Masonry Costs in Ottawa: Mark Your Walls

Three jobs have published prices from at least two independent sources: repointing, spalled brick replacement and stone veneer. Their pages let you mark the walls of your house and enter your own areas or brick counts. For steps, garden walls, stone wall repair and heritage work we found too few prices, so those pages set out what a quote should show instead.

published Ontario contractor pricing, 2025–26; yours will differ · reviewed 2026-10-01 · How we set these ranges

With published prices

What a quote should show

Rules that apply to every masonry job

Under the Building Code Act, "construct" includes repair, and no one may construct without a permit. The City lists "Structural repairs or alterations" as permit projects; repointing and veneer work are not named on either of its permit lists, so ask the City.
Building Code Act s.1, s.8(1); ottawa.ca permit lists
Designated heritage buildings and buildings in a Heritage District Overlay "are not subject to exemptions". Heritage approval is separate from a building permit.
ottawa.ca; Ontario Heritage Act
The City's hardscaping contractor licence covers hard landscaping features on private property such as retaining walls, steps, walkways and patios, and excludes "pools, decks and fences" and "minor repairs or minor alterations". It does not name house walls, veneer or chimneys. Ask the City whether your job counts.
Licensing By-law 2002-189, Schedule 36; By-law 2026-222
A direct agreement over $50 must be in writing, and you can cancel it within 10 days of receiving your copy. If the agreement includes an estimate, the charge cannot exceed it by more than 10 per cent.
Consumer Protection Act, 2002, s.10(1), s.42(1), s.43(1); O. Reg. 17/05 s.34
Each payer must hold back 10 per cent of the price as work is supplied; for a large job, ask a lawyer when to release it.
Construction Act s.22(1)
Mortar and masonry must be kept at not below 5°C during installation and for not less than 48 h after, with no frozen material in the mix.
OBC 9.20.14.1
Tuckpointing and surface grinding are Type 2 operations under Ontario's silica guideline; controlling the dust is the contractor's job, not yours.
O. Reg. 490/09; Ontario silica guideline
An owner-occupier hiring a contractor for home renovation work does not need a WSIB clearance certificate but can ask for one; a clearance is valid for up to 90 calendar days.
WSIB OPM 14-02-19
The City's Trail Waste Facility charges $144 per tonne for masonry fill above 250 kg, with a $36 minimum; ask what your quote includes for disposal.
ottawa.ca Trail Waste Facility rates, 2026

Every figure on these pages is a published estimate, not a quote. We are a matching service, not a masonry company, and we do not screen or verify masons.