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Home › Services › Updating older DFW homes

Updating 1970s and 80s DFW homes.

Houses from the 70s and 80s are hitting the same problems at once: tired masonry, chimney crowns and chases, rotten trim and fascia, and closed-off kitchens. Here’s what we see and what we do about it.

  • Masonry and tuckpointing
  • Chimney crowns and chases
  • Rotten trim and fascia
  • Opening up kitchens

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Free

Takes 20 seconds. We call you back — usually within the hour during business hours. No appointment is booked until we talk.

What we fix

Masonry and mortarMortar joints weather out and brick cracks or shifts. We grind out bad joints and repack them with color-matched mortar, or cut out damaged brick and rebuild it to match.
Chimney crowns and chasesOld crowns crack and let water in; wood chases rot from the top down. We rebuild crowns and chases and cap them so water stays out.
Rotten trim and fasciaForty years of weather finds the weak spots — fascia, soffit, window trim and the bottom of siding. We replace it, often in James Hardie, then caulk, seal and paint.
Closed-off kitchensMany homes from this era have a kitchen walled off from the living room. Opening it up depends on what the wall carries — if it’s load-bearing it takes a beam and often an engineer’s sign-off. We walk it with you and tell you what your wall needs before any price.

How it works

  1. Free on-site visitWe walk it with you, measure, and talk budget. Callback usually within the hour during business hours.
  2. Written fixed priceA clear scope and one number, good for 14 days. It doesn’t move unless you change the scope. Sent by text and email with a link to approve it online.
  3. We do the workScheduled start, tidy site, and if we find hidden damage we stop, show you, and price it before touching it.
  4. Walkthrough & warrantyWe walk it together, fix anything on your list, and you get our 5-year workmanship warranty in writing.

Older-home jobs

A few jobs on older houses — a 100-year-old Victorian, a leaning chimney, weathered mortar and a failing retaining wall.

Leaning masonry chimney torn down and rebuilt

McKinney

The chimney was leaning off the house and getting ready to fall through the roof. We scaffolded it, took it down to the flue, and rebuilt it straight and plumb in matching brick.

Before
Before: Leaning off the roof — Leaning masonry chimney torn down and rebuilt, McKinney
Leaning off the roof
Before: Pulling away from the house — Leaning masonry chimney torn down and rebuilt, McKinney
Pulling away from the house
During
During: Taken down to the flue — Leaning masonry chimney torn down and rebuilt, McKinney
Taken down to the flue
During: Rebuilding from the scaffold — Leaning masonry chimney torn down and rebuilt, McKinney
Rebuilding from the scaffold
After
After: Rebuilt straight — Leaning masonry chimney torn down and rebuilt, McKinney
Rebuilt straight
After: Shoulder and roofline — Leaning masonry chimney torn down and rebuilt, McKinney
Shoulder and roofline

Custom copper chimney cap on a 100-year-old Victorian

Downtown McKinney

A 100-year-old Victorian in the heart of downtown McKinney. The owner wanted a custom copper chimney cap, which has to be exact, so we measured, confirmed the measurements, then delivered and installed a flawless copper cap.

Before
Before: Before, old caps — Custom copper chimney cap on a 100-year-old Victorian, Downtown McKinney
Before, old caps
After
After: Custom copper cap — Custom copper chimney cap on a 100-year-old Victorian, Downtown McKinney
Custom copper cap
After: From the street — Custom copper chimney cap on a 100-year-old Victorian, Downtown McKinney
From the street

Retaining wall torn out and rebuilt

Dallas

We demoed the failing wall and dug it all out, then rebuilt it with fence posts, rebar and weep holes, and tuckpointed it. Same job: repaired the arch above the front door and rebuilt a brick column.

Before
Before: Wall failing along the yard — Retaining wall torn out and rebuilt, Dallas
Wall failing along the yard
Before: Stone falling out — Retaining wall torn out and rebuilt, Dallas
Stone falling out
During
During: Torn out and excavated — Retaining wall torn out and rebuilt, Dallas
Torn out and excavated
During: Rebuilding on new posts — Retaining wall torn out and rebuilt, Dallas
Rebuilding on new posts
After
After: Rebuilt wall — Retaining wall torn out and rebuilt, Dallas
Rebuilt wall
After: Finished run — Retaining wall torn out and rebuilt, Dallas
Finished run

Cast stone tuckpointing, color-matched

McKinney

The mortar joints in the cast stone around her garage door and windows were weathered and falling out. We ground out every weathered joint and repacked them with color-matched mortar. That led to replacing the sun-rotted siding and trim around her back patio with James Hardie, painted to match.

Before
Before: Cracked cast stone and failing joints — Cast stone tuckpointing, color-matched, McKinney
Cracked cast stone and failing joints
Before: Sun-rotted patio post and trim — Cast stone tuckpointing, color-matched, McKinney
Sun-rotted patio post and trim
After
After: Joints ground out and repacked, color-matched — Cast stone tuckpointing, color-matched, McKinney
Joints ground out and repacked, color-matched
After: New Hardie patio trim, painted — Cast stone tuckpointing, color-matched, McKinney
New Hardie patio trim, painted

Victorian-style home, complete re-side

Farmersville

Complete re-side: pulled the windows and replaced the trim, removed the window AC units and sealed the openings, installed new LP SmartSide siding and trim, finished it with a two-tone paint job, and installed custom exterior doors.

Before
Before: Before — Victorian-style home, complete re-side, Farmersville
Before
Before: Before, front porch — Victorian-style home, complete re-side, Farmersville
Before, front porch
During
During: New siding going on — Victorian-style home, complete re-side, Farmersville
New siding going on
During: Front porch in progress — Victorian-style home, complete re-side, Farmersville
Front porch in progress
After
After: After, front porch — Victorian-style home, complete re-side, Farmersville
After, front porch
After: After, from the street — Victorian-style home, complete re-side, Farmersville
After, from the street

See all projects →

Materials we install

  • James Hardie siding & trim
  • LP SmartSide
  • Matching brick
  • Color-matched mortar
  • Custom chimney caps

What it usually costs

Siding repairFrom $750Small sections; larger areas run about $4–$12 per sq ft depending on profile matching and rot behind it
Fascia, soffit & trim repairFrom $350Run length, height and access, how far the rot has traveled
Chimney cap, crown or pan$300 – $3,000Size, stock or custom-made, copper vs painted steel
Chimney repair or rebuild$450 – $15,000Tuckpointing, partial rebuild or full — plus height and access
Kitchen remodel$14,590 – $41,550Cabinets, counters, layout changes, appliances

“From” prices are Top Flight starting prices for small repairs; ranges come from our past jobs, checked against current Dallas–Fort Worth market data for 2026. Your written estimate is the number that counts. Payment options →

Questions people ask

Is it worth fixing the old trim, or should I re-side?
It depends on how far the rot has gone. Small repairs start at $350 for fascia, soffit and trim and $750 for siding; if it’s on every wall, a re-side can make more sense. We show you what we find and price both if it’s close.
Can you open my kitchen to the living room?
Often, yes. If the wall is load-bearing it needs a properly sized beam and usually an engineer’s sign-off. We look at it on the walkthrough and tell you what it takes before we give you a price.
My chimney crown is cracked. Is that urgent?
A cracked crown lets water into the chimney, and that damage grows every season. It’s worth having looked at sooner rather than later.
Do you handle permits and HOA approvals?
We tell you up front what needs a permit or HOA sign-off and handle the contractor side of the paperwork.
Is there a warranty?
Every project carries our 5-year workmanship warranty, in writing.

Ready for a real number?

Free on-site estimate. Written fixed price, good for 14 days.

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