Masonry Restoration in Ann Arbor, MI

Bring Tired Brickwork Back From the Edge

Water almost never passes through brick or mortar itself. It gets in at the separations between brick and mortar joints, then freezes and widens the gap through the 42 freeze-thaw cycles this region averages each year. Danaher Family Masonry and Restoration handles masonry restoration in Ann Arbor, MI at exactly those failure points, cutting old joints back 2 to 2.5 times the joint width, usually 0.5 to 1 inch, and rebuilding sections that have moved past repair.


Restoration is judged by what you cannot see afterward, which is why mortar gets matched to the original in strength, color and joint profile instead of defaulting to something hard and modern. Nothing gets quoted before the cause is found, and 40 years of combined experience across Ann Arbor, Ypsilanti and Canton has taught us that guessing costs more than looking. Send photos of the damage through our contact page and we will start with a consultation.

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Explore Our Masonry Restoration Services

  • Garden Wall Rebuilding

    Garden walls fail from the top down and the bottom up, as saturated joints wash out and frost lifts the base. We take sections apart, salvage sound units, rebuild on stable footing and finish with concave or V tooled joints that shed water.

  • Chimney Repair and Rebuilding

    Chimney brick is the most freeze-thaw exposed masonry on a house, so damage shows up there first. Work ranges from tuckpointing joints to replacing a crown at least 2 inches thick with a 2.5 inch overhang, up to rebuilding everything above the roofline.

  • Facade Repair and Section Replacement

    Facades rarely fail all at once. Isolated areas of spalled brick, displaced units or open joints get cut out and replaced with matching material, while sound masonry stays put. A 3-foot by 3-foot test panel confirms the match before the area is touched.

  • Patio and Walkway Restoration

    Settled pavers, cracked slabs and lifted edges make a walkway a trip hazard long before it looks bad. We lift and reset units, correct the base, restore drainage away from the house, and repoint joints so water stops collecting where people walk.

  • Driveway Restoration

    Driveway surfaces take vehicle weight, road salt and standing meltwater every winter. Where the slab is structurally sound, cracks and scaled areas can be repaired and resurfaced; where cracking is widespread and deep with settlement underneath, replacement is the honest recommendation.

  • Porch, Step and Entryway Restoration

    Front steps get the heaviest use and the most water of anything on a house. Rebuilding brings risers back within 3/8 inch of each other, treads to at least 10 inches deep, and landings to 36 inches in the direction of travel.

Why Choose Us for Masonry Restoration

The Cause Found Before the Fix

Repairing a symptom buys you a little time. We look for the reason first: a failed joint letting water in, a drainage problem, or movement in the ground, so the work addresses what actually caused the damage instead of hiding it.

Saving What Can Be Saved

Original brick and stone are usually better material than what is available new, and matching the old is never perfect. Keeping every sound unit in place means less replacement cost for you and a wall that still reads as the original.

Repairs Sized to the Damage

Scope creep is expensive, and so is under-repairing. You get a repair matched to what the wall actually needs, whether that is localized repointing or a rebuilt section, with a clear explanation of where the line between the two sits.

A Property That Looks Whole Again

Failing masonry drags down everything around it, no matter how well the rest of a property is kept. Restored joints, replaced units and rebuilt sections that blend into the surrounding wall give you a building that looks cared for from the sidewalk.

Less Rebuilding Later

Soft, vapor permeable mortar lets a wall dry instead of trapping moisture behind a hard portland-heavy joint that pushes damage into the brick around it. Choosing the right material now is the difference between repointing again and replacing masonry you could have kept.

Straight Answers About What Needs Doing

You will hear what is urgent, what can wait a season, and what is cosmetic. A visual damage assessment comes with plain language about condition and options, so decisions about your property are yours to make without pressure or a sales pitch.

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Give Your Property Back Its Best Face

Deferred masonry repair does not stay the same size. An open joint today is a rebuilt section in a few winters, and the cost climbs with it. Danaher Family Masonry and Restoration restores brick, block and stone across Ann Arbor, MI with mortar matched to the original, joints tooled to shed water, and only as much replacement as the damage genuinely calls for. We will walk the property with you, explain what we find in plain terms, and leave the decision entirely in your hands. There is no pressure to book anything. Send photos and a description through our contact page to arrange a consultation.

Frequently Asked Questions

  • What causes brick walls to bulge or bow?

    Bulging usually means the wall has lost its connection to the structure behind, often through water damage to ties or mortar, or from exceeding a safe height-to-thickness ratio of 20 for single-wythe solid masonry. Bowing is structural and needs assessment, not cosmetic patching.

  • What are stair-step cracks in brick walls?

    Cracks climbing diagonally through mortar joints in a staircase pattern point to differential settlement under part of the foundation. Danaher Family Masonry and Restoration assesses those cracks in Ann Arbor, MI before repointing, since sealing joints without fixing movement repeats the failure.

  • What is the difference between spalling and efflorescence?

    Spalling is loss of the brick face as trapped moisture freezes and pops the hard fired surface off. Efflorescence is the white salt deposit left behind when water moves through masonry and evaporates; it signals a moisture path but causes no damage itself.

  • What usually causes retaining walls to fail?

    Poor drainage is the usual culprit. Hydrostatic pressure builds behind a wall without adequate gravel backfill and weep holes, and the wall tips or bulges. At least 12 inches of clean angular crushed stone behind the wall prevents most of it.

  • Can a retaining wall be repaired, or does it need to be rebuilt?

    Localized damage with the wall still plumb can often be repaired by resetting units and correcting drainage. Once a wall is leaning, bulging along its length, or the base has shifted, rebuilding with proper backfill and weeps is the durable answer.

  • What happens if I don't repoint failing mortar?

    Open joints let water into the wall, where it freezes and expands through roughly 42 cycles a year, widening gaps and loosening units. Left long enough, a repointing job turns into rebuilding sections, which costs considerably more than maintaining the joints.

  • Should I seal my brick facade after repair?

    Usually not. Sealers reduce vapor permeability and can trap moisture inside masonry that needs to dry outward. Danaher Family Masonry and Restoration favors correct mortar, sound joints and water shedding on Ann Arbor, MI facades over a coating that hides the underlying problem.

  • Can masonry be repaired in winter?

    Some work can proceed, but repointing needs wall temperatures between 40 and 95 degrees, and fresh joints have to be covered with burlap and misted for the first 3 days. Below 40 degrees, cold-weather procedures and protection become mandatory.