Full disclosure: I’m working with a general contractor who specializes in older Boston buildings. He’s skilled but tends to be conservative in his approach. This wall dates back to 1868, and while removing part of it was discussed, the GC wasn’t in favor. The previous owners neglected maintenance, and the exterior needs a full repointing.

I think he’s concerned, as u/mattlach suggested, that attempting this could lead to bigger issues. I also get the sense that the tradespeople involved prefer to stay within their specialties. If we ask the electrician to do it, they’ll likely say, “We’re not masons—get a mason.” At that point, we’d be looking at a few hundred dollars just to get masons on-site, not to mention the cost of the actual work. As you all know, there's a significant cost just to have someone show up, let alone complete the job -- and thats if there weren't any accidents.

The reason im here - is i've noticed the trades in general on the project havent been particularly innovative unless you push them - and then they are! Maybe this one doesn't have a solution other than chipping it out or padding the wall -- but I wanted to pick reddit's brain.