Brick wall installation in Oakland, CA - a wall that stands firm and sheds water
Planning a brick garden wall or boundary along your lot? We build it to stand on its own, with tight joints that shed water.
- Licensed and fully insured.
- Free estimates at your property.
- We reply within 1 business day.
What goes into building a new brick wall in Oakland?
Brick wall installation in Oakland means laying a new brick wall in mortar for a fence line, a garden boundary or part of a structure. Brick is strong by nature, so done right you get a firm wall that stands on its own and keeps water out of its joints.
Most people who call about a new brick wall want a boundary that suits an older house and doesn't lean or stay soaked. If the wall has to hold back a slope, that's retaining wall construction, which is a different build. The price mostly turns on the wall's length and height, how thick it has to be, whether it needs piers, the brick you pick and how easy the spot is to dig and reach. The schedule turns on that same size and access, plus the weather, because heavy rain can hold up mortar work. You get your own figure from the written estimate I write after looking at the spot with you.
How we handle brick wall installation
I start by helping you pick a wall design that can stand on its own, and where it needs the help we add piers or a wider base so it stays upright for the long haul. Then we dig out, set the base, lay the brick and tool every joint tight so it sheds water instead of soaking it in. Where a patio or path meets the wall, we set the paving to carry water away from the brick, so the bottom rows aren't sitting wet after every rain. We clean up as we go, so you're not left with mortar splatter on the paving.
A new brick wall often sits beside other masonry. If you'd like stone in the mix, our stone masonry work covers stone pillars or a stone section alongside the brick. If the new wall joins an older one with crumbling joints, brick pointing on the old section first means you're not tying fresh brick into tired mortar.
One brick thick, with piers
This suits a garden wall or a low fence line where you want a slimmer look, and the piers or a wider base keep it upright. With only one layer of brick between rain and the back face, the joints matter most on this wall.
Two layers, tied with crossways bricks
This suits a taller boundary or a wall that should look solid from both sides. Laying some bricks crossways shows a pattern of short ends and long faces and ties the two layers together without metal wall ties, which UK brick guidance still counts as a sound way to build a freestanding wall.
If you're adding paving and a wall at the same time, call before either one goes in, so we can plan the drainage between them. We reply within one business day.
What happens after you call about a brick wall?
Here's how a brick wall job runs with us, from your first call to the final walk-through. I'm the one who comes out, writes the estimate and lays brick with the crew.
Call or send the form
Tell us roughly how long and tall the wall will be and where it sits on your lot. We get back to you and set a time for me to come out.
I look at the spot
I check the ground, any paving nearby and how the wall needs to stand, then give you a written estimate. You also get my honest take on what can wait, so you're not paying for work you don't need yet.
We build and walk it
Once you say go, I work on site alongside the crew, so the person who wrote your estimate is there while the wall goes up. When it's done, we walk the finished wall with you.
Get a written estimate for your brick wall
We reply within one business day to set a visit. I come out, look at the spot with you and give you a free written estimate, with no obligation to go ahead.
(510) 216-0213Brick wall installation on Oakland ground
A federal earthquake map shows liquefaction hazard across Oakland for a large quake on the Hayward fault. Liquefaction is when hard shaking makes wet sand act like a liquid, and when it happens the sand can flow and the ground can crack and shift, which damages what's built on top and the utility lines underneath. That map is regional, though, and it can't tell you about your own lot. The people who made it say test holes in the soil, called borings, are what it takes to answer the question at a given spot. When I look at your wall site, I'll tell you what the map shows for your area, and if you want a real answer for your own ground, borings are how you get it.
Many of the walls we build go up beside older homes, where new brick meets old brick and paths laid tight to the house. We're based in Oakland and work across the East Bay, and we see the same mix on jobs in Berkeley and Alameda, so we plan each wall around what's already there.
Brick wall questions we hear in Oakland
Who can build a brick wall in California?
A contractor licensed by the state licensing board under its C-29 masonry classification, which covers laying brick in walls for structures and fences. Look up any mason's license with the board before you hire. We're licensed and fully insured, and I come out to every job myself.
Why would my brick wall need piers?
A slim wall usually needs piers to stay upright, because UK brick guidance sets a limit on how slender a thin wall can be against sideways forces. The same guidance lists a thicker base, piers that stick out from the wall or a zigzag line as the fixes, so a slim wall may come with piers or a staggered run that shapes its look.
How do I keep water out of my brick wall?
Ask for concave or V-shaped mortar joints, which US brick industry guidance prefers on a wall one brick thick because tooling them presses the mortar tight and helps it shed water. If you want a water repellent too, that guidance points to the penetrating kind and warns against film-forming or acrylic sealers. Budget for reapplying it, since a penetrating repellent needs a fresh coat from time to time.
How much does a brick wall cost in Oakland?
As a national example, a brick wall with 220 square feet of finished area usually costs about $13,000 to $18,500 per job across the US, and for scale that's roughly a wall 4 feet tall and 55 feet long. Your Oakland price comes from the written estimate I give you after looking at your spot.
What is the best mortar for a brick garden wall?
No single mortar is best for every wall, according to US brick industry guidance. It favors the type with the lowest compressive strength, a measure of how much crushing it can take, that still meets what your wall needs. Ask your mason which type they plan to use and why.
Does a freestanding brick wall need a cap on top?
Yes, UK brick guidance says a freestanding wall should have a properly detailed protective coping, the cap that runs along its top. It keeps rain from sitting on the top course and soaking down into the wall.
Masonry work that pairs with a new brick wall
Stone pillars, a stone cap or a stone section beside your new brick can tie the wall to a garden or an older house front.
Brick pointing replaces worn, crumbling mortar in an existing wall, so an older run that meets your new one stays tight and keeps water out.
Send us your brick wall plans
Call (510) 216-0213 or use the form, and have the wall's length, height, its place on your lot and any nearby paving ready, so the first visit starts with your design.