Masonry restoration · Greater Boston
- On-site assessment00
- Written scope01
- Mortar match02
- Rake-out, repoint & rebuild03
- Water & drainage correction04
- Walk-through & sign-off05
Brick and stone don't fail overnight.We catch it before it's structural.
Chimney repointing and rebuilding, brick and stone wall restoration, foundation masonry repair and retaining wall rebuilds. Greater Boston's older housing stock runs on brick and fieldstone a century old or more, and New England's freeze-thaw winters are exactly what finds the weak joint. We tell you honestly whether what you're looking at is cosmetic or structural.
- Estimate
- Free on-site estimate
- Written price
- Repointed to match original mortar
- Track record
- 21 years in business
- Based in
- Maynard, MA · Greater Boston
- Chimney repointing & crown repair
- Chimney rebuild above the roofline
- Brick & stone wall restoration
- Foundation masonry repair
- Retaining wall repair & rebuild
- Tuckpointing / repointing
- Water & drainage correction
The argument
Mortarissupposedtofailbeforethebrickdoes—it'sthesacrificialpartofthewall,bydesign.Ourjobistellingyouwhenthat'shappeningonscheduleandwhenit'sasignsomethingbehindthewall,usuallywater,hasalreadygonewrong.
Scope of work
What a 7 Days masonry restoration actually includes
This is the scope sheet we hand you at the estimate — the same list, in the same order, that the crew works from. Nothing on it is a line item we add later.
Sheet
Scope of work
07 items · rev. 2026
Chimney repointing & crown repair
Crumbling mortar joints raked out and repointed, cracked or missing chimney crown resealed before water gets behind the flue liner and starts the freeze-thaw cycle from the inside.
Chimney rebuild above the roofline
When spalling has gone too deep to repoint, we rebuild the chimney brick by brick above the roofline, matched to the original brick size and mortar color.
Brick & stone wall restoration
Spalled or cracked brick and stone replaced, joints repointed to match the original mortar type and color — never a hard, modern Portland-only mix troweled onto soft century-old brick, which cracks the brick instead of the joint.
Foundation masonry repair
Cracked or bowing stone and brick foundation walls — parging, crack injection where it's the right fix, and an honest answer about when a crack is cosmetic and when it needs more than that.
Retaining wall repair & rebuild
Leaning or bulging stone and block retaining walls rebuilt with proper drainage and backfill behind them — the lack of drainage is the actual reason most retaining walls fail, not the stone itself.
Tuckpointing / repointing
Failed mortar raked out to the correct depth and repacked in matching mortar — not skim-coated over the surface, which looks fine for a year and then fails the same way again.
Water & drainage correction
Flashing, grading and drainage changes that address the actual water source behind failing masonry, instead of just patching the symptom and watching it come back.
The sequence
How a masonry restoration job runs
Masonry restoration starts with diagnosis, not demolition — most of what we do is deciding what actually needs to come out.
Repointing mortar needs temperatures consistently above 40°F to cure properly, so most masonry restoration work runs spring through fall in Massachusetts. We'll tell you at the estimate if your job needs to wait on the weather, and we won't repoint a wall in January just to get it off the schedule.
- 00
On-site assessment
Thirty minutes looking at the crack pattern, the mortar condition and any water staining, Monday to Saturday between 3 and 5 PM. We tell you on the spot whether what you're looking at is cosmetic or worth watching closely.
- 01
Written scope
A written proposal within 48 hours, spelling out exactly what's being repointed or rebuilt versus what we're recommending you monitor rather than pay to fix today.
- 02
Mortar match
A sample pulled from your existing mortar and matched for type — lime versus Portland — and color before any repointing starts. The wrong mortar type is the most common reason a repointing job fails within a few years.
- 03
Rake-out, repoint & rebuild
Old mortar raked to the correct depth, never skim-coated. Any brick or stone too far gone to save is pulled and rebuilt to match the surrounding wall.
- 04
Water & drainage correction
Flashing, grading or drainage work addressing the actual source of the water that caused the damage — so the repair isn't undone by the same problem in a few winters.
- 05
Walk-through & sign-off
We walk the finished wall, chimney or retaining wall with you and close the punch list before the final invoice.
Why 7 Days
What a masonry restoration job needs to get right.
Mortar matched, not mismatched
Old Greater Boston brick was laid with a soft lime mortar. A hard modern Portland mix doesn't flex the same way — it cracks the brick instead of the joint, which is the opposite of what repointing is supposed to do.
We rake it out properly
Failed mortar gets removed to the correct depth before new mortar goes in. A skim coat over the surface looks fine for a season and fails the same way again.
We tell you if it's structural
Most of what we see on an initial visit is cosmetic. When it isn't, you hear that honestly, with what it means and what it costs — not a sales pitch dressed as a diagnosis.
21 years in Greater Boston's older housing stock
Fieldstone foundations, 19th-century brick two-families, chimneys built before the mortar formulas changed — we know what's normal for this region's age of construction and what isn't.
