Replacing a tired fence or want a brick wall along the yard? We plan it with you on site and build it to stand straight.
Brick wall installation means building a new garden wall, privacy wall or brick fence on your Antioch property, laid course by course in mortar and finished with a cap on top, so you get a wall that holds its color and keeps rain from soaking through.
Most people call me when an old wood or chain-link fence is past saving, or when they want a wall along a side yard, a patio or the front of the driveway. I start with where the wall goes and what it has to do, because a low edge by a flower bed and a tall wall along a property line are very different builds.
The price moves with the wall's length, height and thickness, the brick and cap you pick and how easy the spot is to reach. The schedule turns mostly on what happens before we start, like settling the design, getting brick delivered and any permit. After I see the spot, I'll give you your own figure in a written estimate.
A few choices settle whether a wall stands straight and stays dry, and they all get made before any brick is ordered. These are the ones I walk through with you.
UK brick guidance points out that a thin wall can only go so tall before sideways forces like wind become a problem. The fixes it lists are a thicker base, piers that stick out along the run, or a zigzag layout. If you want a tall, slim wall, expect one of these to be part of the plan.
The same guidance says brick for a freestanding wall should be chosen for how well it lasts where it stands, and for how much protection the cap on top gives it. A wall that takes rain, sprinklers and sun all day is a harder spot than one tucked near the house, so we weigh the brick and cap as one decision.
A freestanding wall moves sideways more than the walls of your house do, so UK guidance calls for vertical movement joints, which are planned gaps up the wall that let it shift. On a long run, those gaps belong in the layout from the start, not cut in after the wall cracks.
Where a patio or path meets the wall, UK guidance says to slope the paving away where you can, or add a drainage strip, so the bottom rows of brick stay drier. If you're putting in paving around the same time, it's worth planning the two together.
Here's how a brick wall job runs with us, from the first call to the final walk-through, and who you'll be dealing with at each step.
Call (925) 503-1025 or fill out our form with where the wall goes and roughly how tall and long you want it. Most of the time I'm the one who gets back to you.
I come out, look at the spot and talk through height, thickness, brick and cap with you. Then I send a written estimate that spells out what we'll do and what we won't.
If you go ahead, we take care of any permit the wall needs before work starts. Then our crew lays out the line, builds the wall course by course and sets the cap, and I'm on site while they work.
When the last brick is set, we clean the mortar off the face and tidy the site, then walk the wall with you. That's your time to ask questions and point out anything you want looked at.
We work out the wall's thickness, shape and cap with you before any brick is ordered. A tall, slim wall needs more to stand straight, and it's a lot easier to add a pier on paper than to fix a lean later. Once the plan is set, I order brick and cap that suit the spot, so what shows up matches what we agreed on.
On the day, our crew strings the line, checks that the first course is level and keeps every course plumb as it goes up. We tool the joints as the mortar firms up so they shed water, then set the cap and clean the face before we leave. If you'd like stone in the mix, our stone masonry work pairs well with brick for caps, piers or a matching planter.
Sometimes the honest answer is that you don't need a new wall at all. If your old brick wall is still standing straight and only the mortar is crumbling, brick pointing is a much smaller job than tearing it out, and I'll tell you that when I see it.
A row of brick set on edge along the top matches the wall and keeps it looking like one piece. It works well on lower walls and sheltered spots where the face doesn't take much weather.
A coping that overhangs both faces throws rain clear of the brick below. On a tall wall or an exposed spot, this is the one I usually lean toward, because the cap does a lot of the brick's protecting.
Send the form and you'll hear back within one business day, most of the time from me. I'll set a time to come out, look at where the wall goes and send you a free written estimate. There's no obligation and no pressure to book.
(925) 503-1025Antioch's Building Services Division issues building permits. Its list of work that doesn't need one includes retaining walls three feet tall or less, and replacement fences up to six feet in back and side yards and three feet in front yards. A new brick wall isn't named on that list, so I don't assume yours is exempt, and we check with the division before work starts.
Where the wall sits on your lot matters too. The city strongly encourages talking to its Planning Division early, to see which standards apply before plans go in or work starts, and that's worth doing for anything near a property line or the street. Most brick wall calls we get here are for side and back yard privacy walls and low front walls by the driveway.
We build brick walls the same way in Pittsburg, Brentwood and the other cities around Antioch. Each city has its own building office, so before work starts we check with the right one for your address instead of assuming Antioch's rules carry over.
I come out to look at every job myself, and I'm on site with our crew when the work gets done. I started as a helper mixing mortar and hauling block for masons who'd been at it for decades, then opened this business in Antioch in 2023. What I care about is a wall that's still straight long after we've packed up.
California's contractor license board has a license category that covers building masonry walls and fences. We're licensed and insured. And it's satisfaction guaranteed on every job. If you've got a wall in mind, call (925) 503-1025 or send the form, and I'll come out and tell you straight what it needs.
Stone caps, piers or a stone section can give a brick wall a heavier, more natural look, or tie it to stonework already on your property.
If an older brick wall is sound but its joints are crumbling or washed out, fresh mortar can keep it going for years without a rebuild.
We're based in Antioch and work in the cities around it, from Concord and Walnut Creek out to Brentwood and Rio Vista. If you're not sure we cover your address, call and ask.
You might, so check before you build, because the city's exempt list covers short retaining walls and replacement fences but doesn't name new brick walls. I bring it up at the estimate, and if your wall needs a permit, we pull it with the city and line up the inspections.
No, clay brick doesn't need paint or any surface treatment, and it keeps its own color. Once exterior masonry is painted, though, it needs repainting every three to five years, so I usually suggest leaving brick natural and picking a color you like from the start.
Yes, within limits. Work in the public right-of-way along the street, including curb cuts and driveway changes, needs a separate Encroachment Permit from the city's Engineering Division. On a corner lot, the zoning code allows a fence up to six feet in the corner side yard setback or at the right-of-way line, if it keeps a clear vision zone open.
No single mortar is best for every wall. Brick industry guidance is to pick the lowest-strength type that still meets what the wall has to do, rather than the strongest one you can buy. I'll tell you which type I'd use for yours when I look at the job.
The cost comes down to your wall's size and the choices you make, so I give you your figure in a written estimate after seeing the spot. A taller or thicker wall, piers, a premium brick or a stone coping raise it, and so do tearing out an old fence and tight access. A lower, straight wall with a simple brick cap keeps it down.
Most of the time goes into what happens before the first brick, like settling the design, getting brick and cap delivered and any permit. Once we start, the wall's length, height and piers set how many days the crew needs, and I'll talk through timing with you when I come out.
Mark roughly where you want the wall and clear plants, planters and stored items away from that line. Tell me about sprinkler lines or anything else buried near the spot before we start, and plan to keep pets and cars clear of the work area while the crew builds.
If you have the wall's planned height, length, yard location and a few photos ready when you call (925) 503-1025 or send the form, I'll come to the estimate already knowing what to look for.
