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Mortar types N, O, S and M differ by how much lime is in the mix. The strongest one is almost never the right one, and on an older wall it is the expensive mistake.
A stone sill that slopes back toward the wall feeds water into the masonry. BIA lists neutral or negative slope on sills as a structural indicator.
The tool that cuts your joints open decides how much of your brick survives the repair. NPS and BIA both draw the same line, and it runs through the head joints.
A spalled brick face is not the start of the problem. It is the end of one. What matters is which of the four causes put the water there.
On almost every Chicago quote, tuckpointing and repointing are one repair with two names. The mortar going back in is the decision, not the word at the top.
Chicago permits filed in 2025 report a median tuckpointing job value of $15,000. The spread around that number is set by joint condition, not by wall area.
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