DEAR TIM: My 10-year-old house developed some cosmetic cracks in the mortar. I got some bids to have tuck-pointing work done and nearly gagged when I looked at the cost. I’m wondering about using a ...

i need to repoint in a couple of places around the chimney of my 1908 row house. does anyone know where to get pre-mixed high-lime content mortar? Or, if mixing it myself, the best way to go about it?

Q We have very active woodworm in an old property we have just bought. Is borax solution safe to treat it? We have no intention of using permethrin. I want to use the borax-based treatment on all the ...

Dear James: We have a brick house and the mortar between the bricks has fallen out in spots. It looks terrible. What is the best method to repair this and how can I get new mortar to look like the old ...

Last week, I fielded no fewer than five phone calls from homeowner with the same grim news. They found it nearly impossible to get quotes from contractors to do fairly simple repairs. Each caller’s ...

Repointing brickwork is usually required at least once or twice per century. Wear, weather and structural stresses cause the mortar between bricks to deteriorate over the decades, until you’re left ...

Q: My 10-year-old house developed some cosmetic cracks in the mortar. I got some bids to have tuck-pointing work done and nearly gagged. I'm wondering about using a special caulk I found that's made ...