Brick wall installation in Laguna Niguel CA - a wall built to match your house
Planning a new garden or property line wall? We help you settle height and permits, then build brick that matches your house.
What building a brick wall involves
Brick wall installation in Laguna Niguel means building a garden wall, privacy wall or fence from brick, set in mortar on a concrete footing, the buried base that carries the wall's weight. It's new work, so it's a different job from brick pointing, where we rake out and refill the joints on a wall you already have.
If you'd rather have natural rock than brick, that's stone masonry, which we also do. My dad taught me to lay brick so a new wall looks like it came with the house, and that's still how we build them, from the footing to the cap.
The price moves with the wall's length and height, the brick you pick, how big the footing has to be and whether there's an old fence to tear out first. The schedule mostly turns on paperwork, like the permit, an HOA letter or an engineer's plans. I come out myself, look at the spot and give you a written estimate.
What a new brick wall can do for your yard
Privacy along the side and back
A solid brick wall blocks the view from the street and the neighbor's yard, and it won't warp or need paint the way wood does. It also takes some of the edge off noise from a busy road.
A clean edge for the front yard
A low brick wall along the front shows where your yard ends and gives planting beds a crisp line to grow against. It sets the house off nicely without closing it off from the street.
Replacing a tired old fence
Where a wood or chain-link fence is leaning, rotting or patched together, a brick wall is a longer-lasting replacement. Brick holds its color, and a wall set on a proper footing stays straight for years.
Brick wall, block wall or something else?
If you want the look of brick and the wall only has to stand on its own, you're in the right place. If it will hold back a slope, start with retaining wall construction, because the footing and the design are a different job.
A plain concrete block wall usually costs less up front and can be stuccoed or faced later with brick or stone veneer. Brick laid all the way through looks finished on both faces, which matters when your neighbor sees the other side.
And if you've already got a brick wall that's cracking or losing mortar, you probably don't need a new one, since brick repair or repointing usually saves it. I'd rather save a sound old wall than knock it down.
What to settle before we build your wall
Height and where it sits
How tall you can go depends on whether the wall's in the front yard or along a side or back line, so we walk the spot with you and set height and placement first. Moving a wall on paper is easy. Moving it after the footing's poured is not.
Talking with your neighbor
If the wall runs along a line you share, talk with your neighbor before we draw anything up, because their side matters as much as yours. It's the time to agree on which face they'll see and who looks after the wall later.
Matching your house
Show us your house's brick, trim and mortar color, because a new wall should look like it was always there. I'd rather spend more time finding the right brick and joint than build something that looks tacked on.
Building brick walls in Laguna Niguel
The City of Laguna Niguel requires a permit for masonry fences, so plan on one for your brick wall, and we handle the paperwork and line up inspections. In an HOA, the city wants the association's approval letter before it issues the permit, and a wall on a shared line needs a common wall agreement, so we raise both early.
The city's standard plan doesn't cover walls holding up a back slope, on or above a coastal bluff or near a flood plain, and lots at different heights get separate height rules, so tell me if your yard slopes or sits above the neighbor's. We're based in Laguna Niguel and do the same work in Aliso Viejo, Laguna Hills and many cities around it.
Questions people ask about brick walls
How tall can a brick wall be in Laguna Niguel?
The city's zoning code allows walls up to six feet in a required side or rear setback and up to 42 inches in the front setback, the open strips the code keeps along your lot lines. Codes change, so we confirm the current figures with the city before we draw your wall up.
When does a wall in Laguna Niguel need an engineer?
A wall that holds back soil needs a design from a registered professional engineer or licensed architect when it falls outside the city's standard plan, which covers retaining walls over 3 feet and under 6 feet tall, measured from the bottom of the footing. If yours needs plans, we tell you early so you can allow time for them.
Why is there white powder on my new brick wall?
It's usually new building bloom, salts that water carries to the face as a new wall dries out, and it tends to show up shortly after the wall's built. If it keeps coming back after that first stretch, water is likely getting in and staying in the wall, and that's worth a call.
Is brick veneer over concrete block worth the extra cost?
It can be, because one masonry trade institute says brick veneer over reinforced concrete block costs less over the wall's life, enough to offset the higher price up front. It's a heavy wall that may need a bigger footing, and since brick grows slightly as it ages while block shrinks, the design needs joints that let each one move.
What license should a brick wall contractor have in California?
Look for a masonry contractor's license, since California's contractor licensing board defines masonry contractors as the ones who install brick, block and stone, including walls and fences. We're fully licensed and insured, and I'm happy to talk it through when I come out to look at your wall.
Tell us about the brick wall you want
Send the height, the spot on the lot, any shared line and your HOA status. We reply within one business day and set up a free on-site estimate with no obligation.
(949) 312-6076Mon–Fri: 7 AM–9 PM, Sat–Sun: 6 AM–9 PM