Can anyone recommend a trustworthy, reliable masonry contractor- I need to have the front of my house stripped (of paint) and repointed. I have made some calls, spoken with a few who say they will come out and check out my house, but I never hear back from them, even after I call back. I don't want to have to stalk a contrator just to give them work. Any suggestions?

They probably don't want the job. Masonry contractors are not very experienced in stripping paint. You might have to get a painter in there to strip the paint and then a masonry guy to point it.

zete
good call, I'm a project manager and whenever there's ext paint to strip you need a full asessment of the condition of the paint. Meaning, using chem strippers is dangerous to you, neighbors, pets, etc... Using a powerwasher is time/labor consuming and you'll need to know what extent your facade can handle the stripping process. Also, how many sq feet of stripping/pointing?
Sorry but there are always a zillion questions to ask whenever doing a project...

Thanks for the advice- the paint is actually flaking off in many areas and washes off with heavy rain so stripping would be simple. I had received quotes from a few contractors a couple of years ago but never followed through because I wasn't quite ready for the investment- all of the masonry contractors both stripped (paint) and pointed so I am not worried about that. My budget is $2K-$5K, which I have found a few in that price range but would like to know of any first-hand experience with any contractors so I can see their handy work - it seems hard to find anyone who actually repointed their house and it is quite an investment if you don't know what you're getting when it is done. If I were looking for someone to do sheetrock inside at least I could always do touch ups if needed- not so with brickpointing a three-story home...anybody have any recommendations/names? It also seems impossible to get these guys to actually come out even if they say they will.

You might not want to strip without repainting. The brick used in these old houses is relatively soft. If you use harsh chemicals to wash or strip, you damage the brick. You can see signs of this all over Old City -- brick that has deteriorated. If you let it get too far, you can do nothing more than cover it with stucco.

Unfortunately, once painted, you might need to keep it always painted. I'd check with someone who specializes in restoration before hiring someone to just strip the paint.

__________________
lee

You may want to take a look at this previous thread for some mason info...


http://www.phillyblog.com/philly/sho...ighlight=mason

That was helpful-thanks. So any conclusive ideas? I guess that is true:
1) Old mortar and new mortar ma not stick
2) Bricks may be too soft for pressure washing or elements once stripped

From what I understand, you want to stick with a low-pressure wash to clean historic brick. Historic brick is indeed softer than contemporary brick, but it still has a hard, fired exterior that can stand up to some abuse. I'm just not sure about the whole paint thing, and how much work need to be done to really get it all off. I'm sure that's something a mason experienced with historic preservation can help with.
If you're feeling really motivated, Penn has a historic preservation department that may be able to help you out:

http://www.design.upenn.edu/new/hist/index.php

Thanks again- it's strange that everyone has advice and I appreciate it but I find it strange that it is so difficult to find someone who can say "I got the front of my house pointed by so-and-so and their good/bad" let alone "I got the front of my house repointed"- is this a rare thing to have done? Even on this blog with all of the people apparently talking about it noone has mentioned that they have had it done or they can recommend someone. Anyway, this is pretty intimidating because there seem to be so many variables and quite possibly more expense if once the paint is removed the bricks are in bad shape- but it doesn't seem they are, and the paint, like i said won't take much to remove. Are you a contractor or a mason yourself Lar?

Nope...I am an architect, though, and I did quite a bit of research on the subject when I was seaching for a house. I found a house that had a ton of problems with the brickwork, but after taking into account all the issues, I decided to back out.
I do remember a property on Spruce street that was renovated a couple of years ago...It was originally painted but was stripped as part of the renovation process. They did use some sort of chemical to loosen the paint. I'll walk by there this weekend and get you the address, and maybe you can get in touch with the owner to see who they used.