Creating Or Altering A Brick Opening When you have decided to change your old, worn out front door, or you are taking advantage of a government rebate on new, energy efficient windows, you may need to make changes to the brick wall and opening that currently exists. Sometimes, when you are doing a full renovation of your home, you may need to delete a current opening and make a new one somewhere else. If your home is made of brick or masonry, you will need to have a masonry company enter the mix to safely alter the structure of your brick walls. Figuring Out Where To Make The Opening When you are trying to figure out where to put the new opening, or you are altering an existing opening, you have to factor in a few things. One thing to consider, is the location of structural support walls. If you are altering a wall that currently supports the floor above, for example, you may have to temporarily support the weight above while you are making the opening. This is also true if you are planning on widening an existing opening. Also, even if the home is a bungalow and the weight above is relative low, you may need to support the bricks above the opening so that they dont shift and require more extensive and expensive repairs. Modern Support Systems Many old century homes used wooden and arched brick lintels to support the weight above. These systems did their job for a long time, but modern steel lintels are the current code conforming standard that allows for openings to be made wider and stronger than ever before. Often, homes that are older have two layers, or wythes, of brick and both will need to be supported equally. This increases the

Is It Too Cold For Masonry Repairs? Many people in Toronto, Hamilton and the surrounding areas wait until the spring season has undoubtedly arrived to turn their attention to home repairs. However, living in southern Ontario means that we often have warm weather spells throughout the winter. If you have a small masonry repair such as a chimney repair, a few bricks to replace or some tuckpointing to be done, you may want to reach out to Wilkens Masonry and have the work done before the rush of the warmer months. Does Temperature Matter? For mortar to be mixed, you add water to a mixture of sand and masonry cement. If the temperature is below zero, it means that the water can freeze and the mortar will not be able to “cure” properly (this is the chemical process by which mortar and concrete become hard. Sometimes, in a pinch, you can add a liquid that speeds up the curing process and allows the mortar to be worked with at colder temperatures. However, this can alter the look of the mortar and make it harder to do aesthetic work. Speaking to the masonry estimator can help you determine what course of action to take and weather or not the brick replacement, tuckpointing, chimney repair, parging or other masonry repair needs to be done. Are Masonry Companies Open Throughout The Winter? While we cannot speak for the responsiveness of other Toronto and Hamilton based masonry restoration companies, Wilkens is open year round. We will come out and take a look at the work you may need done and provide an honest opinion on the importance and process of the project. If it’s too cold we will let you know and we will help find a solution to ensure you are well taken

Wilkens Masonry Is Now On Homestars Hamilton! Wilkens Contracting Inc. has been built on quality and referrals since 1977. Most of our leads for masonry restoration, brick repair and replacement, tuckpointing and chimney repair has come from word of mouth and returning customers, throughout that time period. Now, with our recent expansion into the wonderful city of Hamilton, we are proud to be listed on Homestars. We are planning on a broadened relationship with the home renovations website Homestars as one of the ways that the good people of Hamilton, Burlington and the surrounding areas will find us and bring us out for a free estimate. What Will Wilkens Masonry Be Offering In Hamilton? Our services to the people of Hamilton will be all things masonry restoration! We want to give you a free estimate, at your convenience, for your brick restoration and repairs, your tuckpointing and repointing, your new masonry openings, your chimney repair and rebuilds and much more! Hamilton is a booming city that we are excited to grow with and serve. How Does Homestars Work? Homestars has a brilliant system for helping people find reliable, verified companies for their home renovation and repair needs. The first option, if you are seeking a trained masonry restoration specialist, you can go on Homestars and put out a general call for a reliable contractor. Homestars will send your posting to the companies in the designated area that fit your needs and give them the option to reach out to you. The next way that you can use Homestars is as a directory for contractors who you can read about, vet and contact all on your own. Homestars has rated the companies based on a variety of categories to give you the control in choosing the contractor, such as Wilkens, for