Gladewater is one of the cities around Tyler we work in, and the calls here look like the ones we get across East Texas: older brick homes with tired mortar, chimneys that need help, and yards that need a wall, a walkway or a driveway. I've run this business out of Tyler since 2013, and we do the same kind of work in White Oak and Mineola.
Around Lake Gladewater the land runs low-rolling to flat, with clay and sandy loams under the yards. Clay holds water and swells, sandy loam washes out when it's soaked, and flat ground is slow to shed a hard rain. That's why so much of a masonry job here happens underneath, in the base and the drainage, and why a mortar repair on an older house often starts with a look at what the ground is doing to the wall.
What sets the price and the schedule
Price comes down to how much brick or mortar needs work, how hard it is to find brick that matches yours, and how high or tight the work sits, since a chimney or a second story means ladders and staging. New walls and driveways add digging and base work. The schedule turns on the weather, because mortar work waits on dry days, on how long matching brick takes to find, and on a permit if the city says the job needs one. I come out, look at it with you and write the estimate, so you get your own number instead of a guess. If something can wait, I'll tell you.
Getting the ground ready for walls and paths
Because of that wet, flat ground, most of the work on a retaining wall, walkway or paver driveway happens before the first brick or stone goes down. We dig out the soft soil, pack a solid base and give the water somewhere to go, since a wall or path sitting in wet ground is the one that leans or settles. A retaining wall also needs a way for water to drain out from behind it, or the pressure builds and can push the wall out. On the visit, show us gates, sprinkler lines and any soft spots in the yard, and leave room for a truck to get close.
Chimneys, fireplaces and who runs your job
Tired chimneys are one of our most common calls, and the fix is often repointing, raking out the worn mortar joints and packing in new mortar matched to the color and texture of the old. When the top courses are loose, we take them down and relay them. If you'd rather have a new firebox and hearth than a fix, that's our fireplace installation work. I come out and write the estimate, and a lead mason runs the crew on site, so one person on the job knows it from start to finish. I want you to know where your job stands without having to chase anybody down.