Brick wall installation in Lake Charles LA - a wall that drains and holds in a storm
Planning brick on your house or a wall in the yard? We build it with the ties and drainage behind the brick done right.
What goes into a new brick wall in Lake Charles?
Brick wall installation in Lake Charles covers two kinds of job. We build brick veneer, a single layer of brick tied to the outside of your house, and freestanding walls for yards and gardens. Built well, brick gives you color that's in the clay itself and a wall that stands up to rain for a long time.
Most people who call us for a new brick wall want to put brick on a house, replace brick that came off in a storm, or close in a patio or garden. The price moves mostly with the size of the wall, the brick you choose and how many windows, doors and corners we have to work around, and veneer adds the ties and drainage work behind the brick. The schedule turns on whether the city wants a permit, when the brick arrives and how many dry days we get, since fresh mortar and heavy rain don't mix. I walk the job with you, explain what I see and send the estimate in writing, so you have real figures for your own wall. If your current wall is mostly sound and only cracked or loose in spots, brick repair may be all you need.
How we handle brick wall installation, step by step
I start by looking at what the new brick will sit against or stand beside and talking it through with you. On brick veneer, the parts that matter most sit behind the brick, the metal ties that hold it to the house and the open space that lets water drain back out, so I walk you through those before we lay the first course. Our crew sets the ties as the wall rises, keeps mortar droppings out of that space so water has a clear path down, and tools each joint so it sheds rain. When we're done, we clean the brick face and haul off the scraps, and I'll show you what to keep an eye on, mostly soil and mulch piling up against the bottom row where the water needs to get out.
A brick wall often meets other work. If you'd like stone on part of the wall, a stone cap or columns that match stone elsewhere on the property, we handle that through our stone masonry work in the same job. If older brick on the house has crumbling joints, brick pointing, cleaning out the worn mortar and packing in fresh, lets the old wall keep up with the new one.
Brick veneer on your house
This suits you if you want the look and low upkeep of brick on the house itself, in place of old siding or brick that came down. It means working around windows, doors and the roof edge, and it's the job where the hidden ties matter most.
Freestanding yard or garden wall
This suits a garden border, a privacy wall or the edge of a patio. It has no house to lean on, so its thickness and shape do the work, and I'll go over which layout fits your spot when I come out.
What brick wall installation in Lake Charles has to plan for
In Lake Charles, the city's Permit Center issues building permits and inspects new and altered buildings to see that they meet code. Whether your wall needs a permit depends on the job, so before we start we find out which office covers your address and what it asks for, and when a permit is needed we take care of the paperwork and tell you where it stands. If you'd like to ask the city yourself, the Permit Center answers questions about building on your property at 337-491-1294.
The bigger concern here is wind. Federal hurricane guidance says brick veneer is frequently blown off house walls in hurricanes, and once it's gone, wind-driven water gets into the house behind it. That same guidance notes that the corrugated ties common on homes give little resistance when the brick is pushed toward the wall, and it recommends two-piece adjustable ties because they're much stronger, so the ties are worth asking about on any bid this close to the Gulf. We see the same wind and heavy rain on jobs in Sulphur and Moss Bluff, and we plan every veneer wall around it.
A look at brick wall work
Why call us for a brick wall
I come out and explain it
I come out to look at the job and talk it through with you, and our crew does the work while I'm on site checking it as it goes. You hear the plan from the same person who watches it get built.
Years spent tracking down wet walls
Before starting this business in 2023, I spent years keeping rental homes in repair for a property management company, patching brick and finding out why walls stayed wet. That's why I build a new wall thinking first about where the water goes.
We're licensed and fully insured
We're licensed and fully insured, and the state's rules on who may bid a wall are in the questions below. In Lake Charles you can also ask any contractor about a city license, since the Permit Center licenses building contractors here.
On a brick wall, the work you won't see once the last course is up decides how well it holds, so contact us and I'll walk you through it on your own wall.
(337) 502-4212Get a written estimate for your new brick wall
We reply within one business day by phone or message, and the on-site estimate is free with no obligation. I'll come out, walk the wall with you and explain what I see, then send the estimate in writing.
Brick wall questions from Lake Charles homeowners
How much does a new brick wall cost in Lake Charles?
Brick and masonry work in Lake Charles usually costs about $10 to $25 per square foot. That's the going rate in the area, not our price, and where your wall falls depends on its size, the brick, and how much cutting around windows, doors and corners it takes. I'll measure it with you and send a written estimate for your own wall.
How long does brick veneer last on a house?
Brick veneer can last a very long time, as long as the metal ties holding it to the house aren't weakened by rust. National storm guidance recommends stainless steel ties for that reason, so it's fair to ask for them in your bid. Ask me which ties are in your estimate, and I'll tell you why.
What is the best way to keep a brick wall low maintenance?
Leave it unpainted. Clay brick doesn't need paint or any surface treatment, while most paint authorities agree that painted outdoor masonry needs repainting every three to five years. Bare brick keeps its color in the clay, so mostly you just look it over after a big storm.
Who is allowed to build a brick wall at my house in Louisiana?
It depends on what the job is worth. Under Louisiana's contractor rules, home improvement projects exceeding $7,500 but not in excess of $50,000 must be bid or done by a home improvement registrant or licensed contractor, and the state board counts a wall beside the house as home improvement once it's worth seven thousand five hundred dollars or more. Projects of $50,000 or more, or any with structural work, need a licensed Residential Building Contractor to bid and build them.
How do I know a brick veneer bid covers water getting behind the brick?
Look for flashing, weeps and an air space in the bid. National brick industry guidance says veneer walls are built to drain, because some rain is expected to get through the brick, and those three parts work together to send it back outside. Flashing is a waterproof strip low in the wall, and weeps are small openings that let the water out. If a bid skips them, ask why.
How do I keep a freestanding brick garden wall from leaning over?
Give it more thickness or more shape. UK brick guidance says thinner freestanding walls can only be so slender before sideways pushes like wind become a stability problem, and a thicker base, piers that stick out along the wall, or a zigzag or staggered layout gets past that limit. When I look at your yard, I'll talk through which layout suits the spot and the look you want.
Plan your new brick wall and the masonry around it
Call (337) 502-4212 or send the form with the wall's rough size and whether it's veneer or a yard wall, so I come out ready.
