Masonry Contractor in Prospect Heights, IL

Masonry Services in Prospect Heights, IL

Our Prospect Heights work covers tuckpointing and repointing with mortar matched to the original and softer than the brick, brick repair and replacement, chimney repair and rebuilds, replacing rusted steel lintels over windows and doors, flashing and weep holes on brick veneer, masonry steps and stoops, and retaining walls. For walks, patios, driveways and footings we handle concrete work, and where water is getting into a wall we offer masonry waterproofing. For larger jobs, including apartment and commercial buildings, we take on full building restoration. The city is two different places for masonry. The west side is made up of houses on half-acre lots, many on private wells, with two sloughs and McDonald Creek. The east side runs along the Des Plaines River, holds the airport, and is home to over half of the city’s housing, in apartment complexes: about 2,800 units protected by Levee 37. Citywide, about 37 percent of homes are single-family detached houses and about 44 percent are in buildings of five or more units.

What Prospect Heights Is Built Of, and What Fails

A house built between the 1960s and the 1980s brings a different set of masonry problems from a prewar one. Where a house has brick veneer, the brick is a skin over the frame, and it depends on a 1 inch air space, flashing and weep holes to drain the water that gets behind it. Steel lintels over windows and doors can rust, and rust can take up to ten times the space of the steel it came from, cracking the brick above an opening.

Chimneys, Mortar and Freeze-Thaw in Prospect Heights

Chimneys matter here too: the City’s code requires wood-burning fireplaces to be masonry, and a direct-vent chimney on an outside wall to be brick or stone veneer. A chimney fire can reach around 2000 F, which is why flue liners, crowns and caps are worth keeping sound. Weather adds stress. The City’s code rates weathering in Prospect Heights Severe and sets footings 42 inches below grade, and NOAA readings at O’Hare average 74 days a winter that cross freezing, in a range of 47 to 91 (winters 2015-16 to 2024-25). Brick that stays saturated in freezing weather is what gets damaged, and water is a local theme: Cook County’s hazard mitigation plan describes Prospect Heights as one of the lowest-elevation areas in the county, with at least a dozen major floods since 1976 and several residential neighborhoods served by storm sewers that are aging, undersized or missing. So sound mortar joints, working flashing, weep holes kept clear and chimney caps come first, along with steps and stoops that shed water. A 2011 City report said building permits in Prospect Heights had focused on remodeling or on tearing down and reconstructing existing homes. When joints need repointing, we match the mortar to the existing wall on evidence, as in our historic mortar and stone matching work.

Structural Cracks, Permits and Prospect Heights Rules

Some cracks are maintenance and some are structural. The Brick Industry Association says a professional engineer should investigate cracks wider than about 0.075 inch, cracks through several bricks, stepped or diagonal cracks, widespread spalling, rust building up on lintels or shelf angles, brick that has moved out of plane, and sills that slope flat or back toward the wall. When we find any of those on a Prospect Heights house, we document them and recommend an engineer’s assessment before we repair the masonry. The City’s code also requires a structural engineer’s written report before a second floor goes on an existing masonry foundation. Prospect Heights has adopted the 2024 International Building, Residential and Property Maintenance Codes, effective January 1, 2026, and it requires a wet saw for cutting all types of masonry, stone, brick pavers, concrete and pavement. There is no historic preservation commission, the Appearance Review Committee does not review single-family remodels, and no property in the city is on the National Register, so masonry repair here goes through the Building Department, not landmark review.

Serving Prospect Heights as Part of the Chicago Area

North Shore Masonry serves Prospect Heights from our Chicago operation, and also serves nearby Northbrook, Mount Prospect, Des Plaines, Park Ridge and Rolling Meadows. Start at our Chicago masonry services hub for every service and town we cover.

Talk to a Masonry Contractor About Your Prospect Heights Home

If you are seeing open or crumbling mortar joints, spalled brick, a cracked chimney crown or cap, rust staining or cracks above a window, blocked weep holes, or steps and stoops that have settled or cracked, call us at +1 847-864-5990 or request a free on-site estimate. Retaining walls, patios, walks and driveways need a City permit; we confirm permit needs for tuckpointing and chimney work with the Building Department (847-398-6070 ext. 211) before work starts.

Masonry FAQs for Prospect Heights, IL

Do I need a permit for masonry work in Prospect Heights?

Often, yes. The City’s code says all work shall require a permit and names retaining walls, patios, sidewalks and driveways. Retaining walls, patios, walks and driveways need a City permit; we confirm permit needs for tuckpointing and chimney work with the Building Department (847-398-6070 ext. 211) before work starts. Footings go at least 42 inches below grade, and the City inspects footings and foundation walls, and stoops, walks, driveways and patios before the pour and at final.

What mortar should be used to repoint a 1970s Prospect Heights house?

A mortar matched to the original and softer than the brick, and no stronger than the original. The Brick Industry Association points to Type N, O or K depending on the original mortar, and the National Park Service describes mortar as the sacrificial part of the wall: it should wear before the brick does.

Do contractors need a wet saw to cut brick in Prospect Heights?

Yes. The City’s code requires a wet saw for cutting all types of masonry, stone, brick pavers, concrete and pavement, and a violation brings a stop work order, so any masonry or paving job in Prospect Heights should plan for wet cutting from the start.

Is my Prospect Heights house under historic preservation review?

Not at the City level. Prospect Heights has no historic preservation commission, the Appearance Review Committee does not review single-family remodels, and no property in the city is on the National Register. Masonry repair goes through the Building Department, not City landmark review, and we confirm permit needs with the Building Department before work starts.

When is a crack in brick a structural problem?

Cracks wider than about 0.075 inch, cracks through several bricks, stepped or diagonal cracks, widespread spalling, rusting lintels or shelf angles, brick out of plane and sills sloping flat or back are the signs the Brick Industry Association says a professional engineer should investigate. If we see any of them, we document them and recommend an engineer’s assessment before any masonry repair.

Does a fireplace or chimney in Prospect Heights have to be masonry?

The City’s code requires wood-burning fireplaces to be masonry, and a direct-vent chimney on an outside wall to be finished in brick or stone veneer. For masonry chimneys, the Brick Industry Association calls for Grade SW brick, Type N mortar, clay flue liners, base flashing at least 4 inches up and a precast cap over a sloped mortar wash, and NFPA 211 calls for a chimney inspection every year.