Third Coast Restoration

Only in Chicago: The history of the Chicago bungalow Bungalow-style residences make up a third of single-family homes in Chicago. Lexi Sutter digs into their history for our Only in Chicago series.

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For millennia, lime has been utilized as a binder in historic mortars and plasters, owing to its primary component, Calcium Carbonate (limestone). Lime’s exceptional properties, such as high v***r permeability, make it a preferred material for repairing traditional vintage structures and constructing new sustainable buildings. Its capacity to allow masonry systems to breathe by channeling moisture back to the atmosphere instead of trapping it within the core of walling prevents mold, rot, and poor indoor air quality.

Lime’s high modulus of elasticity helps structures withstand slight movements without stressing or cracking a whole wall system or individual masonry units. Additionally, lime is resistant to sulfate attack, making it a superior building material when paired with the right application. Incorporating the proper lime into a building campaign has a minimal cost impact, providing long service life and a positive environmental impact. Lime is also considered to be nearly carbon-neutral, requiring low embodied energy to produce, and absorbing CO2 from the air as it cures.

To create an external shelter for a sustainable building or as a crucial component of a building’s internal plaster and paint, consider lime as the ideal material.

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🪨 When Stone Breathes: The Science and Soul of Historic Masonry

Old walls breathe — and it’s our job to let them live.

If you’ve ever worked on a 100-year-old brick home or a limestone church, you’ve probably felt it: that sense that the structure is alive. You can almost hear it exhale on a humid morning or tighten its joints in the cold.

That’s not imagination — that’s science meeting soul.

Historic masonry was built to breathe. Before plastic paints, silicone sealants, and Portland-dominant mortars, walls were designed as natural systems.
They absorbed moisture, released it, and adapted to the environment through a perfect rhythm of v***r diffusion and thermal cycling.

Lime mortar — the real, slow-curing, self-healing kind — wasn’t just a building material. It was the lung tissue of the wall. It allowed v***r to escape instead of trapping it, protecting the softer historic brick or stone from decay.

When modern materials are used without understanding that rhythm, walls suffocate. They blister, spall, and crumble from the inside out.
That’s why preservation isn’t just about looking historic — it’s about behaving historic.

Every restoration project should start with one question:
“How does this building want to breathe?”

Our job as masons and stewards of the craft is to listen — to balance science with artistry, strength with compassion. Because these old structures don’t just hold history; they’re living ecosystems of craftsmanship, time, and environment.

When we honor that — when we let the walls breathe — we keep history alive.

— Justin Curatola
Founder | Curatola Masonry
Preserving the Craft • Building Legacy • Respecting the Wall

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We were able to knock out this facade just in time for the client's ten year anniversary open house. Special thanks to 34-Ten Architecture for the opportunity. We wish you continued success!

Custom lime mortar from Henry Frerk Sons

We are honored to be partnering up with Revolution Workshop this summer preserving a row home in Chicago's historic Pullman neighborhood. Part of the agreement is working with, and teaching, kids from underserved neighborhoods in the city whom have an interest in the trades. We are super excited for this amazing opportunity and wish to thank everyone involved in making it happen.

Revolution Workshop Revolution Workshop builds skills, hope, and resilience in Chicago's underserved communities through construction job training and job creation.

Not representative of the type of structures we typically work on, but it is representative of the quality of the craftsmanship we bring to every project. Imagine what we can do to your house, at a competitive rate.

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Honored to add 34-ten Architecture to our client list. We will be doing a 100% repoint of the facade of their studio building with a custom blend PHL Lime Mortar in June. We're excited for the opportunity, and appreciate their confidence in us to help restore their building.

https://www.34-ten.com/