Masonry and concrete work in Bucks County, PA: slabs, sidewalks and what to check
Updated · KeystoneProGuide editorial team
What should Bucks County homeowners know about masonry work?
Most of the county's housing was built after 1939, a far larger share than for Pennsylvania as a whole, which bears on what mortar a repair should use. Owners carry sidewalk and curb repairs, at least in the townships whose ordinances say so, and the county runs its own consumer protection office that mediates disputes with contractors.
How old are the houses, and why does that matter for mortar?
The Census Bureau estimates that only 9.9 percent of the county's 257,260 housing units were first built in 1939 or earlier, compared with 25.0 percent statewide and 39.9 percent in Philadelphia. The cut-off matters because the National Park Service dates the near-complete switch from lime to portland cement mortar to the years after the Second World War. A Bucks County house is therefore less likely than a city house to have soft lime mortar, but the older stone and brick houses that do exist call for the same care: new mortar no harder than the old.
What about Levittown's slab houses?
According to the Encyclopedia of Greater Philadelphia, slightly more than 17,300 houses in six models were built in Levittown between 1952 and 1958, across Bristol, Falls and Middletown Townships and Tullytown Borough, and the standardized houses stood on concrete slabs. If yours is one of them, the floor itself is concrete, and for the walks, patios and driveways around it the state's permit exemption is the first rule to know. Under the state regulation, a sidewalk or driveway that is 30 inches or less above the adjacent ground and not over a basement needs no building permit, unless another law or ordinance requires one. Ask your township before pouring.
Who repairs the sidewalk and curb?
Check your township's code, because the duty is set locally. Falls Township's ordinance, as one example, says owners of land next to curbs, sidewalks and driveway aprons must keep them from becoming dangerous to people using them. Its Code Enforcement Officer notifies owners when repair is needed, and the owner then has 30 days after written notice. The ordinance places the responsibility for judging when a sidewalk has become dangerous solely on the owner, not the township. It also bars planting trees in the strip between curb and sidewalk.
Who is usually hiring the contractor?
In Bucks, most often the owner who lives there. The Census Bureau puts 79.5 percent of the county's units in single-family houses, detached or attached, and 77.8 percent of occupied homes are owner-occupied, against 69.3 percent statewide. The median value of an owner-occupied home is $445,700, so a foundation, wall or driveway repair protects a large investment. National price ranges for those jobs are in the masonry cost guide.
What should you check before digging?
New paving, footings and retaining walls all involve excavation. Pennsylvania 811 says the contractor doing the digging must notify it, and that you should ask to see the eleven-digit PA One Call serial number before work begins. A homeowner's call does not protect the contractor.
Where can Bucks County residents complain?
To the county first. Bucks County Consumer Protection/Weights and Measures mediates complaints against businesses whether or not they are based in the county, and coordinates with enforcement agencies where a case may be criminal. The problems it lists include false claims that repairs are needed and incomplete or unsatisfactory home repairs, and the complaint form is online.
Registration is a state matter. The Attorney General's contractor search can be filtered by county and by type of work, including masonry and concrete; the full set of state rules is in what Pennsylvania requires. Businesses serving the county are on the Bucks County masonry contractors page.
Sources
- 2020-2024 ACS 5-Year Narrative Profile: Bucks County, Pennsylvania, U.S. Census Bureau
- 2020-2024 ACS 5-Year Narrative Profile: Pennsylvania, U.S. Census Bureau
- 2020-2024 ACS 5-Year Narrative Profile: Philadelphia County, Pennsylvania, U.S. Census Bureau
- Levittowns (Pennsylvania and New Jersey), Encyclopedia of Greater Philadelphia
- Streets and Sidewalks, Article V: Sidewalks and Curbs, Township of Falls
- Consumer Protection/ Weights & Measures, Bucks County
- Mortar, Unsung Hero of History, U.S. National Park Service
- 34 Pa. Code § 403.62. Permit requirements and exemptions., Commonwealth of Pennsylvania (Pennsylvania Code)
- FAQs Homeowners, Pennsylvania One Call System (Pennsylvania 811)
- Home Improvement Contractor Search, Pennsylvania Office of Attorney General