E&M Brownsville Concrete and Masonry is a Brownsville, TX masonry contractor that works in Los Fresnos, repairing and repointing brick, fixing chimneys, and building block walls, retaining walls, walkways and paver driveways on low, flat lots.
Los Fresnos is a smaller city north of Brownsville in Cameron County. The houses run from older brick and block homes near the middle of town to newer subdivisions and places on bigger lots toward the edges. We get much the same calls here that we get in Harlingen and San Benito, like worn mortar on older brick, cracks over doors and windows, and yards that need a wall, a walk or a driveway that holds up.
The ground is flat and low, and the city's own flood rules say parts of town flood from time to time. That shapes nearly every job we do here, because a footing, a paver base or a block wall that sits in water after a storm is where the settling and cracking start.
Cracks over a door or a floor out of level usually mean the ground moved, so we find what's moving it before we fix anything.
Explore serviceWe rebuild cracked crowns, the concrete cap on top, reset loose brick and repoint the joints so the chimney sheds rain instead of soaking it up.
Explore serviceFor old brick that should look crisp again, we fill worn joints with mortar tinted to the brick and run a thin contrasting line down each one.
Explore serviceWe cut out cracked or flaking bricks one at a time and lay in matched replacements, so the repair blends in instead of looking like a patch.
Explore serviceOn low lots a paver driveway lives or dies by its base, so we dig out, pack crushed rock in layers and pitch it to carry water off.
Explore serviceWhere a raised bed or a grade change needs holding back, we build on a footing with drainage behind it, because trapped water pushes walls over.
Explore serviceOlder brick and block homes often need several things at once, so we look at the whole wall, then repoint, replace and clean in the right order.
Explore serviceFor an indoor or patio fireplace, we lay the firebox, hearth and surround in brick or stone, spaced from framing the way the maker calls for.
Explore serviceStone veneer is a thin stone face over an existing wall, and it only lasts if the backing, metal lath and drainage gap behind it are done right.
Explore serviceWe put up privacy and property walls in block on a poured footing, with steel and grout in the cores so they hold against wind.
Explore serviceFor a raised floor or an addition, we lay block foundation walls on a footing sized for the ground, kept level so the framing above sits true.
Explore serviceWe build the block base and the brick or stone facing for your grill island, with openings left where the gas, water and power lines come through.
Explore serviceA walk that holds puddles after every rain wasn't built right, so we set ours on a packed base, raised a bit and pitched to drain.
Explore serviceYou want a brick garden wall, column or entry that looks like it's always been there. We lay it on a real footing with the joints tooled tight.
Explore serviceFor stone walls, steps and planters, we pick and shape each piece to fit its neighbors, because carelessly laid stone lets water and roots work it loose.
Explore serviceMortar that sands out under your thumb lets rain get behind the brick, so we grind the worn joints out and pack fresh mortar matched in color and strength.
Explore serviceInside city limits, the City of Los Fresnos issues construction permits for work its codes say needs permits and inspections. Before we start, we check with the city on what your job needs, and when a permit's needed we pull it and call for the inspections, so the start date waits on that permit and each inspection decides when we can close up that stage. The city also asks electrical, plumbing and mechanical contractors for ID, proof of insurance and a state license before it issues their permit, so if your outdoor kitchen or fireplace needs wiring or a gas line, ask whoever runs it to show you the same. We're licensed and fully insured, and I'm glad to show you proof when I come out.
We drive up from Brownsville for Los Fresnos jobs, the same way we head out to Port Isabel and the other cities around us. What moves the price is the size of the job, the material, how much old work has to come out, how deep the footing or base has to go in soft ground, and whether old brick has to be matched. The schedule turns on the permit, the weather and getting the right materials in, and I'll walk you through both when I come out and write up the estimate.
Tell us about the wall, chimney, walk or driveway, and we'll reply within one business day. I come out, look at it in person, and you get a written price for the work we talked about, free and with no obligation.
(956) 505-5518It follows the city's fee schedule, so the amount depends on the job. When the construction is valued over $1,000 and a plan is required, the city adds a plan check fee of half the building permit fee, and starting work without a required permit doubles the fees. That's one reason we sort out the permit before the first shovel goes in.
You can, if your property sits in a special flood hazard area on FEMA's flood maps, because the city requires a Floodplain Development Permit in those areas. We check where your lot falls on the Cameron County flood maps before we plan footings or walls, so you know early whether that permit is part of the job.
They can, because Cameron County is one of the First Tier counties covered by the Texas Department of Insurance windstorm program. To qualify for wind and hail coverage through TWIA, new structures, additions, alterations and repairs have to be built and inspected to the department's specifications. Talk to your agent before work on the house itself, like a chimney rebuild or a foundation for an addition, so the inspection is planned for before the work gets covered up.
Los Fresnos is one of the cities we work in from our base in Brownsville. These cities have their own pages, and we also work in other cities nearby that aren't listed here.
Water working into a cracked joint or a settling wall makes the repair bigger every time it rains, so call (956) 505-5518 or send the form and I'll come take a look.
If something in your brick, block or stone has you wondering, send us a note and tell us what you're seeing.
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