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Guide

Hiring a mason in Philadelphia: questions & red flags

A good repointing job is mostly invisible; a bad one can damage the brick for decades. These questions help you compare contractors.

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Paperwork

  • License or registration. Philadelphia requires a Contractor License; firms that only work on existing one- and two-family homes can register as Pennsylvania Home Improvement Contractors instead.
  • Insurance. Ask for a certificate of insurance. Work on scaffolding over a public sidewalk carries real risk.
  • Street permit. If scaffolding goes on the sidewalk, the contractor needs a Streets Department permit and must apply at least 10 business days ahead. Ask whether it’s in the price.
  • Written scope. Square footage, which walls, mortar type, raking method, brick replacement allowance, cleanup and payment schedule.

Method

  • How deep will you rake out the joints? (NPS: 2 to 2½ times the joint width.)
  • Hand tools or grinder? On thin butter joints, the Rowhouse Manual says by hand.
  • What mortar, and how will you match the color and joint profile?
  • Will you do a sample area first?

Red flags

  • Offering to sandblast or acid-wash brick. The Rowhouse Manual says both can strip the brick’s durable skin.
  • Smearing mortar over old joints without raking them out
  • Recommending a non-breathable paint or coating over brick
  • Widening joints with a grinder to make them easier to fill
  • A firm price over the phone without seeing the wall, or a large cash deposit
  • Saying historic review “isn’t needed” on a register-listed house

If your house is historic

Ask whether the contractor has done Historical Commission jobs before and is used to field samples. Historic repointing.

Sources

  1. City of Philadelphia: Get a Contractor License
  2. Philadelphia Streets Department: Street closure permit for construction
  3. National Park Service, Preservation Brief 2: Repointing Mortar Joints in Historic Masonry Buildings (PDF)
  4. City of Philadelphia: Philadelphia Rowhouse Manual (PDF)
  5. Philadelphia Historical Commission: Get approval for work to a historic property

Checked October 30, 2026. Rules, programs and prices change, so confirm with the source. Cost figures are published ranges, not quotes.

Want a mason to look at it?

Tell us the address ZIP, which wall and what you’re seeing. We pass it to one independent Philadelphia contractor who does masonry work, and they contact you to set up a look and a written quote.

Philly Brick Pointing is a free referral service, not a masonry contractor. We pass your request to an independent Philadelphia contractor, who quotes and does the work. We are not affiliated with the City of Philadelphia or the Historical Commission. We may be paid by the contractors we refer. Disclosure.

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Philly Brick Pointing is a free referral service, not a masonry contractor. We pass your request to an independent Philadelphia contractor, who quotes and does the work.

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