Masonry Contractors in Pleasure Ridge Park, KY

Pleasure Ridge Park, which locals call PRP, got its name from the Paine Hotel, a summer resort on a shaded ridge on Muldraugh Hill, and the name went on the first post office in 1876. Tourism lasted until World War I. Rapid growth began in the 1950s, when subdivisions were built for people drawn by cheap land and easy access to downtown Louisville and Fort Knox. Masonry contractors in Pleasure Ridge Park work mostly on those houses, now 60 to 75 years old. The 2010 census counted 26,212 people, and in 2000 there were 10,643 housing units.

A short history of PRP

French and German Catholics first settled the area sparsely in the mid-1800s, and St. Andrew's Church was built in 1851. A railway station followed in 1874. In 1984, residents blocked an attempt by Shively to annex the area, and in 2003 PRP became part of Louisville with the city-county merger. In 2002, a Pleasure Ridge Park team won the Little League World Series.

Masonry on 1950s subdivision homes

Subdivision houses from the 1950s were built quickly and economically, and their masonry shows it after seven decades:

• Brick chimneys with thin crowns that crack and let water in
• Steps and stoops built with little or no footing, now settling
• Block foundations with cracked joints or water seepage
• Brick veneer with worn joints under rooflines and downspouts
• Lintels over windows and doors that have rusted and cracked the brick above

Rusted steel lintels are worth catching early. As they rust, they expand and push up the brick above, causing cracks that widen every year. We remove the brick above the opening, replace or treat the lintel and rebuild.

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On the ridge and below it

PRP covers about 8.3 square miles in southwest Jefferson County, from flatter ground along Dixie Highway to the slopes of Muldraugh Hill. Lots near the ridge often need retaining walls, and lots on flatter ground often deal with water near foundations. Louisville Metro requires a building permit for retaining walls over 4 feet tall, and PRP falls under Metro's rules. We plan drainage into every wall we build.

Repairs that last

Most masonry problems come back if the cause is not fixed. Before we repoint, rebuild steps or repair a foundation, we check gutters, downspouts and grading. A downspout that empties against a stoop will undo a repair within a few winters.

Brick planters and low walls

Many 1950s homes have brick planters along the front, low walls along walks and brick porches with short knee walls. These hold wet soil against brick, which wears mortar and pushes walls out. We rebuild them with a drainage layer and waterproofing on the soil side, or remove them if you would rather have the space.

What we do in Pleasure Ridge Park

• Brick repair and tuckpointing
• Chimney crowns, caps and rebuilds
• Lintel replacement
• Block foundation repair
• Retaining walls
• Steps, stoops and porches

Call (502) 443-8557 to set up a visit in Pleasure Ridge Park.