E&M Brownsville Concrete and Masonry is a Brownsville, TX masonry contractor working in Cameron Park, just north of downtown. We repair cracked block and worn brick mortar and build walls, walks, pavers and outdoor kitchens here.
Cameron Park is a colonia in southern Cameron County, about four miles north of downtown Brownsville, and it's mostly single-family homes on their own lots. A lot of the houses here went up in stages over the years, with a block room added onto a brick front, a carport closed in, or a yard wall built by a relative one weekend. Some of that work is solid and some of it isn't, and part of my job is telling you which is which.
The lots are flat, so water has nowhere to run off on its own. On this ground, a footing dug deep enough to reach firm soil and a plan for where the water goes decide whether a wall stays straight.
When a block house settles on flat, wet ground, cracks show up over doors and windows first. We find what moved, fix the footing, then repair the block.
Explore serviceFewer homes here have chimneys, but the ones that do usually need the concrete crown on top and the last few courses rebuilt where water got in.
Explore serviceWe grind out soft, sandy mortar to a clean depth and pack new joints in tight, matched to your brick so the wall sheds water again.
Explore serviceCracked or spalled brick, where the face has flaked off, gets cut out and replaced with brick close in size and color, laid back in plumb.
Explore serviceIf you want the dirt or cracked slab out front replaced, we dig out, compact a solid base and set pavers with edging so they stay put.
Explore serviceWhere a yard's been built up or a lot steps down to the street, the wall needs a real footing and drainage behind it, or water pushes it out of line.
Explore serviceFor an older brick or block house that's been patched many times, we sort good work from bad, repoint, replace failed units and bring it back to one sound wall.
Explore serviceWe build masonry fireplaces indoors or out, sized for the room or patio, with firebrick lining the firebox and a hearth set level in front.
Explore serviceWant stone on a block front or porch columns? We prep the wall first, because veneer only holds as well as what's behind it.
Explore serviceBlock property walls are common around here for privacy and security. We set them on a poured footing, with steel and grout filling the cores.
Explore serviceFor an addition or a new room on block, we lay the foundation walls square and level, because every course above inherits a mistake made down low.
Explore serviceWe build the block base, counters and finish for a grill station or full outdoor kitchen, planned around where the gas and power come in.
Explore serviceWe lay walks from the driveway to the door in brick, pavers or concrete, graded so water runs off instead of pooling at your step.
Explore serviceNew brick walls, from a garden wall to a front-yard screen, get a true footing and joints tooled clean, the way I was taught to lay them.
Explore serviceWe lay natural stone for walls, steps, planters and columns, fitting each piece by hand so the weight sits right and the joints stay tight.
Explore serviceIf only a few joints are cracked or missing, pointing just those spots costs a lot less than redoing the whole wall, and I'll say which you need.
Explore serviceCameron Park sits in Cameron County, and the county's Building Permits Division is the office we check with on jobs here. It issues construction permits for mechanical, plumbing and electrical work, enforces the building codes, and runs inspections and site review for development in the county's unincorporated areas. Masonry isn't on that list, so don't take that to mean your wall needs nothing. Before work starts I check what the county asks for on your job, and when a permit's needed we pull it and call for the inspections. Permit review and inspections can move the start date, and you can follow the application and inspections on the county's online portal. Ask any mason you're thinking of hiring whether they're insured. We're licensed and fully insured. Price comes down to how long and tall the wall runs, how deep the footing goes, whether it's brick, block or stone, and how much bad mortar or cracked block has to come out first, and the written estimate puts your number on it.
Cameron Park sits east of FM 1847, a short drive from our base in Brownsville, so a truck of block or a load of sand gets out here without trouble. Our same crew works the cities around it, like Los Fresnos and San Benito, and the houses there give us a lot of the same calls.
Send the form or call (956) 505-5518 and tell me what the wall, chimney or walk is doing. We reply within one business day, and I come out myself to look at it and write you a price for the work we talked about. The estimate is free, done on site, and there's no obligation.
(956) 505-5518Yes, if you want windstorm insurance through TWIA, because TWIA lists new structures, additions and patio covers among the work that has to be certified, and Cameron County is covered by the state's windstorm inspection program. That certificate is an insurance condition, separate from any county permit. Fence repair is on TWIA's list of work that needs none, so patching a block fence doesn't call for one.
Yes, if your lot is in a Special Flood Hazard Area, FEMA says a permit is required before any construction or development begins. The county keeps flood rules so its unincorporated areas qualify for flood insurance, because its flood hazard areas flood from time to time. Before we dig, we find out where your lot sits and handle that permit when it applies.
Most cracked block walls can be repaired if the wall is still plumb and the crack isn't growing. If it's leaning or the footing has dropped, patching it just means you pay twice. I'll check plumb, look at the footing and tell you which one you've got.
It's time when you can scrape mortar out of the joints with a key, or the joints sit sunk back behind the brick face. Caught then, repointing is a much smaller job than replacing brick that's started to loosen. If the mortar is weathered but still hard, I'll tell you it can wait.
We're based in Brownsville and work across the Rio Grande Valley cities around it. These are the cities with their own page, and if yours isn't listed, call anyway.
Our hours run until 10 PM every day of the week, so you can call (956) 505-5518 or send the form after your own workday is done.
If a crack or a crumbling joint has you wondering, tell us about it and we'll take a look.
Tell us about your project
