Bricks on the porch steps are loose, missing or crumbling
Loose and missing bricks on porch steps are usually face damage, and face damage is a repair. A mason resets the bricks, replaces the broken ones and repoints the joints, and the steps stay where they are. Press and step on every tread before you price anything, because a tread that rocks or sinks means the concrete core underneath has failed. New brick laid over a failed core comes loose again within a season.
Read the full guideStone wall knocked back and cracked after something hit it
A wall that has been shoved back about an inch along the top has taken a hit, not lost its footing. Push the courses below the damage before anyone prices a rebuild. If those stones stay solid and the base is straight, a mason takes the loose stones and the cracked cap off, re-beds them and repoints the joints, and the rest of the wall stays. If the lower courses move too, or the wall leans or bulges, that section gets rebuilt down to a sound base.
Read the full guideFence gate sags and won't latch or close properly
A gate that drags on the ground and misses the latch has lost its square, and the hinge post is usually why. Push the hinge post hard before you touch the gate. A post that wobbles is the whole problem, and resetting that post brings the latch back into line. If the post is firm and the gate itself flexes out of square, the frame gets braced or a new panel goes on the same posts.
Read the full guidePorch support column is crumbling at the base
A porch column that is breaking up at the bottom has lost its base, not its strength. Push the column sideways above the damage. If it feels straight and solid and the steps under it do not rock, a carpenter cuts the failed wood out of the base, builds it back, repoints the brick around it and clads it. The column and the roof above it stay where they are. Replace the column only when it leans, wobbles under side pressure, or the brick or concrete it bears on has broken down underneath.
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