Questions about brick, mortar and chimneys in Mobile

Brick and mortar work on houses in Mobile. Donald replaces cracked, spalled and loose brick, repoints worn mortar joints, fixes brick chimneys and cracked crowns, and repairs brick and block foundations.

Yes. It used to go by Mobile Masonry & Concrete. It is now Brick Repair and Renovations, still owned by Donald W Carpenter in Mobile.

Mobile, Alabama, in Mobile County. That means any part of Mobile, from downtown and the historic districts to Midtown, Spring Hill and West Mobile. If you are in a town nearby, call or text and ask.

Water and salts do the damage here. Mobile is one of the rainiest cities in the country and humid most of the year, so brick stays wet. Salts carried in by the water crystallize under the face and push it off. Hard cement mortar and pressure washing make it worse.

That is efflorescence: salts carried out of the brick and mortar by water and left behind when it dries. It is common in a wet place like Mobile. A little on new work is normal. If it keeps coming back in one spot, water is getting in there.

Scratch a joint with a key. If it turns to sand, if the joints sit back from the face of the brick, or if there are gaps where mortar has fallen out, they are due.

Be careful. High pressure held close can cut out soft mortar and blow the face off old brick. Mildew on shaded walls can usually be cleaned more gently. Try any method on a small spot first.

Usually a cracked crown, open joints, spalled brick or bad flashing where the chimney meets the roof. Hard, wind driven rain finds them. The brick, joints and crown are masonry. The flashing is usually roofing work.

Sometimes. Mobile's wet clay and sand move with the water, and live oak roots draw moisture out near the house, so some cracking is common. Cracks that keep growing need a closer look, and some jobs call for a structural engineer or a foundation company.

From the ground, look at the chimney, the tops of the walls and anywhere a limb came down. Photograph anything that looks new. Stay off the roof and away from loose brick, and send Donald the photos.

Donald looks for brick that matches the size, color and texture of yours, and mortar to match the joints. On very old Mobile brick an exact match is not always possible, and he says so up front.

That depends on the job and where the house is. If you are in one of Mobile's local historic districts, or you are not sure, ask the City of Mobile before work on the outside starts.

Ask him. Brick repair, tuckpointing, chimney repair and masonry foundation repair are the core of the work. For anything else, call or text and ask.

Call or text Donald at (251) 305-5966. Send a wide photo, a close one of the worst spot and what part of Mobile you are in. He looks at it and tells you what it needs.