What sets the price of foundation and brick work

You will not find a price per foot on this site, and that is on purpose. Two chimneys the same size can be very different jobs. One needs a few joints repointed. The other has loose brick at the top and a crumbling crown. The same goes for foundations, where the price swings with what is in the way and what the old wall is doing.

Any number given without seeing the job is a guess. So here is what actually moves the price, so you know what Brian will be looking at.

The obvious one is size: how many feet of wall, how many square feet of brick, how tall the chimney. The next one is condition. Joints that are worn but intact are quicker to repoint than joints that are empty and need deep packing. A foundation with one bad wall costs less than one where every wall has failed.

Work at ground level is quicker and simpler than work two stories up. A chimney on a steep roof may need more setup to reach safely. On a foundation, being able to dig along the outside freely is a big difference from working around a deck, a driveway, a neighbor's fence or a big tree.

• Height of the work and what it takes to reach it
• Room to dig and work along the outside
• Steep roofs and tight side yards
• Decks, porches and plantings in the way

On an old house, matching the brick and mortar is part of the job. If the right brick can be salvaged or found easily, that is simpler. If it has to be hunted down, or the mortar needs extra care to match in color and texture, that takes more time. It is worth it, because a repair that does not match stands out for as long as the house stands.

Foundation replacement is the biggest kind of job Brian does, and the price depends on a few things of its own. How long and how deep the walls are. Whether it is a full basement or a crawl space. Whether the whole foundation or one wall is being replaced. What is inside along the walls, like a furnace, water heater or stairs. What utilities come through the wall. And what it takes to deal with the water outside so the new wall stays dry.

Permits and any engineering a job needs are part of the total too.

With old masonry, some things are hidden until the work starts. A wall can be worse behind the surface than it looked from outside. Old repairs with the wrong mortar may need to come out. It is fair to ask up front how surprises like that will be handled, so you are not left guessing.

Masonry problems rarely get cheaper with time. Worn joints let water into the brick, and the brick starts to fail. A small bow in a foundation wall gets bigger each winter until the wall has to come out. Getting it looked at early is the best way to keep the number small.

Send Brian photos. For brick or a chimney, a wide shot and a close shot of the worst spot. For a foundation, each wall from inside, the worst spots up close, and the outside showing the ground and downspouts. Add your town and anything you have noticed. Text it to (217) 549-2230 or email familymansmith75@gmail.com.