E&M Brownsville Concrete and Masonry is a masonry contractor based in Brownsville, TX, and working in La Feria. We repoint and repair older brick, fix cracked walls, and build block walls, walkways and pavers.
La Feria is a small city on the west side of Cameron County, between Harlingen and Mercedes, and most of what we see here is homes. There are older brick houses in the blocks off downtown and Business 83, and newer houses toward the edges of the city, with farm fields not far past the last street.
That mix decides the work. The older houses bring calls for worn mortar, loose brick and cracked garden walls, and the newer lots want block walls, walks and pavers laid out from scratch. Under both is the same flat clay ground, so every job here starts with what's under it.
When a foundation settles in La Feria's clay, we find where it moved and why before we fix the masonry, so the repair holds.
Explore serviceLoose bricks, a cracked crown and washed-out joints on a chimney let rain into the house. We rebuild what's failing up top and repoint the rest.
Explore serviceWe grind out worn mortar and pack new joints in a matching color, so a repointed wall on an older La Feria house blends in.
Explore serviceWant a few cracked or flaking bricks gone without redoing the whole wall? We cut them out, find the closest match and lay new ones in.
Explore servicePavers ride on the base under them, so on clay ground we dig deep, compact the base in layers and lock the edges before laying a single paver.
Explore serviceEven a low retaining wall holds back wet soil. We set it on a solid footing with drain rock behind it so water can get out.
Explore serviceFor an older brick house that's been patched over the years, we take out the bad repairs, clean the brick gently and make the walls sound again.
Explore serviceWe build masonry fireplaces from the footing up, with a firebox and flue sized to draw right, so smoke goes up the chimney and not into the room.
Explore serviceStone veneer is thin stone set over a wall, and behind it we put a moisture barrier and metal lath so water that gets in drains out.
Explore serviceWant privacy from the road or the field next door? A block wall goes on a poured footing, with steel and grout filling the block, so it stays straight.
Explore serviceBlock foundation walls carry the house or addition above them, so we lay them square and level on a footing sized for what sits on top.
Explore serviceWe build the block base, counters and brick or stone facing for an outdoor kitchen, with openings left for the grill and any gas or water lines.
Explore serviceA walk from the driveway to the door should shed water and stay flat, so we set brick, stone or pavers on a packed base with a slight slope.
Explore serviceFor a garden or property wall in brick, we lay it on a real footing with joints that let it move a little without cracking across the face.
Explore serviceStone walls, steps and planters take patience to lay tight. We sort and fit each piece so the weight sits on stone, not on thick mortar.
Explore serviceWhen joints are just starting to wear, pointing fills them back in before water gets behind the brick, and it costs a lot less than a rebuild later.
Explore serviceBuilding permits in La Feria start with the city's Planning Department, which has the building permit application on its page, so before we start a wall, footing or paver job, we check what the city asks for on yours. When a permit's needed, we pull it and call for the inspections, and since the city's review comes before any digging, it can set the start date. You can check on us too. We're licensed and fully insured, the state license search is in the FAQ below, and that same city page is where local business applications start.
La Feria sits 24 miles northwest of Brownsville where U.S. 83 meets FM 506, so block, brick and sand come up 83 the same way our crew does, and I'm on site running the job. What moves the price here is the same as in Port Isabel or any city we work in: how long and tall the wall is, how much old mortar or brick has to come out, what the footing needs and how hard the spot is to reach. The schedule turns on the permit, the weather and the time mortar and concrete need to cure, and the estimate gives you a written price for the work we talked about.
Tell us what you've got, whether it's worn mortar, a cracked wall or a walk you want built, and we'll reply within one business day. I'll come out to La Feria, look at it in person and give you a written price for the work we talked about. The estimate's free and there's no obligation.
(956) 505-5518For trades the state licenses through the Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation, its online license search shows whether a person or business holds a current license. Ask any contractor for proof of insurance too. We're licensed and fully insured, and I'm glad to show you before we start.
No. The county's GIS map data is for information only, isn't an on-the-ground survey and shows only roughly where property lines sit. For a wall on or near the line, have the line marked from a survey before we dig, because moving a block wall after it's built costs you twice.
Most cracked brick walls we see here moved with the clay under them or sat on a footing too small for the job. A stair-step crack along the joints usually means the ground shifted, and a crack straight through the bricks often means the wall had no room to move. I'll look at it in person and tell you whether it needs a repair, a rebuild or just watching.
If the mortar crumbles when you scratch it with a key or the joints have pulled back from the brick face, it's time. If it's just a few hairline cracks, it can usually wait, and I'd rather tell you that straight than sell you a job you don't need.
We're a masonry contractor based in Brownsville, TX, and we work across the Rio Grande Valley cities around it. These are the cities with their own page, and if yours isn't listed, call and ask.
Mortar that's letting water in gets worse with every hard rain, so call (956) 505-5518 or use the contact form while it's still a repair and not a rebuild.
If you've got a wall, walk or chimney in La Feria you're not sure about, send us a note and we'll talk it through.
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