I look at the job myself
I've run this business since 2023, and I'm the one who comes out, walks the wall line with you and asks what you have in mind. You get a written price for the wall we talked about, so you know what you're paying for.
Brick wall installation in Brownsville TX - a wall built right the first time
Want a garden wall, or a brick face on a bare block wall? We build it solid, with full joints and clean brick.
Do you need a new brick wall or a brick face on the wall you have?
Brick wall installation in Brownsville comes in two kinds, a new wall of solid brick that stands on its own or a brick face laid over a wall you already have, and either one gives you color that's baked into the brick and a wall that keeps rain out when it's built right.
That choice comes first, because the two are built different. Only solid masonry brick can stand alone, which is why a garden wall along a yard or patio gets solid brick. Veneer is a brick face that covers an existing wall and can't hold itself up, so it's the right call when you've got a block or frame wall you want to look like brick, and the wrong call for anything freestanding.
What moves the price is the type of wall, how long and tall it runs, and how fancy the pattern gets, since a complex design takes longer to lay and wastes more brick. The schedule mostly turns on whether the city wants a permit first and on the weather, because we don't lay brick in a downpour. When I come out, you get a written price for the exact wall we talked about, so nobody's guessing.
What happens after you call about a brick wall in Brownsville?
It's a short list. I keep it short on purpose, because the fewer hands between you and the person laying the brick, the fewer things get lost.
City paperwork sorted before we start
If you go ahead, we check what the city or county office for your property wants on a brick wall before anybody digs. That way the job doesn't stop halfway for a permit nobody asked about.
Our own crew, with me running it
Our own crew builds the wall, I'm on site running it, and when it's done I walk the finished job with you. We're licensed and fully insured.
How we do brick wall installation
First I settle whether you need a freestanding wall or a brick face, because a garden wall and a veneer go up two different ways. On a freestanding wall we dig out, set the base and lay the brick with every joint filled solid with mortar, since full joints stand up to wind-driven rain and half-filled ones let water in. National brick guidance says a veneer is built as a drainage system, because some water is expected to get behind the brick, so it needs flashing to turn that water outward, weep holes along the bottom row to let it out and an air space behind the brick for it to run down. If you're comparing veneer bids, look for all three in each one.
A lot of brick walls run into other work. If you want a stone cap, a stone base or a brick and stone look, that's our stone masonry side. And if what you've really got is an old wall with worn, crumbling joints, brick pointing might be all it needs, and I'll tell you so.
- Freestanding garden walls in solid masonry brick
- Brick veneer over an existing block or frame wall
- Flashing, weep holes and an air space on every veneer
- Mortar joints filled solid, not just buttered at the edges
- Gentle cleaning of the new brick and haul-off of our debris
How the wall goes up, start to finish
Four steps. Skip one and you'll see it in the wall a few years down the road.
Size the wall so it stands
UK brick guidance says thinner brick walls have a limit on how much sideways force, like wind, they can take. The guidance gets around it with a thicker base, piers sticking out along the wall or a zigzag layout, so a taller wall may need a wider design than you pictured.
Dig out and set the base
We dig out the wall line and set the base level, because every course above it follows whatever the bottom does. On a veneer job, this is when we look over the wall the brick is going on.
Lay the brick course by course
We lay each course to a string line and check it for level and plumb as we go. A course that isn't right comes out and gets laid again, the way I was trained.
Clean the new brick gently
New brick gets cleaned in three steps, wet, clean and rinse, with low to medium water pressure so the face isn't damaged. National guidance says proprietary cleaners instead of raw muriatic acid greatly cut the chance of damage, so ask any mason how they clean before you hire them.
Get a written price on your brick wall
Send the form or call (956) 505-5518 and tell me the wall type, a rough length and height, and whether it's a new wall or a brick face on one you already have. We reply within one business day. Then I come out for a free on-site estimate, with no obligation.
(956) 505-5518Brick wall questions we hear in Brownsville
How much does a brick wall cost in Brownsville, TX?
Brick and masonry work in Brownsville usually costs about $8 to $25 per square foot, and that range covers brick and masonry work in general, not walls alone. Where your wall lands depends on the things covered up top, mostly the wall type, its size and the pattern. I'll give you a written price for your wall once I've seen it.
Does a new brick wall need to be painted?
No, clay brick doesn't need paint or any surface treatment, so leaving it bare keeps the upkeep low. Once exterior brick is painted, national guidance says it needs repainting every three to five years, which is a cost you keep paying. I'd leave it the color it came.
Does a freestanding brick wall need expansion joints?
Yes, UK brick guidance says freestanding walls move more than the walls of a house, so they need vertical movement joints built in. Those are planned gaps up the face of the wall that let it move without cracking. Ask where they'll go before the first brick is laid.
How do I apply for a building permit in Brownsville?
In Brownsville, all permit applications go through the city's online system, Accela Citizen Access. If your wall needs a permit, we pull it, so you don't have to file it yourself.
Building a brick wall in Brownsville and nearby
In Brownsville, the city's Building Permits and Inspections Division handles permits for remodeling and new construction and enforces the city's building and zoning codes on homes and businesses. Its inspectors come out when someone asks, so on a job that needs a permit we call for each inspection ourselves. If you'd rather check something with the division directly, its number is 956-546-4357.
We're based in Brownsville and work across the Rio Grande Valley cities around it, including San Benito, Harlingen, Los Fresnos and Port Isabel, along with others nearby. A lot of the calls out here are for a garden wall along a back patio or a brick face on a plain block wall, and we build them the same way wherever the house sits.
Tell me about the wall you want
Call (956) 505-5518 or use the form, and if you give me a rough length and height up front, I show up ready to talk about your wall instead of starting from scratch.
If you're still deciding between a garden wall and a brick face, call and I'll talk it through with you.
Tell us about your project