Prospect Heights, IL · Commercial Masonry Restoration
Arrow Masonry provides commercial tuckpointing, brick repair, and full masonry restoration for Prospect Heights condo boards, property managers, and building owners. Serving the northwest suburbs since 1993, with over fifty years of combined field experience.
What We Do in Prospect Heights
Mortar joints reach the 15-to-20-year retreatment interval well before deterioration becomes visible at ground level. As joints deteriorate, water infiltrates the wall assembly and damages sheathing, insulation, and framing long before visible failure appears at the surface. Arrow grinds each joint to a minimum three-quarter-inch depth before packing new mortar and color-matches every batch from a physical sample taken against the existing wall.
Tuckpointing ›Damaged brick almost always traces back to water passage through failed mortar joints nearby, so the source and the symptom get treated together. Matching replacement brick is the harder half of the repair: brick from manufacturers no longer in production is sourced through salvage yards and regional brickyards, then hand-selected so face color, texture, and dimension read continuous with the original wall. Arrow tuckpoints the surrounding joints as part of every brick replacement so the repair reads as one restored section, not a visible patch.
Brick Repair ›Full facade restoration coordinates tuckpointing, brick replacement, lintel work, stone repair, and caulking on the same building under one written scope. The assessment covers mortar joints, brick and stone faces, lintels, sills, coping stones, parapet caps, flashing, and roof-to-wall transitions. Priorities are assigned by water-entry risk and structural urgency, so condo boards and property managers can fund critical work now and budget deferrable work over the next twelve to twenty-four months. Every scope includes a written specification suitable for lender review, insurance documentation, and reserve-study updates.
Masonry Restoration ›Every masonry window and door opening is supported by a lintel that carries the brick load above it. Arrow replaces failed lintels before the deterioration reaches the surrounding masonry; at the point of surface failure, a lintel replacement becomes an opening rebuild. Where original lintels can be preserved on historic buildings, Arrow coordinates rust removal, primer application, and reinstatement rather than automatic replacement.
Lintel Replacement ›On historic buildings, lime-based mortars are used where Portland-based mortars would trap moisture and accelerate stone loss. Arrow handles both the stone repair and the surrounding masonry integration so restored sections read as continuous with the original facade. Dutchman repairs, pinning, and consolidation are used where full replacement is unnecessary; matched replacement stone is sourced from regional quarries and salvage yards when replacement is required.
Stone Restoration ›Chimney scope is based on what the chimney actually needs, not a standardized package: crown, cap, joints, flashing, and full rebuild are quoted separately. Arrow handles crown repair and replacement, chimney cap installation, tuckpointing, flashing repair, and full chimney rebuilds. Chimney base flashing is inspected on every scope, not just the crown and joints.
Chimney Repair ›Panel brick construction uses two-to-four-inch thin brick applied to a concrete or steel frame, with an air cavity behind the panel. Arrow uses stainless-steel through-bolt anchors on panel repairs for a service life of 50 years or more, and preserves the air cavity and weep holes that panel systems require to drain properly.
Panel Brick Repair ›Local Context
Cook County and most incorporated Cook County municipalities require permits for structural masonry work, tuckpointing above a height threshold set by local ordinance, and any lintel or parapet-wall work. Permit applications require licensed contractor documentation, workers' compensation insurance, and general liability certificates. Arrow is licensed, insured, and bonded for all Cook County masonry work.
Mortar work requires ambient temperatures above 40 degrees Fahrenheit during placement and the initial twenty-four-to-forty-eight-hour cure. The regional climate reliably meets this threshold only from mid-April through early November. Emergency stabilization can be performed year-round with heated enclosures and mortar additives; scheduled maintenance work is planned in the standard working season.
Prospect Heights began with six affordable homes built by Carlton Smith and Allen Dawson along Elmhurst Road in 1936 for Depression-weary families, and remained unincorporated in Cook County until 1976, giving the Manor neighborhood a distinctly slower development timeline than surrounding towns.
Arrow custom-blends mortar and samples it against the existing building before a single joint is filled. Completed repairs integrate into the facade instead of announcing themselves as patches.
Arrow separates critical repairs from work that can wait twelve to twenty-four months. Boards fund essential work now and budget secondary work in future cycles, without deferring what is structurally necessary.
Property managers are accountable to residents and boards. Arrow communicates schedule adjustments and scope changes in writing before they take effect, not after a crew fails to appear.
Full Service Capabilities
Arrow also helps property owners correct municipal code violations and failed facade inspections. Request a quote online 24/7 or call (847) 776-6400. Arrow can usually schedule an on-site inspection within 24 hours.
Free estimates for all projects. We serve property managers, condo associations, and building owners across Prospect Heights and Cook County.