Tuckpointing, Brick and Chimney Repair for West Allis Homes

Masonry Services in West Allis, WI

Our West Allis work starts with tuckpointing and repointing with mortar matched to the original and softer than the brick, then brick repair and replacement, flashing over steel lintels, sills, steps and stoops, and restoring flashing and weep holes on brick veneer.

Chimney Repair and Rebuilds in West Allis

Chimney repair and rebuilds cover cracked crowns, loose flashing and open joints. The City’s building code requires chimneys to be kept weathertight, and installing a masonry fireplace or stove needs a City permit, so we confirm permit needs for chimney work with the Department of Code Enforcement ((414) 302-8400) before work starts. The City’s building code sets local rules we build to on any new masonry: footings at least 3 feet 6 inches below grade for frost, brick bearing walls at least 8 inches thick with a header course every sixth course, and brick veneer carried to grade on a foundation wall 8 inches thick. For larger jobs we handle building restoration and masonry waterproofing.

Tuckpointing and Brick Repair: What West Allis Homes Are Built Of and What Fails

West Allis grew around industry. The E.P. Allis Company, later Allis-Chalmers, moved west to Greenfield Avenue and 70th Street in 1900, the village took the Allis name in 1902 and became a city in 1906, and the works grew to about 15,000 employees on 160 acres. After 1906, according to the National Register nomination for Juneau Highlands, houses went up at between 150 and 200 a year, with no evidence of company-built housing. The 1954 annexation doubled the city to 11.5 square miles. Juneau Highlands, one of the city’s two local historic districts, shows one neighborhood’s palette: 41 homes built from 1928 to 1952 in Tudor, Colonial and Mediterranean Revival and Cape Cod styles, including fourteen bungalows, in brick of orange, green, tan, brown and red, with cast stone headers and sills, soldier courses and concrete block foundations; its 1929 duplex bungalows were faced with a deep red brick. The 1887 Greenfield School, now the historical society museum, is Cream City brick, a soft, porous Milwaukee brick that should be kept away from Portland-rich mortar and paint. The National Park Service notes that mortars from about 1873 to 1930 run from lime and sand to lime and Portland blends, and warns that hard repointing mortar has popped the faces off old bricks; the Brick Industry Association points to Type N, O or K for historic work, with lab analysis when the original is unknown. On older brick, our crews repoint with lime-rich mortar and match lost brick with salvaged brick where it is available. Where a house of any age has brick veneer over a wood frame, the Brick Industry Association’s design relies on a 1 inch air space, flashing and weep holes, and Wisconsin’s current code calls for flashing 6 inches up the sheathing and weeps no more than 2 feet apart; on an older veneer house we check whether that drainage is there and working. Winters test all of it: NOAA readings at Milwaukee Mitchell Airport (a Milwaukee station, not a West Allis one) averaged about 75 days a winter that crossed freezing, in a range of 51 to 94 (winters 2015-16 to 2024-25). We match mortar on evidence, as in our historic mortar and stone matching work.

Cracks, Lintels and When to Call an Engineer

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. On a West Allis house we document any of those and recommend an engineer’s assessment before we repair the masonry. Replacing sections of foundation wall or footing needs a City permit, and so does a porch rebuild that touches its supports.

Serving West Allis as Part of the Milwaukee Area

West Allis sits in Milwaukee County against Milwaukee’s western boundary, and North Shore Masonry serves it from our Milwaukee operation, with work elsewhere in the area in Wauwatosa, Greenfield, Elm Grove, Brookfield and Waukesha. Start at our Milwaukee masonry services hub for every service and town we cover.

Talk to a Masonry Contractor About Your West Allis Home

If you are seeing open or crumbling mortar joints, brick faces popping off, a cracked chimney crown, loose chimney flashing, rust staining over a window or white staining that keeps coming back, call us at +1 414-404-9029 or request a free on-site estimate. We confirm permit needs with the West Allis Department of Code Enforcement ((414) 302-8400) before work starts, and on houses in Juneau Highlands or Kopperud Park we also confirm what review applies.

Masonry FAQs for West Allis, WI

Do I need a permit to tuckpoint my West Allis house?

West Allis’s building code starts from the rule that work needs a permit unless it is on the code’s exempt list, and the City’s permit guidance does not name tuckpointing either way. Installing a masonry fireplace or stove, replacing sections of foundation wall or footing, and porch rebuilds that touch supports do need a permit. We confirm permit needs with the Department of Code Enforcement ((414) 302-8400) before work starts, including whether any other City review, such as Plan Commission review under the zoning code, applies.

Who can pull a masonry permit in West Allis?

For a one- or two-family home, the City lets a resident owner pull the permit, or a contractor who holds both the Wisconsin Dwelling Contractor and Dwelling Contractor Qualifier certifications. Review can take up to 10 business days. Unpermitted work can bring triple fees, removal, fines and disclosure when the house is sold, so it is worth settling before anyone starts.

What mortar should be used to repoint a prewar West Allis house?

One matched to the original and softer than the brick, and never stronger than the original. The National Park Service notes that mortars from about 1873 to 1930 run from lime and sand to lime and Portland blends, and warns that hard repointing mortar has popped the surface off old bricks. The Brick Industry Association points to Type N, O or K for historic work, with lab analysis when the original is unknown. Cream City brick, the soft, porous Milwaukee brick of the 1887 Greenfield School, is especially vulnerable to Portland-rich mortar and paint.

Is my house in Juneau Highlands or Kopperud Park under design review?

Both are local historic districts and both are on the National Register, Juneau Highlands since 2011 and Kopperud Park since 2017. Sources differ on whether the Historical Commission reviews exterior changes in the districts: the City code gives it management, education and funding advice powers, while the West Allis Historical Society describes it reviewing alterations. So we never treat district work as free of review: a raze permit requires notice to the Commission, and we confirm what review applies with the Department of Code Enforcement ((414) 302-8400) before work starts.

When is a crack in my brick a job for an engineer?

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. If we see any of those, we document them and recommend an engineer’s assessment before any masonry repair, and we work from the engineer’s findings.

Can you match the brick on my West Allis house?

We aim for a close match, not an exact one. Juneau Highlands alone shows brick in orange, green, tan, brown and red. The Brick Industry Association recommends a sample panel across the color range before replacement brick goes in, and warns that a hard brick set beside soft brick can crack the softer one, so hardness matters as much as color when we choose a replacement.