Brick wall installation in Lake Elsinore CA - a garden wall that keeps its color
Old fence sagging or a yard line left open? We'll help you pick a wall style and brick, then build it from the footing up.
- Fully licensed and insured.
- Free in-person estimates.
- We respond within 1 business day.
What goes into building a brick wall in Lake Elsinore?
Brick wall installation in Lake Elsinore means building a garden or fence wall from brick, set on a footing dug into solid ground and laid course by course, so you end up with a sturdy wall whose color is part of the brick itself.
Most people who call about a new brick wall want to close in a yard, frame a garden or finally replace a fence they're tired of patching. The price mostly moves with the wall's length and height, the style you pick, the brick and how much footing your ground calls for. The schedule turns on whether the job needs a permit and inspections, which we sort out with the city or the county before the crew starts. You get your own number from the estimate I give on site, after I've seen where the wall will go.
How do you know it's time to put in a brick wall?
Wood fence leaning again
Posts that lean or boards that keep popping loose usually mean the wood has rotted at the ground, and another patch only buys you a season. If you wait too long, a whole section comes down, usually after a windy night.
Ground that drops across the yard
When the yard slopes or dips along the line, a straight fence leaves gaps underneath and never looks quite right. A wall has to step with the ground, and that changes which style makes sense, so it's worth sorting out before you choose one.
Old wall cracked or leaning
A garden wall that's cracking or tipping usually has a footing problem, either too shallow or sitting on soil that moves. I'd rather find that cause than build a new wall the same way, because waiting lets the lean grow until the wall falls.
How we handle brick wall installation
We start by helping you choose a wall style and a brick that will stand up outdoors, and if a reclaimed batch you like isn't a good fit, I'll tell you straight before you spend money on it. Then we mark the line, dig the footing down to solid ground and set it, because everything above depends on it. The crew lays the brick course by course and keeps checking that it stays plumb and level. Then we finish the joints, cap the top of the wall and clean up the site.
Some people want a stone look on the piers or along the top of the wall, and our stone masonry work goes in right alongside the brick. Years from now, when the mortar between the bricks starts to wear thin, brick pointing cleans out the tired joints and packs fresh mortar in so the wall stays tight.
Pier and panel wall
Thin brick panels run between brick piers that brace them, so the wall uses less brick and is simpler to build than a solid wall. It suits long runs and yards where the ground rises and falls, because each panel can step to follow the slope.
Solid brick garden wall
Two layers of brick tied together make a heavier wall that looks finished from both sides. It suits shorter runs, planter edges and front yards where you want the wall to feel substantial, and you should expect it to take more brick and labor.
Brick piers with open infill
Brick columns stand at the corners and gates with iron or wood panels between them. It suits a front yard where you want a clear property line and still want to see through it.
Get a free on-site estimate for your brick wall
Send the form and we'll get back to you within one business day to set a time. I'll come out, walk the wall line with you and give you an estimate on site, with no pressure to book.
(951) 579-7076- Based in
- Lake Elsinore, CA 92530
- Hours
- Mon–Sun: 6 AM–11 PM
What happens after you call us about a brick wall in Lake Elsinore?
Here's how a brick wall job runs from your first call to the final walk-through, and who you'll be dealing with at each step.
Call or send the form
Tell us roughly where the wall goes and how long it runs, and we'll set a time for me to come out. A few photos of the spot help me know what to look for.
I walk the wall line
I look at the ground up close, ask what you've noticed about water and soil, and give you the estimate right there. It lays out the wall style, the brick and the footing behind your number, so you can see what drives the cost before you decide.
We handle paperwork, then build
Once you're ready, we sort out what the local office asks for and plan the work around any inspections. Our lead mason then runs the crew from the footing to the cap.
Walk the finished wall together
Before we call it done, I go over the joints, the cap and the cleanup with you. You get to ask your questions while we're both standing at the wall.
Why Lake Elsinore homeowners call E&M for brick walls
The owner gives your estimate
I come out myself, look at the ground and ask what you've noticed before I price anything. You get your answers from the person responsible for the wall, not from a salesperson.
In business since 2013
We've been doing masonry work for 13 years, and I was mixing mortar and hauling block on a crew long before that. That's long enough to know why walls fail and how to build one that doesn't fail the same way.
