Parapet and coping
The wall standing above your roof line is failing. On a flat-roofed Chicago building this is the most exposed masonry you own and the most likely to be written up as something that could fall.
- Do I need a permit?
- This may need a permit, depending on scope. We will tell you which.
- Who actually does it?
- Our own crews. This is work we self-perform, so the schedule is ours to keep.
- Am I unusual?
- Not at all. This is one of the items we are called out for most, and it is rarely the only thing on the notice.
What the inspector was looking at
Coping joints open or displaced. Parapets leaning. Brick above the roof line deteriorated. Loose material sitting over a public sidewalk.
What happens if you leave it
Anything loose above a sidewalk is a liability question, not just a code question. It is also the single easiest path for water to get into the top of your wall.
How we get it closed
- 1We establish whether it can be repointed or has to come down to a sound course
- 2Rebuilt or repointed, with displaced courses properly reset
- 3Coping reset or replaced and sealed so water stops entering the top of the wall
- 4Coordinated with the roofing so the flashing and the masonry actually work together
Before you start worrying about the cost
Parapets look alarming and price better than owners fear, particularly when the roofing and the masonry are handled by the same crew on the same lift.
This is almost never the only item
Chicago inspectors write up everything they can see in one visit. Fixing this and leaving the rest means the case stays open and you go to the hearing anyway. We price and clear the whole notice: our own crews on nearly all of it, licensed partners on the plumbing, heating and electrical items, and nothing left dangling for you to chase.
See how the whole thing worksUsually on the same notice
If you see any of these on yours too, that is the normal pattern rather than bad luck. They tend to share a cause.
The joints get ground out and repointed to match, so the wall stops shedding mortar and the inspector stops writing it up.
Water sent off the building the way it should go. Skip this and it quietly writes your next masonry violation for you.
The details that make a Chicago greystone or two-flat worth what it is worth, stabilised and restored instead of stripped off.
Cited for parapet & coping? Let us take it from here.
A quick call, then we come out and price every item on the notice in person. Free, and you are under no obligation to use us.
Licensed and insured. A person answers, Monday to Saturday.