Restoration Register

Heritage masonry contractors in Peterborough and Northumberland

The brick in this region is mostly local red and buff clay, soft-fired and laid in lime mortar, and it is exactly the kind of brick that hard modern repointing destroys. Between Peterborough and the lakeshore towns there is a dense stock of it, and a small number of masons who know how to treat it.

Work here runs from main street commercial facades in Port Hope and Cobourg to farmhouses and mills across Peterborough County. The core skills are the same as anywhere: mortar matched to the original by analysis and softer than the brick, joints raked by hand, salvaged brick sourced to match size and colour, dutchman repairs into eroded stone sills, and chimney rebuilds above the roofline. Rural properties add a specific problem, which is rubble stone foundations and outbuildings where the lime mortar has simply washed out over a century of no maintenance. Those are repointing jobs, not rebuild jobs, and it is worth getting a second opinion before anyone quotes a demolition.

What to ask before you hire

  1. What mortar mix, and on what basis? A lime-based mix softer than the brick, ideally informed by analysis of the original, is the answer you want.
  2. Where will matching brick come from? Salvage yards in this region carry local stock, and matching size and colour matters more than matching price.
  3. For a rubble wall, can it be repointed rather than rebuilt? Ask for the case either way, and get a second opinion before agreeing to a rebuild.
Grant funding

Port Hope draws from an annual pool of roughly $25,000, which our records flag as needing re-verification. Peterborough funds heritage conservation district work, Collingwood funds 50% to $3,000, and Prince Edward County runs a program without a published amount.

Contractors on this page

Also serving this area

Listed in a neighbouring region and covering this one.

Part of

All heritage service pages · Grants by municipality