Toronto masonry
Historically, Toronto is a city built largely out of brick. Not all buildings are created equal. A building from 1898 in the Annex neighbourhood of Toronto, constructed with high quality gauged brick may not need any work, especially if the water management systems were maintained over the years. Similarly – a Victorian row-house that was constructed for the working class in cabbagetown using soft molded brick may show severe signs of deterioration. A lack of maintenance over the years, layers of lead paint or sand blasting may result in a facade that needs a total rebuild. We’ve worked on all styles of architecture from the year 1822 right up to laying brick on current new builds. From triple wythe brick construction to single veneer – we’ve seen it all.
Causes of deterioration
The climate in Toronto is quite aggressive towards masonry and at times the brickwork in your house may deteriorate. That deterioration could be brought on by faulty gutters, downspouts or ground sloping towards the building. When that happens, our team can carefully remove the deteriorated brickwork and replace it with either reclaimed brick or new matching brick. We typically use lime mortars due to their sympathetic properties in relation to heritage masonry. By addressing the deteriorating masonry you prevent further problems and increased water ingress. There is always an explanation behind the failure of brickwork. We will give our expert opinion on why the brickwork deteriorated in the first place and can provide information on how you can best prevent it happening again in the future.