Every October I walk the same loop through Hamden and the surrounding New Haven neighborhoods, coffee in hand, checking for the small things that turn…
Waterproofing a Basement Masonry Wall
The first sign of trouble in a Great Kills basement is usually a smell before it’s ever a puddle — that musty, earthy note that…
Spotting Structural Cracks vs Cosmetic Cracks
A hairline crack in mortar is not automatic bad news, and I say that to a lot of nervous homeowners right after they’ve texted me…
Sealing Brick and Stone: When It Helps and When It Hurts
The first sealer I ever brushed onto my own house was a mistake, and I paid for it about three winters later when a whole…
Repairing a Cracked Brick Wall Step by Step
A house near Old Town Buda almost fell out of contract last fall over a crack in the garage wall. The seller called me in…
How Salt and De-Icers Damage Masonry
“That stoop looked fine on Halloween. By Presidents’ Day it’s flaking like a sunburn.” I hear some version of that line from a seller almost…
Cleaning Brick Without Damaging the Mortar
A guy in Wooster Square nearly ruined the front of a beautiful 1870s brick townhouse with a rented pressure washer last summer. He had good…