Masonry Contractor in Milwaukee, WI

How old are the houses on Milwaukee's south side?

Census estimates put about 34 percent of Milwaukee's homes before 1940 and another 41 percent between 1940 and 1969. The median home in the city was built in 1953. The south side runs older. In 53204, which includes Walker's Point and Historic Mitchell Street, about 62 percent of homes predate 1940.

In 53215, around Lincoln Village, about 55 percent of homes predate 1940, and about 36 percent are in two-unit buildings. The Encyclopedia of Milwaukee says a 1911 study called the duplex the city's most common house type. The south side is also home to the raised cottage known as the Polish flat. Owners lifted a frame cottage and built brick walls underneath for a second unit.

Farther south and west, the 53219, 53220 and 53221 ZIP areas run newer. About half or more of their homes date from 1940 to 1969. Those ZIP areas also take in parts of West Allis and Greenfield. If a basement block wall is bowing or has moved, a structural engineer looks at it before any masonry repair.

Cream City brick and Milwaukee's brick landmarks

Milwaukee's Cream City nickname came from its brick. The Encyclopedia of Milwaukee says local brickmakers fired lake clay high in calcium and magnesium into soft, creamy yellow brick. The Menomonee River Valley held the most easily worked clay, and the Burnham Brickyard there was the largest maker. Harder red brick took over, and Cream City brick production ended in the 1920s.

Cream City brick landmarks still stand downtown, including St. Mary's Catholic Church from 1846 and Turner Hall from 1882. Both are city-designated landmarks, as is St. Josaphat Basilica in Lincoln Village, dedicated in 1901. The basilica was built from the materials of a demolished federal building, shipped in on 500 flatcars.

National Park Service repointing guidance says new mortar must be softer than the brick around it. Mortar harder than the brick can crack it and make the face flake off, which masons call spalling. We match mortar to the brick, with lime-based mortar where the original calls for it. Where the face is already gone, replacing the spalled brick is part of the job.

Milwaukee historic districts and the Historic Preservation Commission

Milwaukee's Historic Preservation Commission oversees the city's landmarks and local historic districts. On a locally designated property, the city says all exterior repairs need a certificate of appropriateness before work begins. Tuckpointing is on the city's list of changes that need one, even when no building permit applies.

The city says most of these smaller projects can be approved quickly, without waiting for the monthly public hearing. The commission's guidelines typically ask that repointing match the original mortar in color, style, texture and strength. They also bar sandblasting brick or stone.

South side local districts include the Mitchell Street Historic District and the South Second Street Historic District in Walker's Point. In the Third Ward, the Third Ward Architectural Review Board reviews historic properties instead. The Bay View National Historic District from 1982 is not on the city's list of local districts.

A Bay View building can still be a city landmark on its own. The commission's website has an address check, so look there before work starts.

Building new in Milwaukee: permits, soil and frost

The city's Department of Neighborhood Services says new garages and house additions need a permit. Its permit guide says steps probably need one and retaining walls maybe do. Questions go to the Permit and Development Center downtown, and the permit is sorted out before work starts.

The federal soil survey from the NRCS has no digital data for most of the city. Where it does, Ozaukee silt loam leads: up to 18 inches of windblown silt over dense glacial till. The NRCS rates its frost action moderate, and the nearby Mequon soils high. It says silty and clayey soils with a high winter water table are the most prone to frost heave.

Wisconsin's Uniform Dwelling Code sets footings below the frost line or at least 48 inches below grade, whichever is deeper. That includes the footings under landings and stoops. The state dwelling code also bars footings on frozen ground, so winter work is scheduled by the weather. Once the footing is in, we lay the block foundation or the brick steps on it.