities and a word search with important words from our trade (e.g., trowel, lintel, mortar, parapet wall, scaffolding) all provided by the office managers Carolina and Norma who have known Charlotte since her birth.
Admittedly, very few of my scheduled tasks were completed today due to Charlotte's boundless energy and unending questions but it was, without a doubt, one of the most gratifying days at work — and this is coming from a guy who loves what he does for a living. I encourage everyone reading this blog to consider bringing your child or grandchild or niece or godson with you to your place of work to show them what you do and the pride with which you do it. It may not seem like a big deal, but the experience for both of you will be unforgettable, will make after-work conversations with your little one more interesting, and will offer your child an opportunity to glean a greater contextual understanding of how our world works.
Post: AAA-1 Masonry & Tuckpointing Receives BBB's 2013 Complaint-Free Award
Friday February 28, 2014
Just when I thought the extreme winter weather was going to do us in once and for all, Carolina (our fearless office manager), received this in today's mail.
Receiving the Better Business Bureau's 2013 Complaint-Free Award is a real honor, allows us to maintain our A+ rating with this venerable institution, and serves as an important reminder that commitment to the craft and customer service do pay off.
A heartfelt thanks to all of you homeowners, Association Board members, property managers and real estate professionals and inspectors who have supported us through the year. Your loyalty is recognized and greatly appreciated!