Brick repair in West Mobile and Spring Hill

West Mobile spreads out from the older city along Airport Boulevard, Zeigler Boulevard, Grelot Road and Hillcrest Road, with one subdivision after another off each of them. Spring Hill sits closer in, around Spring Hill College on Dauphin Street and Old Shell Road.

Spring Hill has older houses under big trees near the college, mixed in with newer ones. Farther west the houses are mostly newer, and most of the brick on them is veneer.

A brick veneer wall is one layer of brick standing a small gap out from a wood frame wall, held to it with metal ties. The brick is a rain screen. Some water always gets through it, runs down the back of the brick, and is supposed to leave at the bottom.

That is what weep holes are for. They are the small gaps or vents in the bottom row of brick, just above the slab. When they are open, water inside the wall gets out. When mulch, a raised flower bed or a well meant bead of caulk closes them, the water stays in, and the frame and the brick both suffer for it.

The bottom course of brick sits on a brick ledge, a step formed into the edge of the slab that carries the weight of the brick. If the slab edge cracks or the brick on it settles, it shows as cracks low on the wall and gaps opening at the corners.

Hairline cracks in the mortar from a house settling a little are usually cosmetic. The ones to keep an eye on are cracks that step up through the joints, run through the brick itself, open wider over time, or show up along with doors that start to stick.

Over windows and doors, the brick rests on a steel angle. When that steel rusts it swells, and it can crack the brick above the opening and push it out of line.

• Step cracks running up from a corner of a window or door
• Brick pulling away from a window or door frame
• Cracks low on the wall, near the brick ledge
• A gap opening between the brick and the trim

Mark the ends of a crack with a pencil and write the date next to it. If it grows past the marks, send Donald photos. Some ground movement calls for a structural engineer or a foundation company first, and Donald tells you plainly when a crack is past what a mason should fix.

Plenty of yards in West Mobile and Spring Hill have big oaks and pines over the house. The walls that never get sun stay damp, and they turn green and black with mildew and algae. Sprinklers that wet the brick every morning add to it.

Newer veneer brick is harder than old Mobile brick, but the mortar joints are still the weak spot. A pressure washer held close can cut into them and open up paths for water. A soft wash, a garden hose and a brush, tried on a small spot first, does less harm. If the wall greens up again in a hurry, look for what is keeping it wet.

Around the college, some houses are a good bit older than the subdivisions farther out, with older brick, softer mortar and brick chimneys. Those get the same care as the older houses in Midtown: mortar matched to the brick and softer than it, and a gentle hand when cleaning.

Permit questions for brick work in this part of town go to the City of Mobile. Some West Mobile addresses sit outside the city limits, and for those, ask Mobile County.

• Spring Hill CollegeCollege campus on Dauphin Street, with old buildings and oaks
• Mobile Botanical GardensGardens on Museum Drive, next to Langan Park
• Langan ParkCity park with a lake on Zeigler Boulevard
• Mobile Japanese GardenGarden on Forest Hill Drive
• Legacy Village at Spring HillShopping center on Du Rhu Drive
• Medal of Honor ParkPark on Hillcrest Road with trails and a big playground