The crack pattern tells you. Horizontal cracking at the third or fourth course above a window or door opening — particularly if the crack runs across the full width of the opening with the masonry above it stepped or bowed outward” is nearly always a corroding lintel, not a mortar failure. Lintel corrosion causes the steel flange to expand, pushing the masonry directly above the opening outward and cracking the supporting courses. Repointing over that crack will fail within 2–3 years because the lintel continues to expand. The correct repair is to remove the masonry above the opening, replace the lintel with hot-dipped galvanized or stainless steel, rebuild the masonry courses, and repoint. BAM's assessment probes suspected lintel locations before any repair scope is written” so the work you pay for actually solves the problem.

It depends on the scope. Cosmetic repointing of non-structural masonry generally does not require a permit. However, structural masonry work” including lintel replacement, repair of load-bearing CMU walls, retaining wall construction over 4′, and new masonry columns — requires a building permit with PE-stamped drawings in all three South Florida counties. Work performed without a required permit must be removed and replaced before a compliant permit can be issued. BAM evaluates permit requirements during the assessment and obtains all required permits before work begins. Property owners who unknowingly hire contractors who "skip the permit" on structural masonry work inherit a code violation that follows the property and must be remediated at closing or refinancing.

The High Velocity Hurricane Zone (HVHZ) is a designation under the Florida Building Code covering Miami-Dade and Broward counties” areas exposed to the highest hurricane wind speeds and the most stringent building code requirements in the state. For masonry, HVHZ means: masonry units, mortar, grout, and waterproofing products must carry a Miami-Dade Notice of Acceptance (NOA) for the specific HVHZ application; structural masonry requires PE-stamped drawings; special inspections are required at each masonry construction stage; and grout fill patterns, rebar spacing, and tie requirements are more stringent than standard Florida Building Code provisions. A contractor who uses quality products but non-NOA-listed products in HVHZ is in violation” the NOA is the compliance document, not just the product data sheet. BAM specifies NOA-listed products and provides the NOA documentation in the closeout package.

Yes. BAM matches mortar color and joint profile as part of restoration scope on existing masonry. The process begins with mortar core sampling” removing samples from the existing joint for laboratory analysis to determine mortar type, aggregate size, and cement-to-lime ratio. New mortar is batched to match the analyzed profile and tested against the existing joint in low-visibility locations before full application. Joint profile (concave, weathered, V-joint, flush) is matched to the original tooled profile. Color matching is iterative — mortar color shifts as it cures and weathers, so BAM uses pre-production mockup samples approved by the owner before proceeding with the full scope.

The BAM masonry closeout package includes: county building permit final inspection sign-off, special inspection reports for all code-required inspection stages, PE certification letter (for PE-stamped scopes), material certifications and NOA documentation for HVHZ-listed products, mortar mix design records and batch tickets, waterproofing product manufacturer warranty registered to the property owner, contractor warranty on workmanship and materials, and a fully executed lien waiver. For condominium and HOA projects, the package is structured for board records and can support reserve study updates. For commercial properties, the closeout documentation is formatted to support lender or insurance requirements for structural masonry compliance certification.