After a Chicago winter, check five things: the roofline and parapet, the brick and mortar joints, the porches and stairs, the concrete at ground level, and where the water goes. Do it in the first dry stretch of spring, with a phone for photos. Freeze-thaw damage shows up after the thaw, and a repair you catch in April is usually a smaller job than the same problem in October.
Why does spring show you what winter did?
Chicago's winter is not just cold. It is cold that keeps changing its mind. NWS climate normals for 1991 to 2020 put Chicago at about 121 days a year with a low at or below 32 degrees, and about 43 days when the high stayed at or below 32 (National Weather Service). The days in between, when it freezes overnight and thaws by afternoon, are the ones that hurt: water gets into a joint, freezes, expands, and thaws again. Annual snowfall averages 38.4 inches, mostly from December through March (National Weather Service).
That is why saturated brick can spall, and why salts crystallizing inside brick can push the face off (BIA guidance). By March, the damage is done. Your job is to find it.
Walk the building once, slowly, in this order. If you want a printable version, use our exterior maintenance checklist.
What should you check on the roof and roofline?
Start at the top, because the roofline is where water gets in first and where falling brick hurts most.
- Stains inside. Look at top-floor ceilings and the wall just below the roof. New stains or damp patches after the thaw point upward. Our post on where thaw leaks come from walks through the usual paths.
- Flashing and seams. Look for lifted, loose or missing flashing at walls, vents and chimneys, and open seams in the membrane.
- Parapet caps. Cracked or loose caps and open joints at the top of the wall are where water enters masonry.
- Gutters and downspouts. Ice and snow load can pull gutters off the wall and crack joints in downspouts.
- Ponding. Standing water on a flat roof a day after the thaw means water is not leaving.
Only go on the roof if you can do it safely. A view from a neighbor's roof, a ladder or a camera pole often tells you enough to decide whether to call someone.
What should you check on brick and mortar?
Walk every elevation and look closely at the joints and the faces.
- Mortar. Joints that are open, sandy or crumbling. The City's maintenance standard lists masonry joints that are not weather resistant or water tight among unsafe exterior conditions (Title 14X).
- Spalling. Brick faces that are flaking, peeling or lying on the ground below the wall.
- White deposits. Efflorescence is the powdery white salt left when water moves through masonry and evaporates. It is usually not harmful by itself, and it is often worst in winter. If it shows up on a building more than a year old, it usually means water is getting in somewhere, and crystals forming inside brick can cause cracking (BIA guidance).
- Lintels and cornices. Cracks over windows and doors, shifted trim, loose cornice pieces.
- Bulges and stair-step cracks. Any wall that has moved is a call-a-pro finding.
If you find open mortar, a note on timing: spring repointing happens in cool weather, and masonry work has temperature rules. Under the masonry industry's cold weather guidance, "cold" means any temperature below 40 degrees Fahrenheit, and protection is required as it gets colder (BIA Technical Note 1). A good mason knows this. Book early, and read when to book an exterior contractor in the Chicago spring.
What should you check on porches and stairs?
Wet wood that froze and thawed all winter is where porches show their age.
- Probe posts, stringers and joists with a screwdriver, especially at the bottom and where wood meets masonry.
- Tug the guards and handrails. They should not move.
- Look for loose bolts, rust and any connection pulling away from the wall.
- Check treads, pickets and boards for rot.
Chicago requires exterior stairs, decks, porches and balconies to be structurally sound, in good repair and properly anchored (Title 14X). Soft framing is not a "next year" item.
On back porches of older two-flats and three-flats, we often find the damage in the first foot above the ground and at the ledger where the porch meets the building, since those are the places that stay wet. The top of the railing can look fine while the post under it is soft.
What should you check on concrete and walks?
Winter and road salt hit concrete together.
- Scaling. Flaking of the surface comes from freeze-thaw exposure, and deicers make it worse (NRMCA).
- Cracks. Most early random cracks rarely affect structure or service life (NRMCA), so a hairline crack is a watch item. A crack that is widening, has sunk on one side, or is leaking into a basement is not.
- Trip edges. Slabs that lifted or sank during the freeze.
- Salt habits. On new concrete, use sand in its first winter and moderate amounts afterward. Magnesium-based and ammonium-based products are the ones to avoid (NRMCA).
Where is the water going now?
Spring melt shows you every drainage problem in your yard.
- Downspouts should discharge well away from the wall. University of Minnesota Extension suggests at least 4 feet from the foundation, with soil sloping away at least 1 inch per foot for at least 6 feet (U of M Extension).
- Look for soil that settled toward the building and pools of water against the foundation.
- Look for new damp spots, stains or white deposits at the base of the wall.
When does a spring finding need a contractor?
Photograph everything, date the photos and sort what you found.
- Call a pro this week: anything a person can fall through or off, loose brick or cornice above a walkway, an active leak, a wall that bulges or is cracked in a stair-step pattern.
- Book for the season: open mortar, spalling brick, failing flashing, scaling concrete, bad downspouts.
- Watch and recheck: hairline cracks, light efflorescence, cosmetic wear.
Most of that repair work needs a permit. Chicago requires a permit before most repair work, with a limited exemption list (City of Chicago), so ask your contractor to confirm what applies and confirm with the Department of Buildings. For the season-by-season picture, see the Chicago building maintenance calendar. If you want your building looked at, contact Akats.
Common questions
The first dry stretch of spring, once the snow and ice are gone and before the busy repair season. Walk the roofline, brick, porches, concrete and drainage, and photograph each finding. Booking early also helps, since good contractors fill up.
Open or crumbling mortar joints, brick faces that flake or peel (spalling), white salt deposits, cracks over windows and doors, and loose cornice or trim. Brick that stays saturated and freezes can spall, so water getting in is the underlying problem to find.
Usually not by themselves. Most early random cracks rarely affect structure or service life. Photograph them and recheck next year. A crack that is widening, has sunk on one side or is letting water into a basement should be looked at by a pro.
Sometimes, with cold weather precautions. Under industry guidance, cold weather means any temperature below 40 degrees Fahrenheit, and protective steps increase as it gets colder. Ask your mason how they handle mortar temperature and protection.
Sources
- National Weather Service Chicago: 1991 to 2020 Climate Normals for Chicago
- National Park Service: Preservation Brief 2: Repointing Mortar Joints in Historic Masonry Buildings (PDF)
- Brick Industry Association: Technical Note 23A: Efflorescence, Causes and Mechanisms (PDF)
- Brick Industry Association: Technical Note 1: All-Weather Masonry Construction (PDF)
- National Ready Mixed Concrete Association: Concrete in Practice 2: Scaling Concrete Surfaces (PDF)
- National Ready Mixed Concrete Association: Concrete in Practice 4: Cracking Concrete Surfaces (PDF)
- University of Minnesota Extension: Moisture in Basements: Causes and Solutions
- City of Chicago: Code Modernization Ordinance, including Title 14X Minimum Requirements for Existing Buildings (PDF)
- City of Chicago: Guide to Building Permits: What Types of Work Do Not Require a Building Permit?
Facts last checked: October 7, 2026.
This article explains general rules and common situations in Chicago. It is not legal advice, and City rules change. For a specific property, check with the Chicago Department of Buildings or a licensed professional.