Masonry Contractors in Crescent Hill, KY

Crescent Hill sits about four miles east of downtown Louisville on a ridge between two branches of Beargrass Creek, and it was first called Beargrass for that reason. Development began in the 1850s, when the Louisville and Lexington turnpike, now Frankfort Avenue, and the Louisville and Frankfort railroad were built through the area. Homeowners who call masonry contractors in Crescent Hill today mostly live in houses from the late 1800s through the early 1900s, built after Louisville annexed the old town of Crescent Hill.

A big National Register district

The Crescent Hill Historic District was listed on the National Register on November 12, 1982, and covers 590.6 acres, roughly bounded by Brownsboro and Lexington roads, Peterson, Zorn and Frankfort avenues and Crabbs Lane. It includes the Louisville Water Company's Crescent Hill Reservoir and the Peterson-Dumesnil House. National Register listing does not by itself require design review the way Louisville's eight local preservation districts do, but the houses are just as old, and they need the same careful treatment.

Old brick, soft mortar

Crescent Hill's older houses were built with softer brick and lime mortar. The repair mistakes we see most often are hard cement mortar used for repointing, brick that was sandblasted or pressure washed, and masonry painted or coated in a way that traps moisture. All of those cause brick faces to spall over time. We repoint with mortar that is softer than the brick, rake joints carefully, match the joint profile and clean gently.

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After the 1974 tornado

The April 1974 tornado, part of the Super Outbreak, hit Crescent Hill, and the Crescent Hill Community Council became much more active afterward. Storm repairs on old houses are often made in a hurry, sometimes with different brick or harder mortar than the original. Decades later, patched areas like that are often where we find cracking and mismatched joints. We sort out which parts of a wall are original and which are later repairs before deciding what to fix.

Chimneys, porches and steps

Typical Crescent Hill projects include rebuilding chimney tops, replacing cracked crowns and flashing, repointing weathered walls, rebuilding brick and stone steps and repairing porch piers and foundations. Sloped lots often have retaining or garden walls too. Louisville Metro requires a building permit for retaining walls over 4 feet tall.

Frankfort Avenue storefronts and homes

Frankfort Avenue runs through the middle of Crescent Hill, lined with older buildings that now house shops and restaurants. Storefront brick faces traffic, salt spray and constant use, and parapets above often leak. We repoint storefront walls, repair parapets and copings and rebuild steps and entries, scheduling the work so businesses stay open. For homes on the side streets, we offer the same careful repointing and chimney work.

What we do in Crescent Hill

• Tuckpointing and brick repair with compatible mortar
• Chimney repair and rebuilding
• Stone and brick steps and porches
• Foundation and pier repair
• Garden and retaining walls
• Limestone sills, caps and trim

Call (502) 443-8557 to set up a visit in Crescent Hill.