E&M Brownsville Concrete and Masonry is a Brownsville masonry contractor working in Mercedes, TX. We repoint worn mortar, repair cracked brick and block, and build walls, walkways and paver driveways for homeowners who want it done once.
Mercedes is an older Valley city, and on jobs here we see houses from a lot of different decades on the same street. Brick homes with some years on them sit next to newer places with block fences and paver drives. Plenty of that older brick has mortar that's gone soft and sandy, or a crack somebody patched with whatever was in the garage. That mix is why I don't show up with one answer, because an old brick wall and a new block fence need different mortar and different fixes.
The ground here is mostly flat, so when water can't get away after a hard rain it sits against slabs, footings and the bottom of walls, and that's where we see mortar wash out and cracks start. On a wall, walk or paver drive in Mercedes, we plan the drainage before the first block goes down, the same as next door in La Feria.
When a slab settles, cracks open in the brick and doors start sticking. I find where it's moving and why before we plan the fix.
Explore serviceWe rebuild loose crowns, reset cracked brick and repoint worn joints on chimneys, because water getting in at the top is what breaks a chimney down.
Explore serviceWe grind out crumbling mortar and pack the joints fresh, matched in color and strength to your brick, because mortar harder than old brick cracks the brick.
Explore serviceGot a few cracked, chipped or loose bricks? We cut them out and set matching ones, so the patch doesn't stand out from the rest of the wall.
Explore serviceA paver driveway lasts as long as the base under it, so we dig out, pack the base in layers and slope it so rain runs off.
Explore serviceHolding back a raised yard or flower bed takes a solid footing and drainage behind the wall, because trapped water is what pushes retaining walls over.
Explore serviceFor older brick and stone that's worn, stained or patched badly over the years, we repair what's there and keep the original look instead of covering it up.
Explore serviceWe build masonry fireplaces in brick or stone, with the firebox, hearth and surround sized to the room and lined up with the chimney above.
Explore serviceStone veneer, a thin layer of stone set over a wall, holds up only as well as the backing and drainage behind it, so that's where we start.
Explore serviceWe lay block fences and walls on a poured footing with steel and grout in the cores, so they're built to stay straight when the ground moves.
Explore serviceBlock foundation walls carry the house, so we start with a level footing, lay every row straight up and down and set steel and grout in the cores.
Explore serviceFor a grill island or outdoor kitchen, we build the block base, finish it in brick or stone and plan the openings for the grill and doors.
Explore serviceWe build walks in brick, pavers, stone or concrete, set on a packed base and pitched a little so water runs off the path instead of pooling on it.
Explore serviceA brick garden wall or fence goes up on a footing sized for its height, with every joint finished clean so the wall looks right and sheds water.
Explore serviceNatural stone takes longer to fit than brick because no two pieces match. We shape and set each stone so the wall holds together as one.
Explore serviceWhen joints are just starting to wear, brick pointing fills the shallow spots with fresh mortar before water gets behind the brick and the job gets bigger.
Explore serviceBuilding projects here go through the City of Mercedes Planning Department, so that's the office to ask whether your job needs a permit, and a permitted job moves at the pace of the city's inspections, not just ours. Before we start, we check what the city asks for on your job, and when a permit's needed we pull it and call for the inspections. We're licensed and fully insured.
We come up from Brownsville for jobs in Mercedes, and the calls look a lot like the ones we get in Primera, mostly worn joints on older brick, block fences and new walks and drives. We haul off our own broken brick, old mortar and dirt instead of leaving it out back, because the city counts trash or debris set anywhere but your own side of the alley, or in a dumpster that isn't yours, as illegal dumping.
Tell us about the wall, walk or worn mortar, and we'll get back to you within one business day. I'll come out to Mercedes, look at the job in person and give you a written price for the work we talked about, free and with no obligation. If you'd rather talk it through, call (956) 505-5518.
(956) 505-5518Yes, the city requires an excavation permit for digging, trenching or underground utility work. Since footings and paver bases start with digging, we check with the city on your job before we break ground, and when a permit's needed we pull it.
A contractor caught starting without a needed permit pays double permit fees, as long as the required inspections can still be done. Work that goes past a point the city needed to inspect may have to be torn out, and the owner or the contractor can be fined. That's why we settle the permit before we start, because tearing out finished work costs you twice.
Once work is underway the city requires periodic inspections, and its residential inspections guide lists setbacks, slab or floor, and curb-break or driveway, where a new drive cuts through the curb. It also lists plumbing, electrical, framing, air conditioning and gas for the other trades, and when your job has a permit, we call for each inspection it needs and keep going once it passes.
Call the City of Mercedes at (956) 565-3114, because Hidalgo County's drainage district sends people in incorporated cities to their own city to learn which areas flood. The district also says flooding outside the mapped flood zones happens often in the county, and many homes flood when storm water can't drain away fast enough to keep it from ponding. We look at where water sits on your lot before we set a footing or a paver base.
We're based in Brownsville and work across the Rio Grande Valley cities around it. These are the ones with their own page, and if yours isn't on the list, call (956) 505-5518 and ask.
I'll tell you straight if a wall can wait instead of selling you work you don't need, so call (956) 505-5518 or send the form.
If you've got worn mortar, a cracked wall or a yard project in Mercedes, send it our way and I'll come take a look.
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