Masonry Repair
Spalled brick, rusted lintels, loose steps and failed wall sections repaired and matched to the wall. Historic brick buildings and churches restored with matching brick and mortar.
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As a masonry contractor in Racine, M.O.E Masonry lays concrete block foundations for new houses, additions, garages and outbuildings. We also do block foundation repair on the masonry side: tuckpointing, new block, parging and rebuilt sections. If you are adding a garage and need the foundation laid, call or text (262) 744-4688.
We lay the block. The excavation, the poured footing, waterproofing, drain tile and backfill come from other trades. A crack that shows bowing or movement goes to a structural engineer before any masonry repair. Beyond foundations, we build block garden walls and block retaining walls.
Tell us about the wall, chimney, foundation or steps and where the job is. We look at it and put the quote in writing.
A block foundation sits on a concrete footing. For a house, Wisconsin's Uniform Dwelling Code sets how deep that footing goes (SPS 321.16). The general rule puts it below the frost line or at least 48 inches below grade, whichever is deeper. Our work starts once the footing is poured.
On the footing, we lay the block wall one course at a time in mortar. It can be a full basement wall, or a frost wall for an addition or garage with no basement. Unless an engineer designs the wall, the state dwelling code sets its thickness and steel (SPS 321.18). The same section calls for mortar parging on the outside, from footing to grade, with a few exceptions.
We lay concrete block walls for commercial buildings too, such as car washes and warehouses. Those walls follow the drawings and the inspections the project calls for. Our commercial masonry work also covers brick veneer and storefronts.
A crack running up the block wall along the mortar joints, like a staircase, is a step crack. It can come from the block shrinking or the house settling a little. When the wall has not moved, the usual fix is tuckpointing the cracked joints and watching the crack.
A horizontal crack usually goes with a wall that is bowing in. It may open and close with the seasons. Call a structural engineer before any repair. Do the same for a step crack wider than 1/4 inch or any sign the footing has settled.
A foundation repair company handles piering, wall anchors, carbon fiber straps and wall straightening, per the engineer's plan. The masonry side is ours: new block, tuckpointed joints, fresh parging and rebuilt sections of wall. Foundation repair can need a building permit, depending on where you live, so ask your building inspector's office first.
The USDA soil survey maps more than half of Racine County and Kenosha County as clay soil. The most common soil in both, called Ozaukee, has a silty clay subsoil over dense till the glaciers left behind. Water moves through it slowly. In most years it holds water 2 to 3.5 feet down for a month or more.
Soil presses on a basement wall from the outside, and winter frost can add to that pressure. The state dwelling code requires foundation walls built for that sideways push of the soil (SPS 321.18). It also calls for drain tile when a new house has groundwater above the bottom of the footing (SPS 321.17). Drain tile is another trade's work.
Houses around Racine sit on both block and poured concrete foundation walls. A poured wall is cast in forms, while a block wall is laid in mortar one course at a time. The state dwelling code has rules for both, and the plans decide which one a job gets.
Call or text for a written quote anywhere across Racine County, Kenosha County and the south side of Milwaukee County.
(262) 744-4688From the first call or text to the finished work, here is how it goes.
Call or text (262) 744-4688 and tell us about the job. Photos help, so send a few if you can.
We come out and look at the masonry and the mortar joints. Good photos can stand in for that first look.
You get the quote in writing, with the work spelled out. Once you say yes, we set a start date.
The brick, block or stone is delivered to the site, and scaffolding goes up where the height calls for it. Then we lay the new masonry or make the repair.
We take a final look at the work with you. The site is cleaned up before we leave.
Common questions about block foundations across Racine County, Kenosha County and the south side of Milwaukee County. If yours is not here, call or text and ask.
Spalled brick, rusted lintels, loose steps and failed wall sections repaired and matched to the wall. Historic brick buildings and churches restored with matching brick and mortar.
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Concrete block and mortared stone retaining walls around Racine, plus segmental block garden walls. Gravel backfill and a drain pipe go in as part of the wall.
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We lay concrete block walls and brick veneer for new commercial buildings like car washes and warehouses. We also repair and tuckpoint older storefronts and churches.
Learn MoreWe lay all three, for new work and for repairs. You deal with one masonry company, whatever the wall is made of.
A repair should look like part of the wall. We match the mortar to the old joints and pick brick to match the wall around it.
We look at the job before we price it, in person or through your photos. The quote comes to you in writing before any work starts.
Mount Pleasant sits on the south side of Racine, in Racine County. From there, we work in Racine, Kenosha and the south side of Milwaukee County.
What stair-step, vertical and horizontal cracks in a block foundation mean in southeast Wisconsin, who fixes each one, and what repairs cost.
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Brick veneer vs natural and manufactured stone veneer in Wisconsin: installed cost per square foot, weight and ledge needs, drainage, salt and upkeep.
Read more →Tell us about the job and where it is, and send photos if you have them. Call or text (262) 744-4688, or use the form, and we will get back to you.
Tell us about the wall, chimney, foundation or steps and where the job is. We look at it and put the quote in writing.