Brick wall installation in Wake Forest NC - a wall that stands straight and sheds rain
Want a garden or boundary wall that won't lean or soak through? We plan the brick, the cap and any piers around your spot.
What does it take to build a brick wall in Wake Forest?
Brick wall installation in Wake Forest means our masons build a freestanding clay brick wall on a solid footing with a cap along the top. You end up with a strong wall that keeps its own color and, when it's built properly, keeps rain from getting in.
Most people who call about a new brick wall want to mark a boundary, frame a garden or close off a patio, and they want it to look right next to the house for a long time. The price moves with the wall's length and height, whether it needs piers or a thicker base, the brick and cap you choose, and how easy the spot is to reach and dig. The schedule turns mostly on whether your address needs the city's approval first and on dry weather for laying brick. If the wall will hold back soil, that's really retaining wall construction, which gets planned differently. When I come out, I put in writing what we'd build and why, so you're looking at a real plan for your own wall.
How we handle brick wall installation
I start by walking where the wall will go with you, because how open that spot is to wind and rain decides which brick and which cap make sense, and we pick them together. If the wall is long and thin, I tell you up front whether it needs piers, short thicker columns built into it along its length, to stand straight, since that changes both the look and how much brick it takes. Then our masons mark the line, dig out and pour the footing, lay each course true to a string line, tool the joints so they shed water, set the cap along the top and clean up the site before we leave.
Brick isn't the right answer for every wall. If you'd rather have stone, or stone mixed with brick, our stone masonry work covers it, and I'll walk you through how each one holds up where you want it. If you're here because an older wall is wearing out, it may not need replacing at all, since brick pointing, clearing out tired mortar and packing in fresh, often fixes the cause instead of covering it up.
Why Wake Forest homeowners call us for brick walls
I write your estimate myself
I come out to look at where your wall will go and write the estimate, and our own masons do the build while I check in as it goes. The person who planned your wall is the one keeping an eye on it.
In business since 2020
I started this business in 2020 after running the schedule for a busy masonry outfit and learning the trade on its crews. Planning other people's jobs taught me not to let a wall start until its plan is settled.
Historic district approval comes first
For historic district homes in Wake Forest, we plan around the city's approval before any work starts. That way the wall you and I agree on is the wall the city expects to see.
Licensed and fully insured, every job
We're licensed and fully insured. The NC Licensing Board for General Contractors requires a general contractor's license once a project's total cost is valued at $40,000 or higher, so on bigger jobs it's worth asking any contractor to show theirs.
On a brick wall, most of what decides how it holds up gets settled before the first brick goes down. It helps to know where the wall will go, about how long it'll run, whether it holds back soil and whether your home is in a historic district. Tell us about your wall or call (984) 237-6028, and I'll come walk the spot with you.
Get a written plan for your brick wall
We reply to every call and message within one business day. I'll set a time to walk the spot with you, then give you a free estimate in writing that says what we'd build and why, with no obligation. Photos of the spot help me come prepared.
A look at brick wall work
Questions before you build a brick wall
How much does it cost to build a brick wall in Wake Forest?
Across the US, building a brick wall usually costs about $2,200 to $8,500 per project, a national figure for the whole job and not our price. Length, height, piers, the brick and cap you pick and how hard the spot is to reach move a wall up or down, and natural clay brick costs more per square foot than concrete block. I'll give you your own figure in writing after I walk the spot.
Does a brick wall need painting or sealing?
No, clay brick needs no painting or surface treatment. Most paint authorities agree painted outdoor masonry needs repainting every three to five years, so leaving brick bare skips that chore and paint becomes a choice you make only for looks. Our walls are backed by our satisfaction guarantee.
How do I keep a long thin brick wall from leaning?
A thicker base, piers that stick out from the face or a zigzag layout keeps a thin brick wall stable. UK brick guidance notes that thinner brick walls have a slenderness limit against sideways forces, and those three options are how it gets past that limit. Each one changes the wall's look and how much brick it takes, so it's worth settling before you fall in love with a design.
Does a brick retaining wall need a design professional in North Carolina?
It does if the wall crosses over a neighboring property line, because the state residential code requires a registered design professional to design a retaining wall on a home site in that case, no matter its height. For a wall that holds back soil and runs over a lot line, we build from that professional's design.
Do I need a permit to build a brick wall in Wake Forest?
Check with the Town of Wake Forest for your wall, because the city issues development permits for fences and accessory structures inside its limits or its Extra-Territorial Jurisdiction, or ETJ, and its list names fences and sheds, not brick walls. The city's Jurisdiction and Corporate Limits map shows whether your lot is inside the limits or the ETJ, and a home in a Wake Forest Historic District or a designated Local Landmark needs a Certificate of Appropriateness for front, side or rear yards. The city's fence rules also keep fences out of public easements, so ask about your wall line if it crosses one. When a permit is needed, we work out with you which office covers your address and handle the paperwork together, and we do the same in the cities around us, from Raleigh and Durham up to Oxford and Henderson.
What causes the bottom of a brick wall to stay wet?
Usually it's water running toward the wall from paving or ground that slopes the wrong way and sitting against the bottom rows of brick. UK brick guidance slopes paving away from the wall or adds a drainage strip where the two meet, so the lowest courses don't get soaked. When a wall sits beside a patio or walk, we look at which way the water runs before we lay out the line.
Related work you might need
- Stone masonry
Some yards suit stone better than brick, and stone piers or a stone cap can pair well with a brick wall, so it's worth weighing before you settle on materials.
- Brick pointing
If you already have a brick wall that stands true but its mortar joints are crumbling or washing out, fresh pointing seals them before water starts working into the brick.