Brick wall installation in Lansing MI - a wall that stands straight and sheds water
Want a brick wall in the yard or brick on the house? We build it to stand straight and keep water moving out.
- Licensed and fully insured.
- Free on-site estimates.
- We respond within 1 business day.
What does it take to build a brick wall in Lansing?
Brick wall installation in Lansing means building a freestanding brick wall in your yard or adding brick veneer, a single layer of brick, to the outside walls of your house, and built well, either one gives you a strong, solid wall.
Most people who call Craftsman Lansing Concrete and Masonry about a new brick wall already have a spot in mind, like a property line, the edge of a patio or a plain side of the house they want faced in brick. The first thing I settle is which of the two you want, because a yard wall and brick on the house are built differently and priced differently. After that, the price moves with the wall's length and height, the brick you pick, how much shaping it needs to stand on its own and, on a house, the drainage behind the brick. The schedule mostly turns on the weather, since fresh mortar doesn't like freezing, and on getting your brick delivered. If the wall has to hold back a slope, that's a different build, and our retaining wall construction page covers it. Either way, I'll look at the spot and put your own number in an estimate you can think over.
How we handle brick wall installation
First we figure out whether you want a wall standing on its own in the yard or brick on the house, because they're built differently from the ground up. Then I lay out the line with you, we dig out and prepare the base, lay the brick in mortar and finish the top or the edges before we clean up. On a house wall, the drainage behind the brick is part of the job, not an extra, so we build it in as the brick goes up.
If you'd rather have natural stone, or want stone mixed in with the brick, that's our stone masonry work. If you already have a brick wall that's sound but losing its mortar, brick pointing brings it back without building new.
A freestanding wall in the yard
This suits a garden wall, a privacy screen or a patio edge, and since nothing holds it up, British brick guidance limits how slender a thin wall can be against sideways push and fixes it with a thicker base, piers along the face or a zigzag or staggered layout. That means the design sets the wall's look and how much yard it takes, and the same guidance calls for vertical movement joints, planned gaps that let the wall shift, because a yard wall moves side to side more than a house wall.
Brick veneer on your house
This suits a house where you want brick laid over the outside walls that are already there. National brick guidance says that single layer of brick lets water through and is built as a drainage wall, so any veneer quote you compare should cover the drainage system behind the brick as well as the brick itself.
Brick wall installation in Lansing and where your wall can go
Lansing's fence guide says fences can go up at the property line without permits, but it's written for fences and hedges and doesn't name brick walls, so don't take it as the answer for your wall. Before work starts I check with the office that covers your address, and if the job needs a permit or a historic district review, we work out the paperwork with you before anyone picks up a trowel. The same guide also sets height limits by where something stands on the lot, so I measure the spot against it before we stake out a line.
We're based in Lansing and work across the cities around it, and a lot of the houses we see are older brick, so on veneer or a wall that sits next to the house we look at matching the color, size and mortar to what's already there before we order anything. We run into the same older brick on jobs in East Lansing and Okemos.
Why Lansing homeowners call Craftsman Lansing Concrete and Masonry for brick walls
I look at every wall myself
I come out to see the spot and write the estimate, and I'm on site working with our crew while the wall goes up. The person who told you how it'll be built is the one making sure it gets built that way.
Licensed and fully insured, every job
We're licensed and fully insured, whether it's a short garden wall or a full side of the house. That protects you and your property while our crew is working there.
Brick picked for freeze and thaw
Lansing winters freeze and thaw over and over, and brick that's soaked when it freezes is what flakes apart first. I look at where your wall will sit, by a salted driveway or in a sheltered back corner, before we pick the brick and how we cap the top.
Straight answers since 2023
We've been a full-time masonry business since 2023, and I'd rather tell you a smaller wall will do than sell you brick you don't need. You get the reason behind every line in the estimate.
If you've got a spot picked out, send a few photos through our contact page or call (517) 237-5922, and I'll come take a look.
Request a quoteGet a free on-site estimate for your brick wall
Send the form and we'll reply within one business day to set a time. I come out, look at the spot with you and put the plan and the price in a free estimate. There's no obligation to go ahead.
What happens after you call about a brick wall?
Call or send a few photos
Call (517) 237-5922 or send photos of the spot through the form, with a rough length and height if you have one. We'll set a time for me to come out.
I walk the spot with you
I look at where the wall will go and tell you what I see, what I'd build and what you could skip. You get it written up in an estimate with the wall type, the brick and the price, and nothing is decided until you say go.
Paperwork first, then brick
Once you say go, we sort out any paperwork that's needed. Then our crew builds the wall.
Clean up and look it over
We clean up the site and walk the finished wall with you before we call it done. If something isn't right, tell me then.
Frequently asked questions
How much does a brick wall cost in Lansing, MI?
Brick and masonry work in Lansing usually costs about $12 to $30 per square foot of wall, and that's the going rate around here, not our quote. Where your wall lands in that range depends on the brick, the height, any piers or cap and, on a house, the drainage behind the brick. The estimate gives you the number for your wall.
What brick grade holds up to freezing in Michigan?
Facing brick is graded SW or MW by how well it resists damage from freezing when it's soaked. Asking which grade a bid uses tells you how that brick is rated against freezing while wet, and I'll tell you which grade I'm pricing and why it fits your spot.
How tall can a fence or wall be in my front yard in Lansing?
Lansing's fence guide holds fences and hedges in a front yard to three feet, unless the fence is at least 50% open above that height and keeps street and sidewalk views clear. On corner lots and beside driveways it keeps them at 3 ft. or lower within set triangles near the street, and in side or rear yards it allows up to six feet. The guide is written for fences and hedges, and anything that breaks the city's zoning rules has to be lowered, moved or removed at the owner's expense, so we lay out the wall with those limits in mind.
Who is allowed to do masonry work in Michigan?
Masonry is one of the trades under the state's maintenance and alteration contractor license, and each license lists the trades its holder is qualified to practice. When a contractor shows you a license, look for masonry on that list, and you can read how it works on the state's maintenance and alteration contractor license page.
What is the best mortar for a brick wall?
National masonry guidance says Type N mortar suits normal brickwork, including most veneer, and Type S suits stronger work such as reinforced brickwork or high wind areas. Stronger isn't automatically better, so the mortar should match what the wall has to do.
How do I know if brick mortar joints were done right?
Look at the shape of the joints, because national brick guidance recommends concave, V or grapevine joints that were tooled, or pressed smooth, once the mortar was thumbprint hard. Tooled joints are stronger and more watertight, and untooled joints let more water into the wall.
Other masonry work that goes with a brick wall
Stone masonry
If you want a wall, a cap or a base in natural stone instead of brick, or alongside it, we build stone work that holds up to the same freeze and thaw.
Brick pointing
When an existing brick wall is still solid but its mortar is crumbling or washing out, fresh pointing seals the joints and keeps water out before the brick starts to suffer.
Lansing, MI
Get your brick wall planned right
Send a few photos of the spot with a rough length and height to hi@lansingconcreteandmasonry.com or call (517) 237-5922, and we can talk through which way to build it before I even come out.