Brick Repair, Tuckpointing and Chimneys for Huntington, the Lime City

Tuckpointing, Brick Repair and Chimney Repair in Huntington, IN

In Huntington we handle tuckpointing and repointing with mortar matched to the original and softer than the brick, brick repair and replacement, chimney repair and rebuilds, limestone sills and trim, masonry around steel lintels (rust on a lintel is one of the signs we document and refer to a professional engineer), and bricklaying for steps, walls and new work. Chimneys take a lot of weather in Huntington, where NOAA’s Huntington station averaged 100 freeze-thaw days a winter from 2015-16 to 2024-25, and the Brick Industry Association notes chimneys may need repair at shorter intervals than walls. A sound chimney has a sloped crown that sheds water past the brick, clay flue liners, and base flashing carried at least 4 inches up where it meets the roof, with counter-flashing let into a mortar joint; the Brick Industry Association’s chimney guidance calls for Grade SW brick and Type N mortar, and a precast cap outlasts a mortar wash. On a capping stone, the National Park Service advises repointing with mortar slightly weaker than the masonry around it. For the downtown commercial blocks we offer building restoration, and for damp brick and basement walls, masonry waterproofing. For concrete work on walks and drive approaches in the public way, the City Engineer issues the permit, which we confirm before work starts, and the City’s code allows an existing brick sidewalk to be relaid in its own brick.

Lime Mortar, Limestone and Five Historic Districts

Five National Register districts document much of Huntington’s older building stock, each with its own era: Courthouse Square (listed 1992, 102 contributing buildings from about 1845 to 1942), Old Plat (2000, 177 buildings, about 1860 to 1920), Hawley Heights (2003, 87 buildings, about 1914 to 1954, in Colonial, Mission and Tudor Revival), Drover Town (2006, 231 buildings, about 1857 to 1930) and North Jefferson Street (2010, about 700 contributing properties, with Italianate and Queen Anne houses from the 1850s on). The Moore/Carlew Building of 1844 to 1845 is described as the first brick structure in town, the City Building of 1904 is Bedford limestone, and the Hotel LaFontaine of 1925 is steel and hollow tile sheathed in brick, so one walk downtown crosses most of the materials we repair. Masonry from 1873 to 1930 can be laid in anything from pure lime and sand to lime and cement blends. The National Park Service says repointing mortar must be softer and more vapor permeable than the brick and no harder than the original, and warns that pre-mixed cement mortars are not appropriate for most historic buildings and that spalled masonry is often evidence of a mortar that was too hard. On older brick, our crews repoint with lime-rich mortar and match lost brick with salvaged brick where it is available. The Brick Industry Association points to Type N, O or K for historic work. Limestone trim needs care of its own: acidic cleaners can be extremely damaging to limestone, and the Park Service says to start washing at 100 psi or below. We match mortar on evidence, as in our historic mortar and stone matching work, though no one can promise an exact brick match.

Freeze-Thaw at NOAA’s Huntington Station, Damp Ground and When to Call an Engineer

NOAA’s Huntington station recorded an average of 100 days a winter that crossed freezing, in a range of 81 to 116, for the winters 2015-16 to 2024-25, more than the 86 at Fort Wayne International Airport over the same winters. Parapets, copings, chimneys and sills face harsher exposure than the walls, and the Brick Industry Association notes they may need repair at shorter intervals; coping flashing should run out and bend down about a quarter inch to form a drip. An 1875 geological report, quoted in the 1914 county history, described stone in the abutments of the Wabash River bridge a mile and a half south of Huntington already crumbling under the influence of water and frost. The ground adds moisture. USDA soil data puts limestone 20 to 40 inches under the Randolph and Milton soils of central Huntington, and Randolph soils carry a high water table 0.5 to 1 foot down from January to April. A water repellent will not solve rising damp and can push moisture higher in the wall, so we look at where the water comes from first. 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 on lintels or shelf angles, and brick that has moved out of plane. When we find those on a Huntington building, we document them and recommend an engineer’s assessment. We never diagnose or repair foundations.

Serving Huntington as Part of the Fort Wayne Area

Huntington, the Huntington County seat, is part of the Fort Wayne-Huntington-Auburn combined statistical area, and North Shore Masonry serves it from our Fort Wayne operation. We also serve Bluffton, Columbia City, Decatur and New Haven. Start at our Fort Wayne masonry services hub for every service and town we cover.

Talk to a Masonry Contractor About Your Huntington Home or Building

If you are seeing sandy or open joints in old lime mortar, spalled brick faces, a cracked chimney crown or loose capping stone, a split coping on a downtown parapet, stained or eroded limestone trim, or damp basement walls in late winter, call us at +1 260-305-8760 or request a free on-site estimate. Huntington’s building code is run by the Community Development and Redevelopment Department. Fences need a permit even for a like-for-like repair, work in the public way needs a City Engineer permit, and in a local historic district a certificate of appropriateness from the Historic Review Board can be needed before any permit or work, so we confirm permit needs with the Community Development and Redevelopment Department before work starts.

Masonry FAQs for Huntington, IN

Do I need a permit to tuckpoint in Huntington?

The City’s permit list in Chapter 150 of its code names new buildings, additions, accessory structures, replacements of anything that would need a permit if new, structural roof changes, pools and fences, and it does not name tuckpointing or masonry repair either way. Chimney rebuilds, structural masonry and anything in a local historic district may still need approval, so we confirm permit needs with the Community Development and Redevelopment Department before work starts.

Do I need a certificate of appropriateness for masonry work in a Huntington historic district?

It depends on whether the property is in a local historic district, which is not the same as National Register listing. Under Chapter 153, a local district property needs a certificate of appropriateness from the Historic Review Board before demolition, moving, conspicuous exterior change or visible new construction, and stone walls, fences, steps and paving there must be maintained in a way that keeps their character. Huntington’s local districts are mostly single sites plus Drover Town properties on South Jefferson and Henry Streets. Applications go to Community Development with sketches or photos, and we check with that office before we start.

Can I relay my old brick sidewalk?

The City’s right-of-way rules allow an existing brick sidewalk to be relaid in its own brick. New walks in the public way are concrete, 4 inches thick and 4 feet wide, and sidewalk, drive approach and curb work in the public way needs a permit from the City Engineer, which we confirm before work starts.

What mortar suits an 1890s Huntington house?

Mortar matched to the original and softer than the brick. Masonry of that era, in Huntington as elsewhere, can be laid in anything from lime and sand to early lime and cement blends. The National Park Service says repointing mortar must be softer and more vapor permeable than the brick and no harder than the original, and the Brick Industry Association points to Type N, O or K for historic masonry.

Why is the brick on my house spalling?

Often water and freezing, and often a mortar that was too hard. The National Park Service says spalled masonry is often evidence of a previous repointing with a mortar that was too hard, and NOAA’s Huntington station averaged 100 freeze-thaw days a winter from 2015-16 to 2024-25. Widespread spalling is also one of the signs the Brick Industry Association says a professional engineer should investigate, so we document it and recommend an engineer’s assessment where it applies.

Do you come from Fort Wayne?

Yes. North Shore Masonry has been repairing masonry since 1978 and serves Huntington from our Fort Wayne operation. Call +1 260-305-8760 to set up an on-site estimate.