revolutionist
SN
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I have a fireplace that is in desperate need of repair, with a massive crack that runs vertically up the edge. The brick is around 100 years old (or older), it may need a complete rebuild, it's well beyond a quick home fix.
So, if anyone has had any kind of repair done on an old brick fireplace/chimney I would really like suggestions on who to call.
Thanks.
chrisgillespie
Short North/Victorian Village
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Blackburns.
groundrules
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Brandon Murfield
http://www.murfieldstonecompany.com/
Likes Old Houses
Harrison West
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Cisco Masonry repaired mine. They filled in a large hole from an old stove, and tuckpointed the whole thing. They have actually done a few projects for me. I highly recommend them.
Cisco Masonry Incorporated
(614) 444-1067
Tenzo
Chicago Lakeshore
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Couple of things you want to address first.
1) What caused the crack. Is this the chimney your heating system uses?
2) Proper repair. You can't tuck point with modern cement if you have 100 year old bricks. The mortar needs to be softer than the brick. Or you can destroy the brick. This is more restoration work than masonry.
Here is what happened to my fireplace when they did it wrong
More pictures are on : http://www.tenzo.org/brick
The cement mortar was destroying the brick.
I know durable slate works with lime mortar.
catnfiddle
Giant Corncob District
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revolutionist
SN
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Thanks for all the tips and suggestions all. As for the cause of the crack, were fairly sure it is an old moisture problem, though there might be an issue with the floor support in the basement. After looking at some of the pics posted by Tenzo, it looks like the previous owner tried to tuck point with modern cement, which has made the problem worse. The heat doesn't vent through the chimney, but it is pretty much an ornamental part of the house at this point.
We'll be calling around for estimates from the suggestions in the next few weeks.
Thanks again for everyone who posted suggestions and information. We really appreciate it.
revolutionist
SN
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Just wanted to follow up on this after the work.
We called a bunch of places for estimates, Blackburn's came out, looked at the project, took a few pictures and left. We never heard from them, no phone call, no estimate, no nothing.
We ended up going with GBR Masonry.
They replaced the whole front of the fireplace, a bit more than half. It was a massive job, and they were amazing. I highly recommend working with them.
Thanks again for all the replies.
Walker
The KLD / Downtown
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Oh, nice! We called up Andy Maclellan at GBR when we first moved into our house. We needed a dryer vent installed that went through the brick exterior and we wanted a professional who wouldn't destroy our bricks. A much smaller job than what you just had done, but he did a really nice job for us. We'll definitely be calling him up again when it comes time for more brickwork at our place. :D
vespamary
Short North
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Yay! Great choice - we love Andy! He worked on our place too. He did a lot of tuckpointing on our brick house and actually cut out a spot for a new window when we renovated and arched it to match the rest of the previously existing windows. CU is the new Angie's List!
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