Masonry contractor in Sulphur, LA - brick and chimneys made sound again
Quality Lake Charles Concrete & Masonry repairs cracked mortar, worn brick and chimneys on Sulphur, LA homes, and builds new brick walls, walkways, driveways and outdoor kitchens. I look at each wall with you first and explain what's wrong.
Sulphur is a city of brick homes on slabs
Sulphur sits just west of Lake Charles, across the Calcasieu River. As a masonry contractor in Lake Charles, LA, we're over here often. Most of the streets we work on are lined with single-story brick houses on concrete slabs. The older ones sit closer to the middle of town, and the newer subdivisions have brick fronts. Out back you'll find patios, walkways and now and then an outdoor kitchen. Most of that brick is veneer, one layer of brick tied to the wood frame behind it. So when it cracks, the brick usually isn't the problem. It's showing you what the slab or the mortar is doing.
The calls we get here sound a lot like the ones from Moss Bluff. People call about cracked mortar, a tired chimney or a front walk that's sunk. Others want a new brick wall that looks like it belongs with the house.
What we know from working in Sulphur
Inside Sulphur city limits, all construction work has to be inspected. The city's Inspections and Permits Department is the office that handles those permits and inspections. Each inspection is a stop in the schedule, so we plan the work around them instead of hoping to squeeze them in. State law also makes it a violation for a contractor to start work without a permit, to start before the permit is issued, or to skip required inspections. Before you hire anyone, ask to see their state contractor license and their Sulphur business license, and ask who is pulling the permit. We're licensed and fully insured, and I'm glad to show you.
Before a Sulphur job starts, we find out what the city asks for at your address. When a permit is needed, we handle the paperwork and tell you where it stands. Price turns on the same things here as in Jennings: how much wall or walkway is involved, how hard it is to match old brick and mortar color, and how easy the work is to reach. The schedule leans on the weather, since fresh mortar and a downpour don't mix, and on when the inspections land. Your own number comes in the written estimate after I've seen the job.
Masonry work we do in Sulphur
- Foundation repair
- Chimney repair
- Tuckpointing
- Brick repair
- Driveway pavers
- Retaining wall construction
- Masonry restoration
- Fireplace installation
- Stone veneer installation
- Concrete block walls
- Foundation block wall installation
- Outdoor kitchen masonry
- Walkway construction
- Brick wall installation
- Stone masonry
- Brick pointing
Wet ground and big storms show up in the brick
Sulphur gets long, wet summers and heavy rain. The ground under a slab swells when it's soaked and shrinks in a dry spell. Over the years that movement shows up as cracked mortar, usually in a stair-step line. Once the joints open, rain gets in behind the brick and makes it worse. Before we touch the wall, we work out whether the ground is still moving, because new mortar over a crack that's still opening just cracks again. Then we do the brick repair or the repointing the wall needs. Repointing means cutting out the old mortar and packing in new. When we're done, I'll tell you what to watch so you catch the next one early.
Storms are the other thing. Hurricane Laura destroyed the Brimstone Museum's railroad depot in 2020, and we still find Sulphur chimneys and brick walls that took more of a beating than anyone noticed at the time. After a bad blow, I look first for loose brick near the top of the chimney and for cracks around windows.
Get a free on-site masonry estimate in Sulphur
We'll get back to you within one business day, by phone or message, to set a time. I'll come out to your Sulphur house, look at the job with you, and then send you a written estimate. There's no obligation to go ahead.
How a masonry job goes when you call us from Sulphur
Call or send us a message
Tell us what you're seeing and where the house is in Sulphur. It might be a crack, a loose chimney brick or a wall you want built. Photos help me know what to bring.
I look at it with you
I come out, walk the wall or the yard with you, and show you what I see, including what I think is causing it. That's usually the most useful part of the visit.
You get a written estimate
I send the estimate in writing, so you can see each part of the work and the reason for it. Take your time with it and call me with any questions.
We sort out permits and inspections
We check what the city's permit office asks for at your address and take care of the paperwork when a permit is needed. The city's inspections go into the schedule at the stages they cover.
We build it and walk it
Our crew does the work, and I'm on site checking it as it goes. When it's done, we walk the job together and I show you what to keep an eye on.
Brick, stone and block work
Masonry questions from Sulphur homeowners
Does masonry work in Sulphur, LA need a city inspection?
Yes. Inside Sulphur city limits, the city inspects all construction work, so plan on inspections for a masonry job there. If you want to ask about your own address, the chief building inspector's line is 337-527-2050. We check what applies before we start.
Can I apply for a building permit online in Sulphur?
Yes. The city takes building permits and specialty trade permits completely online through its permits and licensing system. On a job we take, you won't need to, because we handle the permit paperwork when one is needed and keep you posted.
Is there a license tax for contractors working outside Sulphur city limits?
Yes. In the parts of Calcasieu Parish outside any city, anyone working a trade owes the parish an annual occupational license tax. Inside Sulphur, the city handles business licenses and takes new applications online. Either way, it's fair to ask whether the contractor you hire is set up for where your house sits.
How much does masonry repair cost in Sulphur, LA?
Masonry work in Sulphur is priced by the job, so the honest number comes from the written estimate after I've seen the wall. The biggest swing is whether the cause, like water or a moving slab, has to be fixed first. Patching over it costs less today. I'd still rather fix the cause, because otherwise you end up paying for the same crack twice.
What causes cracks in the brick on Sulphur houses?
Most cracks start with water getting into the mortar or with the ground shifting under the slab. A thin stair-step crack that isn't growing is usually old movement and a mortar job. A crack through the bricks themselves, or one that keeps widening, tells me something is still moving. Mark the ends with a pencil and check them again in a month or two.
What is the best way to fix a storm-damaged brick chimney in Sulphur?
Have it looked at before you light a fire or the next big storm comes through, because loose brick near the top is the part that falls. We check the crown, which is the concrete cap that sheds water, and every row of brick above the roofline. Then we reset or rebuild what's loose. Our chimney repair page covers the rest.
Call us about the brick on your Sulphur house
We take calls evenings and weekends, so call (337) 502-4212 after work or fill out our form tonight.