Masonry Contractor in Des Plaines, IL

Masonry Services in Des Plaines, IL

Our Des Plaines work covers the whole wall and the ground around it: tuckpointing and repointing with mortar matched to the original and softer than the brick, brick repair and replacement, chimney repair and rebuilds, crowns and flashing, replacing rusted steel lintels over windows and doors, rebuilding masonry steps and stoops, and restoring the flashing and weep holes that brick veneer depends on. Below grade, we handle basement and masonry waterproofing, where the City’s Flood Rebate Program can reimburse 30 percent, up to $2,000, of eligible work. Outside, we build and repair brick paver patios, walkways and concrete work; in a freezing climate the Brick Industry Association calls for Class SX pavers, a 2 percent slope and a vertical edge restraint. About one Des Plaines home in five is in a building of 20 or more units, so we also take on building restoration for multi-unit and commercial buildings.

What Des Plaines Is Built Of, and What Fails

Des Plaines began with the railroad as the Town of Rand in 1857, took the name Des Plaines in 1869 and became a city in 1925. Franklin Whitcomb, its first village president, made brick locally. According to a 2012 Patch community article, his brickyard opened by the river in 1868, made up to about three million bricks a year, and much of its early output helped rebuild Chicago after the 1871 fire; its clay pits later became Shagbark Lake, a neighborhood subdivided from 1954 to 1964. The big growth came after the war, driven by migration out of Chicago and by O’Hare, and today about 59 percent of Des Plaines homes are detached single-family houses. On the prewar houses, mortar can be anything from pure lime and sand to a lime and Portland blend, and the classic failure is a later repair in hard Portland cement that traps moisture until the brick faces pop off. The fix is repointing with mortar no stronger than the original: the Brick Industry Association points to Type N, O or K depending on what is already in the wall. Winters are hard on wet brick: 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), and the damage comes when brick freezes while saturated, so sound joints, flashing and chimney crowns come first. Houses from the 1950s and 1960s often bring the next set of problems. Chimneys take water from the top and the sides; the Brick Industry Association calls for severe-weathering Grade SW brick and Type N mortar on new chimneys, with base flashing carried 4 inches up the brick, and the chimney safety standard calls for a yearly inspection. Brick veneer needs a 1-inch air space behind it, plus flashing and weep holes to let water out. Steel lintels rust, and rust can take up to ten times the space of the steel it came from, cracking the brick above a window or door. We match mortar on evidence, as in our historic mortar and stone matching work.

Des Plaines Permits, and When to Call an Engineer

Des Plaines has no preservation, landmarks or architectural review body on its list of boards and commissions, so there is no local preservation review, and any permit a masonry job needs comes from the City’s building and zoning process, handled by the Building and Permits division of Community and Economic Development at 1420 Miner Street, and contractors register with the City every year. Driveways need their own permit and must stay 2 feet from side and rear lot lines. If a house sits in a mapped floodplain, work needs a floodplain development permit, and once cumulative improvements pass 50 percent the whole structure has to meet the City’s Title 14 floodplain rules; the City’s engineering staff answer those questions at 847-391-5390. Some cracks are maintenance and some are structural. Wide, stepped or diagonal cracks, rusting lintels and brick moving out of plane are among the Brick Industry Association’s signs that a professional engineer should look first (see the FAQ below). When we find them on a Des Plaines house, we document them and recommend an engineer’s assessment before we repair the masonry, and we work from the engineer’s findings once they are in.

Serving Des Plaines as Part of the Chicago Area

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

Talk to a Masonry Contractor About Your Des Plaines Home

If you are seeing open or crumbling mortar joints, spalled brick, a cracked chimney crown, rust staining or cracks above a window, loose or sinking front steps, damp basement walls or white bloom that will not go away, call us at +1 847-864-5990 or request an on-site estimate. Patios, pavers, walkways and driveways need a City permit; we confirm permit needs for repointing and chimney work with Des Plaines Community and Economic Development (847-391-5380) before we start. If a job involves digging, JULIE (1-800-892-0123) marks buried utilities first, and City construction hours run 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. Monday to Saturday and 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. on Sunday.

Masonry FAQs for Des Plaines, IL

Do I need a permit to tuckpoint in Des Plaines?

Check before work starts. Permit needs depend on the job, so we confirm permit needs for repointing and chimney work with Des Plaines Community and Economic Development (847-391-5380) before we start. Patios, pavers, walkways and driveways do need a City permit, applications go through the City’s online Customer Self Service portal, and contractors register with the City every year.

Does Des Plaines help pay for basement waterproofing?

It can. The City’s Flood Rebate Program reimburses 30 percent, up to $2,000, of eligible basement waterproofing, glass block basement windows, footing tile with sump pumps, backwater valves and overhead sewers. It covers single-family homes and townhomes, whether or not the owner lives there. The City decides what qualifies, so confirm eligibility with it before the work starts.

Is my Des Plaines house under historic preservation review?

Probably not. Des Plaines has no preservation, landmarks or architectural review body on its list of boards and commissions, so there is no local preservation review, and any permit a masonry job needs comes from the City’s building and zoning process. A few places, such as the 1860 Methodist Camp Ground and the 1929 First Congregational Church, are listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

Can I put pavers in the parkway or public right of way?

Not without the City’s agreement. Pavers in the public right of way need a License Agreement with the City, and work on a public sidewalk or driveway apron requires a $20,000 bond. On your own lot, patios, pavers and walkways need a residential permit with two inspections and a plat of survey, and patios go in the rear yard only, at least 5 feet from lot lines.

When is a crack in brick a structural problem?

The Brick Industry Association says a professional engineer should investigate cracks wider than about 0.075 inch (2 mm), cracks through several bricks, stepped or diagonal cracks, widespread spalling, rust building up on steel lintels or shelf angles, brick that has moved out of plane, and sills that slope flat or back toward the wall. If we see any of those, we document them and recommend an engineer’s assessment before any masonry repair.