The work
Masonry we restore and repair.
Foundations, chimneys, steps and retaining walls — repointed, rebuilt and waterproofed across Greater Boston's older housing stock.
Fig. 01
Fig. 02
Fig. 03
Fig. 04Reference builds in the configurations and materials we work in. Photography of 7 Days projects is added here as jobs are completed and released by the homeowner.
What clients say
Verified reviews,on Angi.
Verified reviews from the 7 Days profile on Angi, including masonry and foundation work.
4.8
4 reviews
on Angi
“I hired 7 Days Remodel & Contracting to replace my deck and repair the front porch. I also needed new kitchen and bathroom flooring and tile on the kitchen counter and upstairs bathroom. Al and his team were extremely professional and multitasked to complete interior and exterior while I was away on military orders. Pleasantly surprised and extremely satisfied with the outcome and highly recommend them — Al communicated consistently throughout the process and completed the work as discussed prior to my return and on budget.”
“Al did a great job on our renovation of our three-unit apartment building. He showed up, his team showed up, and everyone was skilled, delivering a great result.”
R.S.S.
Angi · Oct 7, 2025
“They start and finish the work and I'm happy.”
Jim B.
Angi · Sep 12, 2025
“The job was done in a timeframe that was shorter than projected. Their team was very professional and did a great job cleaning up behind themselves.”
Gregory H.
Angi · Aug 16, 2025
Genuine, verified customer reviews from the 7 Days profile on Angi. Names are shown exactly as Angi publishes them.
Straight answers
What people ask about masonry restoration.
What's the difference between repointing and tuckpointing?
They're closely related: repointing is removing failed mortar and replacing it, done to match the original joint. Tuckpointing is a specific repointing technique using two mortar colors to create the look of very fine, precise joints — common on higher-end historic brickwork. We'll tell you which your wall actually needs.
How do I know if my chimney needs repair or a rebuild?
It depends on how deep the spalling (brick face crumbling or flaking) has gone and the condition of the crown and flashing. We look at it at the estimate and give you an honest answer — a repoint and crown reseal is a much smaller job than a rebuild, and we don't sell the bigger one unless it's needed.
Why shouldn't I just use regular mortar mix on my old brick?
Most pre-war Greater Boston brick was laid with a soft lime-based mortar that flexes with the brick through freeze-thaw cycles. Modern Portland-cement mortar is much harder — it doesn't flex, so the brick itself cracks instead of the joint. We match the original mortar type, not just the color.
My retaining wall is leaning — can it be saved?
Sometimes. A wall that's leaning because of poor drainage behind it can often be rebuilt with proper backfill and drainage added, using the existing stone. A wall that's structurally failed usually needs a full rebuild. We'll tell you which one we're looking at.
Do you pour new concrete foundations?
No — that's new construction, outside what this page covers. We repair and restore existing masonry foundations: cracked or bowing stone and brick, parging, and crack correction.
How long does repointing last?
Done correctly — raked to proper depth, mortar matched to the original — a repointing job should hold for decades, not years. Most repointing failures we see are from mortar that was never matched to the wall in the first place.
Can masonry restoration happen in winter?
Mortar needs temperatures consistently above 40°F to cure properly, so most of this work runs spring through fall in Massachusetts. If your chimney or wall needs attention in winter, we'll assess it and tell you honestly whether it can wait for the season or needs an interim fix now.
Do you build new patios or walkways?
That's a different trade with a different set of concerns — new hardscape construction rather than restoring existing masonry. See our Patio & Walkway page for that work.
Beyond the bathroom
Other trades, same shop
Each of these runs with its own partner and its own crew.
- 01
Carpentry & Painting
A paint job fails at the caulk line and the bare spot behind the radiator. A trim job fails at the scribe — the gap where the casing meets a wall that was never straight. Both failures are invisible until you're standing in the room, which is why we run both trades under the same eye.
- 02
Deck & Porch Construction and Repair
A deck doesn't fail at the railing or the decking boards — it fails at the two parts nobody sees again once the job is done: the footings and the ledger board. That's where we spend the engineering attention, not the baluster style.
- 03
Masonry Restoration & Repair
Mortar is supposed to fail before the brick does — it's the sacrificial part of the wall, by design. Our job is telling you when that's happening on schedule and when it's a sign something behind the wall, usually water, has already gone wrong.
- 04
Patio & Walkway Installation
A paver patio doesn't fail at the pavers. It fails at the base underneath — the compacted gravel and sand nobody ever thinks about again after the first week, until the field starts to dip and spread a few years later.
Free on-site estimate
Book a free masonry assessment
Thirty minutes looking at your chimney, wall or foundation, Monday to Saturday between 3 and 5 PM. Written itemized proposal within 48 hours — and an honest answer about whether it's cosmetic or structural.
- Estimate window
- Mon–Sat · 3:00 PM – 5:00 PM
- On site
- About 30 minutes
- Written price
- Within 48 hours