Brick wall installation in Tallahassee FL - a wall that stands straight and sheds water
Planning a garden or boundary wall and worried it will lean or stain? We build brick walls with the support and cap they need.
- Licensed and fully insured.
- Free in-person estimates.
- Expect a reply within 1 business day.
What goes into a brick wall that lasts in Tallahassee?
Brick wall installation in Tallahassee is the building of a freestanding brick wall for a garden, a courtyard or a property line. It sits on a solid footing, is braced so it stands straight and is capped so rain stays out. Brick is strong and holds its color well, and a properly built wall keeps out the rain, so it pays to build it right the first time.
Most people who call me about a new wall have a spot in mind and two questions, what it will cost and when we can start. The price moves with how far the wall runs, how it's braced, the brick and cap you choose, how easily we can reach and dig the ground, and whether an old wall has to come out first. The schedule turns on getting your brick delivered, a dry stretch of weather to lay it in and any permit the city asks for. Once I've seen the spot, you get a written estimate in plain words that sets all of that out.
How our brick wall installation is done
We start by setting out the line with you and digging for a footing, because a wall can only be as straight as what it stands on. A thin brick wall needs help to stay upright, so before a brick goes down I talk you through piers built out from the wall at intervals, a wider base or a staggered line, and which one suits your ground and the look you want. We then lay the brick by hand and tool each joint firm and smooth, as I was taught, since a joint left rough or hollow lets water in. The top gets a cap to keep rain from soaking down into the wall, and if you're thinking of painting it, I'll tell you plainly whether the look is worth the upkeep it adds.
Some walls call for related work. If you'd like stone on the piers or the cap, or a wall that mixes brick with natural rock, our stone masonry work joins up with it. If the joints on your house or an older wall nearby have worn hollow, brick pointing refills them so the old brickwork and the new look right side by side.
Straight wall with piers or a wider base
This suits a property line or a long run beside a drive, where you want the wall to follow a straight edge. Piers also give a natural place for a gate or a light, and a wider base works where piers would get in the way.
Staggered or zigzag wall
This suits a garden or courtyard with room for the wall to step in and out, because the bends brace it without piers. Many people like the way shadows fall across it, though it takes up more ground than a straight wall.
If an existing wall is leaning or cracking where people walk, call (850) 391-6065 rather than waiting, so I can look at it before it moves any further.
What happens when you call about a brick wall in Tallahassee?
From the first call to the last walk-through, you deal with me and the small crew I trained. Here is how a new brick wall goes from an idea to finished work.
Call or send the form
Call (850) 391-6065 or use the form to tell us about the wall you have in mind. We'll arrange a time for me to come and see the spot.
I look it over with you
I come out myself, walk the line with you and explain what I see in the ground and the setting before I write anything down. This is when we settle on piers, a wider base or a staggered line.
Get a plain written estimate
You get a written estimate in plain words, so you know what the wall will cost before you commit to anything. If you go ahead, we set a start that suits you and take care of the permit side where one applies.
We build, clean and walk it
The crew I trained works alongside me, and we clean up as we go so your yard isn't left in a mess. When the cap is on, I walk the finished wall with you before we call it done.
Get a free on-site estimate for your brick wall
Send the form and we'll reply within one business day to set a time for me to come out. The estimate is free and done on site, with no pressure and no obligation.
(850) 391-6065Permits and conditions for brick wall installation in Tallahassee
In Tallahassee, the city's Building Inspection Division issues the permits needed to build, renovate or expand a structure, and the codes adopted by the State of Florida apply to the design of new work. The city's permits name retaining walls, but that doesn't settle whether a freestanding garden wall needs one, so the place to ask is the division at 850-891-7001, option 2, then option 1. We're licensed and fully insured, and where your wall needs a permit, we help you find out which office handles your property and take care of the paperwork for our part of the work.
We're based in Tallahassee and build the same kind of walls across the cities around it, including Bradfordville and Crawfordville. Many walls here go in beside a patio or walk, and UK brick trade guidance says paving next to a wall should slope away from it, or have a drainage strip beside it, so the bottom rows of brick don't stay soaked. With the hard rain we get, I check that before the first row of brick goes down.
Brick wall questions we hear in Tallahassee
How much does it cost to build a brick wall in Tallahassee?
I price each wall after seeing it, because the same length of wall can cost quite differently depending on the ground and the design. Piers or a staggered line, a special brick or cap, a hard-to-reach spot and an old wall to tear out all raise the price. A straight run on good ground in a plain brick, left unpainted, keeps it lower now and later.
How much upkeep does a brick wall need?
Very little, if the wall is properly designed and built with good workmanship. The cap and any sealant joints are the parts that may need inspection and repair from time to time, so it's worth planning an occasional look at them.
Should I paint my brick wall or leave it natural?
I'd leave it natural unless you really want a color the brick can't give you, because clay brick needs no paint or surface treatment to do its job. Most paint authorities agree painted outside masonry needs repainting every three to five years, so painting adds a job you'll keep doing for as long as you have the wall.
What sealer should I use on a brick wall?
If you seal it at all, use a penetrating water repellent, because brick industry guidance advises against film-forming or acrylic-based coatings and sealers. A penetrating repellent can help a one-layer wall resist moisture but needs reapplying from time to time. The same guidance says it's no substitute for proper drainage details, so it won't cure a wall that lets water in for other reasons.
What is the best way to keep a thin brick wall from leaning?
Give it a thicker base, piers that project from the wall, or a zigzag or staggered layout, which UK brick trade guidance names as the ways past the limit on how slender a thin wall can be and still resist sideways forces. It's fair to ask any mason which of those their design uses before you sign.
What causes a long brick garden wall to crack?
Often it's movement with nowhere to go, because a freestanding wall isn't held in place the way a house wall is and moves more from side to side. UK brick trade guidance calls for vertical movement joints along such a wall for that reason, so each stretch has a planned break where it can shift on its own.
Brick and stone work that pairs with a new wall
Stone piers or a stone cap give a new brick wall a heavier, older look that suits a yard with stone already in its steps or beds.
Mortar that's soft or falling out lets water into the brick, and repointing it protects the wall you have before it needs bigger repairs.
Ask about your new brick wall
Call (850) 391-6065 or send the form with the property address, what the wall is for and its rough length, so I can come out with the right design ideas in hand.