But for a few dollars more... thoughts on a brick crack repair
A brick crack repair is a commonly requested service for brick masons in this area. It seems strange though, that there are very few masons whom seem particularly interested, nor proficient for that matter, in performing a seamless, brick crack repair. A seamless repair is one that blends the reworked crack area into the existing brick area, seamlessly… so as to mask the repair.
This technique is designed so that the crack repair ‘blends in’, so when you look at your home from the sidewalk or the street you do not see an obvious repair… it should disappear. A well-executed crack repair will be a repair that is, as the old saying goes ‘Out of sight… is out of mind.’
Now this doesn’t mean that shoddy workmanship was undertaken to camouflage a damaged brick or stone area, nor that the home owner was in any way being sneaky or acting dishonestly. Actually the opposite is closer to the true. The owner is acting responsibly, maintaining their aging property to preserve the ‘look’ of their home for themselves, their family members and friends or as the case may be, a potential buyer.
We all know that the value of a home rises and falls based upon its’ curb appeal. Yet sometimes homeowners will list their properties with noticeable ‘repair areas’ much like the obvious repair in the photo above. I would say that this repair is pretty obvious, wouldn’t you?
If I were a buyer interested in the home in the photo above, I would be wondering how the owner dealt with other maintenance or repair items that I couldn’t see.
I would wonder if they always choose the cheapest price when doing a repair?
Hmmm…What is really unusual though, is that this particular clients home in the photo had hired Olde World Masons, Inc. to perform a crack repair on a different wall of the home just a few weeks earlier. I remember how the conversation went…
“Your too expensive and I can get someone cheaper.” I remembered John, the homeowner, commenting to me as he signed the repair work order as he handed back the paperwork to me.
“We perform seamless repairs, John.” I explained. “It takes greater skill to perform this type of work and the results are superior to that of unskilled labor you may be comparing us to.” I finished as he walked away.
Well we performed the repair for John and when we completed the work he was ecstatic! Even upon close inspection he could not determine where our crack repair work began and where it ended! This particular repair had been a perfect match and not all are as perfect.
Fast forward 3 weeks…
“Mike” a call came to my cell phone from John again “I’ve got another little crack repair I need you to price. It’s like the other repair you just completed but smaller.” he said.
I bid on the project, priced it fairly and again John complained about the cost. Even after seeing the perfection of our work on the previous crack repair John thought we were too expensive and told me he had found someone that could do it for $100 less.
I did my best to try to convince John that he was comparing apples to oranges and that he might regret his decision but he would not be swayed. John hired another repair installer to do the second repair.
I’m used to the sometimes overly conservative nature of folks in this area so didn’t let his decision worry me too much and frankly forgot all about it until about two weeks later when I received a frantic call again from John.
“Mike this is John.” he said excitedly.
“I have to admit that you were right. This other ‘mason’ did a horrible job! I’m texting you a photo right now. I need you to come out and fix this for me.” he said.
“John that repair looks pretty bad.” I said after receiving and viewing the photo. There were a lot of smears and uneven mortar joints and broken bricks. I went on to explain that I would have to redo some of the work this repair company did which would require a little more time. I quoted him the original price plus a small additional charge to correct the errors and John became very angry.
“Crap! Just forget it!” he yelled over the phone and hung up on me abruptly. I was a little shocked by the suddenness of the calls termination but I was right in my assessment. Unfortunately, I never heard from John again.
Yet when I’m traveling through that part of town and I happen to drive past John’s home, I am reminded of John and this incident. The ugly repair is still there. It’s just as glaringly obvious today as it was years before. I shake my head and wonder if a buyer would worry about the repair on John’s home? I just scratch my head as I drive past and as I turn the corner I think to myself…
“But for a few dollars more.”
