Brick and block walls are built to last for generations, but they are not maintenance-free. Here in South Jersey, the repeated freezing and thawing of each winter, heavy seasonal rain, and shifting clay soil all put steady pressure on walls, chimneys, steps, and foundations. Left alone, a small crack or a few crumbling joints can turn into a bigger and more expensive problem. The good news is that most brickwork issues are very fixable when you catch them early. Here is what we see most often on local homes and how we fix it.
Why Brickwork Fails in South Jersey
Almost every problem comes back to one thing: water. When moisture gets into the brick, the block, or the mortar between them and then freezes, it expands and pushes the material apart. Our winters bring dozens of freeze-and-thaw swings, so any surface that soaks up water is under constant stress. Add clay-heavy soil that swells when wet and shrinks when dry, and you get the ground movement that opens cracks in walls and foundations. Poor drainage, clogged gutters, and worn-out sealant only speed things up.
Common Problems We Repair
- Cracked or crumbling mortar, the material that holds the bricks and blocks together
- Diagonal, stair-step cracks running through a brick wall
- Walls that are bowing, leaning, or bulging
- Brick faces that are flaking, chipping, or popping off
- A white, chalky residue on the surface, which is a sign of moisture moving through
- Cracked or damaged chimney tops and brickwork
- Loose or settling brick and block steps, stoops, and porches
Cracked and Crumbling Mortar
The mortar between your bricks is meant to be the part that wears out first. It is softer than the brick on purpose, so it takes the damage and protects the more expensive brick around it. When the joints crack, pull back, or turn to powder you can scrape out with a screwdriver, water has a clear path into the wall. The fix is called tuckpointing: we grind out the old, failed mortar and pack in fresh mortar that matches the color, which brings back both the strength and a clean look. Handling this early keeps the brick itself in good shape.
Bowing, Leaning, and Bulging Walls
A wall that is no longer straight up and down is a more serious sign. A bowing foundation wall usually comes from soil and water pushing on it from outside, while a leaning garden or retaining wall often points to a failed base or poor drainage behind it. These problems do not fix themselves. Depending on how bad it is, the repair can range from rebuilding a section to adding support and fixing the drainage that caused the movement. We always look for the real cause so the repair actually holds.
Flaking and Water Damage
When brick faces flake away or pop off, it means water has gotten into the brick, frozen, and broken it apart from the inside. Once that hard outer face is gone, the soft inside soaks up water even faster, so the damage spreads. The fix is to replace the damaged brick with matching pieces and then seal the surface to keep water out. If you are seeing that white, chalky residue, it is a clue that moisture is moving through the wall and worth looking into before it leads to more flaking.
When to Repair and When to Rebuild
Not every aging wall needs to come down. A wall with a few cracks, some surface wear, or a handful of bad joints can almost always be repaired in place. Rebuilding makes more sense when the damage is widespread, when a wall has clearly shifted out of position, or when the base underneath it has failed. An easy way to think about it: if the wall is still solid and the problems are on the surface, repair it; if the wall itself has moved or the base has given way, rebuild that section. The only way to know for sure is to have someone look at it in person.
Chimneys, Steps, and Stoops
Some of the most common repairs we handle are on the features that take the most abuse: chimneys, front steps, and stoops. Chimney tops crack and let water in, brick steps come loose and settle as their base shifts, and stoops pull away from the house over time. Because these are exposed on all sides and constantly hit by weather and foot traffic, their brick and mortar wear faster than a sheltered wall. The repairs are usually simple, such as repacking the joints, resetting loose brick, rebuilding the top of a chimney, or fixing the base, but they make a real difference in both safety and curb appeal.
Why Hire a Professional
Brick repair is one of those jobs where the part you can see is only half the work. Matching the type and color of the mortar, figuring out whether a crack is just cosmetic or a sign of something more serious, and fixing the drainage or soil problem behind it all take experience. A patch that looks fine but ignores the cause will simply fail again. Almand Bros has been repairing and building brickwork across South Jersey since 1985, so we know how local soil, weather, and older homes behave, and we fix the cause, not just the symptom.
Have a brickwork problem you want looked at? Whether it is a few crumbling joints, a cracked chimney, or a wall that has started to lean, the sooner it is looked at, the simpler the fix. We will check it out, explain what is going on in plain terms, and give you a clear, honest estimate. Call Almand Bros Concrete at (856) 310-1390 for a free estimate. We serve Camden, Burlington, and Gloucester counties and have since 1985.