Masonry in Hackensack, NJ.
From historic brick restoration in Montclair to natural stone patios in Paramus, our masons combine traditional craft with modern engineering. We tuck-point, rebuild, and lay new stonework with proper drainage and frost-depth footings. Serving Hackensack and neighborhoods like Fairmount, Prospect Park, The Heights.
Why Hackensack homes need this done right
Hackensack's pre-war brick homes and apartment buildings are the core of our masonry work here: full-height re-pointing, lintel replacement over windows where the steel has rusted and jacked the brick course above it, and parapet rebuilds on the flat-roofed buildings downtown. Rusted lintels in particular are a Hackensack signature, and painting over them only hides the expansion that is cracking the wall.
We also see a lot of failed 1970s-era stucco and parge coats applied over original brick foundations. Those coatings trap moisture in a wall designed to breathe. Removing them and re-pointing the brick underneath costs more than re-coating but ends the freeze damage instead of postponing it.
- Population: 46,000
- ZIP: 07601
- County: Bergen County
- Response time: Within 24 hours
What Hackensack homes look like from the ladder
Hackensack's masonry stock splits by neighborhood: Fairmount has solid pre-war brick homes with lime mortar and decorative brick banding, Prospect Park has more capes on parged block foundations, and The Heights includes multi-family brick buildings with flat parapets. We regularly find rusted steel lintels above windows on the older brick homes — the steel expands as it corrodes and cracks the masonry course above it — plus stucco and cement parge applied over original brick foundations that traps moisture instead of letting the wall breathe. Downtown's density also means shared walls and tight-lot sidewalk work.
Permits and inspections in Hackensack
Hackensack requires a construction permit for structural masonry repair including lintel replacement that involves rebuilding brick courses, parapet work, and retaining walls past a modest height. The city's building department reviews plans for anything altering a load-bearing wall or a structure's footprint. Sidewalk, curb, and apron work along city streets goes through the engineering or public works office separately from the building permit, and downtown commercial-adjacent parcels sometimes have additional right-of-way requirements for staging equipment on the street.
Masonry pricing in Hackensack
Lintel replacement over one or two windows sits toward the lower end; full-height re-pointing on a pre-war Fairmount home, or a parapet rebuild on a Heights multi-family building, moves toward the top. Removing failed stucco or parge coats before re-pointing brick underneath adds labor that a simple re-coat wouldn't, but it's the only approach that actually stops recurring freeze damage rather than papering over it again.
Price your own Hackensack roof with our NJ cost calculatorLintel and brick course repair, Fairmount two-family
Replaced two rusted steel lintels above first-floor windows where corrosion had jacked and cracked the brick coursing above each opening. Removed the affected brick, installed new galvanized lintels sized to the actual opening, rebuilt the courses with matched brick and mortar tooled to the original joint profile. Also stripped a failed 1970s cement parge coat off the foundation and re-pointed the brick beneath with a compatible mix. Three days, roughly $6,900.
Masonry that lasts.
See what your neighbors say.
Masonry FAQs — Hackensack
There is a stair-step crack above my Hackensack window. What causes it?
Usually a rusting steel lintel. As the steel corrodes it expands and lifts the masonry above it. The repair is to replace the lintel and rebuild the affected courses; sealing the crack alone will not stop it.
Should I re-parge my old Hackensack brick foundation?
Generally no. Cement parge over historic brick traps moisture and accelerates freeze damage. Removing it and re-pointing with a compatible mortar lets the wall dry the way it was built to.
There's a stair-step crack above my window in my Hackensack home. Is that serious?
It's almost always a rusting steel lintel, which is extremely common on Hackensack's pre-war brick housing. As the steel corrodes it expands and physically lifts the masonry above it, which shows up as a diagonal crack running up from the corner of the window. Sealing the crack does nothing since the underlying steel keeps expanding — replacing the lintel and rebuilding the affected courses is the actual fix.
Should I have my old Hackensack foundation re-parged?
Generally no if the wall is original brick. A cement parge coat over historic brick traps moisture inside the wall and accelerates freeze-thaw damage over time, which is exactly what we find when we strip these coatings decades later. Removing the parge and re-pointing the brick with a mortar that lets the wall dry properly is more work upfront but stops the damage instead of hiding it.
Does sidewalk repair in front of my Hackensack house need city approval?
Yes — sidewalk, curb, and apron work fronting a public street in Hackensack is reviewed separately from a standard building permit, typically through the engineering or public works office, since the city has standards for slab thickness and grading at the property line. We handle that filing and schedule the required inspection so the concrete pour isn't delayed.