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Serving Hammond, IN and surrounding areas. (219) 666-0906
Hammond Masonry & Concrete provides stone masonry, tuckpointing, brick repair, and foundation work across Griffith, IN. We have worked throughout Lake County since 2017 and respond to every inquiry in Griffith within one business day.
Griffith homeowners adding stone facings to stoops, columns, or garden walls need masonry set properly to survive Lake County freeze-thaw winters - not just stacked for looks. Our stone masonry work uses the right mortar mix for this climate and builds each course with the drainage and joint spacing that prevents frost damage from pulling the stone face apart within a few seasons.
Griffith has a high concentration of brick-exterior homes from the 1940s through the 1960s, and original mortar on these houses is well past its service life. Tuckpointing before the next winter prevents the water infiltration that spalls brick faces and opens wall cavities to moisture - both of which are considerably more expensive to fix than the mortar joints themselves.
Griffith's flat, low-lying terrain and clay soil create persistent drainage pressure against foundation walls - a common source of the stair-step cracks and horizontal bowing that appear in block foundations throughout this part of Lake County. We assess foundation cracks before patching them to make sure an active drainage or settlement issue is not driving the movement.
Spalled and displaced bricks on Griffith homes are a direct result of years of freeze-thaw action on joints that were never repointed. We remove damaged courses, match replacement brick to existing color and texture, and reset the affected section so the repair is solid rather than cosmetic.
Brick chimneys on mid-century Griffith homes are among the most maintenance-intensive masonry items a homeowner will deal with. The crown, cap, and upper courses are fully exposed to weather and take more freeze-thaw cycles per year than any other part of the structure. We repair deteriorated crowns, replace failed flashing, and repoint upper chimney joints to stop water from tracking down into the flue and attic.
On Griffith's flat lots, retaining walls are often used to define landscaping beds and keep soil from washing toward the foundation after heavy spring rains. We build block and stone walls with the drainage backer that prevents hydrostatic pressure from building up behind the wall and pushing it out in the first hard freeze.
Griffith was built on land that was once the floor of ancient Lake Chicago, and that geological history has direct consequences for homeowners today. The soil is almost entirely clay, which means water does not drain away from foundations - it sits and pressures them. In spring, heavy rain on frozen ground has nowhere to go on Griffith's flat lots. Basement flooding is common. Foundation walls that hold up fine in summer can face weeks of hydrostatic pressure every spring, and block foundations that look solid from inside the basement may be absorbing water through joints that have softened over decades. A masonry contractor who works in this area regularly can read those patterns and give you an honest assessment of what you are dealing with.
The housing stock compounds the issue. Most homes in Griffith were built between 1940 and 1975, which means the brick and block on these houses has been through 50 to 80 winters. Original mortar from that era was often a lime-heavy mix that weathers differently than modern Portland cement-based mortars. Matching the right mortar type during tuckpointing matters - a harder modern mortar applied to an older lime-mortar brick wall can actually accelerate brick face spalling rather than stopping it. Understanding what you are repairing, and why, is what separates a masonry contractor who knows Lake County from one who does not.
Our crew works throughout Griffith regularly, and we understand the local conditions that affect masonry work here. The town is dense with single-story brick ranch homes and Cape Cods from the postwar decades, and these homes typically have brick fronts combined with aluminum siding on the sides and rear - a construction style that was standard in this part of Lake County. The brick front and chimney are the primary masonry maintenance items on these homes, and we see them at every stage of deterioration, from minor joint wear to courses that have shifted significantly.
Griffith falls within Lake County's building permit jurisdiction for structural masonry work, and the Town of Griffith Building Department handles permits for work within town limits. The South Shore Line commuter rail runs through town and is a daily landmark for residents. Ridge Road and U.S. Route 6 are the primary corridors we use for jobs across Griffith.
We serve homeowners in Munster directly to the north, where the housing stock is similar in age but the lots are somewhat larger. Homeowners in Highland to the east also reach us regularly for the same category of brick and foundation work that characterizes older Lake County homes.
Call (219) 666-0906 or use the contact form. We respond to every Griffith request within one business day and confirm a site visit time that works for your schedule.
We inspect the masonry in person and tell you exactly what is happening and what a lasting repair will require. You receive a written estimate with a firm price - if the scope changes after work begins, we discuss it with you before proceeding.
We confirm the work date in advance and arrive on time. You do not need to be present for most exterior jobs. Interior work is scheduled around your availability, and we minimize disruption to the household during the job.
When the job is done, we walk through the finished work with you, answer questions about care and maintenance, and ensure the site is clean. Required permit inspections from the Town of Griffith are handled before close-out.
We serve Griffith homeowners throughout Lake County. Call (219) 666-0906 or submit the form and we will be back to you within one business day.
(219) 666-0906Griffith is a small town of about 16,000 people in Lake County, sitting at the edge of northwest Indiana just a few miles from the Illinois state line. The town was platted in the railroad era of the late 1800s and developed steadily through the postwar decades, with most of its residential neighborhoods taking shape between the 1940s and 1970s. Ranch homes and Cape Cods are the dominant housing types - modest, well-built homes on small to medium lots, most of them owner-occupied. The homeownership rate is around 70%, which reflects a stable community where residents tend to stay and invest in their properties. You can read more about the town's background at the Griffith, Indiana Wikipedia page.
Griffith Park is the town's main gathering spot, with sports fields, a pool, and community events that draw families from across the area. Many residents commute into Chicago or the Illinois suburbs via the South Shore Line, which runs through town and connects it to the broader Chicago metro. Neighboring communities Munster and Merrillville share the same Lake County clay soil and postwar housing stock, and we work across all three communities on brick, block, and stone masonry for homeowners who want lasting repairs rather than surface patches.
Install block foundations that provide lasting structural support.
Learn MoreGriffith brick homes need attention before another Lake County winter arrives. Call (219) 666-0906 for a free estimate today.