Warning: a simple brick arch repair turned into a two day nightmare

Got called to fix a small arch over a garage door in an old house. The homeowner said it was just a few loose bricks. When I got up there, the whole center was shot, the mortar was basically dust, and the wooden lintel behind it was rotten. What should have been a half day job turned into a full day just to carefully take it apart without bringing the whole wall down. Then I had to source a matching reclaimed brick, which took another morning. The actual rebuild was fine, but the whole thing took two full days. I'm torn on these jobs now. Do you always quote extra time for 'simple' repairs on old buildings, or do you stick to your original estimate and risk losing money? How do you guys handle this?

2 comments

2 Comments

max27319d ago

I mean, I heard you gotta double your time estimate for anything on an old house.

henry_hernandez19d ago

Yeah, that rule of thumb from @max273 is dead on. Read a whole article about hidden problems in old walls adding crazy delays. It's never just the one thing you see.