r/masonry:

u/BrimstoneOmega

Truth. You got me there, lol.
u/BrimstoneOmega

Please do not sandblast masonry.
u/BrimstoneOmega

Hit it really hard with a hammer. Like as hard as you can. Only once or twice. It will also help to have as much supported by your hand/arm when you hit it. A pile of sand would also be a good way to help mitigate breaking where you don’t want it to break. There’s a reason people call it an art form. It takes time and a lot of practice. You can kind of use the claw on a normal hammer for this, but you should get a mason/brick hammer, or a geopick. I like Vaughn brick hammers the most, but it doesn’t really matter if you’re not going to be hitting rocks for the rest of your life.
u/BrimstoneOmega

So there are paints that can be used in brick that won’t destroy them. I highly doubt a flipper cared about this, and the only answer anyone can give is time will tell. It could very well end up becoming a huge issue. This could be in ten years or already starting. I would pass, unfortunately. Not in the mood to gamble a few 100k.
u/BrimstoneOmega

I believe these are the droids you’re looking for; https://hermeq-usa.com/propmate-lintel-support.html
u/BrimstoneOmega

And you should only pay , and use the rest to have someone else do this for you. I don’t say this often. I usually defend the work. That wall is built to fail.
u/BrimstoneOmega

Just show someone this picture next time they don’t understand the physics of weeps.
u/BrimstoneOmega

Lol, I understand the desire for natural stone, but this comment just shows your ignorance.
u/BrimstoneOmega

As you’ve just found out, many actual masons don’t even know this. I wouldn’t worry too much about it. Chances are that behind that fancy molding there is an air gap between the wood and the top of the masonry.
u/BrimstoneOmega

You didn’t do this with plants. Pea gravel isn’t going to fix this. $15k is too much for pea gravel combined with actually fixing it. Call a mason. Not a landscaper. I’m not disparaging landscapers, I am one too, but I’m also a trained mason that dips his toes in retaining walls and patios. A rectangle (mason) is a square (landscaper), but a square isn’t a rectangle. That said, I wouldn’t hire a mason to grade a driveway, excavate a foundation, plant trees, or to install sod. Just because on paper those shapes have an odd definition, they are not the same.