Fishers is a short drive down from our base in Noblesville, and a lot of our calls there come from the newer subdivisions, where houses tend to have brick or stone veneer across the front, concrete walks along the side and patios out back. We do the same kind of work in Carmel and Westfield, so these houses are familiar ground for our crew.
On most Fishers houses, what goes wrong with the masonry starts behind it, so the ground under a walk, the way water leaves the yard and how the veneer was put on usually decide the fix more than the brick itself does.
What sets the price and the start date
When I come out, I'm looking for why the wall cracked or the joint let go before I talk about a fix, and I'll tell you straight if it can wait. The price mostly turns on how much masonry is involved, how high or hard to reach it is, whether old brick and mortar have to be matched, and whether something behind it needs fixing first. The start date turns on the permit check and on getting matching material in. A leaky chimney usually comes down to the cap or the joints up top, which we cover on our chimney repair page. Your written estimate gives you the figure.
Check the flood map before a wall goes in
A new retaining wall or block wall in a low corner of the yard can run into the floodplain before it runs into anything else. The city's map shows the FEMA flood hazard zones, and when a yard sits in one, there's more to the permit than there would be otherwise, which I'd rather know before the layout than after the footing's dug. So that's one of the first things I look up for a Fishers address. If the wall could sit a little higher or farther back and stay out of the zone, I'll tell you, and we'll talk through whether that's the better way to go.
Driveways and walks that reach the street
Where a new paver driveway or walk meets the street matters in Fishers. The sidewalk, the curb and the driveway approach, the stretch that runs out to the street, sit in the city right of way, and the city has a separate contractor registration for work there, with a performance bond required on top. So before we lay anything out, I sort out where your part ends and the city's begins. Access matters too, because pallets of pavers or block need somewhere to sit and a clear path to the back, so mention gates and fences when you call.