Masonry Contractor in Kenosha, WI

How Old Are the Houses in Kenosha?

Census estimates put Kenosha at about 42,500 homes, and the median home was built in 1970. About 21 percent date from 1939 or earlier. About 29 percent more went up between 1940 and 1969. Only about 18 percent are from 2000 or later.

On a pre-war brick house, look for open mortar joints and a chimney crumbling above the roof. If the house is from the 1950s or 1960s and sits on concrete block, check the basement walls. A crack running up the block wall is worth a closer look. If the wall is bowing or has moved, a structural engineer should see it first.

Brick and Limestone in Kenosha's Historic Districts

Kenosha has four city historic districts: Library Park, Third Avenue, Civic Center and Pearl Street. The city's plan calls Third Avenue its early 20th century mansion district, on or near the Lake Michigan shore. About two of every three buildings there have brick walls. Many of the old garages behind the houses are brick too.

Around the Civic Center, the Classical Revival buildings are built with or faced with gray limestone. The Kenosha County Courthouse, finished in 1925, is one of them. In Library Park, the city's plan notes the fine brick construction of the First Congregational Church, built in 1874.

Under Section 15.10 of Kenosha's zoning ordinance, exterior alteration or restoration of a historic building needs commission review first. An application for a Certificate of Appropriateness goes to the Historic Preservation Commission. Its decision is advisory, but the review itself is required.

The district plans say to re-point defective mortar to match the original color, style, texture and strength. They prohibit sandblasting brick or stone, because it erodes the surface. On historic masonry restoration, we match the new mortar and brick to the old work. That holds in a district or out of one.

What Masonry Work Needs a Permit in Kenosha?

Inside the city, building permits go through the Building Inspection Division at the Kenosha Municipal Building on 52nd Street. Its forms cover work within the city limits only. Outside them, another office issues the permit.

The division has separate forms for residential additions and detached garages. A footing and foundation permit allows an early start on construction. As of September 1, 2026, new one and two family homes need one more step. An approved as-built survey of the foundation must come before the backfill inspection.

Retaining walls under 5 feet tall do not need a building permit in the city. A wall over 5 feet needs a retaining wall permit, with two sets of plans and a civil engineer's letter. The code measures height from the top of the footing to the top of the wall. We build block and stone retaining walls to the plan, and any permit is sorted out before work starts.

Tuckpointing and chimney rebuilds have no form of their own on the city's permit list. Ask the Building Inspection Division before that work starts.

Clay Soil and Frost Under Kenosha's Foundations

NRCS soil maps put Markham, Ashkum and Elliott soils at the top of Kenosha's list. All three formed over silty clay loam till left by the glaciers. The maps rate frost action high on about 46 percent of the city, and moderate on most of the rest. Frost action is the NRCS term for soil that heaves as ice forms, then weakens as it thaws.

For new homes, Wisconsin's Uniform Dwelling Code sets the footing depth in SPS 321.16. Footings go below the frost line or at least 48 inches below grade, whichever is deeper. That includes the footings under landings and stoops.

Kenosha is still building. In 2025 the city authorized 228 new housing units, 42 of them single-family houses, per Census permit data. We lay block foundations for new houses and additions on the footing once it is poured. Kenosha sits about 10 miles south of Racine, and we come down Highway 31 (Green Bay Road) from Mount Pleasant.