Brick wall installation in Woodland CA - full joints that hold up to the weather
Planning a garden wall or a wall along the property line? We build brick walls with full joints, on a plan that fits your yard.
What goes into building a brick wall in Woodland?
Brick wall installation in Woodland means our masons lay brick on a brick or concrete footing to build a garden wall or a property line wall for your yard. People choose brick because its color is part of the brick itself, and a well-built brick wall holds up to rain.
Before I give you any answers, I'll ask a few questions, starting with where the wall goes and what the ground does there. On a sloping yard or a tight budget, ask about a pier and panel wall, where thin brick panels run between masonry piers that brace them, because it's relatively easy to build, economical and adapts easily to uneven ground. If the ground behind the wall needs holding back, that's a retaining wall, which is a different job. The price mostly moves with the wall's length and height, the design, the brick you pick, how much digging the footing takes and whether the wall needs a finish, and the schedule turns on the permit and the size of the wall. Your written estimate spells out what's included so you know your own number before any work starts, and we settle the permit question with the city before we dig.
What our brick wall installation includes
Once the plan is set, our crew stakes out the line so you can see exactly where the wall will stand, then digs and pours the footing, because a wall is only as straight as what it sits on. Our masons lay the brick course by course and fill every joint completely, with the same care we'd give a house wall, since a yard wall takes weather on both faces and the top, and an open joint is where water gets in and decay starts. That's why I'd weigh how a mason fills joints as heavily as the price when you compare bids. We finish the joints so they shed water, set a cap on top, clean the face and haul off the mess.
A brick wall often comes with work around it. If you like the look of stone, our stone masonry work can add stone piers or a stone cap that sit well with the brick. If what you've got is an old brick wall that's still standing but losing mortar, brick pointing may be all it needs, so ask before you tear it out.
Woodland's rules for brick walls and fences
Woodland requires a building permit for fences built with brick and for retaining walls 36 inches or taller, and the city's building office checks the structure. Each fence or wall is also reviewed and approved for location, size and material before construction, with the city's planning office checking where it sits and how tall it is. We check with the city for your address before we start and pull the permit when the job needs one, so you don't find out about a height limit after the footing's poured. Walls along the street, next to what the city calls the public right-of-way, have to be stained, painted or given a graffiti-resistant coating, so a street-side wall comes with a finish to choose and keep up, which we cover in the questions below.
We're based in Woodland and work in many cities around it. Most brick walls we're asked about are back and side yard walls along a property line, with some lower front yard walls and street-side walls, and we plan each one for the rules where it sits. Rules differ from city to city, so on jobs in Winters or Elk Grove we check with that city's office the same way.
How a brick wall gets built
Call or send a few photos
You call or send a few photos of the spot, and we set a time for me to come out. A picture of the yard helps me show up with the right questions.
I walk the yard and estimate
I look at the ground, the slope and where the wall will stand, then ask what you want it to do. You get a written estimate that spells out the design, the brick, the footing and what's included, so you know what you're paying for.
We handle the permit question
We check with the city or county building office for your address, and if the wall needs a permit we pull it and set up the inspections. In Woodland, building starts once the city has reviewed and approved the wall's location, size and material.
We build, then walk it together
A crew lead and our masons build the wall, and I stop by to check on it along the way. When it's done, I walk it with you before we call it finished.
Get a written estimate for your brick wall or fence
We get back to you within one business day. I come out to look at the spot, ask a few questions and leave you a written estimate of what's included. The visit is free, and there's no obligation.
Questions before you build a brick wall
Do I need a permit to build a brick wall in Woodland?
In most cases, yes, because the city requires a building permit for fences built with brick, as covered above. We check your address with the city before we start, and if your wall needs a permit we pull it and set up the inspections.
How tall can a brick wall be in Woodland?
A wall in the side or rear setback, the strip along those lot lines where building is held back, can sit right on the property line and stand up to 7 feet tall. A solid wall in the required front setback or along the front property line can be no taller than 3 feet 6 inches, and the city's rule lists some exceptions. We check which limit applies to your spot before we draw anything up.
What is the best way to reuse old brick in a new garden wall?
Most of the time, old brick isn't a good pick for a garden wall. National brick industry guidance is to use salvaged brick in a garden wall only when it meets the SW grade, the rating for brick made to take hard weather, and used brick generally doesn't, partly because it's often unevenly fired. If you've got a pile you'd like to use, I'll look at it and tell you straight whether it's up to the job.
How much does it cost to install a brick wall?
Across the US, a brick wall with about 220 square feet of finished area usually costs about $13,000 to $18,500. That's a national example, not a Woodland quote or our price. Your written estimate gives you the number for your own wall.
How do I keep a brick wall low maintenance?
Leave the brick bare, because clay brick needs no paint or surface treatment. Some people paint a brick wall for the look or to make it reflect more light, but most paint authorities agree painted exterior masonry needs repainting every three to five years, so paint adds a regular job to your budget. Street-side walls are the exception, since the city wants those stained, painted or coated.
What causes a brick garden wall to lean or crack?
Usually it's the footing, because a wall set on loose fill or shallow ground moves when the ground does. National brick industry guidance places garden wall footings in undisturbed earth below the frost line, reinforced if needed, especially in soil that swells and shrinks. That's why I look hard at the ground before I write the estimate.
Why Woodland homeowners call Signature Woodland Concrete and Masonry for brick walls
I come out and write the estimate
I'm the one who looks at your yard, asks the questions and writes up the estimate, and I stop by while our crew lead and masons build. You're dealing with the person who planned your wall from the first visit.
In business since 2017
We're best known for working out why brick, stone or a wall gave out before we fix it. Seeing what fails is a big part of how we build a new wall, starting with the footing and the joints.
Licensed and insured in California
We're licensed and insured. California's state licensing board has a masonry classification that covers building masonry walls for structures and fences, so it's fair to ask any mason you're comparing which license they hold.
On a brick wall, the parts you don't see once it's up, the footing and the joints, decide how long it lasts, so it pays to get the plan right before anyone digs. Send us the details or call (530) 207-3191, and I'll come take a look.
Other work that goes with a brick wall
Stone masonry
When you'd rather build in fieldstone or cut stone, or want the yard to match a stone house front, our stone masonry brings the same footing and joint care.
Brick pointing
An older brick wall losing its mortar can often be saved by raking out the worn joints and refilling them, so have it checked before tearing it down.
Plan your brick wall or garden fence
Call (530) 207-3191 or use the form, and have the wall's rough length and height ready, plus whether it goes in the front yard, the back yard or along the street, since that decides which height limit applies.