A lead mason runs your job
One lead mason runs the crew on site from the first course to the cap, and I check the finished wall with you. With one person in charge, details like footing depth and joint finish don't slip between hands.
Licensed and insured in California
We're fully licensed and insured, so the people working in your yard are covered. That's worth checking with any builder you're weighing, before any digging starts.
On a brick wall, the two things that matter most are a footing that suits your ground and a brick made to live outdoors. Your satisfaction, guaranteed. Tell us about your wall and I'll come take a look.
Building brick and stone walls on Lake Elsinore ground
A 2017 city report notes that Lake Elsinore's building code covers building and construction projects in the city. Whether your garden wall needs a permit is a question for the city's building department, and I won't guess at it from the curb. We find out whether your address falls under the city or the county, take care of the permit paperwork when the job needs it, and plan the work around inspections. The city also keeps a Garden Wall Standard and a combined retaining wall and garden wall handout on its standard building handouts page, so you can open them and see what they ask for.
The same 2017 report says expansive soil, clay that swells when it's wet and shrinks as it dries, is known to exist in Lake Elsinore, though no soil map then showed where. Brick industry guidance puts garden wall footings in undisturbed earth below the frost line and calls for reinforcing them when needed, especially in soils like that, so I look at your ground before I price the footing. We're based in Lake Elsinore and work across the cities around it, and we run into the same mix of ground on jobs in Wildomar and Lakeland Village.
Questions about brick walls in Lake Elsinore
Can I use reclaimed brick for my garden wall in Lake Elsinore?
Sometimes, but only when that batch meets the SW grade, the rating for brick made to take severe weather, and most used brick falls short. Old brick was often fired unevenly, so a pile can hold soft pieces that won't hold up outdoors. Brick industry guidance says to ask whether the batch meets the requirement before you buy it.
Does a brick wall need painting?
No, clay brick needs no paint or surface treatment, because the color is fired into the brick. Some people paint brick to change the look or to bounce more light around a patio, but brick industry guidance says painted exterior masonry needs repainting every three to five years. Leaving it bare keeps that repeat job and its cost off your calendar.
Who can build a brick wall in California?
A licensed contractor, unless the job comes to less than $1,000, needs no permit and the person doing it employs no one on the project. That's California's minor work exemption, so it only fits small jobs done without a crew. Above that, brick walls for buildings and fences fall under the state's masonry contractor license, which covers laying clay brick and other masonry units with or without mortar.
How do I apply for a building permit in Lake Elsinore?
You apply online through the city's Citizen's Self Service Portal, which you'll find on the Lake Elsinore Building Department page. Fill out the permit application before you upload anything, because online submittals are only accepted with a completed application attached. If you plan to build the wall yourself, the city's handouts page has an owner builder application, instructions and packet to start from.
How much does a brick wall cost in Lake Elsinore?
I can't give you an honest number until I've seen the spot, because the cost comes down to the wall's length and height, the style, the brick and the footing your ground needs. A longer or taller wall, a heavier footing for clay soil or a special-order brick will push it up, and a simpler style that uses less brick brings it down. The estimate I give on site puts your own number on it.
What is the best way to keep water out of a brick wall?
Well-tooled mortar joints are the first defense, because tooling presses the mortar tight against the brick so rain runs off instead of soaking in. Brick industry guidance suggests asking any crew how they'll tool the joints, and it's a fair question. A properly built brick wall resists rain on its own, and when the joints wear years later, repointing them restores that protection.
Masonry work that pairs with a brick wall
Stone masonry
If you'd rather have a wall built entirely from natural stone, or a mix of stone and brick, this is where we start that conversation.
Brick pointing
An older brick wall or chimney with sandy, crumbling mortar lines can usually be saved by replacing the mortar alone, without tearing out any of the brick.
Cities we build brick walls in around Lake Elsinore
E&M Lake Elsinore Concrete & Masonry is based in Lake Elsinore, CA, and builds brick walls across the cities around it, including Murrieta and Menifee. These are the 12 cities with their own page on our site, and they aren't the only places we work.
Lake Elsinore, CA
Get your brick wall planned and priced
Have the wall's length, rough height, its spot on the lot and a few photos of the ground ready when you call (951) 579-7076 or send the form, and I'll know what to look for before I arrive.