Brick Masonry
We lay brick veneer on new houses, additions, garages and commercial buildings. We also build brick steps, stoops, patios, columns and mailboxes.
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Downtown Burlington is mostly two-story brick buildings along Chestnut Street and North Pine Street. On walls that old, the mortar joints wear out well before the brick does. Once the mortar is falling out between the bricks, water gets in and freeze-thaw starts to break up the face. Chimneys and old stone foundations in the houses around downtown wear the same way.
M.O.E Masonry is a brick, block and stone masonry contractor based in Mount Pleasant, on the south side of Racine. We come out to Burlington on Highway 11, about 22 miles west through Union Grove. Here we do tuckpointing on downtown brick and chimney repair on older houses. Call or text (262) 744-4688, or send photos, and we put the quote in writing after we look.
Tell us about the wall, chimney, foundation or steps and where the job is. We look at it and put the quote in writing.
The Burlington Downtown Historic District was listed in the National Register of Historic Places in 2000. Its nomination says most buildings are two-story brick with flat roofs, built or refaced between 1890 and 1930. The 1868 Jones Block on Chestnut Street has a cream brick front and stone side walls. On North Pine Street, the 1870 Runzler Block keeps a dressed limestone front.
The city guards that downtown with a Historic Preservation Overlay District. Its 2023 guidelines require a certificate of appropriateness before exterior changes, and they name tuckpointing and masonry repair. The application goes to the Building Inspector at City Hall for the Historic Preservation Commission's monthly agenda. The certificate is needed along with the regular building permit.
The guidelines are specific about mortar. New mortar should match the old in color and texture, and stay softer than the brick. Old mortar comes out by hand raking, and the guidelines call for Type N mortar. We work to those rules on district buildings, and masonry repair there matches new brick or stone to the old.
Near downtown, the Kane Street Historic District holds 137 contributing buildings, built from 1844 to about 1940. It joined the National Register in 2014. You will find Greek Revival, Queen Anne, Foursquare and Bungalow houses there. The nomination says they are clad mainly in wood, brick or stucco, and it describes brick and stone foundations.
Some of the oldest houses in the district are cobblestone. The nomination describes 1850s cobblestone houses on Jefferson Street and on State Street. An 1890s church on Perkins Boulevard is built mostly of Cream City brick. Our stone repointing and repair on walls like these uses mortar no stronger than the old, often a lime-rich mix.
Census estimates put about 19 percent of Burlington's 4,850 homes before 1940, and about 63 percent before 1980. About one in six dates from 2000 or later, and the median home was built in 1970. The Census permit survey counted 13 new homes authorized in 2025, 11 of them single-family. Older streets bring tuckpointing and chimney work, and new lots bring block foundations and brick veneer.
Burlington grew where the White River meets the Fox River. NRCS soil maps show Fox and Casco soils on about 45 percent of the city's land. Both formed over sandy outwash, and both drain well. That is a different base from the clayey till under most of Racine County.
NRCS rates frost action moderate on about 65 percent of the city's land and high on about 18 percent. Wisconsin's Uniform Dwelling Code puts footings at least 48 inches below grade. If frost reaches deeper, footings go below it. The rule covers footings for landings and stoops too (SPS 321.16).
Burlington's building code adds a rule for foundation repairs (Section 115-19). The permit application must include a statement of the defects and an analysis of their cause. Plans are approved before the permit is issued. Bowing or moving walls go to a structural engineer first, and block foundation repair comes after.
Communities and areas we serve around Burlington: Downtown Historic District, Kane Street Historic District, Chestnut Street, North Pine Street, Milwaukee Avenue, Perkins Boulevard, Jefferson Street, Echo Lake, Echo Park, Wehmhoff-Jucker Park, Bear Meadows Park, Burlington Municipal Airport.
Burlington ZIP codes served: 53105.
We come over from Mount Pleasant, look at the job and put the quote in writing.
(262) 744-4688 We lay brick veneer on new houses, additions, garages and commercial buildings. We also build brick steps, stoops, patios, columns and mailboxes.
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Concrete block foundations and frost walls for new houses, additions, garages and outbuildings. Block foundation repair on the masonry side: tuckpointing, new block, parging and rebuilt sections.
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We lay natural stone and manufactured stone veneer on houses, chimneys, columns and fireplace faces. We also build stone steps and garden walls and repoint old stone.
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We grind out crumbling mortar joints and pack in new mortar matched to the old. We tuckpoint brick, block and stone walls, chimneys, foundations and steps around Racine.
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We repair and rebuild brick chimneys around Racine, with brick and mortar matched to the old. New crowns and rain caps are part of the work too.
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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.
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We pour concrete steps and stoops, sidewalks, small slabs and footings for masonry. Outdoor work gets air-entrained concrete, which gives freezing water room to expand.
Learn MoreA few of the questions we hear most around Burlington. If yours is not here, call or text and ask.
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.