We help Ottawa homeowners find local masons for brick and stone work, understand what repointing and brick replacement cost according to published pricing, and know which City and heritage rules to ask about before the first joint is ground out.
Brick and stone look permanent until the joints start to go. Ottawa's older brick homes are where the questions pile up: whether the mortar needs repointing, whether a spalled brick can be swapped on its own, what mortar belongs in a century-old wall, and whether the job needs anything from the City. These are the questions that come up when a quote lands on the kitchen table.
Repointing and veneer work are not named on either of the City's building permit lists, so the answer is "not listed: ask the City", while structural repairs are on the permit list. In a heritage conservation district, the plans we read treat repointing as regular maintenance, and call for lime-based mortar rather than cement mortar. The Brick and Stone Mason trade is non-compulsory in Ontario, and we found no Ontario licence for masonry contractors. None of that is explained on a quote, so we explain it here.
Ottawa Stonework is a matching service, not a masonry company. We do not inspect walls, mix mortar, lay brick or repair stone, and we do not employ masons. You tell us about your job, and we send your request to local masons listed in the Ottawa Construction Network directory. They reply to you by email. We do not screen or check them, and we say so, which is why every page tells you what to ask yourself.
Choose the job type and add what you have in mind: brick or stone, which wall or steps, roughly how much area, whether the house is in a heritage district, or a quote you want to compare. No phone number needed.
We send your request to local masons in the Ottawa Construction Network directory. They contact you by email to arrange a look at the wall and a written quote.
Compare quotes line by line: the area or number of bricks, the mortar type and how the old joints come out, dust control, scaffolding, disposal of old mortar and brick, and who asks the City about permits or heritage approval.
This site covers one trade. Your request goes to masons, not general contractors, for repointing, spalled brick replacement, stone and brick veneer, heritage masonry, brick and stone steps, garden walls and stone wall repair. Chimney work is covered by ottawafireplaces.com.
A service page gives a range only where at least two independent published Ontario contractor price pages agree, labelled and dated. Where too few prices are published, such as garden walls and masonry steps, we say so instead of inventing one.
We explain the protections that matter when you hire here: a written direct agreement over $50, the 10-day cancellation right on a direct agreement, the 10% limit over an estimate, the Construction Act holdback, and when a WSIB clearance applies.
Our free knowledge base answers Ottawa masonry questions: when mortar joints need repointing, what the heritage district plans say about lime mortar, what the Building Code says about veneer and cold-weather work, what masonry costs according to published pricing, and how to compare quotes.
The jobs we match, with the published range where one exists:
Worn, cracked or missing mortar cut out of brick and stone joints and refilled, with the mortar, the cutting method and dust control set out in the quote.
About $10–$30 per sq ft of wall, most quotes $15–$25; more for upper storeys and about $15–$45 for heritage lime work (published Ontario contractor pricing, 2025–26; yours will differ). Scaffolding can add about $500–$3,000.
Bricks with flaking, popped or broken faces cut out and replaced with matching units, with the cause of the damage discussed before the patch.
About $20–$45 per brick installed (published Ontario contractor pricing, 2025–26; yours will differ). Small jobs can carry a minimum charge: ask about one.
Natural stone, manufactured stone and brick veneer installed or repaired, with ties, flashing and weep holes built to Ontario's Building Code.
Natural stone veneer about $35–$75 per sq ft installed, most quotes $40–$55; manufactured stone about $18–$36 (published Ontario contractor pricing, 2025–26; yours will differ). Too few published brick veneer prices to quote a range.
Repointing and repair of historic brick and stone in Ottawa's heritage districts and on designated properties, following the district plan.
Too few published prices to quote heritage work as a whole. Lime-mortar repointing alone runs about $15–$45 per sq ft (published Ontario contractor pricing, 2025–26; yours will differ).
Brick and natural stone entrance steps built, rebuilt or repaired, with the footing, the permit question and the City licence asked about up front.
Too few published prices to quote a range. Ask whether removal of the old steps, footings and disposal are separate lines.
Freestanding brick and stone walls that do not hold back soil, built or repaired, with height limits and the City licence asked about first.
No usable published prices to quote a range. Ask for the footing, the wall and the top finish as separate lines.
Loose, missing and cracked stones in the natural stone walls of a house reset and repointed above ground, with the mortar and permit question settled first.
Too few published prices to quote a range. Ask whether scaffolding and disposal are separate lines.
Ottawa Stonework is part of the Ottawa Construction Network, the directory your request is matched from:
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