Lambertville sits on the Delaware River across from New Hope, with the river on one side and steep hills on the other. Its streets are lined with brick and frame rowhouses, twins and older detached homes, most of them inside a historic district overseen by a preservation commission. For masonry, that means respecting old materials, working within design review and dealing with the river’s habit of rising.
Brick facades and rowhouses
Brick fronts are the face of Lambertville, and most of them are old enough to need repointing at some point. The right approach is gentle. We remove deteriorated mortar by hand or with careful cutting, avoid widening the joints, and repoint with a mortar matched to the original in hardness, color and texture. That kind of tuckpointing protects soft brick instead of sacrificing it.
When earlier repairs have caused damage, our historic masonry restoration work replaces spalled brick with salvaged or matching units, rebuilds loose sections at parapets and chimneys, and removes cement patches that trap moisture.
Front steps and stoops at the sidewalk
Many homes here step straight down to the sidewalk. Brick and stone stoops with bluestone treads are traditional, and they hold up well when built on a proper base. We rebuild failing stoops, reset bluestone and replace concrete steps with materials better suited to the street. Railings are set into solid masonry so they stay tight. Bluestone treads that have tipped or cracked can often be lifted, the base corrected and the same stone reset, which keeps the look of the original entry.
Living with the river
Low-lying parts of town have flooded during major storms on the Delaware, and wet basements are common even in ordinary years. Stone and brick foundations need sound joints to shed water. We repoint and rebuild foundation walls, seal cracks, and offer basement waterproofing when groundwater is a recurring problem. Uphill homes face a different issue: runoff from the hills behind them, which good grading and drainage can redirect. Areaway walls and steps down to basement doors also need attention, since they collect water and leaves and are often the first masonry on the house to fail.
Good to know before you call
- Commission review. Plan time for historic review on exterior work that changes how the house looks.
- Shared walls. Rowhouse work near the party wall should be discussed with your neighbor.
- Flood areas. Homes in mapped flood zones may have extra permitting requirements.
- Tight streets. Parking and deliveries take planning. We stage material to keep sidewalks passable.
Lambertville is one of the towns we serve across Hunterdon County, along with Flemington and the rest of the county. If your brick or stoop needs care, get a free estimate and we will review it with you.
