Brick wall installation in McAllen TX - a wall built to suit its spot and the sun
Need a new brick wall in your yard or on the house? We match the brick and cap to your spot and build it right.
- Service
- Brick wall installation
- Call
- (956) 331-0202
When does it make sense to build a new brick wall?
Fence posts leaning over
If your wood fence has posts that wobble and boards that warp and split in the sun, it's usually near the end of its life. Patching it every season keeps costing you, while a brick wall in its place won't rot or need paint.
Garden wall cracked or tipping
A garden wall that's split or leaning usually wasn't built thick enough for its height, or it lost its cap and soaked up years of rain. A lean tends to get worse, and once it's far gone, rebuilding is often simpler than propping it up.
Bare block on the house
Plain block or tired siding on part of the house can look unfinished next to the brick around it. Putting a brick face over it settles the look for good, and waiting usually just means another round of paint or patching.
What does it take to build a brick wall in McAllen?
Brick wall installation in McAllen means building a new wall of brick, either standing on its own in your yard or as a brick face on your house, finished with a cap along the top that keeps rain out of the brickwork. Cornerstone McAllen Concrete and Masonry builds them in McAllen and the cities around it across the Valley, with the brick, the cap and the layout picked for your spot.
Most people who call me want privacy along a property line, a clean edge for a patio or garden, or brick on a part of the house that never got it. The price mostly moves with the wall's length and height, how thick it needs to be, whether it gets piers, and the brick and cap you choose, while the schedule turns on the size of the job, the weather and whether the city needs a permit first. When I come out, I'll look at all of that with you and give you an estimate for your own wall.
Details to note before an estimate
- Rough length and height of the wall
- Where it sits on the lot
- Freestanding or facing the house
- How much sun and wind it gets
- Paving or ground on either side
- The brick color and look you want
How we handle brick wall installation
The first thing I ask about is how exposed the spot is, because a wall that takes full sun, wind and sprinkler spray needs a tougher brick, a better cap or both, while a sheltered garden wall can get by with less. Then we settle the layout, set out the line, lay the brick course by course with joints I'd be glad to have my old boss check, and finish the top with a cap that throws water off the face. On hot days we keep the new wall damp so the mortar cures right instead of drying out too fast. Paving beside a freestanding wall should slope away from it where it can, or get a drainage strip, so the bottom rows don't sit soaked.
Some walls look better in stone, or need stone caps and accents to match the house, and our stone masonry work covers that. If what you've got is a solid old wall with worn joints, I'll tell you so, because brick pointing, which means raking out the tired mortar and packing in fresh, often saves good brick that doesn't need replacing.
Other masonry work that goes with a new wall
Stone masonry
Natural stone suits a wall that has to match a stone house front, or when you want a rougher, older look than brick gives.
Brick pointing
If an existing wall is sound but the mortar between bricks is crumbling or washing out, fresh joints can buy it many more years.
What happens after you call about a brick wall in McAllen?
Call or send a request
Give us a call or send the form and tell us about the wall you have in mind. We'll set a time for me to come see the spot.
I come out and look
I come out myself, walk the spot and ask a lot of questions about sun, wind, what's beside the wall and how you'll use it. Then I talk through the brick, cap and layout I'd use, and you get an estimate for your wall.
We take care of permits
If the wall needs a permit, we handle the paperwork with the city it's in and set up the inspections. Work starts once that's in place.
Build, clean up, walk it
My crew and I build the wall and clean up the site when we're done. Then we walk the finished wall with you so you can see every part of it.
Common questions about brick wall installation
How much does it cost to build a brick wall in McAllen?
Brick and masonry work in McAllen usually costs about $8 to $25 per square foot, and that range covers masonry work broadly, not just walls. Where your wall lands depends on its length and height, how thick it is, whether it needs piers, the brick and cap you pick and how much prep the spot needs. I'll price your own wall when I come out to look at it, and every job is backed by our satisfaction guarantee.
Do I need a permit to build a brick wall in McAllen?
Plan on checking, because the city's general rule is that a permit is required when you build, alter, repair or improve, and the Building Permits and Inspections Department issues them. Applications go through the city's online permit portal, and the department takes questions at devservices@mcallen.net. That paperwork is part of what we handle, as the steps above lay out, and we're licensed and fully insured.
How do I keep a tall brick wall from leaning over?
You give it more than a single thin row of brick to stand on, because a slender brick wall can only go so tall before wind and other sideways push get the better of it. The usual fixes are a thicker base, piers, which are thicker brick columns built into the wall, or a zigzag or staggered line, and each one changes how the wall looks. At the estimate I'll show you which one suits your yard.
Can brick be laid in McAllen summer heat?
Yes, as long as the mortar is handled for the heat. One masonry trade group's rules say that above 100°F, or above 90°F with wind over 8 mph, mortar has to stay below 120°F and be used within 2 hours, so crews keep sand piles damp and rinse their tools in cool water. In parts of Hidalgo County the frost-free season runs 295 to 330 days, so working in heat is the normal case here, and it's why we keep new walls damp, as I mentioned above.
How long does a new brick wall take to build?
The build mostly turns on the wall's length, height and layout, and a permit, when one is needed, sets when we can start. In hot weather, that same trade group's rules have new masonry fog sprayed until damp at least three times a day until it's three days old, so a new wall needs care through its first few days. I'll lay out the schedule for your wall when I come out.
What's the difference between a brick wall and brick veneer on a house?
A freestanding brick wall holds itself up, while brick veneer is a brick face on a building that carries only its own weight. The wall behind the veneer takes the sideways load, and flashing, a thin barrier tucked behind the brick, sends any water that gets through back outside.
Get a price on your new brick wall
We reply within 1 business day to set a time for me to come out and look at the spot. The estimate is free, done on site and comes with no obligation, so you can weigh it at your own pace.
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Start planning your brick wall today
Call (956) 331-0202 or send the form with the wall's length, height and spot on the lot, plus whether it stands alone or faces the house, so my first visit goes straight to picking brick and layout.