Frequently Asked Questions

Published Ontario contractor pricing for 2025–26 puts repointing at about $10 to $30 per square foot of wall, most often $15 to $25. Upper storeys cost more, and heritage work in lime mortar runs about $15 to $45 per square foot. These are published figures, not rates, and yours will differ. Ask for at least two written quotes for the same wall area, the same mortar and the same joint finish.

In published Ontario contractor pricing for 2025–26, replacing spalled bricks runs about $20 to $45 per brick installed, and small jobs can carry a minimum charge, so ask about one. Natural stone veneer runs about $35 to $75 per square foot installed, most quotes $40 to $55, and manufactured stone about $18 to $36. We found too few published prices for brick veneer, steps, garden walls or stone wall repair to quote a range.

Height is the big one: published Ontario contractor pages say scaffolding can add about $500 to $3,000. Disposal is another. The City's Trail Waste Facility charges $144 per tonne in 2026 for masonry fill, with a $36 minimum for loads under 250 kg, but whether a contractor's load is accepted is not stated, so ask what your quote includes for disposal. Ask for scaffolding, disposal and any mortar matching as separate lines.

Repointing is not named on the City of Ottawa's list of building permit projects or on its list of projects that do not need one, so ask the City's building permit staff if you are unsure. Under the Building Code Act, "construct" includes repair, and the City lists "structural repairs or alterations" as permit projects. Designated heritage buildings and properties in a Heritage District Overlay are not subject to the City's exemptions.

The City lists "structural repairs or alterations", structural foundation repairs, and enlarging or relocating a window or door. For steps and other landscape structures, its advisory on landscaping materials says a permit is triggered where the structure gives access to the building or serves a required exit, or where adjacent surfaces differ in height by more than 600 mm; structures over 1 m high need a Part 4 design. Veneer and garden walls are not named; ask the City.

Ottawa's Licensing By-law (No. 2002-189) requires a hardscaping contractor licence for businesses installing or altering hard landscaping features on private property, such as retaining walls, steps, walkways and patios of brick, flagstone or similar materials. It excludes "pools, decks and fences" and "performing minor repairs or minor alterations" (By-law 2026-222), which we found no definition for. It does not name house walls or veneer. Ask the City whether your job counts, and check its list of licence holders.

It depends on your district's plan. Under the Ontario Heritage Act, "alter" includes repair, but a district plan can exempt minor alterations. The Centretown and Minto Park, Wilbrod/Laurier and Daly Avenue plans all list regular maintenance such as repointing as not needing a heritage permit; Centretown adds "using heritage methods and materials". Ottawa has 20 districts and we read only those three, so check your district's plan or ask the City's heritage staff. For a Part IV property, check your designation by-law.

The Building Code does not require lime mortar for repointing; that guidance comes from Ottawa's heritage district plans. Centretown and Minto Park says lime-based mortar should be used on historic brick because cement mortar "prevents moisture from escaping through the mortar and causes brick damage". Wilbrod/Laurier asks for "soft, lime rich mortar rather than a cement based mortar" matched in colour and pointing method. Ask your mason which mortar they propose and why.

Possibly, for designated buildings. The City offers up to $15,000 for small-scale and up to $35,000 for large-scale buildings designated under Part IV or Part V, on a matching basis. It says grants could fund the restoration and repointing of exterior brick masonry, but are "not intended to assist with the regular ongoing maintenance" of the building. Applications for the 2027 program are accepted from October 19 to November 30, 2026. Check eligibility with the City.

Ontario's Building Code mortar table (Table 9.20.3.2.-A) lists type N or S for masonry veneer and non-loadbearing walls above ground, type S for exterior loadbearing walls above ground, and type S for foundation walls at or below ground. Lime used in mortar must be hydrated. The Code has no rule about matching old mortar or using lime mortar for repointing; for historic walls, check your heritage district plan.

The Building Code (9.20.14.1) says mortar and masonry must be kept at 5°C or warmer during installation and for at least 48 hours after, and no frozen material may be used in the mix. The top of unfinished masonry exposed to the weather must be fully covered when work is not in progress. Ask your mason how they will meet that rule if the work runs into the cold months.

Brick, mortar and stone can contain silica, which Ontario lists as a designated substance. Ontario's silica guideline classes "tuckpoint and surface grinding" and dry mortar removal with an electric or pneumatic cutting device as Type 2 operations. Controlling that dust is the contractor's duty as an employer. Ask how the joints will be cut, how dust will be controlled, and how windows, vents and neighbours will be protected.

That flaking is called spalling. The National Research Council's Canadian Building Digest 30 explains that frost damage depends mostly on how saturated the material is with water, and that spalling from salts crystallizing behind the surface looks very similar to frost damage, so it can be hard to tell which caused it. Ask your mason what they think is keeping the wall wet before bricks are replaced.

Ask a mason first. Canadian Building Digest 30 warns that a vapour-permeable, water-repellent coating on the outer face of a wall can cause water to evaporate from behind it, so salts are deposited behind the surface layer and the force of their crystallization can make the skin spall. On a heritage property, the Centretown and Minto Park plan also says painting brick or stone is not appropriate.

Veneer units must be at least 70 mm thick, with an air space of at least 25 mm behind them over a wood-frame wall. Corrosion-resistant strap ties at least 0.76 mm thick and 22 mm wide are spaced no more than 400 by 800 mm, 500 by 600 mm or 600 by 400 mm. Weep holes no more than 800 mm apart sit at the bottom of the air space, over flashing. Ask how each will be done.

Brick and Stone Mason (401A) is a non-compulsory trade in Ontario. Skilled Trades Ontario says its certificate does not have to be renewed and that people practising the trade do not appear on its public register. We found no Ontario licence for masonry contractors. Ask a mason about their training and experience with your kind of wall, and ask for references from similar jobs.

Under Ontario's Consumer Protection Act, 2002, a "direct agreement" (the Act's term) worth more than $50 must be in writing, and you can cancel it for any reason within 10 days of receiving your written copy. If the contract includes an estimate, the final charge cannot exceed it by more than 10 per cent. We found no deposit limit in the Act. Ask for the mortar, the wall area, scaffolding and disposal to be written in.

Ontario's Construction Act requires a payer to hold back 10 per cent of the price as work is supplied, and where there is no certificate of substantial performance, a contractor's lien expires 60 days after the work is completed or abandoned; for a large job, ask a lawyer how this applies to you. WSIB says householders who live in (or will live in) the home and directly hire a contractor for exempt home renovation work do not need a clearance certificate, but you can still ask for one.

This site covers brick and stone repointing, brick replacement, veneer, heritage masonry, brick and stone steps, freestanding garden walls and stone wall repair. Chimney work is covered by ottawafireplaces.com. Retaining walls, interlock and patios are covered by ottawapatios.com, concrete by ottawaconcretepros.ca, driveways by ottawadriveways.com, and parging and stucco by ottawastucco.com.